August 10, 2026 6:04 pm  

Hello everyone,

I'm planning to buy a Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 2 and use it with an eGPU setup mainly for gaming, especially Counter-Strike 2.

Here are the specs of the laptop:

• CPU: Intel Core i5-1145G7 (Tiger Lake, 4C/8T, up to 4.4 GHz)
• RAM: 16 GB
• eGPU connectivity: 2x Thunderbolt 4 / USB4
• Display: 144 Hz external monitor

I already have a Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB that I would like to use as the eGPU.

My main goal is simply to play CS2 at 1280×960, 4:3, while getting the best possible performance and ideally taking advantage of my 144 Hz monitor.

I'm wondering what eGPU hardware you would recommend for this setup.

In particular:

• Which Thunderbolt 4 eGPU enclosure/dock would be the best choice?
• Would a TB4 → OCuLink solution make sense with this laptop, or is Thunderbolt 4 the better option?
• What kind of performance loss should I expect compared to using the RX 9060 XT directly in a desktop PC?
• Could the i5-1145G7 become the main bottleneck in CS2 at 1280×960?
• Is there anything specific I should consider regarding the external 144 Hz monitor?

I'm mainly looking for a reliable and cost-effective setup, since my only real goal is CS2 at 1280×960/144 Hz.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

This topic was modified 2 days ago