Razer’s laptop graphics card add-on ships in April for $500

Razer is shipping a new $500 Razor Core 3D graphics add-on device in April which will enable gamers to turn laptops into PCs with desktop-level performance.

The new devices makes it easier to become more mobile when it comes to playing games on high-end PC gaming hardware. If you need more graphics performance, you can plug the Razer Core into the laptop and boost the graphics performance to desktop levels.

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Kevin Sather, global director of product marketing at Razer, said in an interview with GamesBeat that the Core can transform your laptop into a powerful desktop experience. You can plug it into a device, even with the power turned on, and it just works. You can also disconnect it without shutting down the laptop.

“This is the world’s first true plug-and-play graphics enclosure,” Sather said.

Rival Alienware has a similar system booster, but it isn’t plug-and-play, and it also uses a proprietary connector. It also uses an industry standard Thunderbolt connector for high-speed data transfer.

The Razer Core supports the 300 series graphics cards from Advanced Micro Devices’ Radeon product line, and it also supports Maxwell-based Nvidia graphics cards.

Sather said you can get triple-digit frame rates for games when the graphics are turned up for games such as Rise of the Tomb Raider.

The Razer Core supports larger displays. It costs $500 without a graphics card, and it costs $400 when purchased with a Razer Stealth laptop. The machines are shipping in April.