DIY eGPU experiences

did what you said, nothing came up in Aida64, this sucks.

 

Hi invest,

There are several possibilities; faulty GPU, faulty PE4H or faulty cable. I don't think PE4H faulty though since I can see 3 LED light up on the PE4H. This reduced the possibility to two. Can you test your Nvidia on a desktop computer?

 

I don't have a desktop computer. I bought the gpu brand new that day I posted.

 

Do you have any expresscard device for testing the expresscard slot? Like expresscard to esata.

 

who cares, I've given up on this. Going to get a refund for my pe4h and build a desktop.

This is end of my laptop era.

 

Too bad. If I have the same notebook, I would get PM3Ns card to try x4 setup.

 

Finally placed order at hwtools.net ( 1 x PE4H-EC2C ver2.4 Package, 1 x PM3N card, 2 x PCIEMM-100 cable costing 147$ (with shipping charges)). Any idea how long it takes to receive eGPU kit. I emailed hwtools.net guys but not received any reply.

Thanks.

 

Probably a week or two.

 

Hi!

So I could manage to start my new card (Gigabyte GTX560 TI OC) with my old laptop and run a few tests. I have the latest (280.26) driver installed. Just sent my laptop to sleep pluc in the EC then woke up.

3DMark06 - 4894
With my old card (HD 4870) I had 7314, so I guess I should have got better result, shoulnd't I?

DMC4 DX9
FPS - 88,6 - 68,13 - 113,45 - 53,23

DMC4 DX10
FPS - 104,54 - 77,12 - 119,36 - 68,36

3DMark Vantage - 5803

Do you think guys, I'm doing something wrong, or this results are more or less ok with my config?

Regards,
David

 

Hard to say. You must be so cpu limited with your T5750. Gpu cannot even show its potential. Coupling such a powerfull gpu with such a weak cpu is just madness and useless imo ;-)

I have a GTX 560 ti myself and scores 12500 pts at 3Dmark06 on the internal screen. Can play Battlefield BC2 on it at 1600*900 smoothly. I did not try external LCD yet. But i'm "optimused" and not cpu limited.

 

Certainly I didn't buy this new card for this laptop. As soon as I can sell it, I'm buying a SB laptop. Hopefully within a few weeks...

 

That's what i'm talkin' about héhé. You're not crazy then
You'll enjoy your GTX 560 ti at its full-1x.optimus-potential as soon as you"ll get your SB lap.

I"m dreaming about this angle hdmi cable cause my expressslot card is on the right and it annoys my mouse life :
http://cgi.ebay.fr/HDMI-to-right-an...516?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35b4aea2d4

 

I'm really curious about this setup for the future if nvidia released a powerfull <120W 28nm gpu. Could make a nice compact egpu :
http://forum.notebookreview.com/gam...851-diy-egpu-experiences-280.html#post7134114

I have a PE4H though and near the jack connector it is written 15-20V/4,5A... only 90W max by jack powering.

 

Thx kizwan. Could it be that the adjustable TOLUD inhibits the eGPU being recognized after standby? I always need a reboot:-(

2x-mode is not working for me. If i had known before that AMD-gpus need port 1 and 2 i would have bought a nvidia-gpu:-(

Is there any work-around?

EDIT:
If i plug in both mHDMI-cables (from port 3 and 4 to the PE4H) then setup 1.x does not recognize the AMD-GPU.

 

While i'm here, fuse bypassing isn't necessary with GTX 560 ti superclocked (900mhz gpu) and PE4H 2.0a.

 

Anyway, Anyone has any idea why I have less score in 3DMark06 with a much more powerful card?

 

Might be. TOLUD need to be set at earlier stage. So, probably when resuming from standby, TOLUD was reset to default value which causing the available PCI space unable to accommodate the eGPU.

Even if you get Nvidia GPU, you still need to do x2 link to get better result. The only way is to sell current notebook & get a SB notebook with Intel HD 3000 iGPU. So that you can do x1.Opt with Nvidia eGPU.

Did you try swapping the cables. For example, PCIe port1 at PE4H connected to mPCIe port4 & PCIe port2 at pE4H to mPCIe port3.

 

Because your laptop does not engage Optimus which significantly boosts (performance = x3 with Optimus) NVidia cards.

