DIY eGPU experiences

Inspiron 1525 can do x2 (p3+4) or x1E (p5)

The Inspiron 1525 schematic shows the pci-e port layout as:

So you can do a x1E ATiAMD link using the expresscard slot, or a x2 link using mPCIe port3+4 but will have no concurrent wifi there. A x4 link is not possible.

EDIT: changed to be response to arnierobert rather than gamblor420.

 

nando4, the Inspiron 1525 and the gateway p7805u have the same schematics?

 

Please post the screenshot of the Device Manager here. The reason for the screenshot is I want to see the TOLUD value on your notebook.

To know whether you can do x1 or x2 or x4 link, you'll need to check the mPCIe port on your notebook. Do like this:-

1. Open AIDA64 & go to Motherboard\Chipset. Write down the PCIe port # for the wireless card.
2. Shutdown your notebook. Open the memory/wifi compartment, usually located underneath notebook, move the wireless card to another empty mPCIe port. Power on notebook & open AIDA64. Write down the PCIe port # for the wireless card this time.
3. Repeat step no. 2 for the remaining mPCIe port.

This way we'll know the PCIe port arrangement.

 

is this what you need kizwan or should i follow the rest of the steps?

 

So, this is my screenshot of device manager.



I have no clue whether it is x1 x2 x4 or whatever, i'm am a egpu dummie

 

Pictures are too big. Please resize. Please edit your post & change:-

HTML:

[IMG]http://s14.directupload.net/images/111020/ybpb8dry.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://s1.directupload.net/images/111020/mwrveykf.jpg[/IMG]

to this (removed the backward-slash " \"):-

HTML:

[URL='http://s14.directupload.net/images/111020/ybpb8dry.jpg'][img]http://s14.directupload.net/images/111020/ybpb8dry.jpg[/img][/URL]
[URL='http://s1.directupload.net/images/111020/mwrveykf.jpg'][img]http://s1.directupload.net/images/111020/mwrveykf.jpg[/img][/URL]

Anyway, that is not what I need. BTW, screenshot of Device Manager:-

To implement eGPU x2 link setup, you need combination of either [PCIe port#1 + port#2 ] OR [PCIe port#3 + port#4 ] OR [PCIe port#5 + port#6 ]. So, you'll need to identify which PCIe ports are available. This is what the steps I gave you earlier is for. From the AIDA64 picture, we know the mPCIe port where wireless card is connected to is PCIe port#3. Please identify the other mPCIe port(s).

EDIT: I found two pictures of Gateway P7805u ( source) showing the two mPCIe ports. One of the mPCIe port is occupied by wireless card (PCIe port#3). So, need to identify the other mPCIe port. In the first picture, the wireless card is connected to the left mPCIe port while mPCIe port on the right is empty.

Need to find out the PCIe port# for the right mPCIe port. Can do this by plugin the wireless card to the right mPCIe port & check it with AIDA64.

Picture of the motherboard show us that Gateway P7805u have ExpressCard 54mm but don't know the PCIe port#, maybe PCIe port#2 or port#5 (refer to AIDA64 picture). Do you have ExpressCard device for testing?

From the screenshot, first PCI Bus with 8 digits memory address is 0xC0000000 which mean TOLUD is 3GB. As long as TOLUD is equal or lower than 3.25GB, there won't be any problem with eGPU & 4GB++ of RAM.

According to Lenovo Thinkpad T500 specification, this notebook have Intel GMA 4500MHD iGPU + ATI graphic card (switchable graphics) & also have ExpressCard 34mm/54mm. If your notebook have Intel GMA 4500MHD iGPU, you can do x1.Opt setup with Nvidia Fermi desktop graphic card. Opt=Optimus provide PCIe data compression which boost the performance over PCIe x1 link. For x1.Opt, you only need one mPCIe port or ExpressCard slot. Since your notebook have ExpressCard 34mm/54mm, you can use PE4L-EC2C kit for eGPU.

