DIY eGPU experiences

Please use latest Setup 1.x instead. Just 3 steps to install Setup 1.x. For the last one ( v:\devcon\mkdevcon), just need to double-click " MKDEVCON.BAT".

 

I kind of scanned the forum. Are you using strictly molex connectors for power? If you are, I think that there may be a current limit on those molex outputs, but I could be wrong. I do not know much about computer PSUs.

Anyone have any extra info about current limits on computer PSU molex connectors?

Thank You

 

FYI to those of you that like to play Starcraft 2 on an eGPU, you should add the following to your Variables.txt file

frameratecapglue=30
frameratecap=60

The 2D parts of SC2 (menu, pre-rendered cutscenes, Lost Viking) are not FPS capped. With the above lines it caps the menu at 30 FPS, and any game sequences at 60 FPS. Without the fix, a normal GPU will work extra hard to render the unlimited frames. On an eGPU I found that it bottlenecks the x1 link trying to render the same frames over and over, and causes significant frame lag in those 2D parts.

 

Do you mean the max current on the 4-pin molex?

 

How good is the mini PCIe solution regarding bandwidth?? (which is exactly the same as PCIe x1 right?)

I have an 850 Watt PSU so I can power any card I want, but is there some advice on that?
Like not buying anything better than a GTX 560 Ti because the x1 will bottleneck and so the GTX 570 and 580 and 590 will perform the same due to the cards reaching the maximum bandwidth??

 

Sorry if this has been asked (I didn't read through all 500 pages admittedly), but is there a Thunderbolt version of the PE4L connector? Or a way to combine a thunderbolt cable with the PE4L?

Running a 2011 15" base MacBook Pro.

And as far as compatibility, which card are OSX compatible? Am I stuck using the apple-endowed cards (ie 6870)

 

mPCIe bandwidth is 2.5Gb/s & x1 link width. Sandy Bridge notebook's mPCIe bandwidth is 5Gb/s but no working kit yet - serialk11r is doing experiment using a modded kit (PCIe 2.0 compliant).

850W PSU should be more than enough to drive GTX580. However, just to make sure, please check the max current on the +12V. If running only on x1 link, any GPU will have same problem due to limited bandwidth. You'll experience lagging/sluggishness on almost all games. x2 or x1.Opt setups don't have this problem.

• x2 setup: required PCIe port 1&2 or 3&4 or 5&6. Other combination like port 1&3 doesn't work.
• x1.Opt setup: Opt=Optimus. This setup is possible with Nvidia desktop graphic card. Notebook must have Intel 4500MHD or Intel HD Graphics or Intel HD3000 iGPU for it to work. Can use internal screen with this setup. However, performance on internal screen will be less than external screen.
• x1.Opt is better than x2.

*Avoid* dual-GPU card (e.g. GTX590). dual-GPU card required 256MB+256MB=512MB PCI space which usually notebook doesn't have & even there is enough PCI space, someone already tried it but not successful.

 

The link to the download for the latest 1.x is broken?

 

Kizwan and Nando, I have all of the plugs connected correctly, including the power connector for the PE4H itself (the little green light was on). The video card itself has been working flawlessly in my dekstop for the past month, so it is not the problem.
The power supply is a Corsair CX500 which can supply 34 amps on the 12volt rail, so I doubt it is the problem. The desktop that the card was in only had a 700 watt PSU along with 2 hard drives, 6 case fans and an i5 2500K @ 4.3 ghz and never had any power issues at all. Even so the video card is not going to be drawing a couple hundred watts on startup. The PSU fan is spinning as is the GPU fan, so they are both getting power.

I ordered some other cables just in case; tomorrow maybe I will try switching around the included cable.

 

Did you tried connecting the eGPU after booting into Windows? OR put notebook to sleep, connect eGPU & resume? OR connect eGPU in Setup 1.x?

 

Depend on clock settings in VBIOS. Some GPU, if not all, boot with highest clocks therefore draw max power for the card. The Corsair CX500 does capable to drive GTX560Ti though.

 

The link not really broken. The mediafire website seems down.

 

Mediafire website now back online.

 

First of all thank you so much for summing it all up AND the advice on dual GPU cards...

