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OWC Mercury Helios 3 vs PELADN Link S-3: Comparison
OWC Mercury Helios 3 and PELADN Link S-3 separate most on max gpu length: OWC Mercury Helios 3 at 290, PELADN Link S-3 at 3.5, 99% in favour of OWC Mercury Helios 3. Host Power Delivery splits them by another 39%, this time favouring PELADN Link S-3.
Specs
| Specification |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Connection Standard | Thunderbolt 3 | Two Thunderbolt 5 ports, theoretical 80Gbps bidirectional, with DisplayPort 2.1 Alt Mode; internal PCIe 4.0 x4 slot for the graphics card |
| Brand | OWC | PELADN |
| Extra Ports | None onboard beyond the GPU's own outputs | 2x Thunderbolt 5, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1x M.2 2280 SSD slot (PCIe 3.0 x1), 2.5GbE Ethernet (RTL8156B), SD card reader |
| Host Power Delivery | 85-39% | 140 |
| Max GPU Length | 290 | 3.5-99% |
| Cooling Type | Active Fan | Passive/slim chassis cooling for the dock itself; GPU cooling is entirely down to the card, similar to most bare-bones eGPU docks |
| Model | Mercury Helios 3 | Link S-3 |
| Price | Launched around $299 (2018) | Roughly $278 USD equivalent in Canada (~$384 CAD) at launch, but reported as high as $460 USD via AliExpress for the US market due to tariffs — pricing has varied significantly by region, so treat any single figure as a snapshot rather than a fixed MSRP |
Price comparison
| Retailer | OWC Mercury Helios 3 | PELADN Link S-3 |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | View on Amazon |
Disclaimer: The price and specification of the given product may differ from the actual product. Please confirm on the retailer's website before buying.
Verdict
OWC Mercury Helios 3
6 / 10 Expert Rating
Solid basic Mac eGPU box, superseded by the Helios FX which OWC still actively sells.
PELADN Link S-3
6 / 10 Expert Rating
An interesting, genuinely cheaper-to-build Thunderbolt 5 eGPU option for people who already have a spare ATX/SFX PSU, but inconsistent regional pricing and near-zero independent review coverage mean it's a bigger gamble than the budget framing suggests.