DIY eGPU experiences

You should disabled dGPU, not iGPU.

 

Something along that line is what i was thinking of, but i just stumbled across these: mini-male to regular-female regular-male to mini-male

This is the schematic i drew up, would the PM3N plugged in without the connection to the PE4L cause issues?

 

Hi, i am not able to make my egpu run.
i performed that pci compaction thing, but it results in an error "problem could not be solved. try another bla bla"... i tried 32a and 36 compcation.

My XPS 1530 is running windows 7 x64 with 4GB RAM. Could this be a problem?

Now i am using another graphics card. It is the NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GS.
In the device manager i now have the gaphics card without error 12, but the internal graphics card (geforce 8600m gt) does have that error. It seems like my notebook now is only using the egpu even for the internal display - eternal display does not work. windows doesnt detect the external display, event though it is connected to my egpu and powered on.

i am getting sad :-(

Thanks for your help anyway!!!

 

@Martype, if you checked first post, you can see there are several eGPU implementation with XPS 1530. Look like you'll need to use 3GB or 2GB of RAM if you want to get eGPU working.

 

Alright everyone, the first 4x link has been achieved! Using a X200s and a PE4H v2.0 with one EC2C and three DIY mPCIe adapters (all three for less than 12GBP I might add!) I now have a 4x link set up as confirmed by GPU-Z. Tests to follow soon but I should say that the first 3dm06 test does not look very promising, the performance seems worse than 1x.Opt.

 

I expect x1 opt to only win in 06, with x4 winning in everything else.

 

Hi Kizwan, many thanks for the reply and the link. You mentioned "netbook ION 2". Certain models of this netbook have an ION 2 on-board. Mine doesn't, just the Atom and its 3150. I have been having a bit more of a read in the forum and found this:

So I gather from this that it should work providing a Fermi card is used or perhaps one of those Zotac ION 2 PCIE cards?

Lots to consider...

 

I thought you want DIY the cables & connectors. The hdmi cable & adapter are too big to fit in the notebook casing though. Apart from that, if done properly I don't think there will be connection issue.

Looking forward to your result. The 3dMark06 doesn't show the real performance I think. It only increased a little when I did x2 setup but RE5 benchmark result increased almost 2x.

I missed that info. I think Optimus setup should work & any Nvidia Fermi card will do.

 

Hi, finally i got it. I reduced the ram to 2GB and then it worked. But 2 GB ram is little to less, especially for Gaming i guess. So any ideas how i could combine having an egpu on my dell xps 1530 and having the max possible amount of ram? Maybe installng win7 x86 using 3gb of the installed 4gb? I am running win7 x64 at the moment. Thanks for all your help, really fantastic community support right here! Greetings

 

Boot Setup 1.x with your 4GB installed, hotplug your DIY eGPU so the video card appears in the Status window then run Save Diags->compact_fails.

Proceed to boot into Windows, navigate to your Setup 1.x USB stick (or run \eGPU\eGPU-Setup-mount if using a disk image and go to v: drive). RAR/ZIP the \diag folder, upload to mediafire.com and post the link here for evaluation.

 

Hello nando4, kizwan I'm trying to run eGPU on internal LCD with Ultramon/Chung Gun method. When I mirror monitor with ctrl + win + m monitor runs slow, thereafter launching game with D3Dwindower is also slow. I even can't navigate properly to run ctrl + win + n. I have hit alt + tab to go to primary screen and run ctrl + win + n, but there after game crashes and exits or I can't reach the windowed game as everything freezes. I'm trying to do it with Prince of Persia 2008 game also tried with couple of other games. Please guide. Thanks.

 

1.30
08/16/2011

also try to disable dGPU, and do PCI compaction...
i still got code 12


thx for ur reply

 

@thkaw, if you only disabled dGPU, what value is reported at " largest_free"? Without doing PCI compaction. I don't think PCI compaction is necessary in your case.

