DIY eGPU experiences

PE4L 2.1 with its 2.0 link is already a revolution regarding my needs since it's finally opening the way of a decent internal lcd gaming. This is the real breakthrough

Thunderbolt will just be a minor improvment over it, providing commercial egpus solutions for the mainstream. Pointless then


Thanks Kizman btw. Everything's clear now in my messy head

 

I don't really see a point in using an internal display setup with my egpu. Seeing as how when I'm on the move, I am probably doing work. What I'm interested in is if the LP/Thunderbolt port will provide a significant performance improvement.

BTW does anyone have some BF3 benchmarks/data with their eGPU running an external display at 1920x1080? Would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

 

My point is just that i don't want to buy an external screen just for egpu purpose

Wow i was looking at Khenglish results with its GTX 580 opt 1.1. Can't believe he blows your opt 1.2 results results Nando. Guess that wouldn't be the same story on the internal screen though. Still, that's impressive what can be pulled from a 1X 1.0 link via optimus compression.

 

E6220/E6320 uses a soldered CPU so no i7-quad upgrade unless you ask a BGA soldering firm to install it for you. E6420/E6520 uses a socketted CPU.

I too was surprised by how fast his i7-2920XM 2.4 [email protected] is. So am very much looking forward to x1.2Opt benchmarks from his setup where he'll pip everyone for top honors on the first page leaderboard.

Can you image his score if he manages to unlock his bios so the i7-2920XM 2.4 (ES) can be multiplier unlock overclocked to ~4.0Ghz?

 

Vidock has done a test using to see how the thunderbolt compares, and its 90% of full power. I would say that is a dream.

 

Yep i can imagine. He must be a reckless man for putting a 55W TDP cpu in a 15" lap. Should throttle unless the cooling system is insanely efficient.

Damn Dell Latitude E6520 is a fine machine. I almost had an orgasm just by seeing this holy backplate that gives access to pretty much everything.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/typo3temp/pics/660c74c0bd.jpg

Ok now i can't denigrate Thunderbolt anymore. That wouldn't be reasonable haha.

 

[/QUOTE]
No reason why it wouldn't work. Could consider using the BPlus THunderbolt to expresscard adapter: TH03 ( ExpressCard 54 Thunderbolt Adapter) . Notice there's no buy-it-now. Looks to be a dummy product they intend to make once they can get Thunderbolt chips from Intel/Apple to demux the TB signal to pci-e.

Apple users with Thunderbolt ports are waiting for a proper Thunderbolt eGPU product that will deliver 4 times the bandwidth (SB EC=x1 2.0, TB=x4 2.0). See the Thunderbolt, USB 3.0, PCIe 2.0 eGPU update for a listing of whose making them.[/QUOTE]

Hmm, that adapter seems pretty cool. I guess the only plus to that would be a cheaper solution compared to sonnets thunderbolt/expresscard adapter. So do you think that if I buy the PE4H with this adapter, it would work? I contacted sonnet about it and they said the drivers might not be compatible... I mean I don't see that being a problem since it's just letting me plug this into a thunderbolt port. The biggest issue would be compatibility with OS X. If it isn't compatible I have Windows 7 dual booted on my macbook which is were im' doing all my gaming anyway.

 

Hmm, that adapter seems pretty cool. I guess the only plus to that would be a cheaper solution compared to sonnets thunderbolt/expresscard adapter. So do you think that if I buy the PE4H with this adapter, it would work? I contacted sonnet about it and they said the drivers might not be compatible... I mean I don't see that being a problem since it's just letting me plug this into a thunderbolt port. The biggest issue would be compatibility with OS X. If it isn't compatible I have Windows 7 dual booted on my macbook which is were im' doing all my gaming anyway.

 

Once Khenglish gets a PE4L 2.1, its just going to be sad how fast that thing is. Fastest laptop ever?

 

quite a number of x220 users managed to get theirs working trouble free..but a handful of them cant get it to work even with 1.24 BIOS..no one is sure exactly why as well.. you might want to consider other options Nandos recommend..always best bang for the buck

 

Yeah, I finally found some posts from people who couldn't get it to work, with the same setup as people with successful egpu solutions. That's weird.

 

I have found the following PC case at google.

JCP Geh-jcp-mi-101.bb.r2 - reviews and features JCP Geh-jcp-mi-101.bb.r2 - Onyougo.com

Is 250W PSU enough for a egpu?

It has a pci slot which would save me a lot of work.

 

It has only a single slot pci port i think so can't put a decent gpu into that thing. Only Sugo SG05-like enclosures provides dual slot.

As for the psu, depends on the 12V rail but i wouldn't count on it since these itx enclosures often have inefficient and noisy psus on board. The Sugo sg05 has a very decent 300W fortron 80+ psu and is damn silent compared to all mini-itx enclosures i've tried. But it's pretty expensive.