 

http://s14.directupload.net/images/111020/izlgzkv2.jpg
Sorry I dont know how to resize pics. I am going to switch over the wifi card to my other pci port, will report back as soon as im done

 

http://s14.directupload.net/images/111020/h8chijlm.jpg
Ok i switched over the wifi card to the right side and this was the results. I think that the right side pci is used for bluetooth if im not mistaking.

 

just tried to install the card and it doesnt feel as if it fits properly will post pics of the slot in a second

 

Guys!

I'm looking for new mini HDMI cabel insted of that 20cm long one from HWTOOLS. Do you think I should try to find some premium v1.4, gold cable? Is it sure that with the existing adapter we cannot go for 2.0? If it is sure, I would just buy the cheapest...

 

Go the cheapest. The current PE4L 1.5 and PE4H 2.4 provided by HIT/BPlus cannot do pci-e 2.0 regardless if you go goldplated 1.4 cables or not. New versions of those products will be released with the a ReDriver IC as a receiver/transmitter pair (on the EC2C/PM3N) to be able to transmit pci-e 2.0.

 

From the screenshot, first PCI Bus with 8 digits memory address is 0xC0000000 which mean TOLUD is 3GB. As long as TOLUD is equal or lower than 3.25GB, there won't be any problem with eGPU & 4GB++ of RAM.

PCIe Port#1: LAN
PCIe Port#2: [second mPCIe port]
PCIe Port#3: Wireless card
PCIe Port#5: ExpressCard 54mm (maybe)

So, doesn't look good. You can only do eGPU x1 link setup. You won't get good performance with x1 link only. Games will be stuttering when too many effects. If you can find/borrow ExpressCard device, for example ExpressCard to eSATA or ExpressCard to USB device, you can plugin it to the ExpressCard slot to confirm the PCIe port#. You're using AIDA64 trial version which usually failed to show empty ExpressCard slot. I'm hoping ExpressCard slot is PCIe port#4.

 

Ok, thanks, Nando4!

 

If anyone is following, I think I have figured out the issue with using the 12 dc adapter with the PE4L adapter.

The silk screening on the board indicates 15-20 volts DC, which begs the question: Why did I ever think a 12V adapter would work in the first place? Well it is the adapter that is recommended in this very thread (pro's and con's section, link below) in addition to the graphics card I have (Radeon HD5670).

http://forum.notebookreview.com/gam...ds/418851-diy-egpu-experiences.html#pros-cons

Someone might want to update that...

Anyway, the reason it doesn't work:

I first wanted to test if the adapter was using the 5V rail, so I disconnected the lead from the floppy connector on my ATX power supply. It did not work at all, so the answer is yes; the adapter does need the 5V rail.

So the unit is using a basic passive voltage divider on the input from the dc source(15-20V) to create both 12V and 5V rails. I'm thinking it pulls the 3.3V strictly through the express slot.

A voltage divider using just passive resistance isn't really going to care what the input voltage is so I imagine that 15V will be making the bottom limit on tolerance for the 5V and 12V rail(probably 5-10%) whereas the 20V is going to be hitting closer to the top end.

What that means is that a 12V DC source is going to be making voltages outside of the tolerance that is built into the card; hence the card does not power up in order to prevent damage.

The solution for me right now is to use an ATX power supply; bypassing the voltage regulator on the card. I am going to try and find myself another DC adapter that falls inside the tolerance range in order to prove the above. I will post again when I have it figured out.

Also, I am not using any third party software(setup 1.x) at all with mine, just the DNA drivers. I guess that means my card is running at 1x speeds. My 3dmark score is 8275. Not bad at all.

 

I just realized that my expresscard slot (which my eGPU is currently in) is port 4 while my mpcie wifi card is slot 3; doesn't this mean I could run a x2 setup? Is there any chance of a x2 optimus setup working in the near future, or is it something that will never happen?

 

It's the PE4H that has a 15-20V to 12V regulator. PE4L accepts only 12V with only a 5V to 3.3V regulator onboard. Can see for yourself:

PE4H (PCIe passive adapter ver2.4)
PE4L ( PCIe passive adapter ver1.5 )

Your Y460 is Series-5 chipset so can do a x2 implementation, similarly to the DV4-2000+GTX470 x1.Opt/x2 implementation here. Both systems have iGPUs so can do a x1.Opt implementation but the driver only engages the pci-e compression when it detects a x1 link.