I don't know Ultramon/Chung Gun method. When playing game, try press Alt+Enter. The game should run in windowed mode & then you can drag the window to internal screen.

 

Follow the BUG: dGPU[off] has compact failing to allocate an I/O port on Series-6 chipsets section in Setup 1.x to correct your specific error 12 situation.

 

@kizwan Alt+Enter doesn't work for most of the games, works only for older games.

@nando4 please have look at my problem.

Thanks.

 

the "largest_free" not appear when only do disable eGPU

 

@thkaw, did you tried booting with only dGPU off, without PCI compaction?

 

Hi, here are the diags from my Dell XPS 1530M. I will proceed with my FSC Lifebook E751. With this Notebook I also get the error 12.

Greetings

 

BPlus raise prices & HIT lower theirs

BPlus have raised prices again. The are now charging US$71/$91 for their PE4L / PE4H. When you add their US$22 shipping the total ends up being US$93/$113-shipped(!!)

HIT are still keeping the PE4L/PE4H at US$55/$85 plus now have a US$7 UPS shipping option. Purchasing from HIT also gives you entitlement to freely use the Setup 1.x software. Total ends up being $67/$92-shipped for virtually the same hardware [BPlus include a flat cable which I see as a disadvantage]. So HIT are US$26/$21 cheaper for their PE4L/PE4H and give you software to configure the hardware.

So if you live in the US then it's clearly a better deal to buy from HIT. I also recommend purchasing from HIT as they sponsored development of the compact tool that is bundled with DIY eGPU Setup 1.x. BPlus wouldn't enter into any discussion about software sponsorship.

Harris-M will also be posting info on how to make a DIY PM3N, costing him only 20% of what BPlus charge. Worked out significantly cheaper for his x4 1.0 Lenovo X200/X200s implementation. He is the first to do x4!!

Dell XPS 1530M has TOLUD=3.5GB

From the diags I can see your 1530M has TOLUD=3.5GB:

Code:

[ichip] (detected) c_name=ICH8M c_gen=1 c_port=6 c_tolud=3.50GB c_pciex=f8000000

so only 36-bit PCI compaction will find a solution. However, you probably do not have a root bridge extending into 36-bit space as explained here so Win7 won't allow 36-bit PCI compaction to work.

Meaning your system's bios does not provide 256MB of 32-bit PCI space to host a DIY eGPU in Windows7 when you have 4GB or more installed. The solution is then either one of:

1. install 3GB or less of RAM to free up 512MB of 32-bit PCI space.

2. if you run XP or use the Win7 + XP_drivers (no Aero, no DX10) then you could disable the dGPU using DIY eGPU Setup 1.x to free up 256MB of 32-bit PCI space to host the eGPU.

3. Ask Dell or a BIOS modder to modify the bios to have TOLUD=3.00 or 3.25GB, or extend the ACPI root bridge into 36-bit PCI space.

 

Ok, those options sound not very handy. How did the other XPS 1530M users manage it? Do they have an other BIOS? I recently flashed it to the latest version, maybe a older version could do the trick?

I also have a FSC Lifebook E731 with Windows 7 x64 and 8GB RAM. I also get error 12 there, so I also tried to get the diagnostics from that Notebook for you nando.

BUT: Setup1.x is not able to detect my eGPU. On my XPS there are 4 green lights on the eGPU PCIe-Bank Chip, when it is connected to the Notebook and the PSU is turned on. In case of the Lifebook there are 3 green and ONE RED light. Because the eGPU cannot be detected I am not able to get the diagnosics :-(

Greetings

 

Other XPS 1530 users also use 3GB or less RAM to get eGPU working.

 

Thanks Nando for the information, may I also add that the seller redtrontech on eBay has a very cheap v2.0 PE4H kit. I paid $50 + $17 shipping to Greece for one v2.0 PE4H + SWEX + 1m cable + EC2C! The biggest advantage is that there is international shipping available and you have eBay and PayPal protection if something goes wrong. v2.4 delay is definitely useful but I can just as easily and cheaply add a manual switch to enable PERST after bootup.

