Accessing the inner carrier and swapping the GPU is intuitive, requiring no tools. The enclosure handle sits flush to the body in lock position. Unlocked mode is engaged by an outward pull of this handle. By continuing this same motion you can slide the carrier out of its enclosure. The sliding mechanism operates smoothly thanks to the two plastic rails mounted on the bottom of the carrier and a wide plastic base on the enclosure.

Supersize it! That’s what Razer did in all dimensions. The Core X is easily twice the volume of the original. Its black anodized aluminum outer shell, sturdy hinged handle, and vertical bar front fascia continue the Razer Core design lineage. It’s chubbier than the Core V2, but thin enclosures don’t get to have all the fun. In the case of the Core X, its tremendous girth allows fitment of 3-slot wide graphics cards with seemingly unlimited length and height. Component wise, it shares nothing with the original Core or Core V2 except for the chipsets. The Razer Core X has neither RGB nor expansion ports. In other words, axing the price means a cut in features and portability.

eGPU

Even my SG13 with gtx 1080 and ryzen cpu pc was 11.5 liters. Then I bought Sonnet Breakaway and it was 12.7 liters. This thing is even bigger.. but why… I’m going to get Gigabyte’s gaming box which is the size they have to. I’m printing a mini itx pc case now capable of fitting a 65w tdp cpu, itx gpu (up to 1080) with flex atx psu at 3.78 liters. With these numbers, why would I buy such a big eGPU enclosure except Gigabyte’s model.

Can check these builds out including any intricies with routing PCIe power plug routing and card specifics to fit enclosure space by clicking the link below and following the presented build link of interest the far right of the table columns:

The Thunderbolt main board has a simple layout with two power connectors. The first is a common arrangement, 24-pin power receptacle. The second connector is one I’ve never seen before in a Thunderbolt 3 enclosure. It’s an 8-pin EPS connector. I believe this EPS connector carries one of the four 12V rails. This is to distribute the load and prevent Over Current Protection shutting down the PSU. For eGPU use we prefer single-rail PSU because the primary power draw is from the single graphics card. The three crucial ICs are located near the Thunderbolt 3 port. The usual suspects are the TI83 USB-C controller, JHL6540 Thunderbolt 3 controller, and Winbond EEPROM.

This would be perfect when used with laptops that have very few Thunderbolt 3 ports – such as Lenovo Thinkpads – and not Apple Macbook Pro:s which come with plenty of them, Macbook Pro:s have four Thunderbolt 3 ports on all better models.

The Razer Core V2 is the filet mignon you order at a fine dining restaurant. It’s delicious and refined with the price to match. The Core X is more like a Big Mac. It gets the job done, appealing to many palates and satisfying your hunger affordably. The Core X checks off many of the items from the Core V2 wishlist including a sub $400 price point and a quieter power supply. Meeting these demands meant compromising the slender build, RGB effects and expansion I/O. Despite this, Razer not only priced its new enclosure at $299 but also increased the Power Delivery, internal enclosure volume and GPU max power. Effectively the Core X emerges as the go-to single I/O Thunderbolt 3 eGPU enclosure that can pair with almost all graphics cards and Thunderbolt 3 laptops.

To run a set of synthetic benchmarks I paired the Razer Core X with the RX Vega 56 and the GTX 1070. The host computers are the 2016 15″ MacBook Pro and the 2018 Razer Blade Stealth. All tests were run through internal display mode in Windows 10 using the latest drivers. It’s worth noting the Razer Blade Stealth is one of only a few ultrabooks optimized for external graphics card use. For detailed criteria in selecting the best ultrabook to use with an eGPU, read our buying guide.

I’m trying to choose between this and Sonnet550W. Little is said about CoreX’s psu Lite-on PS-86512. What kind of fan it has?

So if it will work with the tb2>tb3 adapter I’m considering sending the Node back for this Core X and using that until I upgrade my laptop to a tb3 model (waiting for GDC).

