Best eGPU Cables Windows Central 2019
Unless you've got yourself a high-quality gaming one, there's a strong chance that your laptop isn't that great for playing video games. Thankfully, you can change that with external graphics cards, or "eGPUs," which are graphics cards that are hooked up to an enclosure that is connected to your device with a Thunderbolt 3 cable. If you're going to do this though, you're going to need a great, fast cable.
- Best overall: Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Cable
- Longest length: Cable Matters Thunderbolt 3 Cable
- High durability: GodSpin Braided Thunderbolt 3 Cable
- Shiny white: StarTech Thunderbolt 3 Cable
- Budget option: mamre Thunderbolt 3 Cable
Best overall: Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Cable
Staff pickThis cable offers premium 40 Gigabits per second (Gbps) speed and a balanced length of 2.6 feet, making it the best overall choice.
Longest length: Cable Matters Thunderbolt 3 Cable
This 40Gbps cable is a whopping 6.6 feet long, making it the best choice if you want to connect your eGPU to your laptop from afar. It's quite pricey, though.
High durability: GodSpin Braided Thunderbolt 3 Cable
This cable is rather short at 1.6 feet, but it offers 40Gbps speeds and a braided cable design that's very resistant to cutting and general wear-and-tear.
Shiny white: StarTech Thunderbolt 3 Cable
This 40Gbps cable is short at 1.6 feet, but it has a white coloring instead of the standard black most cords have, giving it a clean, pristine look.
Budget option: mamre Thunderbolt 3 Cable
This cable is short at 1.65 feet and lacks any style or durability advantages, but it has 40Gbps speed, making it an excellent budget choice.
If we had to choose
Choosing a good Thunderbolt 3 cable to use with your eGPU may seem like a purchase you don't need to think much about, but the length of the cable will end up determining how far away you can keep your eGPU during use, which will matter if you want to plan about how you'll keep your desk organized. You'll also need the speeds that these cables with offer. For the best overall balance between cable length and price, we recommend the Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Cable as its 2.6 foot length will be enough for the vast majority of users.
If you need to go longer than that, the Cable Matters Thunderbolt 3 Cable has you covered with its huge 6.6 foot long size that will allow you to organize your rig in any way you could possibly want, though be aware that it's a pricey product.
If you're short on money or simply only need the bare minimum length for your eGPU set up, then you should opt for the mamre Thunderbolt 3 Cable as it's the most affordable cord on this list, yet still offers the same 40Gbps speed that all the other options do.
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