Considering the DIY mPCIe adapters that I have made, I used mPCIe ZIF HDD adapters and mHDMI-HDMI cables bought from eBay for a total of less than £12. You will need at least ONE v1.4 cable for the lane 1 link in order to have the PERST pin connected, otherwise you can run a separate cable to the PE4H. As far as construction goes, you will need a medium wattage soldering iron with a fine tip, I used an Antex XS 25W with a 0.2mm tip. I also had to cut down the mPCIe ZIF adapters with a miter saw, you can do that by a metal cutting disk as well but the miter saw offers excellent accuracy and perfectly straight cuts. I had to cut them in order to make a half-size mPCIe board for the third mPCIe slot in the X200s. I will post some pictures shortly of the general construction, it's very easy to do if you have the right tools and a few hours to spare. There are several tricks to do with the particular adapters that I have bought and I will cover these in a later post. For any mPCIE adapters that are not for lane 1 you can use SATA - mPCIe adapters that offer ready cabling to connect straight to the mHDMI cable. I didn't use them because they weren't suitable for half-size ports.

I did ask BPlus for a discounted offer for three PM3N adapters and three cables and the price was $118, this is nearly 6 times more than I spent on materials to make my adapters. What I would suggest is to buy one PM3N adapter and make two yourself. The reason for that is that you need one adapter with all the connections for lane 1. The other two lanes only need FOUR wires soldered and it is extremely easy to do it. I spent nearly 80% of my time on the lane 1 mPCIe adapter. However, I am planning on adding a mini-HDMI or mini-DP port to my laptop to interface with all three adapters in a singular port so for me it makes no sense spending on the actual PM3N because it doesn't offer the internal cabling customisation that I need.

I am currently looking to buy mini-DP or mini-HDMI sockets and plugs, if anyone knows a shop that I can get these shipped to Europe let me know.

 

Wrong post!

 

Right, time for some scores!

X200s SL9300 1.6Ghz, 4GB RAM, GTX 460 Palit Sonic Platinum 800/2000

PhysX on CPU, 1x.Opt link through mPCIe:
3Dm06 8140
Vant.gpu 10535

PhysX on CPU, 4x link:
3Dm06 7971
Vant.gpu 10640

PhysX on GPU, 1x.Opt link:
3Dm06 7971
Vant.gpu 10640

PhysX on GPU, 4x link:
3Dm06 8020
Vant.gpu 10543

Clearly there is something very wrong here... The 4x link is established, verified in Setup1.x and GPU-Z and yet there is no improvement over 1x.Opt... All electrical connections seem fine so I am wondering what might be wrong here...

 

I believe what's happening is that in neither case is PCI-E performance a major factor, with both x1 opt and x4 providing near x16 performance. The problem seems to be your relatively weak CPU. For example, with my GTX 460 I can get 20k in 3dmark06 with opt x1, while you only get 8k, with the only major difference being our CPUs. A way to think about it is that you're getting less than half my fps, so there is less than half the required PCI-E traffic.

With my setup I occasionally have major fps drops (down to 25fps in 3dmark06) with no change in what is being rendered, but then fps bounces back after a second (to 100+). I would expect you to have more even fps, say around 40fps at all times. So although you aren't getting the high fps that a more powerful CPU would provide, with x4 you are avoiding the low fps points that optimus occasionally has.

 

Sounds reasonable although I can't see why CPU would play a major part in a 4x link. I assume that in x1.Opt the CPU deals with the compression of the data fed to the GPU. In a link that's essentially x2 2.0 (and based on scaling analysis not that far from a x16 2.0 in graphics performance) why is there no noticeable improvement at all? There is a possibility that I can try a x4 on my X201, although it doesn't have a third physical mPCIe slot there are pins on the motherboard that most likely are electrically wired. Before doing that though I will see what happens with the X200. I was honestly hoping for at least a noticeable difference between x1.Opt and x4. Is there a way to test if all lanes function properly, like a data test for PCI-E?