 

May I suggest a DIY case like mine? The material costs about 50$ + the cuts and you can get an SFX PSU like mine or the cheaper FSP300-60GHS

Check the details on signature link for material listing

 

Thanks for the test! I'll be the first to order it on the 20th!
So if I understood right, the difference between 1.1 Opt and 1.2 Opt is around 40-50%?

 

PE4L-EC150A Lenght 150cm (OEM) Does that mean we cant buy them?

 

I think/hope that it means they have not yet finished testing, but they are working on it to become a future product.

 

IMHO they will be defined as "custom" products, so can be purchased but they could have not minimum stock quantity or can add an extra cost for the longer cable.

 

Hey guys, sorry I'm about a year late to this party, but I was hoping one of you could give more detailed instructions on how to connect the gtx460 to the xbox 360 203w psu (I currently have mine powered by a 600w psu .. not quite portable). I've never soldered anything in my life so I really need details. 1. When you say "cut the harness" you mean remove the end of the psu that normally connects to the xbox, exposing all the wires? 2. Am I supposed to remove the harness on the molexes as well, then twist those wires with the psu's in the order described, then solder those joints? Or am I supposed to connect the psu's wires directly to the molex pins? Sorry if these are stupid questions.

 

Fardavid please test i2520+GTX560/560TI. I want change my X220T+P4EH+560 940@2400 to P4EL 2.1 to get extra 4500 mark 2011 versus today 3700(

 

DOes anyone know what kind of card the PE4L could hold? It doesn't look like you could fit a very large card on that...

Also, could anyone confirm if they will actually ship the ones that can use longer card lengths?

Oh and when these come out, would anyone be so kind to see if it works with the sonnet thunderbolt/expresscard adapter with a macbook pro 2011? I'm wanting to bite the bullet but don't have the money if something goes wrong.

 

Hi Guys, Girls

I am new to eGPU. So, I have read through dozens of pages here and have really messed up infos in my head
1. I need a not too expensive laptop (should be able to play Blue-ray but I need nothing like video editing) which it should last over 4 years without repairing it.
2. I also need gaming performance on the level of GTX560Ti...

What are the major components in a NB limiting eGPU performance?

Is Optimus the best way to increase performance (what does that technology do? please explain using simple words)

What is the most convenient way to increase BandWidth to eGPU (what connectors, slots should the NB have... is it true that a min. HD 5...M is needed???
Is it really necessary to have quadcore GPU (for that Optimus thing)?

Is a PCIe 2.0/Gen2 compliant kit available? Does it really support native PCIe 2.0 speed 5Gb/s at each direction (10Gb/s concurrent)???
How is that possible that only 2x compared to 16x is able to get over 70% out of the eGPU???

 

For Optimus to work it requires an nVidia eGPU and a Intel CPU with built-in GPU.
For our purposes, Optimus is just data compression so we essentially get to double the bandwidth, so a x1.2 Opt link would deliver the theoretical bandwidth of a PCI-E 4X 1.0 link on the desktop.

 

I got my PE4L v1.5 today and was able to plug it straight into my Gateway mc7801u (Core 2 Duo 2.00Ghz 4Gb ram Win7) via expresscard with no issue's. I'm using a about 5 year old card Evga Geforce 8500gt 1gb GDDR2 that powered up and displayed just fine.

Intel Series 4 Display got 828 Marks on 06 1280x1024
8500gt via expresscard got 1899 Marks 06
I consider it a significant increase even if its old hardware.
I'm going to try cloning the display via Ultramon method and see what I get.

Would I get issues if I plugged in a XFX Radeon HD 5770 1Gb GDDR5 and would I see a significant boost in 3dmark scores?

 

No reason why not to order. The PE4L 2.1 I tested worked absolutely flawlessly and it's a good pricepoint.

The PE4L 2.1 i5-2540M+9800GT testing compared x1 1.0 versus x1 2.0 where the two games benched 40-50% faster with x1 2.0. You now have x1.1Opt which does a pretty good job but does see microlags moreso if using the internal LCD mode. x1.2Opt will smooth out micrologs, improve FPS and give significantly better internal LCD FPS. See my DIY eGPU implementation: i5-2540M 2.6 12.5" HP 2560P + NVidia GTX560Ti @x1.2Opt for an idea of how much better performance will be.

As long and big as you want. There are no space limitations. The 9800GT I used for the test is a pretty large card, larger than my previous GTX460/GTX560Ti. It's about as large as a GTX470 I had, so would be GTX570/GTX580 reference board size.

