AKiTiO Node External Graphics Enclosure Upgrades Notebooks, AIOs, Or SFF PCs

AKiTiO has rolled out a new external graphics enclosure that is designed for users of AIO, notebook, and SFF computer systems who want a graphics upgrade. The device is called Node and it connects to your computer or other device via a Thunderbolt 3 port and inside the Node enclosure is a discrete graphics card. The enclosure is large enough to support video cards that have very large cooling solutions.

AKiTiO says that there are other options for external graphics over Thunderbolt 3 like the Razer Core and PowerColor Devil Box, but they are much more expensive at $499 and $379. The AKiTiO Node sells for $299.99 by comparison. The Node enclosure will support double wide cards that are 12.2-inches long measuring a total of 312 x 170 x 44mm. The maximum power the inserted card can support is 300W.

Connectivity is a single Thunderbolt 3 port. Dimensions of the Node are 16.85 x 5.71 x 8.94-inches and the box is made of stainless steel. Both NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards are supported. The power supply inside the Node is a 400W SFX PSU and it can be upgraded. Cooling is via a single 120mm fan.

Video cards that have liquid cooling solutions aren't supported. The Node is only for external graphics and doesn't support any other features. There are no external USB ports for VR connectivity, SATA controllers, or anything else. This is what helps to reduce the cost of the enclosure. The Node will go on sale in December and sounds like good solution if you have a notebook with a Thunderbolt 3 port and want better graphics. Naturally the cost will be much higher than the $299.99 price since that cost doesn't include a graphics card.

SOURCE: Anandtech