Table of Contents
Introduction
Beaten and battered by the Razer Core X‘s one-two punch, Mantiz had no choice but to move up in weight class with its newest contender. A chiseled heavyweight entering the ring with a chip on its shoulder, the Mantiz Saturn Pro follows in the foot steps of the Mantiz Venus with aluminum construction, clean aesthetics, and an all-in-one docking solution. At $299 it is a hard puncher with more power, more features, and more value than any other eGFX to date. This newest eGPU enclosure runs circles around the competition.
Hardware
Mantiz Saturn Pro + RX 5700 XT Liquid Cooled AIO
| Specifications compare | |
| Price US$ |
$299 |
| PSU location-type |
internal-ATX |
| PSU max power | 750W |
| GPU max power |
550W |
| Power delivery (PD) |
100W |
| USB-C controller |
TI83 |
| TB3 USB-C ports | 1 |
| Size (in/mm, LxWxH) |
14.7 x 6.6 x 9.1 374 x 168 x 232 |
| Max GPU len (in/cm) |
12.99/33.0 |
| Weight (kg/lb) | 5.70/12.54 |
| Updated firmware | 44.44 ✔ |
| TB3 cable length (cm) | 70 |
| Vendor page | link |
| Implementations |
link |
The Mantiz Saturn Pro is the second-generation eGPU enclosure from Mantiz. Its overall footprint has grown to accommodate a larger ATX power supply, more space for the graphics card, and better cooling. Thanks to these larger dimensions, it has much easier internal component access compared to the Mantiz Venus. The inner cage slides back once you remove the large thumb screw on top. On the rear fascia there are two stubby L-shaped hooks that provide grip. It’s an unusual design but works well so that a full handle doesn’t block the graphics card ports.
Mantiz Saturn Pro (MZ-03) + SSD + WX 9100
Mantiz Saturn Pro Sliding Topview
From most angles the Mantiz Saturn Pro is an attractive enclosure. Similar to the Mantiz Venus, it doesn’t sport any RGB. The design aesthetic is clean and professional to accompany modern Macs. The expansion port row on the front fascia is well-proportioned and provides quick access for SD card and USB-A peripherals. There are three anodized finishes to choose from: silver, space grey, and black. My sample unit came in space grey. The brushed aluminum has a defined texture that feels great to the touch. This finish hasn’t attracted many fingerprints during my two months of testing.
Build quality is one of the best of any external graphics boxes I’ve used. The outer shell is light yet rigid. Rather than using separate top and side panels, Mantiz formed a single aluminum sheet that is joined at the bottom with a thermoplastic base. It’s a neat design that incorporates a large rubber pad on one side and a plastic base on the other. The enclosure opening/sliding mechanism is very similar to the Razer Core X/Chroma; two plastic rails on the underside of the inner cage hook onto the plastic base inside the outer shell. This design works smoothly and requires no lubrication.
Inner Cage Plastic Rails & Outer Shell Rubber Pad
Inner Cage GPU side w/ RX 5700 XT LC & SSD
The Saturn Pro and Core X/Chroma share many design elements, but Mantiz outpunches Razer with its power supply. It’s an 80+ Gold 750W single-rail unit that provides 100W upstream Power Delivery and maximum 550W to the graphics card. This is the highest-output PSU in an eGPU enclosure, compared to the 650/700W multi-rail unit in the Core X/Chroma. With 3x 6+2-pin PCIe power cables, the Saturn Pro‘s power supply can handle even the most monstrous of graphics cards (Nvidia RTX 3090 & beyond). Other power cables are one 24-pin to the mainboard, one SATA for the hard drive, and one Molex for another component such as the fan controller.
FSP 80+ Gold 750w PSU Label
Mantiz Saturn Pro PSU Cables
By using a larger footprint Mantiz was able to fit two 120mm cooling fans inside the Saturn Pro. Installed on a metal bracket, they are stacked side by side with one being the PSU fan. The other 120mm fan draws heat from the back of the GPU outside. The enclosure fan bracket can be used for mounting a 120mm radiator in most AIO liquid-cooled GPUs. My RX 5700 XT with third-party liquid cooler fit perfectly but required a lot of cable management to avoid the fan blade. The PSU has a fan-off mode to keep things quiet during light use.
