Gigabyte has officially brought its Aorus RTX 5060 Ti AI Box to retail, making it one of the first external GPU enclosures to combine NVIDIA’s RTX 5060 Ti 16GB desktop graphics card with Thunderbolt 5 connectivity.
The launch arrives as Thunderbolt 5 begins enabling external graphics performance levels that were previously constrained by bandwidth limitations in earlier generations, significantly expanding upgrade options for thin-and-light laptops and compact PCs that lack internal graphics expansion.
The retail debut is notable because Thunderbolt 5 effectively removes one of the largest historical bottlenecks facing external GPUs: interface bandwidth. Earlier Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 eGPU setups often incurred sizable performance penalties compared to internal PCIe slots, limiting their appeal beyond niche use cases. With Thunderbolt 5’s substantially higher bidirectional throughput, products like Gigabyte’s AI Box signal a shift toward more practical, near desktop-class external graphics performance for ultraportable systems.
According to recent information from retail listings and manufacturer documentation, the eGPU is priced at $699.99, placing it only slightly above the cost of the standalone RTX 5060 Ti 16GB desktop card.
The pricing positions the AI Box as a near one-to-one alternative to building a mid-range desktop GPU setup, particularly for users seeking modular performance upgrades without committing to a full PC build. It also reflects Gigabyte’s broader effort to make external GPUs more attainable as Thunderbolt bandwidth continues to improve.
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The AI Box houses a full GeForce RTX 5060 Ti built on NVIDIA’s Blackwell architecture and equipped with 16GB of GDDR7 memory. It connects to a host system using a single Thunderbolt 5 cable and doubles as an expansion hub, adding extra Thunderbolt, USB Type-C, USB Type-A, and Ethernet ports.
For display output, it supports up to four external monitors through DisplayPort 2.1b and HDMI 2.1b. Thanks to Thunderbolt 5’s significantly higher two-way bandwidth, the enclosure avoids many of the performance compromises typically seen with Thunderbolt 4-based eGPU setups.
Key Specifications: Gigabyte Aorus RTX 5060 Ti AI Box
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Product Name | Gigabyte Aorus RTX 5060 Ti AI Box |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti (desktop-class) |
| GPU Architecture | NVIDIA Blackwell |
| Graphics Memory | 16GB GDDR7 |
| Connection Interface | Thunderbolt 5 |
| Display Outputs | DisplayPort 2.1b, HDMI 2.1b |
| Maximum Displays | Up to four |
| Expansion Ports | Thunderbolt, USB Type-C, USB Type-A, Ethernet |
| Power Supply | 330 W external power adapter |
| Laptop Power Delivery | Up to 100 W |
| Form Factor | Compact external GPU enclosure |
| Target Workloads | Gaming, content creation, local AI workloads |
| Retail Price | $699.99 |
| Availability | Retail listings live |
While Gigabyte promotes the AI Box as delivering near desktop-level performance, real-world results are unlikely to be identical to an internal PCIe graphics card. External GPU performance can still vary depending on workload characteristics, CPU pairing, and data transfer behavior. Even with Thunderbolt 5’s higher bandwidth, latency-sensitive gaming workloads and certain compute-heavy tasks may trail native desktop configurations, making the AI Box best suited for users prioritizing flexibility and portability over absolute peak performance.
Industry sources indicate that Gigabyte is positioning the product beyond gaming, targeting content creation and local AI workloads where higher VRAM capacity benefits complex 3D assets, video production workflows, and lightweight AI models that run directly on-device. Sustained performance will likely depend heavily on the quality of the laptop or mini PC’s Thunderbolt implementation and cooling design.
The AI Box ships with a 330 W power adapter and can deliver up to 100 W of power to a connected laptop, enabling cleaner single-cable desk setups in many scenarios. Its compact chassis and optional vertical stand are designed to integrate easily into smaller workspaces, aligning with the product’s focus on flexible desktop and mobile workstation environments.
The retail launch follows several months of previews, with the product first revealed in late 2025. Availability through major online retailers signals Gigabyte’s intent to move beyond concept demonstrations and into broader commercial deployment. Its arrival underscores how Thunderbolt 5 is beginning to reshape the external GPU market by offering significantly higher bandwidth than previous generations and narrowing the performance gap between internal PCIe slots and external enclosures.
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Compared with earlier Thunderbolt 4-based eGPU solutions, the Aorus RTX 5060 Ti AI Box benefits from higher available bandwidth and support for newer display standards. However, it still competes with alternative external graphics approaches such as OCuLink-based docks, which can offer lower latency at the expense of broader compatibility. Gigabyte’s strategy prioritizes plug-and-play usability, positioning the AI Box as a mainstream-friendly external GPU rather than a niche enthusiast solution.
For users with ultraportable laptops or mini PCs that lack discrete graphics, the Aorus RTX 5060 Ti AI Box reflects a broader shift toward modular performance upgrades, where portability and desktop-class power are increasingly able to coexist as external connectivity standards continue to evolve.
Source: Gigabyte
