Does the Elitebook x360 1030 G2 support an eGPU

[jdsglobal]

Pretty (hopefully) straightforward question - does the Elitebook x360 1030 G2 (1080p screen and Intel HD 620 iGPU) support an eGPU via its Thunderbolt 3.0 port and BIOS configuration? I have yet to settle on a specific hardware choice (I am looking at the Blackmagic Design eGPU with a Radeon Pro 580) so please provide the hardware that you've used in any responses so I can flesh out my evaluation.

[EddyK]

Hello @jdsglobal,

Yes, it should theoretically support any type of eGPU. Note how I stress theoretically. Any Thunderbolt 3 system should be able to support external GPU to a certain extent albeit there may be bandwidth limitations and software issues. I.E. the Dell XPS 13 only supports up to 2 lanes of PCIe whereas the HP Spectre is known to support 4 so you could notice slower speeds on the Dell XPS 13 setup.

Anyhow, I was reading about the Blackmagic Design eGPU and I noticed that the company itself mentioned: 

"There are no limitations for the Blackmagic eGPU to work on the Windows platform. However, at the time of writing we believe there are some compatibility issues with the Windows platform, which means that we don't recommend using the Blackmagic eGPU with the Windows platform yet. We expect these limitations to be fixed in future updates from Windows computer vendors."

I personally wouldn't purchase a third-party accessory in which the brand itself mentions how you may run into some compatibility issues. Instead, you could opt for any one of these. I'm currently considering an empty HP Omen Accelerator for my Spectre 13 and then plugging in a GTX 1050 TI or 1060. 

Note that eGPU connections work best when connected to an external monitor.

Hope this helps,

Eddy

[jdsglobal]

Thanks @eddyk! This is a really helpful reply. Also, a good pick-up on the Blackmagic comment. I  noticed after I had posted this question that they include the MacOS as the 'minimum required' operating system so it got me thinking that I was looking at  Mac-only hardware (even though there literature seems to suggest a broader application). I have sent them a clarifying request so we'll see how they respond - I'll post it here if its useful.

Once again, thanks for your considered response.

Cheers,

Jeff

[Albatal]

Was you able to connect an external GPU to your HP EliteBook x360 1030 G2?  Was there a decent perfomance boost over the stock Intel graphics?