I gave my favorite pocketable mini PC an instant upgrade with this docking station — and now it’s a full-fledged gaming rig
I never thought I’d go from carrying one of the best mini PCs in my pocket to dropping it in a dock and instantly being able to play AAA games. That was until I tried Khadas’ new Mind Graphics 2.
Unlike other mini PCs, where you have to open them up to upgrade their RAM or storage, the Khadas Mind and now the Khadas Mind 2 can be upgraded in seconds with two unique docks. While the Mind Dock adds more ports and a handy volume knob, the Mind Graphics dock takes things to a whole new level with a desktop-grade GPU.
This isn’t your standard USB4, OCuLink, or Thunderbolt-powered eGPU dock either. Instead, it uses Khadas’ proprietary 122-pin Mind Link connector for an even faster connection. Paired with an Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti, the new Mind Graphics 2 has more than enough power for the best PC games, but you can also use its GPU to turbocharge creative workflows like photo or video editing.
Article continues below
After trying out the original Khadas Mind with the first Mind Graphics dock, here’s what it’s been like using the more powerful Mind 2S with the Mind Graphics 2 for a week, and why it will be hard to go back to a standard mini PC.
Part GPU, part workstation
At 7.83 x 5.24 x 4.33 inches, the Mind Graphics 2 doesn’t take up all that much space on your desk at all compared to a DIY eGPU dock. Still, though, it makes the Mind 2S at 5.75 x 4.13 x 0.79 inches look absolutely tiny in comparison. In the box, you get the Mind Graphics 2 and a power cable, besides an original Mind, Mind 2, or Mind 2S mini PC; that’s all you need to get started.
There are quite a few handy ports on the front, including a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB-C port, and an SD card reader, along with a customizable indicator light above the Khadas logo. This is a nice change from the Mind 2S and Khadas’ other pocketable mini PCs, which only have a power button up front.
Around the back of the Mind Graphics 2 is where things start to get interesting. You get dual HDMI 2.1b ports, a DisplayPort 2.1b, two USB-A ports, a USB-C port, and a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port. That USB-C port isn’t for connecting peripherals, though. Instead, you can plug one of the best laptops into it and take full advantage of the RTX 5060 Ti inside, even if you don’t have one of Khadas’ mini PCs.
The Mind Graphics 2’s CNC unibody aluminum shell doesn’t just give this eGPU dock a slick look; it also acts as a secondary heat sink. In fact, this is why you can run a desktop-grade GPU in a small 2.5-liter space without it sounding like a jet engine. However, it is on the heavier side at six pounds, but this helps keep it firmly planted on your desk even while you’re disconnecting and plugging in new cables around back.
On top of the Mind Graphics 2, there’s a cutout that houses a male Mind Link connector. To start using this eGPU dock with one of Khadas’ mini PCs, you just drop the device on top, and it magnetically connects to the Mind Graphics 2. It almost feels like magic, and the first time I docked the Mind 2S, it reminded me of inserting an iPod into one of those fancy speaker docks back in the day.
Not so mini anymore
To test out the Mind Graphics 2, I decided to swap out the Mind Dock I was using at my Logitech MX Master Series-themed desk setup. Even with the extra height from this eGPU dock, I still had plenty of clearance under my main ultrawide monitor, and I was also able to plug in my dual portable monitors on either side of it to power my less conventional triple monitor setup.
In order to get the Mind 2S, I reviewed working with the dock, and I had to update its firmware. However, once that was done, the Mind Graphics 2 and the RTX 5060 Ti inside it showed up in Device Manager in Windows 11 instantly and in the Mind app.
In the Mind app, you can see the device info, update its firmware, and change the color of the indicator light above the Khadas logo on the front. One big change that I like about this new version of Khadas’ eGPU dock compared to the original Mind Graphics is that it now comes standard with 16GB of VRAM. Previously, there was an 8GB version as well as a 16GB version.
It’s always great to have options, but with PC games becoming increasingly demanding — especially on an ultrawide monitor — I’d much rather have 16 than 8GB of VRAM.
The Mind 2S looks great on top of the Mind Graphics 2, and the two make a nice pair. I also really like how my stationary peripherals are plugged into the dock itself, but I still have spare USB ports on the back of the Mind 2S as well as on the front of the dock for plugging in external drives or charging my other devices.
Besides its desktop-grade GPU, the Mind Graphics 2 has a couple of other neat tricks up its sleeve. For instance, on the right side of the dock, there’s an integrated fingerprint scanner as well as volume buttons.
