While AMD processors from the Ryzen 5000 line are one of the most celebrated CPUs today, one of their drawbacks is the lack of support for external graphics cards via USB 4 and Thunderbolt 3 ports. But the scenario, apparently, will change with the next generation (AMD Ryzen 6000) of the brand.
Through analysis of a new driver sent by AMD engineers for Penguin OS, a feature was found for USB 4 DisplayPort 1.4. As this patch targets the “Yellow Carp”, it is likely to target the AMD Ryzen 6000 processors — this is the code name used for the Rembrandt processor in this series on Linux.
It is important to note that external GPUs are connected through the Thunderbolt 3 port and this technology is currently only available on Intel-based systems. AMD CPUs support USB 3.1, but this doesn’t work with most of the better external graphics cards.
While some users may have found workarounds, they are not suitable as the bandwidth and latency provided by this technology are not enough. As USB 4 includes support for TB3, this technology is available to a wider audience.
The option to use external graphics cards is a welcome feature for notebook users, bringing more power to gamers on these devices. As graphics cards are often bulky, it is difficult to fit them into the thin and portable laptops that are common on the market today. This leads manufacturers to compromise on graphic quality.