Will NVidia change the code to allow x2.1Opt? Your guess is as good as mine with the likely outcome being a continual non-response to Khenglish's request: Optimus with 2 Nvidia cards? (no intel IGP) - NVIDIA Forums. The way then to get than bandwidth would be to upgrade to a Series-6 system to get x1.2Opt which serialkllr has confirmed engages with his i5-2410M 2.3 [email protected] here.

Furthermore x4 is not a possible as we see from the Y460 schematic:



Trying to go for x4 would require removing extensive hardware modes - removing the card reader chip to tap port1 and finding a way to tap port3. So we can say x4 is not feasible.

 

I will try to borrow an express card device from a friend and will report back, thanks for the help.

 

What would a x1E ati/amd with a semi good vidcard do for me if I also get a faster CPU and keep my current memory? The only two games I want it for are UT3 and Portal 2.

 

Can someone explain what should I do with my

acer aspire 4741
- Intel Core i3
- Intel HD Graphics
- 3 GB Memory
- Windows 7 ultimate

I want to play FIFA 12 smoothly. Please guide me, thanks.

 

You won't see much difference in game experience between current CPU & faster CPU. I read Portal 2 & UT3 support multicore CPU. If you can upgrade from dual-core to quad-core, you might see improvement in the performance with these two games.

Regarding the eGPU setup, x2 link setup can deliver better performance than x1E ATiAMD setup. You can do x2 link with PCIe port#3 & port#4 as I explained here & here. Your notebook have " Large Memory" in the Device Manager ( source) & this show you can use 4GB++ RAM with eGPU. This also show you can keep your current memory.

 

I noticed something when I put my wifi card into port 3, wwan it's labeled, it doesn't recognize it in device mgr and it doesn't work... Does this mean I will be unable to get x2 to work?

Edit: I am attempting to move the wifi module back to port 3 to make sure it wasn't just misaligned.

Edit: It worked the second time as you said. Off to ordering first thing tomorrow.

 

My Dell Studio also have difficulty recognizing the wireless card when connected to WWAN port. 50% of the time wireless successful detected when connected to WWAN port. Probably WWAN port is whitelisted. You still can do x2 link since WWAN port have PCIe connection (referring to the schematic). I suggest the connection should be like this:-
- [PE4H PCIe x1 port ] connected to PM3N card at PCIe port#4.
- [PE4H PCIe x2 port ] connected to PM3N card at PCIe port#3.

On my Dell Studio:-
- PCIe port#1 WWAN
- PCIe port#2 WIFI
So, my connections are:-
- [PE4H PCIe x1 port ] connected to PM3N card at PCIe port#2.
- [PE4H PCIe x2 port ] connected to PM3N card at PCIe port#1.
If reverse, it difficult to get the eGPU recognized. I don't want to do "hotpluggin" the PM3N card while system is running.

 

So that's 230$ +sh I have another 130$ish to spend, what video card should I get?


Edit: btw I am still only on page 36 (post 356) of this thread, lots more to get educated on I see. I understand now that I understand little of this process. Please forgive my ignorance and I appreciate your help and understanding

 

GTX560Ti - $2XX
GTX460 - $200
GTS450 - $120

GTS450 fall under your budget.

With x2, you won't be able to use wireless as nando explained here. When enabled x2 on PCIe port#3 (in your case will be using PCIe port#3 & port#4 for x2), port#1 also become x2 as well & this render port#2 where wireless card connected, non-operational. x1E required PCIe port to be an odd numbered port with no device connected to the next sequential port, e.g. port#1/port#3/port#5 with no device connected to port#2/port#4/port#6. <strike>So x1E with ExpressCard slot (PCIe port#5) or mPCIe port (PCIe port#3), you can use wireless card since it connected to PCIe port#2</strike>.

 

So does this mean I can order the ExpressCard slot adapter with the GTX460 to try it out and can still use my wifi for now? And upgrade to the x2 solution and add a USB wifi adapter in the future if I desire 10-20% faster framerates?