Other refinements are the metal shield on the Thunderbolt 3 mainboard and quick access to the SATA drive. The 2.5″ drive bracket sits on top of the enclosure cooling fan mount and can be removed. In my installation of an AIO liquid-cooled GPU, I had to remove the SSD bracket and relocate the drive to sit at the bottom in the space between the mainboard and front expansion board.
Inner Cage Cooling Fan Side & Metal Bracket
Thunderbolt 3 Mainboard Metal Shield
Improving on an already well-appointed offering (5x USB, 1x SATA, and 1x Ethernet in the Venus), Mantiz added an SD card reader and hosted all expansion I/O on a secondary Alpine Ridge Thunderbolt 3 controller. The Saturn Pro is the first and only enclosure to date to include an SD slot. This is a much welcome addition for Mac and ultrabook users. The dual Thunderbolt 3 controller design remedies I/O stability issues on first-generation eGPU enclosures. The only other port I wish the Saturn Pro had is USB-C.
The Thunderbolt 3 mainboard contains rear expansion ports rather than a separate rear daughterboard as in the Venus. Identical to other dual Thunderbolt 3 controller eGFXs, the Mantiz Saturn Pro has a primary Intel JHL6540 and a secondary Intel JHL6240. Also found on this board are the firmware Winbond EEPROM chips and Texas Instrument TPS65983BA USB-C controller.
Mantiz Saturn Pro Thunderbolt 3 Mainboard
Mantiz Saturn Pro Front Expansion Daughterboard
Alpine Ridge TB3 Controllers + TI83 + EEPROM
Testing
The primary TB3 controller runs firmware version 44.1, and the secondary TB3 controller runs firmware version 20.1. Upstream Power Delivery is set at the maximum 100W to the host laptop. This PD rating allows the Mantiz Saturn Pro to charge all certified Thunderbolt 3 laptops, including the latest 2019 16-in MacBook Pro (96W). Other TB3 laptops I tested were the 2020 13-in MacBook Pro Ice Lake (61W), HP Spectre 13-in OLED (65W), LG Gram 17 (~70W).
Thunderbolt TBX-750FA Primary TB3 Controller
Thunderbolt TBX-750FA Secondary TB3 Controller
Mantiz Saturn Pro 100W Power Delivery
There are two USB 3.0 buses that host expansion components: one on the daughterboard (SD card slot and 3x USB-A ports), the other on the mainboard (Ethernet, 2x USB-A ports, and SATA header). I installed a PNY CS1311 480GB 2.5″ SSD inside the enclosure. This hard drive has been in use for the past few years and doesn’t reach anywhere near the 520 MB/s max speed. The other peripherals are an Ethernet port connected to Ubiquiti switch, Logitech Unifying receiver for mouse & keyboard, and a Lexar Professional 1667x SDXC UHS-II 128GB card. All components worked immediately without the need for any third-party drivers.
Expansion 1GB LAN Port
Expansion SATA Drive
Rear Expansion USB Ports
SD Card Reader
In order to test stability during use I wanted to have multiple peripherals running. I ran AJA System Test on the SATA SSD, CL!ng on the WX 9100 eGPU, and Internet speed test on the Ethernet port simultaneously. This test lasted 10 minutes, and no issues were observed. Both the mouse and keyboard were responsive without lagging behavior. I also ran AJA System Test on the SD card reader. The Lexar 1667x V60 II card was able to reach near max speed of 250 MB/s. Theoretically all expansion I/O traffic through the secondary JHL6240 controller can use up to 10Gbps of the max 22Gbps bandwidth of a single Thunderbolt 3 connection.
Testing SATA SSD eGPU Ethernet Expansion I/O
Lexar 1667x V60 II SD Card AJA
Cooling performance of the Mantiz Saturn Pro has improved over the Venus. Airflow is now routed sideways rather than out the bottom. It’s also a better performer than the Core X/Chroma thanks to vents in the front fascia and a larger PSU fan (120mm vs 60mm). Unlike the constantly running PSU fan in most eGFXs, the Saturn Pro‘s power supply fan stays off during light usage.
