Peladn has announced the Link S-3, its first external GPU dock to use Thunderbolt 5. This model succeeds the company’s earlier Link S-1 and Link S-2, which featured Thunderbolt 4 and OCuLink connections. The Link S-3 allows laptops and compact PCs without dedicated graphics cards to connect full-size desktop GPUs for improved performance in gaming, creative work, and other GPU-heavy tasks.
The design of the Link S-3 is open-air, leaving the graphics card fully exposed to ambient airflow. This approach removes the need for internal fans and relies on the GPU’s own cooler. The dock supports both ATX and SFX power supplies, giving users flexibility in providing external power. It also supports Power Delivery up to 140 W through the Thunderbolt 5 connection for charging laptops and other devices.
The dock’s two Thunderbolt 5 ports provide up to 80 Gbps bidirectional transfer speeds. However, the PCIe 4.0 x4 slot limits practical GPU performance to 64 Gbps. While Thunderbolt 5’s theoretical bandwidth is higher than OCuLink’s 64 Gbps, the actual advantage for GPU performance is small. OCuLink connections may still have slightly lower latency in some situations, but Thunderbolt 5 adds more features, including peripheral support and charging capabilities.
The Link S-3 also includes a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port using a Realtek RTL8156B controller, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port with 10 Gbps transfer speed, an SD card reader, and an M.2 2280 slot supporting PCIe 3.0 x1 SSDs. These additions make the dock a versatile hub for expanded connectivity beyond GPU use.
Peladn has set the price of the Link S-3 at CNY 1,599, which is approximately $223. Pre-orders are open in China, and shipping is scheduled to begin on July 26. There is no information yet about international release or pricing.
With the Link S-3, Peladn enters the Thunderbolt 5 market, offering a solution for users who need external GPU performance and additional connectivity options in a compact form factor.