I'm doing my research on the laptop I'll buy to make a completely new build and your advice has been sooo great. I am trying to get the best out of it and so I want to ask you some more things...

First: Will x1.Opt work on a laptop that already has an nVidia GPU working with Optimus?? If so, do I have to do further modding?

Second: I'm guessing... If I can take ANY laptop with a Second Generation Core i7 and strip it of it's dedicated graphics processor it will automatically switch to the integrated ones right? (Intel HD 3000) And so it WILL work with x1.Opt right?
Can I do that? will it work that way? Or is there some wiring that would be needed? like, since the laptop's LCD LVDS isn't connected anywhere I would need to... kinda like plug it somewhere right? Well I keep wondering, so I can get the best before purchasing.
Thanks again!

 

Guys!

I want to ask the shop to check the TOLUD of Fujitsu AH531 or SH531. I will tell them to make a screenshot of the memory moduls as you posted before, but how should I discribe them why I need it? What is TOLUD exactly?

Thanks!
D

 

It should work. Only need to use Setup 1.x to turn off dGPU (discrete GPU). Not complicated, just select a menu in Setup 1.x to turn off dGPU. The free PCI space can be use for eGPU.

Make sure the SB notebook already have Intel HD 3000 iGPU. Only because the Intel HD 3000 is built-in the SB processor, doesn't mean it will available on all notebooks. So, the SB notebook you going to get is either:-
- SB notebook with Intel HD 3000 iGPU
or
- SB notebook with switchable graphics (Intel HD + AtiAMD)
or
- SB notebook with Nvidia Optimus (Intel HD + Nvidia)
As long as Intel HD 3000 is present & available, you can do x1.Opt setup. Don't worry with the LVDS connection because when using internal screen, all frame is handle by iGPU (iGPU reroute the frame to display).

BTW, I forgot something. On SB notebook, for non-Optimus setup, only can do x1 link due to BIOS/hardware limitation.

 

I looked up the limit in a previous post. It's pretty high per pin actually, I forgot how much. But no, I'm using a molex connector, and then 2 PCI-e 6 pins. I am using a GTX460 now, in case you missed that lol. It's wierd though, at 405MHz, the card should only be using about 2/3 the power...which is about 100W. The GT240 was pulling about 70, not that big of a difference. I have the 2 PCI-e pulling power from 2 12V rails, and the molex off the third. Tomorrow I'm going to try putting the third rail together with the other 2, see if that works.

 

Tell them:-
- Open "Device Manager"
- Set "View" to "Resources by connection"
- Expand the "Memory" tree
- Take the screenshot

(Source: #5287)
TOLUD is acronym for Top of Low Used DRAM Register. TOLUD defined available PCI space & usable system memory.

 

That's not entirely true, look at that :
http://forum.notebookreview.com/7718053-post4504.html

GTX 560 ti and GTX 480 perform the same in old dx9 which is also heavily cpu dependant but as soon as dx10 or dx11 are concerned, the GTX 480 performs noticeably better despite the 1x link.

High ends gpu are too expensive for the gain they provide for the moment at 1x and most games still can be run under dx9 but look at the upcoming battlefield...No dx9 support and i think it'll generalize in the future. Then a strong gpu should maximize 1x dx10/dx11 bandwith.

 

did you use ExpressCard or mini one? i cant see neither ExpressCard nor mini on the pic you provided! + can i still use the stock gpu of the laptop?

 

So...I am looking to buy a laptop to use with an eGPU.
I really need thin and light for travel but high res as well so my options are a bit limited.

I have a spare HD6950 at the moment but may switch to nvidia if I can get optimus working and that is the fastest option?

Would there be any difference in performance between the Lenovo T420s or Toshiba R840?

The R840 can be configured with either HD3000 or an ati HD6450M but I am guessing that then means it can't do optimus. So I get better performance when mobile but worse when at home

I also noticed someone close to releasing a TB external dock
Magma Announces ExpressBox 3T - Thunderbolt to PCIe Expansion Chassis

Apologies if these questions are dumb...just getting into this.

 

The iGPU only R840 and T420s would give the same eGPU performance. The NVS4200M T420s would give you better performance when not connected to the eGPU plus it would not be affected by the TOLUD issue but would require booting via Setup 1.x to disengage the NVS4200M for Optimus eGPU functionality.

