Nowadays, the OcuLink interface has been increasingly used in external graphics docks and other fields, compared to Thunderbolt 3 4 (USB4), OcuLink has a higher bandwidth when connecting to external graphics docks. Thunderbolt 3 reaches up to 22Gbps bandwidth, Thunderbolt 4 reaches up to 32Gbps bandwidth, and PCIe 30x4 OcuLink can reach a bandwidth of 32Gbps with PCIe 40x4 can reach a bandwidth of 64Gbps.
In addition, since OcuLink is an interface transferred through the NVMe SSD slot on the computer motherboard, NVMe takes a pure PCIe channel, so OcuLink is also a pure PCIe channel, so the loss of OcuLink external graphics dock is also relatively small. At first, many enthusiasts chose to modify their old laptops to support OcuLink; Nowadays, some traditional PC manufacturers, including Lenovo and Asus, have taken the initiative to add OcuLink interfaces to laptops.
In this issue, let's take a look at the laptops that support OcuLink technology on the market, in no particular order, in alphabetical order.
The ThinkBook 14+ 2024 laptop is a thin, light and portable high-performance laptop with great performance and an impressive design, making it an ideal choice for professional users. It is powered by Intel's first-generation Core Ultra5 7 processor and a new NPU AI acceleration engine, with 16 32GB LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB 1T M. hard drive2 2280 PCIe Gen4 SSD, graphics card, core graphics card (Intel arc) optional RTX graphics card version.
The exterior of the Thinkbook 14+ 2024 laptop features a contrasting Luna Gray design and weighs around 15kg, as thin as 159mm。The screen is 145 inches 25K 3K wide viewing angle LED backlit display with support for 90Hz 120Hz refresh rate and 100% sRGB color gamut. There are a wide range of external interfaces, including headphones and microphone 2-in-1 ports, 1 x Thunderbolt 4 port, 1 x TGX graphics card docking station port (based on the OcuLink SFF-8611 port hot-swappable magic change), and 2 x USB 32 Gen 2 Type-C port, 2 x USB 32 Gen 1 Type-A port, 1 x HDMI 21 port, 1 x hidden USB 20 Type-A port, 1 x RJ45 port, 1 x 4-in-1 card reader port. The battery capacity is 85wh.
The ThinkBook 16+ 2024 laptop is a high-performance thin and light laptop for professional users and gaming enthusiasts. It is powered by Intel's first-generation Core Ultra series processors, up to Ultra7 155H. The graphics card is available with RTX4050 or RTX4060. The memory is DDR5 with dual memory slots, and the hard drive is dual M2 2280 SSD slots.
The exterior of the ThinkBook 16+ 2024 laptop is designed in contrasting colors of Rock Gray or Storm Gray, and the overall weight is about 19kg, as thin as 169mm。The screen is 16-inch 16:10 with a 90% screen-to-body ratio. The resolution is 25K, 120Hz refresh rate, 100% sRGB color gamut. There are many types of external interfaces on the fuselage, including headphones and microphone 2-in-1 interfaces, 1 x Thunderbolt 4 interface, 1 x TGX graphics card docking station interface, and 3 x USB 32 Gen 2 Type-A port, 2 x USB 32 Gen 2 Type-C port, 1 x HDMI 21 port, 1 x hidden USB 20 Type-A connector, 1 x foldable RJ45 port, 1 x 4-in-1 reader port. The battery capacity is 85wh.
The 2023 X13 laptop is positioned as a high-performance, thin, and portable device, especially for professional users who demand high performance and portability. Visually, the X13 2023 has been optimized for size and weight, weighing around 135kg, support flip touch function, easy for users to use flexibly in different scenarios. In terms of performance configuration, the device comes standard with an R9 7940HS processor and RTX 4050 independent graphics card, with a performance release of more than 70W, equipped with 16GB LPDDR5 6400MHz memory and 1TB PCIe 40 SSD, which combines powerful processing power and enough storage space.
ROG X13 2023 features 13The 4-inch 2560x1600 resolution Nebula screen has a high refresh rate of 165Hz and a fast response time of 3ms, covering 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, with a brightness of 500 nits and support for color gamut switching. The types of external interfaces of the fuselage are relatively complete, including 35mm headphone jack, 1 x USB4 jack, 1 x ROG docking station, 1 x USB 32 Gen 2 Type-A port, 1 x HDMI 21 connector, 1 x microSD 40 interface. Built-in 75Wh battery, support 130W PD fast charging.
