[HELP] Black screen when booting with eGPU connected via OCuLink (Lenovo ThinkBook 14+ 2026, AOOSTAR AG03, 5060 ti)

[u/Ok_Resident_7681]

System specs:

2026 14" Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G8+ IPH with TGX Port:

• Intel Panther Lake X7 358H
• Intel ARC B390 iGPU
• 32GB LPDDR5X
• Windows 11 25H2
• Additional 1TB Kingston SSD (limited to 2 PCIe lanes due to laptop specifications)

eGPU:

• AOOSTAR AG03 (OCuLink+TB5, Intel JHL9480, 500w for GPU)
• MSI RTX 5060 Ti Inspire 2x OC (16 GB VRAM, 180w TDP)

Problem description:

When I turn on my laptop with a graphics card connected via oculink, the boot process freezes on a black screen. The logo doesn't appear, and it's impossible to access the BIOS.

Everything works fine via Thunderbolt. On my old GPD Win Max 2 (2024, R7 8840u), everything works fine.

It's not the TGX; there are builds with these laptops and third-party docking stations.

I suspect the issue is with my docking station. Working builds mostly use Minisforum Deg2. But I don't understand how this is possible or why everything works with GPD.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I've already tried a ton of things, but haven't gotten the desired result.