The ADT-Link UT3G is a bare-board USB4 eGPU adapter (no enclosure) built around the ASMedia ASM2464PD controller, which exposes a PCIe 4.0 x4 slot rather than the PCIe 3.0 x4 limit of older Thunderbolt controllers. It is ranked the fastest USB4 eGPU adapter on eGPU.io and is recommended by Framework community members as the best-performing USB4 option for AMD-based Frameworks. Note: there is no enclosure or power delivery — you supply your own PSU and GPU.
The AOOSTAR AG02 is an affordable USB4 eGPU enclosure (ASMedia controller) that accepts a desktop graphics card and connects over a USB4/TB4 link. It is confirmed working with Framework 13 (AMD Ryzen AI 300 / HX 370) and Framework 16 setups, though community reports note it can be "iffy" with certain cable and card combinations.
The AOOSTAR EG02 is a dual-mode eGPU dock that connects a desktop graphics card over either Thunderbolt 5 or a native OCuLink (PCIe 4.0 x4) link, using an Intel JHL9480 Thunderbolt 5 controller. It is an open-frame dock that accepts ATX/SFX power supplies (not included) and provides 140W host charging over the Thunderbolt 5 connection. It is distinct from the AOOSTAR AG02, which is USB4-only.
The Framework 13 Pro OCuLink Mod is a community exploration of adding OCuLink (Optical-Copper Link) external GPU connectivity to the Framework Laptop 13 Pro (Intel Core Ultra Series 3 / Panther Lake) by utilizing its PCIe Gen 5 M.2 NVMe slot. Announced by community member Wisky_Pro in August 2026, the project is in a very early stage with the creator awaiting hardware delivery and planning testing once the laptop arrives.
The Framework 16 to MXM GPU Adapter is an open-source community project by Joe Shapiro (GitHub: JJ-Shapiro) that aims to create a custom PCB adapter allowing standard MXM mobile GPU modules to be used in the Framework Laptop 16's expansion bay. If successful, it would enable users to install a wide range of mobile GPUs — including Nvidia MXM modules such as the mobile RTX 4090 — into their Framework 16.
The Framework Desktop is a Mini-ITX workstation announced at the 2nd Gen event in February 2025. It features an AMD Strix Halo APU and is designed to be modular, containing two front-side expansion card slots as seen in Framework's laptop models. The front panel has slots for 21 interchangeable tiles for user customization. Pre-orders opened February 25, 2025 with shipping planned for early Q3 2025. After missing that target by ~6 weeks, Batch 1 units shipped the week of August 11, 2025 alongside the review embargo lift. Memory is soldered LPDDR5x (non-upgradeable) — Framework worked with AMD for months but concluded it was not technically feasible to land modular memory at high throughput with the 256-bit memory bus.
Summary
The Framework Laptop 16 is a larger, performance-oriented laptop announced at the Next Level event in March 2023. It features an expansion bay that can attach PCIe components such as a dedicated GPU, a fully customizable keyboard with interchangeable input modules and optional numpad, and 6 expansion card slots. Initially planned to ship in Q4 2023, it began shipping in February 2024 with AMD Ryzen 7040 series processors. It was named a TIME Best Invention of 2023.
Announced in August 2025, the second generation Framework Laptop 16 features AMD's Zen 5-based Ryzen AI 300 series processors. It adds an optional Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU module with 8 GB GDDR7 (and a 12 GB GDDR7 variant added April 2026), both backwards compatible with the 2024 model. Shipments began in December 2025 (delayed from the original November target).
The Framework OCuLink Dev Kit is a modular adapter and dock system for the Framework Laptop 16, previewed on April 21, 2026 at Framework's next-gen hardware event. It uses the OCuLink 8i interface to provide up to 128 Gbps bidirectional throughput for external PCIe devices, making the Framework Laptop 16 the first laptop to expose an 8-lane OCuLink interface. The kit enables connecting external GPUs, network cards, video capture cards, and other PCIe peripherals with very little performance penalty compared to a desktop PC.
The FW16 PCIe x16 Expansion Bay is an open-source community hardware project by Ether-Nova that provides a fully powered PCIe x16 physical slot on a board designed to sit in the Framework Laptop 16's expansion bay shell. The slot provides x8 electrical (PCIe Gen 4) since the Framework 16 exposes a maximum of 8 PCIe lanes through its expansion bay interface, and can deliver up to 75W of power.