The X16 Flip 2023 laptop is a versatile device designed for high-performance gaming and professional creation. Equipped with the latest 13th Gen Core i9-13900H processor, the GPU provides RTX 4060 and RTX 4070 versions, equipped with 8GB GDDR6 video memory, to meet the needs of high-end games and professional creation. The cooling system adopts the latest glacier cooling architecture30. Contains 3 fans, 5 heat pipes and liquid metal thermal conductive materials to ensure efficient heat dissipation for a long time.
In terms of exterior design, the ROG X16 Flip has a unique hinge design that supports four usage modes: laptop, tablet, gaming, and sharing, greatly increasing the flexibility of use scenarios. The display features a 16-inch touchable ROG Nebula Concept Picture Screen, which uses a Mini LED backlit panel with an increased backlight zone from 512 to 1024 zones in the previous generation. The screen also supports 2560 1600 resolution, 240Hz ultra-high refresh rate, 100000 1 contrast ratio, support for Dolby Vision, HDR 1000, and color gamut switching. In terms of interfaces, with 35mm headphone jack, 1 x Thunderbolt 4 jack, 1 x ROG docking station, 2 x USB 32 Gen 2 Type-A port, 1 x HDMI 21 port, 1 x microSD port.
The X1 X8 2023 is a high-performance and ultra-portable device designed for users who want advanced technology and versatility. It is equipped with the latest 13th generation Core i9-13900H processor, and the graphics card configuration is optional RTX4050 and RTX4060. ROG X5 2023 also supports dual-display and triple-mode hot-swapping technology for increased flexibility and efficiency. The fuselage design is as thin as 129mm, weighs about 12kg, combined with a magnetic detachable keyboard, provides users with the ultimate portability and multi-scene use ability.
In terms of display, the ROG X2023 comes with a 16:10 ratio 2The 5K Nebula screen has a high refresh rate of 165Hz and a fast response time of 3ms, with a brightness of up to 500 nits, and supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. The front and rear cameras have been upgraded to 500W and 1300W pixels, respectively. It is equipped with a Type-C port on the side and supports 130W PD fast charging. In addition, there is support for the new XG Mobile graphics docking station for further enhancement of graphics processing power, as well as 1 x Thunderbolt 4 port and 1 x USB 32 Gen 1 Type-A port, 1 x microSD port, 1x 3With a 5mm headphone jack, the X2023 is a high-performance laptop for both professional work and gaming.
Charging head network learned that the laptops that support OcuLink on the market are mainly from Lenovo's ThinkBook series and ROG's Phantom series notebooks, of course, there are some notebooks in the form of handheld computers, which are not summarized here. They have many differences in interface type, appearance, number of interfaces, etc.
In terms of appearance, the two laptops of Lenovo Thinkbook are more inclined to the form of traditional laptops, inheriting the classic splicing and contrasting design. The design of the ROG X16 Flip and ROG X16 2023 is even more ingenious, with the ROG X16 Flip featuring a unique hinge design, which can be used in a variety of forms such as laptops and tablets, and the touchscreen also brings more use scenarios. The Phantom X 2023 adopts a split design, combined with a magnetic detachable keyboard, allowing users to freely switch between the laptop and tablet form factors, further improving work efficiency.
In terms of OCULINK interface, even though the five notebooks mentioned above support OCUlink, their physical interface is not the universal OCULINK SFF-8612, among which the Lenovo ThinkBook is a TGX graphics card docking port (based on SFF-8611 magic modification), and the three ROG notebooks are ROG XG Mobile docking station ports (not SFF-8612 compatible). And most of the graphics docks on the market that support OCUlink are the universal OCUlink SFF-8612, which means that in the choice of graphics docks, you can basically only choose the same brand of graphics docks as notebooks.
In terms of other interfaces and the number of other interfaces, the five notebooks mentioned above all include a basic USB-C A port.35mm audio jack, micro SD card slot, and except for the ROG X5X 2023, which lacks an HDMI port, the rest are equipped. Lenovo's two Thinkbooks further add RJ45 network cable interfaces, which are essential for users who need stable network transmission.
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