Driving a Pimax 8K Plus with an ASUS VivoBook S15 Ultrabook + eGPU (RTX 3060 Ti)

February 17, 2021September 5, 2026

ASUS lent me an ASUS VivoBook S15 — a compact laptop built around the concept of “Move forward, your way."

This configuration runs an 11th-gen Intel Core CPU and comes with a Thunderbolt 4 port. Can you connect an eGPU enclosure over that Thunderbolt 4 port and actually enjoy a Pimax 8K Plus? Let’s find out.

The Test Setup: ASUS VivoBook S15 S533EA (S533EA-BQ032TS)

Here’s the spec sheet for the unit I borrowed. This is the configuration I’m testing throughout this article.

Model	ASUS VivoBook S15 S533EA S533EA-BQ032TS
CPU	Core i7-1165G7 4 cores / 8 threads, 2.8GHz (Turbo Boost 4.7GHz)
GPU	Integrated GPU (Iris Xe Graphics)
Memory	16GB
SSD	1024GB
HDD	None
Power adapter	65W
OS	Windows 10 Home 64-bit

What I Used: Razer Core X

Item	Razer Core X
Manufacturer	Razer
Size (H x W x D) (mm)	230x168x374
Internal dimensions (mm)	160x57x330
Built-in power supply	650W

This eGPU enclosure has a fairly beefy 650W built-in power supply. I’m testing it here with an RTX 3060 Ti installed.

The Razer Core X doesn’t come with a Thunderbolt cable. For this test, I used the cable below.

GIGABYTE GV-N306TGAMING OC-8GD

This is a GIGABYTE-made RTX 3060 Ti — one of the more modest, lower-mid-tier models in GIGABYTE’s lineup.

Getting the Pimax 8K Plus Running

Now let’s connect the Pimax 8K Plus and see how much performance this setup delivers. As a benchmark, I’ll use the frame rate the PC is able to render.

For this test, I’m leaving the Pimax 8K Plus’s graphics settings untouched: rendering resolution stays at 100%, and I’m also turning off the headset’s automatic frame-rate safeguard feature.

Connecting the Pimax 8K Plus: The Cabling

The ASUS VivoBook S15 has a single Thunderbolt 4 port on its left side.

This is where I connect the eGPU enclosure.

I connect the Pimax 8K Plus’s DisplayPort cable to the graphics card inside the eGPU enclosure, and plug its USB Type-A cable into the ASUS VivoBook S15’s left-side port. The port on the right side of the ASUS VivoBook S15 is only USB 2.0 — the Pimax 8K Plus won’t run if you plug it in there.

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Frame Rate in Beat Saber

As a classic example of a lightweight VR app, I’m testing Beat Saber.

The frame rate comes in above 150fps — plenty of headroom.

Frame Rate in Half-Life: Alyx

As an app with much richer visuals, I’m running Half-Life: Alyx.

Low Quality Setting

Even with the field of view widened, it runs without issue — no stuttering that I could feel.

Maximum Quality Setting

The trend holds even at the maximum quality setting: no frame drops, and no texture pop-in delays. It’s comfortable to play.

Frame Rate in SteamVR Home

This is the home screen you land on when you launch SteamVR. Since you’ll see it every time you start SteamVR, if it doesn’t run comfortably here, that friction adds up fast.

The frame rate holds around 100fps here — comfortable.

Frame Rate in Asgard’s Wrath

This is the big-budget RPG announced alongside Oculus Link itself — a classic example of a heavy VR app.

Asgard’s Wrath’s recommended CPU is an Intel Core i7-7700 or better. Here’s how the CPU benchmark app Cinebench R20 compares:

The ASUS VivoBook S15’s CPU doesn’t reach Asgard’s Wrath’s recommended performance level. With that in mind, let’s check the frame rate.

Quality Setting: “Easy"

Set the field of view to anything other than the lowest “Potato" option and frame drops start showing up. It can’t keep pace with head movement either, which raises the risk of VR sickness.

Quality Setting: “High"

The frame rate just isn’t there. The lag is bad enough that even testing it is uncomfortable.

I can’t recommend playing Asgard’s Wrath with a Pimax 8K Plus on the ASUS VivoBook S15.

Frame Rate Results by Field of View

Here are the results, broken down by Pimax 8K Plus field-of-view setting.

The Pimax 8K Plus has high resolution and is one of the more demanding headsets for a PC to drive.

The Pimax 8K Plus’s biggest selling point is its wide field of view. If you can’t get a usable frame rate at the “Normal" field-of-view setting, you’re probably better off choosing a different headset instead.

Field of View “Potato" (Per Eye: 1776 x 2632)

Here I check the frame rate with the Pimax 8K Plus’s field of view set to “Potato" (resolution, per eye: 1776 x 2632). This setting narrows the field of view enough that you’re not really getting the full benefit of the Pimax 8K Plus.

Outside of Asgard’s Wrath at the high quality setting, everything runs smoothly and VR is genuinely enjoyable.

Field of View “Small" (Per Eye: 2228 x 2632)

Here I check the frame rate with the Pimax 8K Plus’s field of view set to “Small" (resolution, per eye: 2228 x 2632). At this setting, you get a wider field of view than a typical headset.

Apps other than Asgard’s Wrath, where the CPU is the bottleneck, run smoothly.

Field of View “Normal" (Per Eye: 3080 x 2632)

Here I check the frame rate with the Pimax 8K Plus’s field of view set to “Normal" (resolution, per eye: 3080 x 2632). This setting gives a wide field of view and strong immersion.

The trend is the same as before. Apps other than Asgard’s Wrath, where the CPU is the bottleneck, run smoothly.

What I Could Not Verify

This is a single review unit lent by ASUS, so I can’t say how much these numbers would vary between individual units. I only tested with the specific Thunderbolt cable and Razer Core X enclosure listed above — a different cable or eGPU enclosure could shift the numbers. I also stuck to four apps here; a heavier or more CPU-bound title than Asgard’s Wrath could behave differently.

In Summary: Yes, This eGPU Setup Can Drive the Pimax 8K Plus

Can the ASUS VivoBook S15 + RTX 3060 Ti Drive a Pimax 8K Plus?

Yes — the ASUS VivoBook S15 paired with an RTX 3060 Ti is plenty capable of driving a Pimax 8K Plus.

Just don’t expect much from apps where the CPU ends up being the bottleneck.

The Pimax 8K Plus is one of the high-end headsets, delivering high resolution and a wide field of view. That resolution comes at a cost: it puts a correspondingly heavy load on the PC.

The ASUS VivoBook S15 is a mobile ultrabook built around an 11th-gen Intel CPU. CPU performance in mobile ultrabooks keeps climbing generation over generation, and once you fix the graphics bottleneck by adding an RTX 3060 Ti, it turns out VR is enjoyable to this degree. Half-Life: Alyx, in particular, is genuinely fun to play here.

There isn’t much CPU headroom left over, though, so it’s probably best to give up on heavy apps like Asgard’s Wrath when using the Pimax 8K Plus on this rig.