While the enclosure works well under Mac OS High Sierra (installed without issue and automatically appeared in System Info), it’s not recognized at all in Adobe applications. Cinebench clocked the performance really well, but I haven’t checked any games as of yet. Likewise, the AMD drivers aren’t installing well on my Bootcamp partition and I likely still have some scripts and configuration to try out to see if it’ll all work. As this is my first foray into eGPU solutions, I’ll keep folks here posted if/when I have further success. 😉

The Razer Core X is plug and play in macOS 10.13.4+ when paired with an RX Vega card and a Thunderbolt 3 Mac. Nvidia eGPU and older Macs don’t have support from Apple and require the use of workarounds. Mac_editor wrote a script to unblock Thunderbolt 1 and Thunderbolt 2 Macs for eGPU access. Goalque improved his automate-eGPU.kext to add external GPU compatibility for two dozen AMD graphics cards. Fr34k is developing an all-in-one automated script to enable Nvidia eGPU support in 10.13.4. I used fr34k’s solution to enable the GTX 1070 via this Razer Core X.

Thanks for the tip! Totally worked for my internal display and most everything else appears to be working (with the exception of Bootcamp), now with the script installed. All my Adobe apps, games, etc. are running like a champ on my new MBP. Any tips on the Radeon support under Bootcamp? I’ve been chatting w/Razer support and there are apparently some known issues but I can’t tell if it’s with the Vega card or the enclosure. Trying to determine if I should trade up for an Nvidia card or different eGPU enclosure to get Windows support.

I just got a Razer Core X and too have discovered that the fans will go full speed when a connected laptop is powered off (not standby). This applies for both a Razer Blade Stealth and a MacBook. I did try both a Geforce 1080 Ti and a Radeon VII at first due to some TB3 driver issue that prevented the Core X from being detected. I seem to recall that the nVidia card had different behaviour. Like it would still keep the fan(s) running but they would run at a much slower speed, which I would find acceptable. However, my intention is to use the AMD card and here I would need to either unplug the TB3 cable or switch off the Razer Core X. Has anyone found any other workarounds so it is possible to not having the Core X fans running at full speed while charging a powered-off laptop?

Missing from the Core X‘s main board is an LED strip and RGB effects under the enclosure as in the Core V2. As a matter of fact, there are no lights at all. This makes for a clean, understated look more appropriate for work settings. Mac users may find this non-feature more appealing compared to the original Core and Core V2. The RGB in those enclosures can only be adjusted/turned off through Razer Synapse utility software in Windows.

I wonder, the review didn’t show, can you really put in a three slot card? There are three slot covers? Also, I guess this little card  http://www.palit.com/palit/vgapro.php?id=2614&lang=en still wouldn’t fit, would it 🙂 ?

@joevt is correct, there is no power over tb2. I am using the adapter and went ahead and unplugged the magsafe just to be thorough! 😀 It continues to work fine, the Core X, my GPU, and external monitor. But the battery absolutely will still drain. So nothing stops working, but there is no charging over tb2; that’s a feature only of the later tb3/usb-c MBPs

Holy cow the size of that thing! One hell on an enclosure but why are people still making these things so big? The V2 Core looks ideal to me…

I just got the Razer Core X today with an ASUS Radeon RX Vega 64 card installed. I’ve been wanting an external Thunderbolt solution for several years now and with the new Quad Core option available for the 13″ Macbook I picked that up.

Razer fully catered to the tastes of the American market with its latest Thunderbolt 3 external GPU enclosure, the Core X. The recipe for success is similar to that of a fast food burger; deliver a juicy, thick-cut patty quick and easy. The Razer Core X grew larger in size and provides more Power Delivery than its older siblings, the Core and Core V2.

