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HP gets in on the external GPU hype with a pretty, large box

HP gets in on the external GPU hype with a pretty, large box

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Alongside the announcement of a bunch of gaming computers today, HP is introducing a series of accessories so that it can try to sell gamers the entire package. That includes two displays, a gaming mouse, a mechanical keyboard, and an external GPU enclosure.

The external GPU may be the standout of the bunch (at the very least, it takes up the most room). It’s called the HP Accelerator, and it’s mostly just a big box with a power supply and space to hold a single graphics card and a hard drive. It also includes several additional ports, including four USB 3.0 and a single USB-C, and connects to a laptop over Thunderbolt 3.

Products like the Accelerator are meant to be plugged into a laptop to transform it into a much more powerful machine. It lets you leave some of the power of a desktop at home, while still running everything off of a relatively standard laptop.

HP’s solution is a pretty nice alternative to something like Razer’s Core. It’s not clear yet if it’ll support the same breadth of graphics card options, but HP’s Accelerator stands out for including a slot for an external hard drive, too. It’s also much cheaper, at $299.99

Unfortunately, HP isn’t going to guarantee the Accelerator will work with anything but its own laptops. Mike Nash, who heads HP’s consumer PC division, says that there's been too much variation in how Thunderbolt is used for HP to make any promises about compatibility with other companies' PCs.

Still, it’s a nice option for gamers using HP’s equipment. And it could be useful for anyone who wants to do video editing at their desk, too. The Accelerator goes on sale in August.

HP is also launching two displays for gaming. A 25-inch display with AMD’s FreeSync, 1080p resolution, and two USB 3.0 ports will be available for $279.99. Then stepping way up, there’ll be the 27-inch model with a QHD display, those same two USB ports, and Nvidia’s G-Sync. HP says response time can get as low as 1 millisecond on both. The 27-inch goes on sale this week, and the 25-inch comes out at the end of the month.

And finally, HP is also launching a gaming mouse and a mechanical keyboard. The keyboard has Cherry MX Red switches and sells for $129.99. And HP now has its own mouse, instead of a co-branded SteelSeries model like it launched last year. The new model has adjustable weights and will sell for $59.99. Both accessories launch today.