Should have no issues and yes, you will see a boost in 3dmark scores. Moreso if can engage x1E mode using Setup 1.x which requires the expresscard slot port to be an odd number with no device attached to the next port in sequence after it. You'd get another 15-30% performance that way. Can get even more performance if the system allows for a x2 link using a combo of expresscard+mPCIe or mPCIe+mPCIe.

 

Hi all, I installed everything according to instructions, all lights work, there is no power to my GTX 460. Fan won't spin, and computer won't see the eGPU at all. I have consulted the troubleshooting FAQ, and searched numerous posts.

Card is tested OK, PSU is tested OK.



Platform is Dell 1555: Win 7 SP1, Core 2 Duo T6600 @ 2.20GHZ, 4GB ram.
eGPU: PE4L-EC2C PSU: True550 GFX: GTX 460.

Thanks!

 

So nando sent me his PE3A to do PCI-E 2.0 with

Here's some benches at 1000/2325 (2400 was a little unstable)

3dm11: 6883
Heaven: 2089
3dmv: 24399
DMC4s4: 217.33
3dm06: 22596
RE5: 193.0

I will soon have much more benchmarks, and some game performance comparisons between PCI-E 1.1 and 2.0. I'll also test my 460 at reference clocks, and the 580 at reference clocks. Oh and I'll include a picture of this ridiculous setup.

Thanks again to nando!

 

Thanks. And are you talking about the one out now, or the one that is shipping samples on feb. 20th? The one coming out in about a month doesn't look like it can hold very large cards.

 

With benchmark results like that I'm glad you have a pci-e 2.0 capable modded PE3A in your hands. You've raised the performance bar quite a few notches. Looking forward to your pci-e 1.1 vs 2.0 and GTX460 vs GTX580 comparisons. A bunch of DIY eGPU goodness all coming together at once

Either or will do the job. I've installed a large GTX470 into a PE4L 1.4 and a large 9800GT into a PE4L 2.1. However the PE4L is a basic device at a low pricepoint so it's best that it have some additional props to hold it upright, eg: a book. The PE4H 3.0 (ETA unknown other than 'soon') will cost a bit extra, have a x16 slot and be self supporting.

 

Ok awesome. And are there any large differences between the PE4H and the PE4L other than the size? Sorry for asking so many questions, just making sure to get my purchases right.

 

What kind of notebook you have? Are you going to use eGPU on your macbook? What is the specification, especially what graphic cards it have?

I played Left 4 Dead 2 (Steam) on Mac using eGPU, the games doesn't look smooth though, compared with windows.

 

can someone explain what the two sliders/switches are for on the PE4L 1.5? didnt see anything in the troubleshooting/set up pages

I'm unable to:
1) sleep > plug in 460 > resume
2) sleep > unplug 460 > resume

without having issues, and I'm wondering if they have anything to do with it. with sequence 1 my wifi card shuts off and the system becomes very laggy even when just trying to access My Computer. Then the laptop won't shut down. It stays on "Logging Off". Option 2 results in a bsod..

It's not bad having to shut down > plug in the gtx460 > boot due to the ssd, but it'd save ~20secs off the process..

 

You can refer to PE4L user manual available at HWtools website ( direct link).

 

looked promising, but the user manuals seems to be for v1.0/1.1 and doesn't have the switches i'm referring to..

 

I can only test what I have. You can check my results and my configuration on the first page (old setup and new setup as well). I will send a test with 1.2Opt as soon as I will receive it, after 20th of February.

 

Great! The scores seem to confirm that both CPU and GPU have a great role managing compression data flows.

 

I also have the same problem as hizzah

To get my egpu working I have to boot (egpu off) go to diy setup 10f, choose menu, turn on egpu, change to x1e, turn off egpu, reboot, enter diy setup 10f, turn on egpu, chainload to mbr, windows 7, F8, disable driver signature enforcement, continue to logon screen. Now sometimes I have to unplug and replug the egpu to get it detected and then I have no issues.

My problem is that sleep or hibernate with egpu in results in when the computer wakes up it does endless bios load so I have to unplug egpu then replug and once it reaches logon screen it BSOD. (bad pool header). It also happens if I boot normally and then sleep> power egpu> wake or sometimes I loose all usb powered items (mouse, keyboard).

Anyone got any ideas?

 

I own a 2011 macbook pro 13inch. The card inside my macbook is an integrated intel hd3000. The card I am planning on purchasing is the gtx 460 or amd 6870. Both cards are known to work with Mac OS X and give enough performance for my needs. I will do most of my gaming on a windows 7 which I have installed on my mac, but I also have a mac mini 2011 model which will also be using the egpu.

How did you get your egpu to work on your macbook? It seems there aren't many people on the forums that have gotten one of these to work with a macbook.