 

I concur with Khenglish. x1.Opt is getting near x16 performance in 3dmark. I found that out by placing my GTX460 in a E6600 desktop whose bios allowed overclocking. I tried to get the E6600 overclocked to a level where it would match my L9400 based on passmark results, then ran 3dmark06 on the 2530P and desktop. The 2530P got a higher 3dmark06 and SM3.0 was higher!!

What I'd suggest is do a full comprehensive x1.Opt versus x4 benchmark like I did for my 2530P here, for internal and external LCD mode.

Based on my i5-430M 2.26 +GTX470 x2 versus x1.Opt results here, games tend to be slightly faster with x2 but synthentic Futuremark benchmarks tend to be better with x1.Opt. I would expect x4 would see faster results all around.

 

So it's a clear case of simply having a faster CPU and sticking with x1.Opt, at least until Optimus can be enabled in wider links. I'll get a few more results, see where this goes.

 

got code 12 when iGPU+eGPU

seen not problem when dGPU+eGPU, but BSOD when enable eGPU Monitor

my eGPU is NVIDIA GTX-460 1G

 

@thkaw, I didn't get the answer I want. Don't do any PCI compaction. Just set dGPU off in Setup 1.x & chainload to windows. Post the result here. If doesn't work, post the error code you see in Device Manager.

What is your PSU specification? What is the +12V max current?

 

that is strange
i can't chainload to windows yest night anymore...

only 1 SSD+1 HDD on my laptop, not any add during start
I don't understand why can't chainload suddenly

i try to edit chainload(mbr win7...my win7 at hd0,1), reinstall setup 1.x
but still not work...

stuck at press chainload


PSU is 750W +12V max current is 60A

 

Oh I just realized I never did an x1.1 and x1.2 comparison. I guess I have time now, slight break from midterms. Air coming in from the window is very cold, hopefully this takes care of the throttling...stay tuned!

EDIT: http://3dmark.com/3dm06/16111664?sh...6/16111664?key=eKdLF356DA36RLn59Fqt6yc7aMzmTq
x1.2 Opt , my best score yet. CPU speed doesn't seem to be at its best though, I will give it another try.
EDIT2: http://3dmark.com/3dm06/16111710?sh...6/16111710?key=eshjUyYQvDyxqqKZ4qdaB376cMnwdu
x1.2 Opt again, can't seem to break 15.75k... Time for x1.1.

EDIT3: http://3dmark.com/3dm06/16111768?sh...6/16111768?key=R5zs5b7B8BnyzvWP63kzTVfBmTsALU
I am honestly rather surprised, the score is barely any lower! I'm going to give x1.2 one last shot.

EDIT4: I managed to score 15750 without my usual overclock to 800MHz, but after overclocking I wasn't able to get a higher score...I think the upper limit for my setup is probably 16k. So in 3dmark06 at least, x1.1 and x1.2 don't seem to have a big difference.

 

After reading post in this thread, I brought to conclusion that ultramon chung-gun method is not worth. So I bought new led for eGPU setup.

I will like to review my eGPU journey with small tutorial for Dell Vostro 1510 users. It will also make easier for improvement if still I'm making any mistakes. I see lot of benchmark stuff, but don't understand what exactly it is. I'll like to post mine. Please help.

Thanks.

 

Hi guys, I've been thinking about doing this for a while now, and I think I'm reading to pull the trigger and buy a PE4L and graphics card.

I have a few questions though.

Is the 5 dollar ATX power switch option worthwhile to get? How would I turn the egpu on and off without it?

Also, I've been deciding between a GTX 460 or an HD 6870. Which would be a better choice for me? My laptop is a Thinkpad T420 with iGPU, already downgraded bios to 1.15.

Thanks!

 

Results from X200 with x4 link, GTX 460 1GB 800MHz Core, 2GHz Memory:

3Dmark06 10714
Vant.GPU 11684

These are definitely better than the X200s but they are not as high as I was hoping for. I need to prepare the X200 for work duty so I won't be running any more tests for now.

