2017 14" Lenovo ThinkPad T470 [7th,2C,U] + GTX 970 @ 16Gbps-TB3 (Razer Core X) + Win10 21H1  

System specs 

Lenovo ThinkPad T470 (14")

Intel Core i5-7200U + HD Graphics 620

24 GB DDR4, 2133 MHz

Windows 10 (20H2, 21H1)

eGPU hardware

Razer Core X (included TB3 cable, no custom mods)

Zotac GTX 970 (4 GB), outputting to external 1080p display.

Installation steps

Installation was plug-and-play. It's worth noting that the Core X powers on/off depending on whether it is connected to a laptop.

I'm a sucker for one-cable solutions (I use a single TB3 cable and dock for my work machine) but this is a two-cable setup. TB3 is dedicated to the eGPU and the power it provides. The monitor (Dell P2419H 23.8" 1080p) contains a USB hub which connects my keyboard, mouse, speakers to my laptop via USB.

This is hot-pluggable which I appreciate a lot. Have not attempted plugging/unplugging with any 3D game running as of now. Update: Unplugging with Starcraft II running makes it commit die. But the system remains stable.

Benchmarks

No benchmarks at this time.

Comments

Graphics capabilities have improved markedly as expected. Titles of note include Prey (2017), Sea of Thieves (not max settings), Halo: Reach, Stellaris, Phasmophobia, Snakeybus, Minecraft at native resolution.

Cyberpunk 2077 performance (Steam, launch day, updated Nvidia drivers) was middling to poor. GPU might've held up on (tuned) minimum settings with a better machine (and subsequent patches probably) but the CPU will bottleneck easily. This can really show in modded Minecraft, when a lot of units are in play in Starcraft II and more intensive games I'm sure.

I'm staying put for some time but if I were to upgrade this, a quad-core CPU (but still relatively low TDP, so T480? Will need to look at benchmarks.) is purported to be next since portability will persist as paramount post-pandemic.

Additional titles I have enjoyed include Stellaris, Starcraft II, NieR: Automata (medium).