This small eGPU promises to transform OcuLink-equipped machines into creative powerhouses, and after extensive tests, I'm impressed

GMKtec AD-GP1: 30-second review

Coupled with the GMKTec Evo-X1 the performance boost seen across the board was substantial. Opening up DaVinci Resolve and diving straight into a 4K edit, everything was smooth and fast, but the biggest change in performance was with the speed of colour grading and effects application. This made editing on this small machine feel closer to a full-scale video workstation than the highly portable Evo X1 with the GP1 attached.

As the review progressed and applications such as Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Photoshop, and Lightroom were utilised, the performance of the small external GPU really came into its own. Switching back to the Evo X1 with no eGPU, which had impressed in its own right, in comparison, the small machine suddenly seemed underpowered.

What I really liked about the GP1 is that, whilst it comes from GMKtec and can be used with all of its latest range of mini PCs, it is also fully compatible with any of the best mini PC, desktop, or laptop devices that features either a Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, or USB port that supports an eGPU connection.

I tested it out on an old Intel Ghost Canyon with integrated Intel graphics, and the boost it gave to the performance of the machine was marked, enabling it to easily handle most recent releases when played back at 1080p.

While this is still a mobile graphics processor encased in a portable unit, its versatility, along with the ability to connect multiple monitors, makes it an extremely valuable accessory.

GMKtec AD-GP1: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? From £459 / $459
• When is it out? Available now
• Where can you get it? Directly from GMKtec or Amazon.com

The GMKtec AD-GP1 retails for $459.99 and is available directly from GMKtec by clicking here.

• Value: 5 / 5

GMKtec AD-GP1: Specs

GMKtec AD-GP1: Design

The GMKtec AD-GP1 is a relatively compact unit at 163.9 x 110.5 x 39.9 mm, weighing just 708 g. That is, of course, without any of the cables. In order to connect the GP1 to your computer, whether a mini PC, laptop, or desktop, you'll also need a USB4 cable or similar to enable the data connection between the computer and the graphics processor.

While the machine itself is nice and compact, it's worth pointing out that the power supply is almost the same size, infact it's larger that the power supplies that ship with the latest Mini PC's. So while it can be tucked out of site along with all the other adapters, it does add a considerable amount to the size and weight of this eGPU.

Setup and configuration is incredibly easy, and most mini PCs should already have a driver in place to run this eGPU. When you plug in the USB4 cable to your machine, you may see a prompt alerting you that an eGPU has been connected and is ready to be used.

As an example in this review, I used the GMKtec EVO-X1—and the GP1 side by side, both switched off. Keyboard and mouse are connected and then the OCuLink cable from the front of the Evo-X1 links to the port on the back of the GP1. You can then use one of the HDMI or DP ports to connect to a monitor, and with two DP 2.0 and two HDMI 2.1 ports, you can connect up to four monitors.

Power on and the GP1 will automatically switch on. Your machine should then run as normal, except with that extra graphics processing power and a huge leap in performance.

When it comes to the rest of the build, the GP1 is made of ABS and PC plastic, with some metal components to give it a robust feel. So, if you are going to carry this around, it's both lightweight and portable, and it should withstand a little bit of a knock if placed in a kit bag.

The size and weight also make it extremely neat, so if you are out on the road and need that graphics boost, this small unit will sit very neatly under a monitor, with all the connecting cables at the back, I like the idea of this for a high performance machine for use in the Van. The only thing to note is that there are plenty of ventilation holes, and because this is handling all the graphics processing—especially when rendering in something like DaVinci Resolve—keeping those vents clear for airflow will be essential.

• Design: 4.5 / 5

GMKtec AD-GP1: Features

The GMKtec AD-GP1 features an AMD Radeon 7600MXT GPU with RDNA 3 architecture. Whilst this isn't the most up-to-date version of this GPU, it's still extremely powerful and will enable you to play most modern games at 1080p without an issue. On board is also 8GB of GDDR6 memory with a clock frequency of 2250 MHz and a game clock of 2300 MHz. This GPU also supports 4K monitors at up to 120 Hz and 8K at up to 60 Hz.

The connection from the GP1 to your machine offers two options. Either Oculink PCIe 4.0 ×4 or through the Type-C port USB4 it's backward compatible with Thunderbolt 3, and Thunderbolt 4, giving you plenty of options. It's also worth noting that if you are using this with a compatible laptop, then the USB4 Type-C port also offers 100W PD power.

On the back, there are the display ports, including two DP 2.0, two HDMI 2.1, the USB4 link, as well as a DC-in for the 240W power supply.

While eGPUs are commonly used by the gaming community, especially with mini PCs, the real focus of this eGPU is the creative market. It provides a considerable boost to the Adobe suite of creative products as well as Microsoft Office products. So, if you know you're going to be pushing the graphics capabilities of your mini PC or laptop, then this eGPU is a great choice.

• Features: 5 / 5

GMKtec AD-GP1: Performance

Setting up the GMKtec AD-GP1 takes a couple of minutes. It sits between your computer and the monitor, with the Oculink cable (in the case of this review) or the USB4 cable connecting the GPU to the computer, while an HDMI or DP cable connects directly to the monitor. Setup is extremely straightforward, and really, anyone—even with no prior knowledge—should be able to get up and running within five minutes.

