UGREEN has introduced the LinkStation Pro, a new external GPU dock that upgrades the company’s earlier design with Thunderbolt 5, a built in 850W power supply and broader desktop expansion features.
The new model is aimed at people who want to connect a full size desktop graphics card to a laptop or compact PC without moving to a complete desktop system.
Its biggest improvement is the move from USB4 to Thunderbolt 5, which increases available bandwidth and should reduce some of the performance loss that often comes with external GPUs.
| Detail | UGREEN LinkStation Pro |
|---|---|
| Main connection | Thunderbolt 5 |
| Bidirectional bandwidth | Up to 80Gbps |
| PCIe bandwidth to GPU | Up to 64Gbps |
| OCuLink | Supported |
| Power supply | 850W Gold rated ATX 3.1 |
| GPU length support | Up to 370mm |
| Laptop charging | Up to 140W |
| Thunderbolt ports | Three |
| Price | 3,000 yuan, about $447 |
| Global availability | Not announced |
Thunderbolt 5 doubles the main connection bandwidth
The previous LinkStation relied on USB4 with 40Gbps connectivity.
LinkStation Pro moves to Thunderbolt 5 with up to 80Gbps of bidirectional bandwidth.
For the graphics card itself, the dock can provide up to 64Gbps through a PCIe 4.0 x4 connection.
That matters because bandwidth is one of the main limits for external graphics.
A desktop GPU connected directly to a motherboard usually has access to a much wider PCIe link, while an eGPU has to work through a more restricted external connection.
Thunderbolt 5 cannot completely remove that limitation, but doubling the available bandwidth should help reduce the bottleneck compared with older Thunderbolt and USB4 solutions.
OCuLink remains available
UGREEN has kept an OCuLink connection for people who prefer a more direct PCIe link.
The port also operates at up to 64Gbps.
According to manufacturer supplied benchmark results, Thunderbolt 5 performed better in some synthetic tests such as 3DMark Time Spy Extreme, while OCuLink remained competitive in workloads including Port Royal ray tracing tests.
These results should be treated as vendor benchmarks, but they suggest that both connection options can be useful depending on the workload and host system.
OCuLink may also appeal to enthusiasts who value lower latency and do not need the broader docking features of Thunderbolt.
The dock includes an 850W power supply
The LinkStation Pro includes an integrated 850W Gold rated ATX 3.1 power supply.
That gives it enough capacity for high end desktop GPUs without requiring a separate external PSU.
A native 12V 2x6 connector is included for newer graphics cards, including recent NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 and RTX 50 series models.
The dock also provides dual PCIe 6 plus 2 pin cable sets, offering four traditional 8 pin connectors for cards that use older power arrangements.
This makes the enclosure flexible enough to support a wide range of modern GPUs.
Full size graphics cards are supported
The semi open aluminium chassis supports graphics cards up to 370mm long.
UGREEN has also revised the PCIe bracket area to make room for thick dual slot and triple slot cards.
The open design should help airflow, which is important when running high power desktop GPUs outside a conventional PC case.
However, the same design also means the graphics card is more exposed than it would be inside a fully enclosed chassis.
That may matter for people who want a cleaner or more protected desk setup.
It also works as a full desktop dock
The LinkStation Pro is designed to do more than provide external graphics.
It supports USB Power Delivery 3.1 with up to 140W charging for compatible laptops, up from 100W on the previous model.
There are three Thunderbolt 5 ports with daisy chaining support, along with a USB A 3.2 port capable of 10Gbps.
The dock can also support multiple external displays, including configurations of up to three 8K displays depending on the connected hardware.
That makes it useful as a single cable desktop hub for laptops that need graphics, charging and peripheral expansion at the same time.
Price starts at about $447 in China
The LinkStation Pro CM990 is priced at 3,000 yuan, which converts to roughly $447.
Global availability has not yet been announced.
At that price, the dock is clearly aimed at enthusiasts and professionals who already own a capable laptop and want access to desktop class graphics.
Its main appeal comes from combining Thunderbolt 5, OCuLink, an integrated 850W power supply and docking features in one device.
For systems that support Thunderbolt 5, the LinkStation Pro could offer a more practical eGPU experience with fewer bandwidth compromises than older external graphics docks.
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