 

It's all up to you. I'll let you decided that.

 

@arnierobert,

I made fundamental mistake earlier. Actually setting x1E is also like setting x2 link only the former don't require using two PCIe ports. In your case, you can only do x1E with port#3 (mPCIe) or port#5 (ExpressCard). When you set x1E on port#3, the effect is the same as when x2 is engaged on it - port#1 will also be switched to x2 which in turn render the port#2 non-operational. Wireless card won't work since it's connected to port#2. However if you set x1E on port #5 (ExpressCard), you will be able to use wireless card at port#2.

(Got this from nando) Summary:-
port1+2=x2, other ports unaffected
port3+4=x2 means port1+2=x2 as well^
port5+6=x2, other ports unaffected
port7+8=x2 means port5+6=x2 as well^
(^ = Intel limitation)

 

So... (sorry for my n00bish questions)

What GFX do you recommend, most value for money. Does it have to be PCIe? Or will this fit in PE4L-EC2C kit?

Will my lenovo T500 + eGPU setup become a better BF3 gaming experience than my current tower; Core 2 Quad Q8400, 6GB DDR2, RADEON HD6790?? My Lenovo has Core 2 Duo P8400.
how many percentage can I pull out of the GFX in a x1.Opt?

My budget is 350-500$, for the whole setup.
I love this idea, and if present, I think i'll also upgrade my lenovo with a neat SSD and some more memory.

Rasmus

 

In the eGPU implementations table you can find notebooks with similar specification with yours. You can use the benchmarks result to compare with your desktop. Lenovo T400 & T500 have almost similar specification. You can find T400 benchmarks result in the same table.

 

Hello guys.
this is my first post here, and i wanted to know if my laptop is even capable of doing an x1 diy vdock setup.







thanks.

 

Hi starscream,

Welcome to NBR! Look like your notebook have Intel GMA 4500MHD iGPU. This means you can do eGPU x1.Opt setup. Opt=Optimus provide PCIe data compression which boost performance over PCIe x1 link. Look like your notebook doesn't have ExpressCard slot, am I right? If yes, you will need to use the mPCIe port which currently use by wireless card.

 

yes you are right, it dosen't have an ExpressCard slot, but i use the mPCIe port which my wireless card uses and buy an external usb wifi card.
Ill do more research on the x1.opt setup.
But all i would need for it is the basic package with the PE4H ver2.4 with PM3N right?
Thanks for your quick reply

 

You can use PE4L-PM3N too. PE4L is cheaper than PE4H but PE4H have sturdy base & can hold GPU. If you're not live in US, you can get PE4L-PM3N ver1.5 Package from BPlus.

 

thanks alot, i agree, if im buying i might as well go with the PE4H, it looks like its constructed better.
Cant wait to try this out, i already have a power supply.
With the 1x.opt i assume that graphic card like the 560ti gives good performance?
ill be using that most lightly
thanks so much!

 

GTX560Ti is good choice. Regarding the PSU, it's not the PSU total power you should look at. It's the PSU +12V max current. GTX560Ti power requirement is 170W & can go up to 205W on peak 3D. GTX560Ti power consumption also can go up to 260W if OC-ed. So, make sure the PSU +12V max current is at least 24A (12V * 24A = 288W). 288W means PSU have 10% safe margin (borrowing Nando's calculation ) to drive OC-ed GTX560Ti.

 

thanks,ill be sure to look out for that.
this is going to be my upcomming project...i cant wait lol

 

Do all Fujitsu T5010s have an express card slot? I don't recall that mine has one. Mine seems to have a PC card.

 

retles is using mPCIe port for eGPU. Yes, Fujitsu T5010s have PCMCIA, not ExpressCard.

 

Anyone know if the x220 throttling issues in regards to a eGPU solution have been fixed with the new BIOS update? My finger is on the order button.

