Question 1

Will this work with a 2013 iMac? This is the model I have, apparently it is Thunderbolt 1 ports.

Accepted Answer

Short answer is it might "work" meaning you'll be able to use it, but the interface would bottleneck it so much that I can't imagine it working well if it does "work" at all.

Thunderbolt 1 is 10 Gbps which equates to 1.25 GB/s (capitalization intended in case you're confused, it's Gigabyte vs Gigabit). Thunderbolt 3 (the intended port for this) is 40 Gbps which is about 5 GB/s. Each PCIe 3.0 lane is a little under 1 GB/s, and the PCIe interface intended is PCIe 3.0 x4. That means you're supposed to be feeding it about 4 GB/s which the Thunderbolt 3 is over equipped for, but on Thunderbolt 1 you'd actually only be giving it about 1.25 GB/s, about a quarter of what it should be given. 
To put that in context, this would be much similar to using a GPU on a 1x PCIe port (which we do for mining routinely), which many people say won't work for games or video editing. 
Also, USB 3.1 won't work with it which is also 10 Gbps just like thunderbolt 1, although this may be due to being the wrong interface and not speed.

Question 2

Does it require an external monitor? Can it offload the graphics processing and display it on the laptop screen?

Accepted Answer

It does not need an external monitor, BUT you will want to check your laptops thunderbolt capabilities, specifically the number of "lanes" it supports.  If its 4 then your good to go, but if its 2 then you well have a greatly reduced experience compared to an external monitor.
This is simply because the data gets sent to the external card for rendering and then the rendered image is sent back down the same wire to the laptop (at 60fps).

Question 3

I don't have a Thunderbolt 3 port on my PC, but I do have a FireWire 400 port that I'm not using. Can I use this instead?

Accepted Answer

No it want work and unless your motherboard is new enough you want be able to even uses pcie express card to give your mother the connector if you have a gigabyte motherboard you can check gigabytes website and see what motherboards are compatible and buyer be AWARE YOU CANT BUY THIS ITEM AND RETURN IT IF YOU FIND OUT IT WANT WORK AFTER PURCHASING IT BECASUE NEW EGG WILL NOT GIVE A REFUNDS JUST BUY A STANDARD VIDEO CARD AND SAVE YOUR SELF THE TROUBLE

Question 4

Will this work with USB C 3.1 like the ones that show up on newer PC Laptops?

Accepted Answer

It's designed to use thunderbolt 3, which is the same plug, but different data setup and a lot more bandwidth.  Some laptops have that, but not all usb c ports are thunderbolt 3, so check the laptop model.  Gigabyte also says that some systems don't support external gpu devices, so that is something to check as well.

Question 5

Is the RAM upgradable?

Accepted Answer

Its not a mini PC its an external graphics card, you will need to connect it to a laptop or intel NUC via usb-C  TB3 in order to use this.

Question 6

Will this work with a Sony Vaio all in one?

Accepted Answer

Most likely not. Your computer will need a thunderbolt 3 port. It is usually best to include the exact model of computer you have when asking questions like these. I have no idea what particular computer you have, but sony vaios haven't been made in a while and thunderbolt 3 is a relatively new port.

Question 7

Can you increase the memory to 16GB?

Accepted Answer

This is a 8GB GTX 1080 Graphics card in a external GPU box with Thunderbolt 3 connection.  There is no expansion (just like you can't expand the memory of any discrete graphics card).  If you want to expand, don't buy this.  The dimension is just right for very specific graphics card.  Go with Akitio Node series would be more upgradable.

Question 8

Wait so, should I use this to power my laptop, or could this be used as sort of a desktop box?

Accepted Answer

If your laptop supports USB-C power delivery, you can use this as a power supply, but I think it only supplies up to 100w, which is more than enough for my MacBook Pro.

This is an external GPU which is meant to augment you computers graphics capabilities. It can’t be used as a stand-alone, and must be connected via thunderbolt 3 to your computer.

Question 9

Quick question how is the performance of the GPU card alone if I take it out of the provided enclosure and stick it on my PC mother board, is it equivalent to buying a regular GTX 1080ti 8gb RAM (as I expect it to be)? PLS advise.

Accepted Answer

The card inside is a standard GTX 1080 8 GB itx card. The one thing to be prepared for is the cooling solution is not compatible with most standard motherboards. The fan is so large it barely clears the surface of the motherboard.  So be warned it will require modification of the cooling solution to use on a standard motherboard.

Question 10

If I want to upgrade this in the future, can I? How big of a card can fit in it?

Accepted Answer

I believe it’s a mini ITX card in there. A full sized card definitely WONT fit in this case.

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