 

I wouldn't mind about 3dmark06 score since it's not always accurate compared to RE5 and DMC benchies in Nando's table. If your DMC results seem accurate to you then it should be ok.

 

Yours have Intel 945PM/GM right? Base on the result from several people, all notebook with this chipset unable to perform better with newer eGPU. It might be chipset limitation. And also as pyr0 pointed out, your notebook even if have Intel iGPU, doesn't support Optimus.

 

Thanks!
Well, I didn't expect optimus results of course, but at least higher than with my old card. Anyway, the 3DVantage points are higher and also the DMC4 and RE5 benchmarks. I will test Crysis 2 and The Wither 2 today if it is better than with HD 4870. Hopefully yes.

 

The aim of egpu in my case was avoiding a new laptop

Yes, i tried all the possible cable configurations. I even tried first use the port 3 connection for recognizing and then hotplugging additionally the EC2E. This doent change anything except the fact that 3dmark2006 crashes after loading benchmark no.2. What i want to say is i activated x2 in setup 1.x but it doesn't do x2. Of course, because there is only one cable connection. Then i hotplug EC2E for a second cable connection. Maybe stupid.

EDIT: I guess i will now stick to x1 and just be satisfied.
I also tried deactivating LAN and cardreader in Bios like Moerf did it. He was finally successfull with a nvida-egpu at the same type of laptop(inspiron 1520= vostro1500).

 

Can someone please help me understand when I am supposed to flip the power switch on. Is it while the laptop is sleeping? hibernating? or off?

i am using a dell xps15 l502x, -i7 2620 at 2.7ghz, 6 gigs ram, intel 4500 in the cpu, and then a gt540. I was using a 9600gt that i already had, and i was gunna switch to a newer ati card, but I was gunna try to see if i could get it to work before i bought a new card. Can someone please help me with the proper steps, im using a mPCIe btw.

-edit- one time it did recognize and download the drivers, but i couldn't get anywhere after that

 

Well, I would suggest to try all the possibilities, as with the same laptop I just pluged in HD4870 while windows was running, and with GTX 560 I had to put on sleep then plug the card. My friend has exactly the same laptop, and HD 5770 had to be pluged in right after the BIOS started...

 

Hi I have a 2010 Sony Z128GG with the carbon cover and the integrated Intel/GT330M hybrid graphics.

Ive ordered a E4H-EC2C express card kit and was wondering what my best options are for video cards.

I have an old NV 8800 ultra and 2x ATI 5870's lying around I would like to use if possible. If needed im happy to get another mPCIE adapter too and will consider buying another GTX570 or similar, but only if i will gain significant benefit over the cards I already have.

cheers

 

Hi everyone,

I´m going to try this eGPU stuff, due to the good results in many people over this thread, and before purchasing any gpu I´d like to ask some questions in advance.

My laptop specs,
Dell Inspiron9400/E1705 ICH7 chipset - 2 Gb RAM - NVIDIA 7900 gs - C2D7200.
4 PCIe 1.0 slots. 1,3(doesn´t appear in DM),4 empty.
2 slot (Wireless card, I´m thinking in removing it)
TOLUD 80000000.

Questions:

1. Since isn´t feasible 1x Opt. for me, Would it be better a Nvidia fermi or an Amd ?
I´m between a Radeon6850 or a GTX560, GTX 40$ over radeon.
2. x2E, Could be an option for me?
3. Is there any chance of keeping both iGPU-eGPU drivers, without having to remove/reinstall them, when you want to use one or the other ?
4. Has anyone tested Ultramon-DummyVGA method? Can I get 30fps at least, in windowed mode?

Thank you in advance to everyone for open the path, that others will follow!!

 

One stupid question:

Is TOLUD needed for 1x different than the TOLUD needed for 2x?

 

Nope, same value for both.

 

The old 8800 does not perform well as an external card, it will be slower than the Z1's built-in 330M. A 5870 should perform pretty decently, but only in DX9. In DX10, it will be slower than the GT330M.

If you don't mind buying a new card, you will get the best results with the Z1 BIOS hack, VGA set to static and a GTX460/GTX560 (Ti) or better NVidia card. A 570 or 580 will be capped by the Z1's bandwidth and will not perform noticeably better. Run your Z1 in stamina mode with the BIOS hack for Optimus support which boosts the card significantly (see performance table on 1st page, there are many Z1's listed).