@Eightarmedpet , yes it’s big. Hope AKiTiO does some sort of factory upgrade to give their Node Pro out-of-the box Vega64+ compatibility desired by Mac power users. It could then be a better-looking, if pricier, alternative bettering this with 2xTB3 ports.

eGPU Dock

@Haoshiro i see you have the core x on your 2015 mac…i assume you’re using the tb3-tb2 adapter…can you confirm that powering through the thunderbolt is enough without using the magsafe? i have the same type of laptop and was thinking to get the core x… did you had any issues with your build and do you have any advices or tips you could share from your experience? thanks in advance

It’s given up those somewhat problematic & performance degrading I/O ports for top-of-the range 100W PD and 500W GPU. Feature making it appeal to budget gamers and power pro users wanting Vega64+ cards.

I’m looking at getting a Razer Core X with MSI RTX 2080 TI Sea Hawk X and am trying to figure out if there is sufficient clearance for the fan, which is 154mm tall and 52mm deep. Can anyone who has a Core X confirm whether this will fit, if I remove the 120mm fan bracket as shown in the proof of concept photos above?

Thank you for being so understanding and waiting for any updates regarding your case. We were stress testing our devices to cater to your case and we just got feedback from our relevant advanced product specialists.

Hello, I would like to know, at this date, is there an eGPU capable on use a series 40 of Nvidia. One of the bigger one like 4080 or 4090. Thanks a lot!

I wanted to ask you, is the psu semi modular ? I want to know if I can hook up another 8pin or 6+2 pin on it to power a 3x8pin requiring gpu.

@cement_head, I don’t know if Razer provides their product firmwares to the Linux Vender Firmware Service for users to take advantage of flashing firmware under distros such as Ubuntu. There are ways to do it if you can locate the .bin files which I don’t know if anyone outside of Razer has access to.

Thunderbolt 2 ports on a computer do not receive power. They can only provide 10W of power to connected Thunderbolt devices.

If this was designed with more space on side of GPU than top, the air flow would have been much better. If they made it possible to have the radiator block to be mounted facing up/down, the extra space would made sense too, and this will also improve cooling.

We have just checked with our sources here physically and tested it out. The Core generally will still run it’s fans when the device is still connected to the laptop via USB-C connection. That explains the Core to power off when the USB-C is disconnected from the Core to the Laptop.

@itsage, Yeah, you are correct – they’re not.  In any case, I could query the firmware from Ubuntu and it’s the latest one.  It’s okay, we have windows machines at our house, so no big deal. Thanks!

The builds are of the site currently has 7 user submitted TB3/TB4/USB4 RTX 4080 or RTX 4090 “bigger” eGPUs across 4 different enclosures, including the Razer Core X & Razer Core X Chroma.

What does that capacitor do on right side? Mine is broken and haven’t test if it still working. I wonder if it burns my gpu or laptop without that capacitor. Or does it even works?

@Eightarmedpet, it’s 14.45L volume sits it between a US$269 AKiTiO Node (14.09L) and a US$300 HP Omen Accelerator (16.00L).

@mac_editor Maybe you are right, but I can tell you that I also have Asus ROG XG Station 2 and it works flawlessly. When the laptop is off, the enclosure is also off. I think it’s not just the charging because when the laptop is shut down and the usb-c cable is disconnected, the Core X is also off. And then when I connect the cable it keeps being off (or in low power state). The issue occurs when I turn on the laptop and then turn it off. The Core simply keeps running (fans/PSU on, GPU not) indefinitely, or until I remove the USB cable again.

You never know when you need to connect two bus-powered TB3 devices at the same time, when that happens Core X wouldn’t deliver and instead Node Pro is the only option. Still making up my mind if to get Node Pro or Core X.

There’s a lot to like about this new eGPU enclosure. First is its $299 price tag compared to the $499 Core V2. The 650W power supply amps up PD to a maximum 100W. It’s also one of the few Thunderbolt 3 enclosures that can withstand the extreme power demands of the RX Vega 64 graphics card. Internally it can accommodate virtually any GPU currently available on the market. Last but not least, the Razer Core X is a certified eGFX for both Windows and macOS.

