Introduction

Nowadays, the OCuLink interface has been increasingly used in areas such as external GPU docks. Compared with Thunderbolt 3/4 (USB4), OCuLink has a higher bandwidth when connecting to external GPU docks. Thunderbolt 3 can reach a bandwidth of up to 22Gbps, Thunderbolt 4 can reach a bandwidth of up to 32Gbps, while OCuLink of PCIe 3.0x4 can reach a bandwidth of 32Gbps, and PCIe 4.0x4 can reach a bandwidth of 64Gbps.

Moreover, OCuLink is a pure PCIe channel with relatively low loss. Nowadays, some traditional PC manufacturers including Lenovo and Asus have taken the initiative to add OCuLink interfaces to their laptops. Now let’s take stock of the OCuLink-supported laptops. The ranking is in no particular order and is sorted alphabetically.

OCuLink Products

Lenovo

ThinkBook 14 i Gen 6+

The ThinkBook 14 i Gen 6+ is equipped with Intel's first-generation Core Ultra5/7 processor and the new NPU artificial intelligence acceleration engine. Its memory is 16/32GB LPDDR5x, the hard drive is a 512GB/1T M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 solid-state drive, the graphics card is Intel Arc, and it can be equipped with RTX4050 and 4060 independent graphics card versions.

The ThinkBook 14 i Gen 6+ is gray, weighs about 1.5 kg (3.31 pounds), and is as thin as 15.9 mm (0.63 inches). The screen is a 14.5-inch 2.5K/3K wide-viewing angle LED-backlit display that supports 90Hz/120Hz refresh rate and has a color gamut of 100% sRGB. Its interfaces include a headphone and microphone two-in-one interface, 1 x Thunderbolt 4 interface, a TGX graphics card expansion dock interface (based on OCuLink SFF-8611 interface), two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C interfaces, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A interfaces, an HDMI 2.1 interface, a hidden USB 2.0 Type-A interface, an RJ45 interface, and a 4-in-1 card reader interface.

ThinkBook 16 i Gen 6+

The ThinkBook 16 i Gen 6+ is a high-performance thin and light laptop suitable for professional users and gaming enthusiasts. It is equipped with Intel's first-generation Core Ultra series processor, with the highest optional Ultra7 155H. The graphics card can be selected as RTX4050 or RTX4060. The memory is DDR5, with dual memory slots, and the hard drive is a dual M2 2280 solid-state drive slot.

The ThinkBook 16 i Gen 6+ is gray, weighs about 1.9 kg (4.19 pounds), and is as thin as 16.9 mm (0.67 inches). The screen is 16 inches with a 90% screen-to-body ratio. The resolution is 2.5K, the refresh rate is 120Hz, and the color gamut is 100% sRGB. Its interfaces include a headphone and microphone two-in-one interface, a Thunderbolt 4 interface, a TGX graphics card expansion dock interface, three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A interfaces, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C interfaces, an HDMI 2.1 interface, a hidden USB 2.0 Type-A interface, a folding RJ45 interface, and a 4-in-1 card reader interface.

ROG

ROG Flow X13 2023

ROG Flow Z13 2023 is a high-performance, thin and light portable laptop, especially suitable for professional users who have high requirements for performance and portability. It weighs about 1.35 kg (2.98 pounds) and supports the flip touch function, allowing users to use it flexibly in different scenarios. It is equipped with an R9 7940HS processor and an RTX 4050 independent graphics card, with a performance release of more than 70W. It is equipped with 16GB LPDDR5 6400MHz memory and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD, which combines powerful processing power with sufficient storage space.

ROG Flow Z13 2023 uses a 13.4-inch 2560x1600 resolution Nebula HDR display with a 165Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time, covering 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, a brightness of 500 nits, and supports color gamut switching. Its interfaces include a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB4 port, a ROG XG docking station port, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a MicroSD 4.0 port. It has a built-in 75Wh battery and supports 130W PD fast charging.

ROG Flow X16 2023

ROG Flow X16 2023 is an all-in-one device designed for high-performance gaming and professional creation. It is equipped with the latest 13th generation Core i9-13900H processor, and the GPU offers RTX 4060 and RTX 4070 options, equipped with 8GB GDDR6 video memory to meet the needs of high-end games and professional creation. The cooling system includes 3 fans, 5 heat pipes, and liquid gold thermal conductive materials to ensure long-term and efficient heat dissipation.

ROG Flow X16 2023 has a unique hinge design that supports four usage modes: laptop, tablet, gaming, and sharing, greatly increasing the flexibility of usage scenarios. The screen uses a 16-inch touch-sensitive ROG Nebula HDR display with a Mini LED backlight panel, and the backlight partitions have been increased from 512 partitions in the previous generation to 1024 partitions. This screen also supports 2560×1600 resolution, 240Hz ultra-high refresh rate, 100000:1 contrast ratio, and Dolby Vision, HDR 1000, and color gamut switching. It has a 3.5mm headphone jack, a Thunderbolt 4 port, a ROG XG docking station port, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a MicroSD port.

ROG Flow Z13 2023

ROG Flow Z13 2023 is a device designed for high performance and extreme portability, suitable for users who pursue advanced technology and multi-functional usage experience. It is equipped with the latest 13th generation Core i9-13900H processor, and the graphics card can be optional RTX4050 or RTX4060. The body is as thin as 12.9 mm (0.51 inches) and weighs about 1.2 kg (2.65 pounds). Combined with the magnetic detachable keyboard, it provides users with ultimate portability and multi-scenario usage capabilities.

ROG Flow Z13 2023 is equipped with a 16:10 2.5K Nebula HDR display, with a high refresh rate of 165Hz and a fast response time of 3ms, a brightness of up to 500 nits, and supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. The front and rear cameras have been upgraded to 5 million and 13 million pixels respectively. The Type-C port on the side supports 130W PD fast charging. In addition, it also supports the new version of the XG Mobile graphics expansion dock, further enhancing graphics processing capabilities. It also has a Thunderbolt 4 port, a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, a MicroSD port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, making it a high-performance laptop that is suitable for both professional work and entertainment gaming needs.

Summary

From the appearance, Lenovo's two laptops are more like traditional laptops. ROG is unique in design. Even though the five laptops mentioned above support OCuLink, their interfaces are not the universal OCuLink SFF-8612. Lenovo uses the TGX interface (based on SFF-8611), and the three ROG laptops use the ROG XG Mobile interface (not compatible with SFF-8612). And most of the graphics docks that support OCuLink on the market are universal OCuLink SFF-8612, which means that when choosing a graphics dock, you can basically only choose a graphics dock of the same brand as the laptop. There are still certain limitations in use at present, and we believe that there will be better compatibility in the future.