So, the best bang-for-buck you will get with a GTX460/560 card. We are talking about 15k 3DMarks06 / 13-15k Vantage Marks which is about 2-3x faster than the 330M on stock clocks.

 

This is your notebook PCIe port configuration, right?

Code:

Vostro 1500 layout:
port1: mpcie(WWAN, atm contains PM3N)
port2: mpcie(WLAN, in use)
port3: mpcie(WPAN, empty)
port4: expresscard

This is Vostro 1500 schematic: Dell Vostro 1500 (UMA) Schematic | Laptop Schematic | Laptop Motherboard Schematic | Laptop Motherboard Diagram | Notebook Schematic | Laptop Circuit Diagram | VGA Board Schematic | Laptop Master Password | Bios Password | HDD Password

On my Dell Studio 1557, eGPU is not detected when PE4H's PCIe Port1 is connected to WWAN port (mPCIe Port1). eGPU is detected when PE4H's PCIe Port1 is connected to WLAN port (mPCIe Port2). So, I can do x2 link with:-
- PE4H's PCIe Port1 connected to WLAN port (mPCIe Port2)
- PE4H's PCIe Port2 connected to WWAN port (mPCIe Port1)

Does eGPU detected when you use the same^^ configuration on your Vostro?

For sure, eGPU is detected when using ExpressCard slot right? So, you can use this configuration to get x2 working:-
- PE4H's PCIe Port1 connected to ExpressCard (mPCIe Port4)
- PE4H's PCIe Port2 connected to WPAN port (mPCIe Port3)
Try not to hotplugging the PM3N card. Just connected both, power on eGPU & power on notebook. Then enter Setup 1.x, set to x2, then select Reboot. Let it boot into windows. See whether this work or not.

 

Different laptop, different method. I'd try connected everything, power on eGPU & then power on laptop. Use Setup 1.x to turn off dGPU (GT540M). Then chainload boot into windows. If still failed, I'd try sleep/connect/wakeup method (turn off dGPU using Setup 1.x beforehand).

Your notebook have Intel HD 3000. Instead getting ATI card, better get Nvidia card. You can do x1.Opt with Nvidia eGPU.

 

Mjolner, I work at Harmonic Inversion, sorry you have not heard back from us. I looked into this as much as I can since I do not have the information on your actual order. All orders that we have received have been shipped. You should have received an invoice from us and the invoice has the tracking number. Please keep in mind if the delivery address is on the US East Coast that shipments were affected by the hurricane. Please send me your personal information or call me at 316-858-0047 x501 and I will look into this further for you.

 

Yes, thats the right layout. WLAN normally is connected to port 2, but i switched it to port 1.

If i use only single ports egpu is working at all four ports(afair). Yesterday night while trying setup 1.x I only checked ports 3 and 4 connected to PE4H's PCIe Port1(only one cable). At both ports egpu is detected.

This is exactly what i did: (cited)
- PE4H's PCIe Port1 connected to ExpressCard (mPCIe Port4)
- PE4H's PCIe Port2 connected to WPAN port (mPCIe Port3)
But it is not detected in setup 1.x. I also tried switching the cables. But I dont have a second PM3N so i cant try port 1/2 for x2.

But i still can try 1xE in this configuration setting port 3 to 2x mode. Actually in this case port 1 is also set to x2 and port 2 disappears.

 

Did you tried this:-
- PE4H's PCIe Port2 connected to WPAN port (mPCIe Port3)
- Boot system with eGPU powered off.
- Disabled mPCIe Port3 using Setup 1.x
- Power on eGPU
- PE4H's PCIe Port1 connected to ExpressCard (mPCIe Port4)
- Hit F5 to refresh. See whether eGPU is detected & working on x2 link.

 

Thanks for all the help so far.

After scouring ebay (I am a fiend for bargain hunting), I picked up a $99.99 GTX 465 1GB from Geeks.com

EVGA GeForce GTX 465 1GB DDR5 PCI Express (PCIe) Dual DVI Video Card w/mini-HDMI & HDCP Support EVGA 01G-P3-1465-RX GeForce GTX 465

I purchased a PE4L with switch for $60 including shipping off ebay - Hope he is legit. - He accepted my best offer of $44.90.