How does one find out the firmware version under Ubuntu? Is it possible to upgrade under Ubuntu, or do I need to find a Windows machine to do that?

@Ochichka I think it doesn’t shut down because it’s charging the laptop? I experience something similar with the Aorus Gaming Box (fans/PSU on, GPU not). Though while charging, the enclosure needn’t make as much noise as the Aorus does, and the fans can certainly be turned off – but aren’t. So much for that.

Hi from Spain, basically I edit video in 4K and 60FP with FCP and I was desperate because of the slowness when exporting video, I saw this website, (which I think is great) and I have managed to build my external EGPU with used equipment for less than 400 euros and I have to say that I am very satisfied with the performance, but above all because of how cold my MAC is, when the video processing is off, it is really cold and this should extend the life of the processor, I have made this little video with the process and the test results, I hope it is not a problem to publish it here and that it will be useful. Cheers

I got one and it looks great. But think twice when buying Razer products – their support is the worst I’ve seen. I have a problem with Razer Core X whereby it doesn’t shutdown when the laptop is off. For 3 weeks now nobody at Razer is helping and they keep sending automated messages that they haven’t heard back from me.

Priced under $300, Razer could be onto a sales leader and remain synonymous with TB3 eGPUs.  Will the budget volume-selling AKiTiO Node and Sonnet Breakaway 350/550 sharpen their pricing as a response?

It is a normal design from our Core X and there is no specific explanation to it but it should affect anything from your setup and of the laptop.

Intel i9 10900X

2024 16" Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5 Gen 9 (780M) [R8K,8C,H] + RTX 3070 @ 64Gbps-M.2x4 (NFHK N-8611Y-D OCuLink) + Win11 24H2 // triple M.2 NVMe slots, Pico PSU

Hello, I would like to know, at this date, is there an eGPU capable on use a series 40 of Nvidia. One of the bigger one like 4080 or 4090. Thanks a lot!

Intel CPU

How does the Razer Core X actually support a 500w Card?  I know the PSU is rated 650w to power the fans, TB3 card, and 100w PD over TB, and the specs list that the max wattage of the internal GPU can be up to 500w, but the case only supplies two 6+2 8pin connectors for the GPU, which provide 150w each, plus the 75w from the PCI connection itself. Where is the other 125w coming from? or is it not able to deliver more than 375w and the 500w is untruthful? Thank you!

Posted by: evilishhh @Haoshiro i see you have the core x on your 2015 mac…i assume you’re using the tb3-tb2 adapter…can you confirm that powering through the thunderbolt is enough without using the magsafe? i have the same type of laptop and was thinking to get the core x… did you had any issues with your build and do you have any advices or tips you could share from your experience? thanks in advance

An improvement in this Razer Core X versus its older siblings is airflow. Due to the minimal space inside the original Core form factor, Razer had used three 80mm fans placed on the bottom to dissipate hot air through the top. The Core X takes a different approach in moving air horizontally. Intake air goes in on the side of the graphics card. Exhaust air flows out the side of the PSU and cooling fan as well as the rear. In my observation, this approach helps the eGPU run cooler and emit less noise overall.

The Node I have works fine with an RX560 I have but will power-cycle seemingly randomly with my 8GB XFX RX580 (GTR XXX OC Edition). I initially thought it was a bad PSU but suspect the power draw is just too high to handle it.

Will this work with a TB3 > TB2 adapter? I have a 2015 MBP and an XFX RX580 and the Akitio Node I have loves to just shut off (even my replacement node).

I just picked up a Razer Core X this weekend myself and noticed the same strange issue. I too figured it must be related to having the PSU on for charging the laptop, but it happens even when the laptop is already fully charged.

As an aside, I noticed that my Core X has firmware 33.0, not 33.1. I wonder what the difference is, and if an upgrade will be released for units running the older version?

