Aspire V17 Nitro Black - eGPU

Andromedus

Greetings!

 

I've recently purchased the V17 Nitro Black from Costco: http://www.costco.com/Acer-V17-Nitro-Laptop---Intel-Core-i7---4GB-Graphics---4k-Ultra-HD.product.100278270.html

 

I couldn't find the model number listed there and it's still in the mail so that is the link to the product, I'm sure the technicians here are familiar with it.

 

I've read that, because it is a Black Edition that is equipped with a Thunderbolt 3 port it should fully support universal eGPU solutions designed to work with Thunderbolt 3.

 

However, I have also read that eGPU over Thunderbolt 3 may (in general) require special BIOS support that is not necessarily inherent in a laptop with a Thunderbolt 3 port.

 

As a result, I'm asking any knowledgeable members here as well as the technicians: does this laptop support an eGPU connection? I'm not trying to ask some kind of legally binding "gotcha" question - I understand that these are muddy waters and that Acer may not have conducted in-house testing on this. All I'm asking is what are the best guesses as to whether or not this would work based on what we currently know?

 

This laptop is especially interesting from an eGPU perspective because it is one of the few 17" 4k screens (which would benefit greatly from an eGPU) that has a Thunderbolt 3 port and is affordable - so I know I can't be the only one wondering this.

 

The laptop's only real weaknesses are its optical drive (premium laptops still coming out with DVD-RW when blu-ray has been out for years and years) and its port configuration (mouse-hand ports and offhand optical drive - should be the reverse). Other than that it's an excellent deal and could offer true future-proofing on a budget.

 

I appreciate any feedback and thank you for your time!

Mary-Acer

The Costco link doesn't specify the exact V17 model and we would need that to check for the firmware version of the Thunderbolt 3 chipset. Once we can get you that information you can then ask the vendor of the eGPU whether their device works with that firmware version.