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OWC Mercury Helios 3 vs Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box 550: Comparison
OWC Mercury Helios 3 and Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box 550 separate most on psu wattage: OWC Mercury Helios 3 at 400, Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box 550 at 550, 27% in favour of Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box 550. Max GPU Length splits them by another 3%, again favouring Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box 550. They match on connection standard, extra ports and cooling type.
Specs
| Specification |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Connection Standard | Thunderbolt 3 | Thunderbolt 3 |
| Brand | OWC | Sonnet |
| Extra Ports | None onboard beyond the GPU's own outputs | None onboard beyond the GPU's own outputs |
| PSU Wattage | 400-27% | 550 |
| Host Power Delivery | 85-2% | 87 |
| Max GPU Length | 290-3% | 300 |
| Cooling Type | Active Fan | Active Fan |
| Model | Mercury Helios 3 | eGFX Breakaway Box 550 |
| GPU Compatibility | GTX 10-series through RTX 20-series, dual-slot cards | GTX 10-series through RTX 20-series and equivalent AMD cards, double-wide |
| Price | Launched around $299 (2018) | Launched around $399 (2017) |
Price comparison
| Retailer | OWC Mercury Helios 3 | Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box 550 |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | View on 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Solid basic Mac eGPU box, superseded by the Helios FX which OWC still actively sells.
Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box 550
6 / 10 Expert Rating
A solid early Sonnet box, but the 650 offers more headroom for little extra cost.