The R840 has longer battery life from it's 66Whr 6-cell. The T420s uses a moldable li-po battery with a significantly lower 44Whr rating. You wouldn't get the HD6450M R840 since it's not switchable gfx. Toshiba didn't however include a nightlight or backlit keyboard

If I was buying I'd get the R840. We have not as yet had a Toshiba R8x0 DIY eGPU implementation.

Another option would be a Macbook Pro/Air with the Thunderbolt (TB) enclosure as you've noted. The TB's x4 2.0 link would give better performance than a expresscard eGPU's x1 1.0 (x1 2.0 when we get the new cable which is ~x2 2.0 with Optimus' pci-e compression).

 

Okay so I've gotten everything working on my internal LCD just fine, but I am experiencing some hiccups when connected to an external monitor. Sometimes when loading up games I'll get kicked back to my internal, while checking the temps on my card I notice that everything drops to zero when I'm thrown back to my laptops monitor indicating that the GPU is shutting off. I was careful in making sure that my PSU could power my GPU, but it seems like it is causing a problem. Apac also mentioned that he had a problem with a Corsair PSU that should have been more than sufficient, is it possible that Corsairs just don't play nicely with our setups?

I'm willing to try another PSU, but I'd rather not waste money where it doesn't need to be wasted. Can someone recommend one that will be sufficient for powering my GPU and has been proven to work?

Also, does anyone have any alternative reasons as to why this may be happening?

 

I am so confused with this. I can see the gpu in the hardware manager but I keep getting error 12 even with dna drivers.

My current setup is an hp tx2z 1025 laptop with a hd radeon 3200 dedicated onboard gpu. I've been trying to get an external 4650 to work on 1x through a 2.0a adapter. The power supply is fine and the laptop recognizes the laptop fine. But I've gone through all the fixes trying to get the external monitor to show a screen or make the 4650 the primary gpu. And when I try to boot the laptop with the expresscard adapter connected it gives me 4 post beeps and won't boot.

I've also tried to use my gtx 460 which is recognized but my laptop won't let me install the standard nvidia drivers, plus I get the error where my wireless networks turns off.

the power supply and connections are fine as far as I can tell because my laptop can see the gpus, I just can't get any further.

Any new recomendations?

I've tried to use compacting but I'm clueless as how to properly use it.

 

Add the lines to the Setup 1.x's \config\startup.bat file that Chesniak's confirmed here works with a tx2z 1224ca + HD5770.

 

Hello everybody!

I have a X201 with i5-520m 2x2GB RAM Win 7 x64 Pro, with a PE4H and a Palit Sonic Platinum GTX 460 1GB. I have tried AgentYura's instructions but I can't get it to work at all. I recall from older posts that the X201 doesn't need the Setup 1.x chainloader but I fear that the latest BIOS has changed the PCI memory allocation, otherwise I should be able to get it up and running.

If I turn on the X201 and plug in the GTX 460 right after the BIOS splash screen (Thinkpad logo) then when I boot into Windows the resolution is set to SVGA and colours to 8-bit and when I check Device Manager, BOTH Intel HD and GTX 460 have exclamation marks and BOTH have error 12!

Any ideas folks? Cheers!

 

If you already played games & running benchmarks on the internal screen without any problem, then it's not PSU problem. I use Corsair CX500 V2 (+12V@34A=408W) to drive 188W card (ATI HD5870). You didn't use the two 6-pin PCIe adapter which came with the graphic card, did you? The Corsair CX600 V2 (+12V@40A=480W) is way more than enough to drive EVGA GeForce GTX 460 SuperClocked 1024MB EE (External Exhaust) card ( EVGA recommended minimum recommended power supply with +12 Volt current rating of 24 Amps).

If you have "Kill-A-Watt" device, you can use it to get reading at where it tripped (when kicked back to internal monitor). This can determine whether the problem is PSU or not.

 

Added those lines to the startup bat no dice, I added them saved the startup then chainloaded into windows 7 still getting code 12 ugh, still so helpless at this eGPU stuff

 

Try:-

1. Install Setup 1.x
2. Connect eGPU to laptop but eGPU remain OFF
3. Boot into Setup 1.x
4. Do 32-bit PCI compaction
5. Power ON eGPU
6. Chainload windows

 

Did you select "Run startup.bat" before Chainload?