The Minisforum DEG1 is an OCuLink-to-PCIe x16 dock that connects a desktop graphics card to a host over a native OCuLink connection — bypassing the Thunderbolt/USB4 protocol overhead entirely. On the Framework Laptop 16 it pairs with the community M.2-to-OCuLink Expansion Bay adapter (or the official OCuLink Dev Kit) to deliver full PCIe bandwidth. Framework 16 users report it as more stable than USB4 eGPU enclosures like the AOOSTAR AG02, and it ships with a longer, more compatible cable.
The Minisforum DEG2 is a dual-mode open-frame eGPU dock that connects a desktop graphics card over either Thunderbolt 5 or a native OCuLink (PCIe 4.0 x4) link, selected via a hardware switch. It uses an Intel JHL9480 Thunderbolt 5 controller and adds a downstream Thunderbolt 5 port, 2.5GbE Ethernet, and an M.2 2280 slot. It is the Thunderbolt 5 successor to the Minisforum DEG1, which is OCuLink-only.
The MXM GPU + Dell E-Port Expansion Bay Adapter is an open-source community hardware project by WifiCable (GitHub: a-little-wifi) that combines an MXM GPU slot with a Dell E-Port dock connector on a single board designed for the Framework Laptop 16's expansion bay. The project was started when the Framework 16 was announced, but the author states it is "very unfinished" and they do not plan to continue development since they did not purchase the laptop.
The OcuLink eGPU Expansion Bay Module is a community-developed hardware project that adds OCuLink (Optical-Copper Link) external GPU connectivity to the Framework Laptop 16 via its Expansion Bay. OCuLink provides a direct PCIe connection to the laptop's GPU slot, offering significantly higher bandwidth than USB4/Thunderbolt — up to ~63 Gbps for 4i (x4 PCIe 4.0) and ~126 Gbps for 8i (x8 PCIe 4.0), compared to ~32 Gbps for USB4. The project was initiated in June 2023 after Framework CEO Nrp greenlit community exploration of OCuLink for the Expansion Bay, and has since evolved through multiple design approaches, commercial preorders, and open-source hardware iterations.
The Plugable TBT5-AI is a Thunderbolt 5 eGPU enclosure marketed for local AI inference, pairing an 850W ATX 3.1 power supply (80+ Gold, 600W dedicated to the GPU) with a PCIe 4.0 x4 slot and a built-in Thunderbolt 5 dock. It provides 96W host charging, a downstream Thunderbolt 5 port, 10Gbps USB-A/C ports, and 2.5GbE Ethernet. It is TAA compliant and supports Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, and USB4 (eGPU-capable) Windows 11 hosts with Intel 11th-gen+ or AMD Zen 4+ CPUs.
The Razer Core X is a Thunderbolt 3 eGPU enclosure that accepts a full-size desktop PCIe graphics card and provides up to 100W of power delivery back to the host laptop. It is the most widely used and best-documented eGPU enclosure in the Framework community, confirmed working across the Framework 13 (Intel and AMD) and the Framework 16. A variant, the Razer Core X Chroma, adds a gigabit Ethernet port and a 4-port USB-A hub.
The Razer Core X V2 (model RC21-0227) is a Thunderbolt 5 eGPU enclosure that accepts a full-size desktop graphics card and a standard ATX power supply (both sold separately), delivering 140W of PD 3.1 host charging and up to 120Gbps uni-directional bandwidth. It is the Thunderbolt 5 successor to the original Razer Core X (TB3), and works with Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, and USB4 hosts that support eGPUs.
The Sonnet Breakaway Box 750ex is a Thunderbolt 3 eGPU enclosure built around an Intel DSL6540 controller (PCIe 3.0 x4 to Thunderbolt), pairing a 750W power supply with support for high-end double-width graphics cards. It is documented working with a Framework Laptop 13 (Ryzen 7840U) driving an RTX 4070 on Windows, with users achieving the full 32 Gbps PCIe tunnel using an active Thunderbolt 4 cable.
The Sonnet Breakaway Box 850 T5 (model GPU-850T5) is a Thunderbolt 5 eGPU enclosure built around an Intel JHL9580 controller, pairing an 850W power supply with support for triple-wide graphics cards and a built-in Thunderbolt 5 dock. It delivers 80Gbps bi-directional bandwidth, 100W of host charging, and downstream connectivity including 5GbE Ethernet. It is the Thunderbolt 5 successor to the Sonnet Breakaway Box 750ex (TB3/4, 750W), and works with Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, and USB4 Windows 11 laptops.
The TH3P4G3 is a Thunderbolt 3 eGPU dock (bare board) using a PCIe 3.0 interface, popular as a budget one-cable option because it supports power delivery to the host and Thunderbolt daisy-chaining. Framework community members report it working "like a charm" on AMD Framework 13 laptops after switching away from problematic Lenovo enclosures.