As far as the X201 goes, does anyone know which PCI-E lane is the third mPCIe port that doesn't have a connector (the one at the back, half-size)? It is possible for me to tap into the right signals to get at least a x2 link working. The only ports I have identified are:

Port 4 EC54
Port 5 WLAN
Port 2 WWAN

A total of five ports can be enabled in Setup1.x.

 

X200/X200s: x4 versus x1.Opt

Your P8400/8600 X200 + GTX460 results slots perfectly b/w P8700-ithildin and [email protected], so is as expected:

[email protected] [email protected] = 13607 ( nando4)
[email protected] [email protected] = 12585 ( nando4)
T9400-2.53 [email protected] = 11883 ( apollo-fox)
P8800-2.66 [email protected] = 11711 ( Legu314)
P8700-2.53 [email protected] = 11308 ( ithildin)
[email protected] [email protected] = 10320 ( Agent9)
T8100-2.10 [email protected] = 9411 ( BarkBark)

You might want to consider overclocking the X200 via a 266->333Mhz FSLx PLL pinmod. So you'd get a [email protected], [email protected]. Add another 167Mhz if can get a dual-IDA modded bios. You'd be getting close to low-end full powered 1st gen i5 performance levels then. Would be a great for someone to pioneer the way on how to do such an overclock too.

There's Winstron Mocha-3 (X201) schematics for purchase if you want to see the port layout. Given that WLAN is port5, then there is no chance of doing a x4 link using port1-4 on a X201. x2 might be a possibility but why bother since you can do x1.Opt which gives similar performance levels? I'd suggest offloading the X201 for a X220 that can do x1.2Opt, which should in theory give similar bandwidth to your x4 1.0 link. The SB CPU being quite a bit faster than C2D/1st-gen i-cores.

X220: x1.1Opt versus x1.2Opt

3dmark06 isn't going to show big performance improvement b/w x1.1Opt and x1.2Opt. Consider doing a x1.1Opt versus x1.2Opt back-to-back comparison doing the tests like I did here to show the difference b/w the two. Internal LCD mode should definitely benefit from the doubling of bandwidth.

$5 for the SWEX or do the paperclip trick. Your choice. I'd go a GTX460/GTX560Ti to get x1.Opt superior performance due to pci-e compressing Optimus drives and it's internal LCD mode over a HD6870 which doesn't offer either of these . Worth waiting too for a couple of weeks for the revised pci-e 2.0 compliant PE4L so can run x1.2Opt

 

I have a question about the HDMI cable. I recently aquired a PE4L, but the 30cm cable is really a bit short and my desk has enough stuff on it already.
Can I just buy any cheap C-to-C HDMI cable from eBay? Does it have to be a certain spec revision, e.g. HDMI 1.3? Is there a suggested maximum length?

 

Alright this was my response to Nando's response on the bottom of pg. 594. I was told my PSU did not have enough power since the 12V rail was split so I purchased another one and now still have the same problem.

The only position in which the PE4L will recognize is in SW1 2.5 and SW2 1.5. I did the compaction, made sure mbr was checked under chainload and still the BSOD upon boot or awake.

I know Masterjumong was able to get around this - any ideas?

Also my PSU has four molex, each molex is connected to a 2 molex to single 6-pin and those are connected to the 465's 6-pin inputs. I have from the PSU a female Sata attached to a male Sata to molex adapter which is attached to the molex to floppy which came with the PE4L. Is this right? My PSU has a floppy output on one of the double molex lines. Should I connect this to the PE4L and skip the Sata to Sata to molex to molex to floppy?

