Alienware Polaris eGPU Concept Is More Than Just A Hardware Upgrade
Gamers are often stereotyped as reclusive people that sit for hours on end in the dark with the monitor as their only source of light. That couldn't be farther from the truth, of course, and PC gamers, in particular, buck the trend when it comes to being more design-conscious than most desktop or laptop users. For example, they love seeing inside their towers, and they love the play of colorful lights from RGB LEDs. They're also more receptive to unorthodox shapes and designs. Dell gaming brand Alienware is bringing its new design language to its graphics amplifier, giving it a facelift that really brings the "alien" to Alienware.
The first eGPU that Alienware launched in 2014 didn't look out of place with the company's other products at that time. It was pretty much a large black box that had grilles and vents on all sides. That was Alienware's design language for the longest time, but design trends come and go. A few years back, it introduced a new "Legend 2.0" aesthetic that embraced the newer minimalist trend as well as a growing preference for light-colored products, even in consumer electronics.
The Alienware Aurora started that shift back in 2019, and that Legend 2.0 ID is coming to the next Graphics Amplifier. Dubbed as the Concept Polaris, the design envisions the eGPU not as a box with flat edges but as a tube-like structure with rounded edges and a software appearance, almost like the Aurora R9 and its successors. There's also the Alien FX loop lighting that came with the Legend 2.0 design, as well as a cluster of hexagon-shaped air vents that could call to mind an alien hive.
The Concept Polaris eGPU isn't just a visual upgrade, though. Internals are also improved, with enough space for a full-sized 16-inch desktop graphics card that's still liquid-cooled. Connectivity has also been brought to the present with support for Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, USB-4, USB-A, USB-C, and 2.5Gb Ethernet. This allows the graphics amplifier to also act as a USB hub, especially for laptops with limited connectivity options.
The concept design's smaller frame, however, does come with one change that some might consider a downgrade. The internal power supply has been kicked out, and the company is mulling over using either two 330w or two 425w AC adapters. This significant change does come with the advantage of providing enough power to deliver desktop gaming graphics to laptops.
Alienware is targeting laptop users with this redesigned Graphics Amplifier, hoping to provide enough graphics muscle to drive not just gaming but even game creation on the same computer. That said, the Alienware Concept Polaris is still just that, a concept that will still undergo some iterations before it becomes a real product, presuming it actually becomes a real product.