Now I just need to know what power supply to get. Since the GTX will have two 6-pins can I do two power supplies or is that a bad idea?

Also I have access to used computer parts and I CAN NOT put any more money into this. What Watts/Volts/Amps & brands should I look for when pulling from a used desktop?

I plan on overclocking to max this baby out as well.

 

GTX465 max TDP is 200W. When overclock, max TDP will be more than 200W. You'll need a good PSU with max current on the +12V rail more than 20A if you want stability. Maybe +12V/25A at least.

What is the specification of both PSU?

 

Oh I have no idea yet, this all speculation. I have not had time to start looking. Do they need to add up to a certain # of amps or watts? Do they need to be identical? If I can do two into one GPU, what minimums do I need to overclock.

Also what if the PSU has two 12V rails - Do I need 25A+ on each rail or less, or can I only utilize 1 rail - I just got into this and I don't know much about amps, rails, and watts, ect.

I am seeing PSUs with 2 12V rails, that add up to 25+Amps - Would this work or do they need to have two 6-pin connectors? What happens if I only use 1 6-pin connector?

 

Dual rail PSU is inferior than single rail PSU & also less efficient. If it is ATX12V 2.0, the +12V2 for the 4 pin connector and +12V1 for everything else. So still use one rail to power eGPU. (If you have different ATX12V revision, you can google for the design guide.)

I don't know the GTX465 minimum power requirement for overclocking. If single rail PSU, I'd get PSU with 12V/25A (12V * 25A = 300W). This doesn't count the PSU efficiency yet. 80Plus rated PSU have at least 80% efficiency while non-rated PSU might only 70% efficiency. But I think 300W might be enough for overclocked GTX465. If you're using two used PSUs, I bet they're dual-rail. So, maybe each PSUs must at least 12V/15A. One of the PSU will need to power both PE4L & eGPU (one floppy power connector, one 6-pin PCIe power connector, respectively). Another PSU for another 6-pin power connector.

 

GTX465 required 2 x 6-pin PCIe power connector. One 6-pin PCIe power connector won't be able to power GTX465.

(P/S: In my PowerColor ATI HD5870 manual, it said attaching only one 6-pin PCIe connector might damaged the card. It doesn't seem make sense OR I might remember it incorrectly. I'll reconfirm this later.)

 

The PE4L does not get it's power from the GPU or the expresscard? Do I need to buy a floppy connector as well?

So to be clear, two 200W (400W total) 12V/15A PSUs connected to the GPU both through 6-pin will work even if they are different?

 

No, PE4L/PE4H is PCIe passive adapter. Any PSU should already have floppy molex connector. Anyway, PE4L from HWtools will come with 4-pin molex to floppy connector adapter.

Yeah, should work.
- Connect the first 6-pin PCIe socket on the GTX465 with 6-pin PCIe power connector from first PSU
- connect the second 6-pin PCIe socket on the GTX465 with 6-pin PCIe power connector from second PSU

 

Thx m8, for animating me. Somehow x2 works now. Actually i dont really remember how i did it, but i guess switching on the egpu while in setup 1.x was part of it. I didnt try this before i saw your post.

Setup 1.x shows 2.1 and AIDA confirmes it:
PCI-E 1.0 x2 port #1 In Use @ x1 (Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AG/AGN)
PCI-E 1.0 x2 port #3 In Use @ x2 (AMD Radeon HD 6600 Series [1002-6758] [NoDB], Microsoft UAA-Bustreiber für High Definition Audio [1002-AA90] [NoDB])
PCI-E 1.0 x1 port #4 Empty
Strangely it still shows port 4 even though i deactivated it.

port3(mPCIe)-port2(PE4H)
port4(EC)-port1(PE4H) didnt work, but

port3(mPCIe)-port1(PE4H)
port4(EC)-port2(PE4H) finally works.