All Thunderbolt 3 Macs running macOS 10.13.4 or newer work plug-and-play with the Mantiz Saturn Pro when using a modern Radeon card. Older Thunderbolt 1/2 Macs can work with Mac_editor’s Purge-Wrangler script. Apple has made significant changes to macOS 11 Big Sur, so more work is needed to enable the eGPU feature on older Macs. I’ve been testing my 2013 Mac Pro with the Saturn Pro + RX 5700 XT eGPU. The dual FirePro dGPUs in this generation Mac Pro are prone to issues as they age, so using an eGPU not only improves the performance but also prolongs the computer life [build link].
Purge-Wrangler on macOS 11 Big Sur
Unfortunately eGPU support with Boot Camp has not improved. As a matter of fact, Apple’s switch to ARM CPU for their Mac lineup means Boot Camp mode will go away eventually. If you need Windows for gaming and/or work, it might be time to switch away from macOS. In order to get a Mac working with a Radeon eGPU in Windows, we almost always have to resolve error 12. Things become more complicated with the Apple T2 Security Chip. My testing in Windows connecting the Mantiz Saturn Pro with the LG Gram 17 and HP Spectre 13 OLED went much better than Boot Camp mode with a 2020 13-in MacBook Pro.
2013 Mac Pro + Mantiz Saturn Pro
HP Spectre 13 OLED + Mantiz Saturn Pro
Using eGPU with Linux is also of great interest. My distro of choice is Pop!_OS by System76. Pop!_OS is based on Ubuntu which has very good Thunderbolt hot-plug support. Members in our community have shared different solutions to facilitate graphics switching in Linux. Thanks to Proton and Steam Play, we can now play many Windows titles in Linux with ease. I tried The Witcher III on the HP Spectre 13 + Mantiz Saturn Pro + RX 5700 XT eGPU setup [build link]. The installation process and gaming experience was similar compared to Windows.
Pop!_OS 20.04 Thunderbolt
RX 5700 XT eGPU Pop!_OS 20-04 About
Conclusion
Priced to be the most affordable full-featured eGPU enclosure on the market, the Mantiz Saturn Pro delivers a knockout punch in performance and value. It showcases the best of the four-year evolution of Thunderbolt 3 eGPU technology. With a unique combination of good looks, unrivaled expansion ports, and exceptional flexibility, the Saturn Pro is truly king of the ring.
See also
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To be honest , this is the best egpu on the planet. Period
Actually, it’s components are cheap— cables and PSU die consistently, plus their “customer service” is absolute shit: Amazon’s Top Critical Review: “The power supply has now died at 15 months.“ I had the same thing, only my PSU took just 5 weeks to die. Still under warantee, but Mantiz support has been a nightmare trying to get them to replace it. The only time I seem to get a response is when I post complaints in public forums. Also, the fans clatter. Update: on Saturday, John at Mantiz said replacement PSU would be shipped within two business days. I’ve followed… Read more »
I’m confused, this hasn’t been available for 15months.
@Doorkum, I think they’re referring to the Saturn Pro 2 – I just ordered one to NZ and it also had a dead PSU on arrival. This company needs to get the QA under control and stop pushing the costs of it onto their consumers. Turns out either the USB-C ports themselves have died, or the controller in my laptop as I can no longer charge it using my old cable. Testing the enclosure out on a different laptop of the same model has worked great. My apologies to Mantiz for assuming the fault was with the PSU. Forum… Read more »
Nope. Got one myself and like almost everyone else in this forum, I got a dead PSU. I sent it back to Mantiz, had issues with customs, they would only answer back weeks later jutifying that my emails were getting to their Spam folder (lol). It’s been a year now and no PSU replaced, I have a 350$ paper weight. It did work for the first couple of days, but still far from reliably, it’s like I had a development unit. Sometimes wouldn’t boot, sometimes wouldn’t detect the graphics card, other times wouldn’t find the Hard-drive I had put in… Read more »
Looks awesome, but not enough to upgrade from the Venus which has worked really well for me. I wish they had included an additional type-c port on Saturn.
