Netstor PCI Express Expansion Box for Laptops

There are many kinds of business laptops on the market, but many of them, especially those based on Intel's latest Core processors, are hardly able to boast of possessing advanced graphics capabilities. In fact, there aren't many mobile discrete graphics cards that can meet the needs of audio/video professionals, and those that exist are often too expensive for most to consider. The best solution, in this case, is to somehow allow a laptop to use a regular desktop adapter.

This is exactly what Netstor seeks to enable with its TurboBox-mini NA220A. Described as a “compact external PCI Express Enclosure,” the device is meant to house a PCI Express video controller and confer its abilities upon a standard notebook or small PC. It is wrought of aluminum and designed for portability, measuring 254 x 198 x 58 mm.

Basically, the NA220A is a portable PCI Express x16 slot equipped with its very own 80W power adapter and a couple of 40mm cooling fans. The connection to laptops is established using Netstor's ExpressCard34 and cable. The gadget's uses are not restricted to just this, however, as the TurboBox-mini can also enhance low-profile PCs. In this case, the connection is made through the Netstor PCIe host card and cable package. No software is required.

The host adapter is compliant with the PCIe 2.0 specification, which means that it has a double bandwidth of 20Gb/s. Of course, to ensure a wider compliance, the adapter is backwards compatible with PCIe 1.0, though the bandwidth will be limited to 10Gb/s in this case. Finally, the expansion box is already selling, at a starting price of $400. The price can grow depending on the accessories.

“The NA220A is just perfect for the full-length capture cards, audio cards and graphics cards, and it's so quick and easy to install without a special software required! Power users and gamers can surely hook up the NA220A on their laptops or desktop PC with an ease-of-mind,” Brian Yu, sales manager, Netstor, said.