 

X220 still has the TOLUD issue that prevents 4GB+ implementations with bios versions newer than 1.11. See Re: Request to fix TOLUD in newer BIOS files - Page 5 - Lenovo Community . I like the Lenovo X220 but the tech support hasn't been receptive to providing a timely fix of the TOLUD issue, now over 4 months since it was first logged with them.

The NBR user pyro did suggest in his last post in this thread that he had a surprise for eGPU users. Previously he was looking for X220 owners to supply bios dumps to see if a new bios could be modded with 1.11 TOLUD settings...

 

That's interesting ... I have to look into using the mPCIe port then...
Is it easy to connect the cables when using the mPCIe port? I heard some dremel work is necessary to make it fit neat.

I did some research but I'm going to wait until retles posts some more information.

 

I don't think you need to use dremel. Please see mine:-

As you can see the PM3N cards didn't secure properly but it have proper contact, that's all I need. I use cable tie to prevent the cables from moving. Improvised!

 

The local parts store here has a EVGA GTX550Ti SC 1 gb ddr5 on sale for $129.99- 30$ mail in rebate so a final price of $99.99. Should that be enough for my purposes?

 

Depend on the games. Anyway, x1E only suitable if using ATiAMD or older Nvidia card. For GTX550Ti, I think you better do x2 setup. I think GTX550Ti is more than enough for UT3 & Portal 2.

 

Hey man, I've got a Vostro 3700 with NVidia 330m and was hoping to hear from you as you have a similar system.

What problems did you encounter?
What BIOS version are you using in your Vostro?
Is the performance advantage of using an eGPU is really that great?

 

If you look around you'll find GTX460-1GB units for $130AR like this Zotac unit. A GTX460 has 74% more cuda cores than a GTX550Ti/GTS450 (336 vs 192), so a 30% price premium is definitely worth it. A GTX460 is still the best bang-per-buck card out there and when clocked to GTX560 levels (not GTX560Ti) gives virtually the same performance.

In another thread you wrote your system's specs as Vostro 3700 core i7 720QM and NVidia 310m 4gigs ram. A G310M has performance equivant to a Intel HD3000 iGPU, so is a low spec dGPU. Any ATiAMD/NVidia eGPU implementation would be faster.

However, to extract maximum performance would require a NVidia x1.Opt implementation. That is only possible if your Vostro 3700 has switchable graphics which would also requires a Arrandable i5/i7 cpu on the Calpella platform. If your systemboard is compatible then you'd need to swap out your Clarksfield i7-quad to allow the iGPU to engage.

 

Hey guys, wow I can't believe I'm actually thinking of doing this.

I have a 2010 15" MBP running Windows 7 on boot camp with an GT 330m. I'm buying parts to build a system when I get home from college in December and I ordered 2 Sapphire Toxic 6950's(unlocked to a 6970) here to test on my friend's desktop and I saw this thread.

If I do this, will I only be able to hook one of them up? How much of a performance increase will I see from my GT 330m?

 

MBP 15" 2010 has Intel HD + GT330M. If you want more performance than the GT330M then I recommend a x1.Opt (NVidia Fermi) implementation which this system can do. The NVidia drivers do pci-e compression to give great performance over a x1 link. ATiAMD doesn't do that so while benchmarks like 3mk06 will give some great numbers, real life gaming will stutter when doing large pci-e transfers and will be worse overall than the GT330M.

Performance considerations are extensively covered on the first post.

 

Thanks for your answer man, in both posts I stated that my gpu is a NVidia 330m, and true, I have a clarksfield i7 on Calpella, so no switchable gfx for me, so then, no eGPU goodnes for me? I was hoping to use a GTX 560ti

 

Dell Vostro 3700 have ExpressCard 34mm slot & one mPCIe port. If both are either [PCIe Port#1 & Port#2 ] or [PCIe Port#3 & Port#4 ], you can do eGPU x2 link setup. You can check the PCIe port # where the wireless card & ExpressCard connected to using AIDA64. For the ExpressCard, you'll need to put ExpressCard device though because if not AIDA64 trial version won't be able to detect it. Games will stutters if eGPU x1 link but will run smooth with eGPU x2 link. So, I'd recommend you eGPU if your notebook can do x2 link setup.