 

Record at first post show MikjoA use ExpressCard.

 

Guys GTS 450, ati 5750 is not available at local store at least for fortnight. So planning to buy Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5750 Sapphire ATI Radeon HD5750 1GB DDR5 With 3 Years Wrrnty | eBay

Is it okay to buy card by Sapphire Company?

Person at local store said that ati 5750 is discontinued. Is it true?

 

View attachment SNAPSHOT.zip


I'm attempting to install an HD5750 (green) card into a Dell Precision M6400. This laptop has 12 gigs RAM and an NVIDIA Quadro FX 3700M (on board).

I'm into my 2nd week of attempts and can't get passed the error 12. I've tried every combo of setup 1.x I can come up with.

Can anyone make sense of the attachments and see if there is hope for me in this setup?

Thanks

 

Ok... that's kinda like what I want to hear, because my plan is to use at least a GTX 570, I just wanted to make sure I was not wasting money stupidly and that using a GTX 580 will give me good gaming performance.

 

Your system has TOLUD = 3.5GB (PCI BUS starts at E0000000), meaning there is no free 256MB pci-e space to accomodate a eGPU. You can only have a 3GB installation OR run the XP drivers (no DX10/11 or aero) where you disable the FX3700M. That would be a 'dGPU off' command in Setup 1.x's startup.bat. You'd be booting blind until the HD5750 kicks in.

You are seeing the exact same issue as the Dell E43x0/E6x00/E6x10 folks have as described at http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...-mods-make-vostro-latitude-egpu-friendly.html . I'd suggest petition Dell to fix this as otherwise your expresscard has limited functionality.

 

Yea I did, I ran it then booted up with chainloader.

Right now I'm also trying to get gtx 460 to work, but when I look at it it says no drivers installed.

I'm tempted to just reinstall windows with maybe a 32 bit os or something, my laptop is just my backup computer that I've been experimenting on so wiping it clean is no big deal. Ultimately I'd like to run it at home with a 460 attached.

 

SUGGESTIONS NEEDED!

@ everyone, @ Kallogan nando4 kizwan

I'm, still looking for a laptop to begin my build and I am looking for suggestions guys! Imperatively the laptop MUST be able to support 16GB.

I am wondering... is there any place where I could get the laptop without GPU? Like getting a G74 without the GTX 560M?? I would love if I could build a 3D laptop and save the graphics card, since I won't be using it anyways. It must also meet the condition (like kizwan said) of being able to switch between the internal Intel 3000 and the other dedicated card so I can implement x1.Opt

Has anyone tried 3D with the eGPU... either to the internal LCD or an external monitor?

Thanks again.

 

Thanks - I'll grab the XP drivers and disable

 

Do not confuse. Kallogan was referring to x1.Opt setup (with Optimus) not x1 setup (and also that is notebook with first generation Intel Core processor). In eGPU world, x1 & x1.Opt setups are not the same (as I already explained here). Unlike bare x1 setup, Optimus setup provide PCIe data compression which improved the traffic on the PCIe x1 link. x1.Opt is way better than x2 setup & my eGPU is x2 setup. You can see in my eGPU Experience post (link in sig), x2 is way much better than x1. So: x1 < x2 < x1.Opt

On notebook with first generation Intel Core processor, performance between GTX560Ti & GTX580 (and also GTX570) almost the same (as shown in the benchmark result at first post). However, I don't know how good GTX580 will perform on SB (Sandy Bridge = 2nd generation Intel Core) notebook when PCIe 2.0 5Gb/s kit available. So, choose which one you want, GTX560Ti or GTX580 or GTX570.

I don't know any SB notebook support 16GB RAM but nando4 have a list of SB notebooks here.

 

Sager NP8170 and ASUS G73 (the SB variant) and G74 all support maximum of 16GB of RAM. I just wanted to know if there was any other option.

I don't understand this, can you explain a little bit? You mean the miniPCIe slot they have has a bandwidth of 5Gb/s? And that's better that i7 first gen right?