Once everything is connected and powered on, the machine should boot up as normal, and you can enter Windows. There are no drivers or anything else to install. The Windows operating system enables this to be essentially plug-and-play. If you are using it with Linux, then you might have to download and install separate drivers, but during this test—utilising it with two different mini PCs, the GMKtec K11 and the GMKtec Evo-X1, as well as the Intel Ghost Canyon—no additional drivers or setup were required. It was all extremely easy and straightforward.

Once everything is connected and powered up, the eGPU can be slipped underneath the monitor, and its small form makes it extremely neat and tidy on the desktop. It would have been nice if there were a few additional docking ports such as USB, which would have added to its usefulness, but as it is, it's all very neat and tidy, with all the ports arranged at the back of the device.

Once powered on, I could then checked the change in performance using the usual range of benchmarking tools, and the results I saw were impressive. Whilst some of the base-level tests were much the same—such as the transfer rates of the SSD—when it came to anything that looked at graphics performance, there was a significant leap.

Starting out with Geekbench, the GPU compute score leapt from 40,079 to 74,313. Likewise, looking at 3DMark scores, there was also a significant boost. Taking the Wild Life performance score as an example, this leapt from 21,281 to 60,154.

Also really interesting was that, whilst the PCMark overall score remained much the same, when it came to the Windows Experience, it changed to 9.4 from 8.3—one of the highest scores I've ever seen for a mini PC.

Through performance testing with benchmarking software, I saw a significant boost from the GMKtec Evo-X1 with the GP1 eGPU. With the base benchmarking tests out of the way, it was time to look at some real-world tests. I loaded up Adobe Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Lightroom, DaVinci Resolve, and Blender, along with a few others, just to see how the Evo-X1's performance would be boosted with the GP1—if at all.

The difference between using it and not using it was marked. In Premiere Pro, rendering 4K footage was significantly faster. Likewise, when I moved over to DaVinci Resolve and started to adjust the colour grading for a 15-minute short, the speed at which it was able to apply the grading to the footage was significantly increased. In Photoshop and Lightroom, which had already been handled extremely well by the Evo-X1 on its own, the graphics boost supplied by the GP1 took the smoothness and speed of Photoshop up another level. What I really liked was that the speed and reliability of Adobe Bridge were significantly boosted.

Going into Blender and creating a quick model, the base-level performance seemed much the same, but I'm sure that as I get more involved with creating more complex models, having that eGPU support is really going to make a difference.

With the work tests out of the way, it was time to load up Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Whilst I could play it smoothly with the Evo-X1, when using it with the GP1 connected, there was a significant boost in that performance. Likewise, as I tried other games such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Hogwarts Legacy, there was a significant increase in playability. The GPU was able to handle higher-quality effects and increase the frame rate at which the games could be played.

It's also worth noting that while all scores were recorded using the Oculink setup you can also utilise the USB4 connection. To test this out, I utilised the Intel Ghost Canyon, plugged it directly into the Thunderbolt 3 port, and switched it on. After waiting a little while for the machine to recognise the eGPU, everything again worked fine and similar performance boosts were seen.

At the end of the test, I was impressed across the board, from boosting Windows applications and creative software to gaming. If you are using a small mini PC and it has the specifications to enable the use of an eGPU, then the GP1—while not the latest graphics processor out there—is still significantly powerful and will give your mini PC a huge boost in performance.

• Performance: 4.5 / 5

GMKtec AD-GP1: Final verdict

I have to say that this eGPU has significantly boosted the performance of all the mini PCs that I have tested recently, including some older mini PCs that had become redundant due to their lack of graphics processing power. However, connecting the GP1 with the 7600MXT eGPU has given those machines a second lease of life and enabled them to play some of the latest games.

What was also interesting is that this unit is extremely neat, tidy, and small. When you compare this with the Razer X eGPU that I usually have set up in the workshop, while you don't have the upgradeability that the Razer X unit offers, the GP1 is considerably cheaper, far neater, and more durable.

I really like the way you can just plug it in without having to worry about anything. Throughout the test, it was able to cope with all the creative, administrative, and gaming programs that I tried, and across the board, there was a significant boost in the performance of every machine I tested it with.

If I were to look at any downsides for this eGPU, it would be the fact that it utilises the slightly older 7600MXT GPU. However, it is still powerful enough that, for most people, it will provide the boost and power they need. I would have also liked to see a few docking options, such as USB Type-C or Type-A ports, so that I could add in a few accessories directly at the front.

If I were to be really critical, it would be that there is no option to upgrade the internal GPU, as there is with many other eGPUs. However, when you consider the price, it is considerably cheaper, and its size and scale are far smaller. This is a mobile GPU in a portable box rather than the more standard card-style GPU that we find in a desktop machine, so really, it makes sense. The only other thing is the size of the power adapter, which is far larger than I would have expected.

At the end of the test, I'm really impressed with the GP1. It's one of the best accessories for a mini PC, laptop, or even an older desktop that you can purchase, providing a cheap and easy performance boost to almost any machine. It will also give you the ability to play many of the recent gaming releases, which is always a nice touch.

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