GPD BOX is a Panther Lake mini PC with optional MCIO 8i port for PCIe 5.0 x8 external connection

by · Liliputing

The GPD BOX is a mini PC with an Intel Panther Lake processor, support for up to 64GB of LPDDR5x-8533 memory, and two M.2 2280 slots for storage.

It’s also one of the first mini PCs to feature an optional MCIO 8i port that functions as an external PCIe 5.0 x8 connector, allowing you to attach a GPU dock or other accessories with up to 256 Gbps bandwidth. GPD introduced the mini PC this week, along with the GPD G2 graphics dock, but now that the company has published a product page for the GPD BOX on its website, more information is available.

Over the past few years we’ve seen a bunch of mini PC and handheld gaming PC makers add OCuLink ports to their devices, allowing you to connect graphics docks and other hardware using an external PCIe 4.0 x4 interface.

GPD says MCIO 8i is the next step up from that, bringing up to four times the bandwidth. According to the company, that’s enough to use an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 GPU in a GPD G2 graphics dock with only about a 2 percent performance hit compared to what you’d get if you plugged it directly into a PCIe port of a larger desktop computer.

Both OCuLink and MCIO 8i are more commonly used in data centers than consumer devices, but companies like GPD have increasingly been turning to them as a way to offer high-performance graphics in compact desktop and handheld PCs.

But MCIO 8i support isn’t the only thing that makes the GPD BOX an interesting mini PC. In fact, not all models even have that port.

GPD plans to offer two versions of the little computer. One model has an Intel Core Ultra X7 358H processor with 12-core Intel Arc B390 integrated graphics, which should offer performance that’s close to what you’d get from an entry-level discrete GPU. The other model has a Core Ultra 7 356H chip with only 4-core integrated graphics. And only that model will actually have an MCIO 8i connector.

Why? If I had to guess, I’d say it’s because the version with the better integrated graphics simply doesn’t have enough PCIe lanes available. Intel’s Core Ultra X series chips have better integrated graphics than other Panther Lake chips, but only 12 PCIe lanes (4 x Gen 5 + 8 x Gen 4), while other Panther Lake chips have up to 20 lanes (12 x Gen 5 + 8 x Gen 5).

So it looks like GPD plans to offer the Core Ultra X7 358H model for folks who want better built-in graphics and the Core Ultra 7 356H version for customers who want the option of using a higher-performance, external GPU.

The MCIO 8i connector could also be used for things other than graphics docks, like high-speed external storage (GPD suggests dual enterprise NVMe SSDs or 8-bay HDD enclosures, among other things).

Both versions of the mini PC also have two USB4 v2 ports with theoretical support for data transfer speeds up to 80 Gbps, although they’re both limited to PCIe 4.0 x4 when used with something like a graphics dock.

Other features common to both models include:

  • 32GB or 64GB of LPDDR5x-8533 onboard memory
  • 1 x M.2 2280 PCIe 5.0 x4 slot
  • 1 x M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x2 slot
  • 1 x DisplayPort 2.1
  • 1 x HDMI 2.1
  • 2 x USB4 v2 (80 Gbps)
  • 4 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (10 Gbps)
  • 2 x 2.5 GbE LAN
  • WiFi 6E
  • Bluetooth 5.3

The mini PC has two fans and four heat pipes for cooling, allowing the processor to run at up to 80 watts. And there’s a built-in 160W GaN power supply, which means you don’t need an external power supply – you just use a cable to connect the PC directly to a wall jack.

The power button features an RGB backlight and integrated fingerprint sensor that GPD says is compatible with Windows and Linux.

The GPD BOX has an aluminum alloy body that measures 175 x 134 x 39.5mm (6.9″ x 5.3″ x 1.6″) and comes with a stand that lets you position the computer vertically.