Gigabyte AORUS Gaming Box GTX 1070 Graphic Card GV-N1070IXEB-8GD eGPU

I purchased this as a boost to my integrated 1050 (2GB, mobile).The TB3 link on my lenovo 720P Laptop (with UHD Screen) is "only" x2, so just the 20GBPS limits me slightly. There are other reviews that prove it but essentially a full x4 link will give you slightly better frames but the CPU itself is more dependent.In other words, if you're torn between a laptop with a much better cpu and a x2 TB3 link vs a much slower one and a x4 TB3 link, get the faster CPU, the link doesn't matter quite as much except for one critical thing with VR (and I don't think x4 would help it a great deal.)This box has extra USBs including a charging port (a keyboard/mouse doesn't effect frames) and this is critical because you'll likely need them.VR:The GPU will work great with VR but you'll want to connect a monitor via DVI, the Occulus via HDMI, and disable the laptop screen. Otherwise the eGPU will think you want to re-direct video back to the laptop and cripple your performance. In theory an x4 TB3 link would work much better but it will hamper your performance anyway so don't bother.In short: If you needed an eGPU for VR, you're going to want a 2nd monitor to the EGPU and disable your onboard screen.The box is quiet, installs in a snap and doesn't need special software. The "Aorus Engine" app is meh, I don't use it and if the LEDs can be controlled I have no idea how. Those could theoretically be distracting but they're hidden in my setup behind my monitor anyway. You'll never hear it with headphones on, and even without, your laptop is probably louder.As far as performance goes, with the i7-7700HQ and TB3 link I was getting 4k@60+ ("Mein Leiben" settings) in Wolfenstein TNC. Not the newest game but it should give you a clue as to what to expect.Based on all the research and reviews I did, I came to these conclusions:1) CPU matters more than Link, ideally get something with a nice boost clock and 35-45Watt range, ideally NOT a 15 "U" processor (although this would work game well with it, miles better than integrated, you're tossing decent performance) at least not for VR.2) Trying to use an eGPU on your internal monitor is probably not worth it, definitely not if you're only a x2 link on your TB3 port.3) With a faster i7/i5 45W mobile CPU, you can expect about 20% performance drop from a DESKTOP version of the same graphics setup (native pcie x16 link) with TB3 x4 link (40GBp/s) and about a 25% performance drop with a TB3 x2 link (20GBp/s). Measurably slower, but hard to notice and works great, with my brandy new Occulus.If money is no object, get the 1080, it will do a little better and is probably worth it, I went with this version as I got it from a Warehouse Deal under $500.

So fast and so small! Same as regular GTX 1070 but miniaturized.Gigabyte's tiny GTX 1070 stays nice and cool, even when you overclock it and push voltage (it overclocks like a champ by the way). Unless it's under heavy load, the fan doesn't need to spin so it's dead-silent. It plays Forza Apex and Horizon 3 on max settings (on 1080p) without breaking a sweat. Those are the only games I've played on this video card, since that's what my xbox is for. But the GTX 1070 Mini and my 6700k are making a great argument for PC gaming.My Gigabyte GTX 1070 Mini is rocking out with an Asus Maximus VIII Impact, Intel 6700K @ 4.6 GHz, and 32GB(2x16GB) G.SKILL TridentX 3000MHz @ 3200 MHz, with a 600W Silverstone SFX power supply. This makes for a very tiny and quiet monster.I bought this because it was the only tiny GTX 1070 on the market, but I've had a long and happy relationship with Gigabyte. I think my first Gigabyte product was an LGA775 motherboard, and over the years they've put a ton of money and effort into both making their products as solid as possible, and ensuring great customer service. I can't count how many Gigabyte products I've owned, but I can count the number that I've sent in for RMA (all my fault by the way) on one hand. And for the few RMAs I've done, unlike many other hardware manufacturers, they've never asked for proof of purchase. It's like me: "hey this video card is dead" and they're all like "okay ship it here and we'll send you a replacement" and then a replacement arrives and I'm super happy. A few of Gigabyte's competitors are as good with warranty service, but more are effing terrible to deal with. I won't name any names, but two immediately come to mind, and one starts with an A and one starts with an E, and both actually make excellent products.

I was checking prices between this card and the ASUS Strix. At las this card got a price reduction, and I went for it. Great card overall, runs as I expected, the RGB lighting is a great plus. I'm giving this card 3 stars because the annoying coil whine this card has when I run my games. I got a 4k /60Hz monitor and I must activate Vsync if i dont want to hear that annoying sound. Althoug this card is louder that I expected, the coil whine make it worst, and I cant return it because I live in Ecuador. Im going to search forums, to try to reduce the coil whine. I will update this review.Edit: After a lot of research, I found that overclocking can reduce coil whine almost complety. But then I was having temps near the 80°C (load), so I re arrange my entire fan/radiator setup, and now I have 40°C Idle and 65°C load on the GPU, and the coil whine is barely noticiable, but is still present. There is a final flaw that was keeping me for giving this product 5 stars; when the card is not in use, the fans are suposed to be at full stop, and the led indicator lights up, but after using it for gaming, when u close the game and do other stuff that no requieres the card to be in load, 2 of the 3 fans will still run at very low speed, and the led wont light up. A little anoying, but I will give the card 5/5 stars for the performance (runing WoW on 4k at 80+ fps)