The fingerprint scanner also works as a button, and when pressed, it instantly mutes any audio coming from the Mind Graphics 2’s built-in dual 5W speaker system. Need a microphone for video calls or even your favorite AI chatbot? Well, there are also dual microphones inside the Mind Graphics 2 as well.
Using the Mind 2S with the Mind Graphics 2 was perfect for my daily workload. I had extra ports and an SD card reader front and center where I needed them, and I really appreciate having a fingerprint scanner for quickly logging into Windows each morning.
I’ll admit that most of my work takes place in a browser these days, but I did mess around in Windows and let a few apps, including GIMP and Steam, default to using the Mind Graphics 2’s RTX 5060 Ti instead of the integrated Intel Arc 140T GPU on the Mind 2S.
Now, if I still edited video like I used to back in the day, this dock’s extra graphics power certainly would have come in handy. Instead, though, I decided to put it to the test by loading up a few of my favorite PC games.
From rendering to gaming
As I found out when I used the Mind 2S to build a proper triple-monitor setup on a budget, its integrated graphics actually let me play some less demanding games as well as some older titles quite well. With it connected to the Mind Graphics 2, though, I could finally step up to playing the latest games with ease.
Since I grew up skateboarding every day, I’ve always had a soft spot for skate games. Normally, when testing out new mini PCs with either an integrated or a discrete GPU, I like to boot up the skateboarding sim Session. This time around, though, I decided to test out the Mind Graphics 2 with the upcoming game, Skate Style. It uses a similar control scheme where each of the joysticks on your controller is mapped to either foot, but as you can see in the picture above, the game has a much more polished look to it.
With the Mind Graphics 2, I was able to crank up the graphics settings as well as enable DLSS for an additional performance boost. While the game is still in early access, it ran great on this setup, even on my ultrawide display. It’s a testament to the 122-pin Mind Link connection; there was none of the ‘stutter’ you usually associate with external graphics solutions.
From there, I decided to up the ante by playing a bit of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart with all the bells and whistles enabled. Even when playing in 21:9, it ran smooth as butter at a steady 60 fps. The monitor I’m using here is more productivity-focused with just a 60Hz refresh rate. However, I do want to try out the Mind Graphics 2 with one of the best gaming monitors to push the framerate even further to 120Hz or even 240Hz in games that support it.
I also fought my way through the last boss in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, but since that game doesn’t have native 21:9 support, I didn’t take any photos. Likewise, I picked up the Dead Space remake on sale, and that game ran great, too, in ultrawide mode.
I still need to put the Mind Graphics 2 through a bit more testing, but based on my experience so far, it’s an excellent addition to Khadas’ growing Mind ecosystem. I really like how this accessory takes one of the most unique mini PCs out there and instantly transforms it into a true gaming rig, albeit in a much smaller form factor.
Managed modularity
Now at $1,349, the Mind Graphics 2 certainly won’t be for everyone. You can definitely cobble together your own external GPU dock for a whole lot less, but that kind of defeats the purpose. The Mind Graphics 2 is an elegant solution to a common problem, needing a bit more graphical prowess for more demanding workloads and of course, playing the latest PC games when you do get some downtime at the end of the day.
Another reason you might consider a pre-built eGPU dock like this one is for all of the extras. In addition to all those video out ports around back, you’re also getting a few handy front ports, a fingerprint scanner, and built-in speakers and microphones.
Now, if you don’t need a GPU and want to beef up Khadas’ Mind, Mind 2, or Mind 2S, there’s always the standard Mind Dock, which also adds more ports, built-in speakers, and, as I mentioned, a tactile volume knob. Having used both, I like the low-profile design of the latter, but turning a pocketable mini PC into a gaming rig just by docking it can’t be beat.
Khadas isn’t stopping with an eGPU dock, though, as the company also recently released its Mind x Play add-on for its mini PCs. Instead of letting you play games, that accessory actually takes one of its Mind mini PCs and turns it into a laptop, complete with its own screen, keyboard, trackpad, and built-in battery. I’m planning on trying that out next, but I also want to see how the Mind Graphics 2 adds to the company’s upcoming Mind Pro mini PC.
I never thought I’d be docking and undocking a mini PC like this one, even after using it on the go with a pair of AR glasses, but here we are. Sure, it’s a bit niche, but if you want a mini PC you can bring to the office for work and then magnetically attach to an eGPU dock for some gaming when you get home, you won’t find anything else like the Mind and Mind Graphics 2, and trust me, I’ve looked.
Follow Digitpatrox on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds.
More from Digitpatrox
Source link