 

I checked on Intel website & I found maximum of RAM depend on the processor:-
i7-26xx (only two support 16GB RAM??): Compare Intel® Products
i7-27xx (16GB RAM): Compare Intel® Products
i7-28xx (16GB RAM): Compare Intel® Products

As you already know, x1.Opt setup is better than x2 setup:-
x1 < x2 < x1.Opt
- PCIe on Intel Series 5 chipset (1st gen. processor, e.g. i5-450M): PCIe v2.0 2.5Gb/s
- PCIe on Intel Series 6 chipset (SB): PCIe v2.0 5Gb/s
When PCIe v2.0 5Gb/s compliant kit available, you can do x1.2Opt, where the 2 means PCIe v2.0 5Gb/s. x1.2Opt setup theoretically is similar to x4¹ link performance. Because of more bandwidth, x1.2Opt setup might unleash the GTX580. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you should get GTX580 though.

¹ PCIe v2.0 2.5Gb/s x4

 

First of all thanks again...

Why won't you recommend using a GTX 580? I have one already and I really want to use it in my future eGPU, but if performance is going to be limited I might sell it and get an appropriate GPU and save the remaining money then... but I believe GTX 580 in a (similar to) x4 bandwidth slot would do wonders.

Do you think such kit (PCIe 2.0 compliant) will be available?

 

I didn't say I won't recommend it. If you already have GTX580, just use it. I wouldn't worry with the performance if x1.Opt setup. Selling it for lower-end GPU is not good idea.

I believe PCIe v2.0 5Gb/s compliant kit will be available soon.

 

Please somebody answer my query. Today I'm expecting to receive eGpu kit and still I'm struggling with graphic card choice. Sorry If this is not relevant to thread.

Thanks.

 

Sapphire is one of the best AMD card manufacturer and I've heard great things from them. SO i guess it's very good to buy from them IMHO... If in doubt go to newegg and try checking feedback of a certain product or brand

 

GTS450 & ATI HD5750: Both have similar performance. However, I prefer GTS450.

My ATI HD5870 is manufactured by Sapphire. No problem so far. (I usually buy GPU manufactured by Asus)

ATI HD5750 is old GPU & might have already discontinued. However, you still can find this card on eBay.

 

Totally agree, I'll keep and use my 580 ! AFAIK performance drop from PCIe x16 to x1 isn't THAT bad... according to this techpowerup! article so I guess I'll be happy with the results.

Even better if I can get my hands on the 2.0 version when it is available... a x4 like performance is great for the purpose.

Regarding the adapters... I have a little doubt... Do I connect the PSU's PCIe 6-pin and 8-pin cables directly to the video card? I saw in the 1st page of this post and in the photos there was an extra adapter that's used to connect the PSU's 24-pin adapter right? I guess it's used to power the card along with the system of something like that right? So them my question is... can I plug my 580 properly? Using one 6-pin and one 8-pin adapter? What if I need to connect two 8-pin connectors to the videocard?

 

AMD rebranded their HD5750 and HD5770 as HD6750 and HD6770. Those will be easier to find new. If want the cheaper HD57xx then hit up ebay. Internally they are identical. The HD67xx is more a marketting ploy than anything substantial.

 

That is correct. You'll need to connect PSU's 6-pin & 8-pin PCIe power connectors to the GTX580. The PSU's 24-pin connector is connected to SWEX (ATX Power Supply Power-On Switch) - it have ON/OFF switch on it. One PSU's floppy power connector connected to PE4H/PE4L board.

Some PSU have 2+6-pin PCIe power connector where the 2-pin is detachable. When attached, it will become 8-pin PCIe power connector. If for some reason you'll need two 8-pin PCIe power connectors & PSU only have one 8-pin PCIe power connector, you'll need to use 2x4-pin molex to 8-pin PCIe adapter.

 

Does anyone have an idea why a non-reference Gigabyte Super Overclock 5870 card would be able to be overclocked when the card is plugged into a regular x16 PCI Express slot on a rig, but won't overclock when running the card through a x1 ViDock? This isn't just happening to me with Gigabyte's OC Guru software; I also can't get a third party overclocking tool to work, either, when going through my ViDock. For comparison purposes, I've had no problems overclocking a reference 5870 card connected through my x1 ViDock, using either CCC or the third party tool.