 

Ok at this point, i think it would be interesting to see classic 16x desktop benchmarks at the same rez cause i'm not sure they'll be that much better. I mean 193 fps and 217 fps

 

Hello,

I would like to try this on my old laptop (Toshiba L500-13).
I have an GTX 560 (non ti), and I'm not using it, what setup should I use PE4H-PM3N ver2.4? Would it be compatible with my laptop?
The chipset is Intel GM45/GM47, Intel 82801IM (ICH9-M).

Can someone help me?

Regards

 

GeForce GTX 580 review 3dmark vantage on gtx 580 stock
http://www.guru3d.com/article/asus-gtx-580-matrix-review/14 3dmark vantage on gtx 580 matrix
http://www.guru3d.com/article/asus-gtx-580-matrix-review/19 3dmark 11 on a gtx580 Matrix


Thats with a i7 gen 1 on 3700Mhz so that vantage score is about the same as this score, so this is pretty good

 

Thanks.

Seems like scores are pretty much the same in benchmarks. I know this wouldn't be the same story in every games depending on the bandwidth they use but still, in many of them, perfs may be pretty close to desktop ones.

 

So now I have tried it with a PM3N Adapter, but it also doesnt work, I dont know why (eGPU wont be detected). Everything is plugged in correctly. I am trying it with my GTX 590. Does anyone have ideas?

 

GTX 590 requires 2x256mb of pcie space, so probably your notebook isn't able to accomodate them. Don't you have a single chip card to test the kit?

 

Of course I have. I have a Asus GTX 560 Direct CU to test it.
But its the same (also wont be detected). I think with both Graphiccards its the same problem, if i get one to work the other will do the same.
Before that i have tried it with an express card, but it also wont be detected.
I think I am a hopeless case

 

Not mine. My friend own one. He tested with ATI HD5870. Boot with eGPU connected (to ExpressCard). External monitor (connected to eGPU) only get signal after Mac OS X loaded.

Does all Macbook Pro have 34mm ExpressCard slot? If your 13" have ExpressCard, then you can use PE4L-EC2C, EC2C is ExpressCard adapter. You can use latest PE4L v2.0 which can fully utilized the PCIe 2.0 on your Macbook. Better get GTX460 because your Macbook have Intel HD 3000. You can setup x1.2Opt eGPU with Nvidia Fermi graphic card (e.g. GTX460). Opt=Optimus provide PCIe data compression which boost performance over PCIe x1 link. Of course this is only possible with Windows 7 because Mac OS X doesn't support Optimus. So, performance in Mac OS X will be less than in Windows since in Mac OS X it will only work at raw PCIe x1 link. Also, with Optimus engaged in Windows 7, you can use internal LCD (eGPU acceleration on internal LCD) but in Mac OS X, you need to use external monitor.

The different between PE4L & PE4H is that PE4L have PCIe x1 connector while PE4H have PCIe x16 connector. That's why you saw PE4L have shorter connector. Don't worry, you can connect any desktop graphic card to PE4L.

You might want to check TOLUD register on your Macbook. Please refer to Pre-Purchase FAQ --> How can I check if my notebook is compatible with an eGPU?.

 

Hello,

Which Toshiba L500-13 you have? The one with Intel GMA 4500MHD or ATI Radeon HD 4570? If yours have Intel GMA 4500MHD, you can do x1.Opt setup with Nvidia Fermi graphic card. You can use PE4H-PM3N package. However, I don't know whether mPCIe port(s) is/are accessible or not on this notebook though.

Did you try Setup 1.x Anti-Whitelist? (Under "PCIe ports" menu)

 

No, but how do I get there?

 

@Kizwan

Thanks for all the help. I do need it to work with Mac OS X to convince my parents (also buying a mac mini) but it seems as though it should help. And my laptop only has a thunderbolt port, not express card.

I am also wondering if the sonnet express card/thunderbolt adapter would work. I know that it seems that no one has this, but it should make sense since its only an adapter. I mean its still at express card speed, just has the ability to plug into a thunderbolt port. And yes, it would make sense to wait for a thunderbolt egpu from a known company, but I want it to be cheap and interchangeable (PSU, Card, maybe upgrade the PE4L later on). And I can figure out the TOLUD stuff. I have 8gb of RAM, but it seems that more than enough people have gotten theirs to work with 8gb so I should be set.

 

ok, I have tried it, but the programm says if it checks if I am the administrator,
"The groupname cannot be found", "Please add xxx to admin group and run setup-disk-image again".
I want to install the software DIY eGPU Setup 1.0f disk image bootitem installer to create this list.
Can someone tell me how to solve this problem?
I am running my Laptop already as Admin, so I dont understand it.
Maybe I have to make this programm bootable first and then I can use it, I dont know, please help me.