OS: Win 7
NEW PSU: iMicro 400W 12V@26A
Toshiba A665-6806

 

With the PCI Reset Delay set to 0secs follow the instructions for "older PE4L/PE4H" in the Setup 1.x initial screen:



If you get the DIY eGPU detected and chainloading still BSODs, then it's a matter of cherry picking out items in your pci.bat. Do that by attempting a iGPU+eGPU 32-bit PCI compaction and if is successful, then edit the pci.bat so that only the pci-e port (0:1c.*), iGPU and eGPU have pci config registers altered. Such an edit will remove items from pci.bat that close down other unused bridges which I found caused BSODs on one test system.

 

Just would like to know, if this would work next year with GTX680 and my laptop ( see sig ). I am wondering if you could pipe it back to internal LCD, and get increased GPU performance.

 

Any cheap HDMI C-to-C cable works. The C cables you can purchase are HDMI 1.3 and up, since C type connectors are part of the 1.3 revision. I have seen someone who reported that 5m works. Depending on your needs, 1-2m should def. not cause any issues.

 

Well then I'll do that. Thanks for the info!

 

This is probably a noob question, but I have never messed with DOS before.

Once in Windows how do I get to the screenshots I took in DIY setup? I can't find the A drive. Do I access it from the run command or the command prompt?

 

Please look in Setup 1.x page. In case you didn't saw it, the instruction is in " 5. How do I access my diagnostic dumps or screenshots?". It's understandable to missed that.

 

Okay, so I have been at this for 6 hours and have come up with a few questions that might solve my problems.
PROBLEMS:
1.BSOD upon boot or wake if eGPU is set to SW1-2.5 and SW2-1.5 (This is the only way DIY setup and Windows will recognize the eGPU)
2. When set to 0 delay no recognition of eGPU

As Nando's instructions I set the relay to 0. I was instructed to try iport bridge, but I don't know what to put as the instruction line. I used the example command for iport bridge, changing the port # to the port I needed, but still no recognition of the eGPU. It says on the main page in DIYsetup I have 256mb free. He said I could configure the PCI.bat, but I do not know anything about DOS and the help menu is a bit confusing. Could anyone tell me what to edit specifically? My iport scan shows

Port 1 - Realtek (I believe this is an audio driver and not a dGPU)
Port 2 - Intel HD GPU
Port 3 -
Port 4 -
Port 5 - Jmicron

Secondly, I know Masterjumong was able to get his setup running on a PE4H with almost the exact same NB set to a 15 sec delay. DIY setup and WIndows recognizes the eGPU but I get BSOD. Is there a way to work around the delay. If I hot link after Windows starts I get error 43.

I tried to follow the instructions in V:\ CONFIG\TO to get rid of error 43, but when I run 'r32 0xe0000000' in the RW command line I get 'Read Memory Address 0xE0000000 = 0x00448086' instead of what the config file says I am supposed to have.

I'm sorry, but trying every iport command, chainloading Windows (can not chainload mbr) and PCI compacting does not seem to help and editing .bat files or grub files is over my head.

OS: Win 7
PSU: 12V@26A
PE4L, Intel HD iGPU on a Toshiba A665-6086

 

Would a mini female hdmi -> mini male hdmi cable work? Basically you get both plugs + the cable?
Goodluckbuy sells them for €6.83 a piece, or slightly less if you buy in bulk. Best thing about it, no delivery costs (although delivery might take a while).

It's pretty much a dealextreme aimed more at electric DIY stuff so I was hoping they'd have the connectors and plugs but they don't .

 

6000 posts! 1000 posts in less then two months! Happy birthday eGPU! Yay!

And.... I got a special gift for the eGPU community - stay tuned....

 

Still waiting for PLX's USB 3380 to be available/to see if it works as usb 3.0-expresscard adapter so I don't have to fiddle with the bottom of my laptop/take out the wifi card for the eGPU...


EDIT: http://plxtech.com/files/products/usbcontrollers/pcie_to_usb3.html
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GRAPHIC CARD

 

is there any new modded driver of nvidia that could support the new game like rage and battlefield 3 ? thank you

 

Whoa! I'm interested to see if that PLX USB device works. I have no expresscard slot and my wificard isn't exactly that accessible.