3dmark2006( x1):
3DMark Score 8486 3DMarks
SM2.0 Score 3917
HDR/SM3.0 Score 3567
CPU Score 2224
GT1 - Return To Proxycon 30 FPS
GT2 - Firefly Forest 35 FPS
CPU2 - Red Valley 1 FPS
HDR1 - Canyon Flight 35 FPS
HDR2 - Deep Freeze 35 FPS

3dmark2006( x2):
3DMark Score 9370 3DMarks
SM2.0 Score 4125
HDR/SM3.0 Score 4391
CPU Score 2233
GT1 - Return To Proxycon 32 FPS
GT2 - Firefly Forest 36 FPS
CPU2 - Red Valley 1 FPS
HDR1 - Canyon Flight 42 FPS
HDR2 - Deep Freeze 45 FPS


I read about deactivating HDMI-audio. How can i do it? I never activated it. But i find a unknown device in device manager when the egpu is in use.

Edit: i installed amd hd audio drivers. The unknown device is gone. But when i try to deactivate or deinstall it i get a bsod at 1x amd 2x. Also the egpu is not stable in 2x. 3dmark2006 now crashes either while starting test 2 or test 5(1st after cpu tests). Also i got a freeze while using chrome. 1x seems to be stable.

 

Hungary-Sweeden 2:1 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry guys, I'm sooo xxxxing happy!

 

Ok so the NHD-518 thing turned out to have a female HDMI connector even though it looked like a male. Now I ordered the $6 mHDMI coupler extender. I have a good feeling about it!

 

Hello folks,
(sorry for the clumsy addressing )
I would like to join the wide commuty of DIY eGPU-I must say I have tried to screen through the previous posts of this topic, but I have got lost sometimes, so I would be better if I started from the beginning.

I own a reliable Satellite U200 182 Pro -Just like this but the Hungarian version with 1,5Gb ram enhanced and fitted with a little bit slower 64 GB SSD.

Now afther heavy thinking I have decided to keep this bulky "comrade" as long as I can (and drop the MBA + eGPU via Echo Express or alike project)- and dig into the DIY eGPU.

I think 1.0 is certainly achievable, but could you confirm that there is an empty port next to the port no. 1 which is empty as well...


Given this , which setup would you recommend ?

(I mean it would not make much sense to go for a GTX560 in my case since 1,86Ghz C2D T5500 would be the limiting factor.)

PE4L would be enough - or should I go for a PE4H (as I am planning)?

Best whishes to you all!

As coming from Hungary I am fully with you Fardavid!

 

Your port4 needs to be disabled or else it will send pings to your HD6670 as a second lane and cause issues. Do that by adding 'call iport off 4' to your Setup 1.x startup.bat or use BarEdit/rw-everything to do the same memory write as that iport command does to turn off port4 in Windows. Actually, initializing the port by adding the following code to your \config\startup.bat will correctly establish a HD6670@x2 on your port3:

See comprehensive x2-setting two-pass script here.

 

Congrats! Troubleshooting eGPU need a lot of patience. Some people already give up but you not. Your notebook can support x2 & x4 eGPU setup. It will shame if you just running it on x1 link.

The HDMI audio sometime labeled as "High Definition Audio Device" in Device Manager. Just disabled it in Device Manager. However, this only useful if you're doing Optimus setup (x1.Opt) with Nvidia eGPU. I tested this with ATI & I didn't found any difference whether HDMI audio disabled/enabled.

^^Port4 need to be disabled, like nando pointed out.

 

Enabling the video card's HDMI audio means audio+video traffic will sent across the limited bandwidth pci-e link. Disabling HDMI audio means the traffic will be exclusively video only and will result in better FPS. The game/app would then use the notebook's soundcard instead.

The RE5/DMCV4/Dirt2 + other gaming benchmark would certainly be the same or better than when ran with HDMI audio enabled even on your x2 link.

 

I did several test with HDMI audio enabled/disabled. Average FPS are similar on both though. But, yes, disabling HDMI audio will help a lot, prioritizing only video traffic across the PCIe link. Most of the time I usually disabled HDMI audio anyway since I'm not using it.

 

Can someone help me out. I have:

Lenovo T400
P8700
Intel GMA 4500MHD
HD4670
PE4H V2

PCI-E ports are:
#1- empty
#2- Intel WiFi Link 5300 AGN
#4- Empty
#5- Empty

What am I capable of doing? I know I can't do optimus with an ATI card, but what about 1E or x2? How do I find out which port my express card is?