I don’t see Core X on the build guides at all.  I have a Mid 2015 15″ MacBook Pro Retina with a 2.2Ghz i7 and 16GB of RAM with the Iris Pro iGPU.

Core-Xmetroid

Connecting to my 2016 15″ MacBook Pro showed power delivery is 100W as claimed. Unlike the Thunderbolt firmware version of the Razer Core V2 at 26.1, this Razer Core X comes with version 33.1. There’s no official statement as to what benefits this newer Thunderbolt firmware provides. The good news is all Razer eGPU enclosures so far have firmware that yields the most performance out of Thunderbolt 3 eGFX bandwidth (capped at 22Gbps).

In Windows 10, there are more graphics card choices and the setup process is much easier. Razer described the setup process as “plug and game.” It really was that easy. You essentially plug the Thunderbolt 3 cable into your Thunderbolt 3 host computer, and Windows installs the drivers automatically. If it’s your first time connecting a TB3 enclosure, you may need to grant permission to establish this connection. It’s advisable to download the latest graphics drivers from AMD or Nvidia manually to get the best support for newest games. Mac computers running Windows in Bootcamp are an exception. In order to use the 15″ MacBook Pro with eGPU internal display acceleration, I followed the steps as outlined in our external GPU Bootcamp setup guide.

Hi guys! If u don’t like Razer Core X loud noise, we have completely fixed this with replacement Noctua fans in our project to make the Core X completely silent. We not only replaced the 12cm fan inside, but the smaller brother in the PSU too. This is how the manufacturer should had done it. If you want to upgrade your Core X to be as good quality as it can be, photos and the history is here: https://www.reddit.com/r/eGPU/comments/9qsgsh/upgrading_egpu_cooling_fans_razer_core_x/

The first component and one that features prominently inside the Razer Core X is the ATX power supply. This is only the second Thunderbolt 3 eGFX enclosure that comes equipped with such a PSU, the first being the OMEN Accelerator. The power supply’s label indicates it’s a 12V multi-rail unit. 5V and 3.3V outputs combine to provide at most 100W. The total current through 12V outputs tops out at 600W. Razer claims this PSU is capable of hosting AMD Radeon’s most powerful graphics cards such as the RX Vega 64 and Pro WX 9100. The only other enclosures with this capability are the Sonnet Breakaway Box 650 and ASUS XG Station 2. The Core X wiring harness provides one 24-pin power cable, one 4+4 EPS power cable, and two 6+2-pin PCIe power cables.

Without an installed graphics card, the Core X‘s inner carrier is deceptively light. This is due to fewer components and sheet metal construction. One of the omitted components is the expansion I/O daughterboard. The Razer Core X‘s sole I/O is the Thunderbolt 3 port. This may be good for overall eGPU performance and stability during heavy load. We’ve learned enclosures with expansion ports such as the original Core often suffer from USB lagging/stuttering. The Razer Core V2 came with a clever fix for this issue by adding a second DSL6540 Thunderbolt 3 controller to handle expansion ports. Another solution is to use a separate USB or Thunderbolt 3 hub for other peripherals.

I’m planning to use this with a 2018 Mac Mini in Bootcamp – from what I can see on various similar builds, this should work fine but any advice / tips would be very welcome…

The Razer Core X and Sonnet Breakaway Box share similar component layout. The PSU’s self-contained fan is a 60mm unit, mounted towards the rear. This small fan produces the most noise when idling. It’s the weak link of an otherwise competent eGPU enclosure. The other cooling fan is 120mm and sits near the front of the enclosure. There’s a metal bracket for mounting the enclosure fan. It seems possible to modify this bracket in order to fit graphics cards with AIO liquid coolers. As a proof of concept, I used velcro squares to attach the radiator of an EVGA GTX 980 Ti Hybrid. The result didn’t look too bad.

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One feature that would make this box even more excellent, is if they would add a daisy chain connector, just like the Akitio Node Pro has.