I wonder if this latest incarnation from Mantiz is able to properly sleep. I have a 2018 Mac Mini running Catalina 10.15.6 and a 5700XT in the Mantiz Venus where the eGPU constantly spins up and down. There was talk a while back about a jumper needing to be soldered (yikes) on the board to resolve this.
I’ve been using my Mantiz Saturn Pro + WX 9100 with the 2013. The enclosure stays asleep accordingly to the Mac Pro‘s power state. I think the GPU firmware and/or host computer settings can interfere the enclosure’s sleep behavior.
I just bought Mantiz Saturn Pro on Amazon But my unit does not detect Thunderbolt Bus 2 as shown above. That makes 4 USB ports do not working. How to solve this problem?
Which computer are you using? Post a screen capture of the Thunderbolt section.
System : Macbook Pro 15 2018 GPU : Geforce 2070 Super
From my first reply: All of the front ports do not work. But GPU and rear ports work
Now: All of the port and GPU do not work.
I just talked to Mantiz Support and they said they will swap a new unit for me.
// How to upload the picture. I already upload picture. But it is not show.
Hello, I have a MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013) and I would like to answer some questions before purchasing an eGPU. 1. Do the Mantiz Saturn eGPU USB 3 and Ethernet ports work with Thunderbolt 2 (with adapter) while using a 4k monitor and sending data to an SSD at the same time? 2. How much noise does this eGPU generate compared to a Desktop PC? 3. Is the mantiz eGPU recommended or should I buy a Sonnet 550w? I see the mantiz much more complete but I don’t know if it is worth it for a Macbook as old… Read more »
The expansion ports work through Apple Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt adapter in macOS only. Windows does not have proper drivers for the TB3 to TBT adapter so expansion ports don’t work.
Check our eGPU buyer’s guide for full specs and review of the Sonnet Breakaway Box and compare to Mantiz Saturn Pro. Noise level depends on a lot of factors but the Mantiz Saturn Pro‘s included fans produce less noise than an average Desktop.
Ok I understand, Windows on my Macbook is not necessary since I have a desktop PC for tasks in Windows or Linux.
Thanks for the info.
Is this the same version?
MZ-03 Saturn Pro II EGPU -Thunderbolt 3 MacOS/Windows/Intel Thunderbolt Certified External GPU with SATA3 2.5 SSD/HDD,SD,USB 3.0 Gigabit LAN Dual TB3 chip Manage GFX & Extra IO (Space Grey) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0745H6GTX/
There are reviews 3yrs old so I’m confused and a lot of them are not great.
The older reviews are for the Mantiz Venus.
Confirmed with the seller too, just ordered one for my xps. $80 cheaper than from Mantiz can’t beat it.
Thank you for the detailed review. I have a MacBook Pro 13 early and a Samsung 4K monitor. The Macbook Pro‘ Intel GPU is not enough for 4k resolution. For Instance, Launchpad opens very slowly. I want to buy this eGPU and a graphic card. I don’t play the game and video editing. Is there a video card you can recommend for daily use? Thanks.
The RX 580 should give a nice boost for your needs. It’s affordable now and drivers are well optimized.
I was thinking about getting the Razer Core X but this just offers so many more features! I am very intrigued by the ability to add more storage! In terms of doing that you mentioned that you had to move the bracket for it? Is that something easy to do for a novice like myself? You also mentioned that using this egpu with bootcamp was a pain! That is slightly worrisome since I want to use it with my 2019 MacBook Pro 13 (2.4 GHz i5/8 GB of Ram)…I purchased this Mac as an Eng. student and to be completely… Read more »
@itsage, I think review should be updated to make note of an issue with ethernet support on this enclosure on macOS. After some back-and-forth with John, it seems the advertised native support on macOS isn’t exactly working as intended. There is indeed a limit of approx. ~500 Mbps download and ~600 Mbps upload on every Mac I tested (3 macs – 2 TB3, 1 TB2) with the native drivers on both Catalina and Big Sur. All the macs provide the full 940 Mbps both ways with the Venus and 3rd party driver. Realtek also offers a custom driver which apparently… Read more »
I’ve been getting the macOS warning messages about the third party drivers with my Venus and am also worrying about the implications for Big Sur.
