Peladn Rolls Out New Link S-3 eGPU Dock With Thunderbolt 5
Peladn has put out a new external GPU (eGPU) dock, the Link S-3. Leaving behind the OCuLink used before, this new one goes with Thunderbolt 5 for a better, all-in-one way to link up. The dock works with desktop systems and can take ATX or SFX power units.
The Thunderbolt 5 Way Plus Points and Setbacks
The big change in the Link S-3 is it uses two Thunderbolt 5 ports, not an OCuLink. Thunderbolt 5 can reach up to 80 Gbps, while OCuLink tops at 64 Gbps. But, its PCIe 4.0 x4 can only hit 64 Gbps at best. So, speed might still lag when put up against a direct OCuLink line.
Yet, this shift lets the Link S-3 add more features that OCuLink docks don't have.
Built-In Features and Ways to Connect
With Thunderbolt 5, the Link S-3 does more than just hold a graphics card. It also has these built-in parts:
- A 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port (Realtek RTL8156B chip).
- 140W Power given to a linked device.
- An M.2 2280 SSD slot for more storage (PCIe 3.0 x1).
- An SD card slot.
- A 10 Gbps USB Type-A port.
Compared to the Link S-2
This design is a big shift from Peladn's older model, the Link S-2. The S-2 was simpler, aimed just at graphics via its OCuLink, taking out other ports like Ethernet and Thunderbolt. The Link S-3 brings back these all-in-one features, using the newer Thunderbolt 5 point.
Price and When You Can Get It
The Peladn Link S-3 is up for pre-order in China now for CNY 1,599 (about $229). It starts shipping on July 26. No word yet on when it will be sold world-wide.