Upgrading to the Saturn for the native drivers is really appealing as well as the 100W power delivery given I’m about to pick up a 16″ MacBook from work 😀. I think I can live with ~500Mbps network speeds, though it would be good if Mantiz can provide full capability.
Question: is the SD card reader UHS-II compatible?
@mac_editor, Thank you for this insight. I will edit the review to add your observations on the Ethernet port.
Awesome review. Thanks. I was especially interested in the SSD part. Can’t wait for mine to arrive.
Btw. what exactly do you mean by this? It went much better in terms of ease of setup or in terms of performance while using it?
All three finishes of the Mantiz Saturn Pro are back in stock on [Amazon US].
Does anybody have these problems:
Case fan always spin in my Saturn Pro, quite noisy.
Posted by: @Dmitry Does anybody have these problems: The system fan works constantly although GPU fans don’t as the load is low. The system fan starts to be annoyingly noisy after about 10 minutes of work. Just got around to picking one of these up. It has been better than my Razer Core X Chroma and the Sonnet Breakaway 750ex I tried in most every way. Except the noise. I spent a pretty penny and I don’t see myself paying more to swap fans and PSU so I’ll probably just return it and go back to my Razer Core X… Read more »
@itsage, I ordered one from Amazon. Looks great but it was DOA. So I ordered a second one as a replacement. Also DOA. 🥺
The power supply just doesn’t do anything!
I saw the review well.
I am curious and leave a question.
Does using an SSD while using the GPU at the same time reduce the bandwidth of the GPU?
Does anyone know if the XFX 6800XT MERC 319 fits in?
@Master Kites, It’s a 34cm long card. The Mantiz Saturn Pro lists 33cm as the max length. I think it may fit if you clear one or two screws inside holding the front fascia.
Out of Curiosity, If this is “King of the Ring”, why is it still ranked below both Razer and the Aorus boxes? I’m just curious what the ranking methodology is here.
@Luke, As stated in the build guides landing page, the ranking is based on members’ build guides posted to our forum in the past 6 months. The Mantiz Saturn Pro didn’t have the best availability due to their logistic network.
Please tell me, when you connect Mantiz to MacBook Pro and close the laptop lid, does the system continue to work properly?
@pavel, In macOS with a supported graphics card, closing the MacBook Pro lid would switch to external display mode. In Windows/Boot Camp, you may need to set this behavior to not go to sleep so that the eGPU can continue working with Windows on external display.
Beware: if this glowing review sounds too good to be true, it is. One month after purchase, the fan started rattling so loud I could hear it through my headphones. Found out this is a common issue. Then after just two and half months, the Power Source Unit on my Saturn Pro completely died— as it has for many others, if you take a look around. Support has been super sketchy and unresponsive. After a week of emailing support they finally sent a prepaid DHL shipping label to return the PSU for a replacement. DHL shows it was received on… Read more »
Too many bad reviews and I really wanted to buy this enclosure 😐
@dalyboy, thanks for reply, I am new in the egpu world so I am trying to learn.. for now I just want to order the notebook, yoga slim 7 or Inspiron 7400..
I even opened another topic with some questions but without any success until now. Maybe you are so kind to take a look 🙂. Thanks
I think, the administrators of this website should update this article to denote that this eGPU enclosure has some really annoying noise issues: Fan #1 works all the time needlessly as the temperature of my videocard is 35 degrees only and the videocard’s fans are not spinning at all Fan #2 (of PSU) spins every ~5 minutes and produces a drrr-rrr sound for about two minutes. Besides, I’ve just checked Mantiz’ website (today is 8 October 2021), and the last update of their website was in September 2020, that is, one year ago. Some people (like me a year ago)… Read more »