DIY eGPU experiences

The 5920G schematic shows:

port1=expresscard
port2=wifi
port4=3G/TV Tuner
port5=Turbo Memory
port6=LAN

So your 5920G can do a port1+2 x2 link. If use an ATI card and don't mind port4 being locked out then could even do a x2E link.

Can do the following to get the GTX470 to run faster.

1. hack the Optimus drivers to enable the enhancements to work with your GTS360M primary video card
2. Replace your X505 with an Optimus capable notebook system.
3. Figure if can access port1+2, port3+4, port5+6, port7+8 to do a x2 link.
4. Accept the performance for now and upgrade to a Sandy Bridge pci-e 2.0 (5Gbps) system in Q1 2011.
5. Use the GTX470 to make a cheap desktop system.

Asus F8SA linked from the first post has done a HD5750@x1E implementation. Has same ports as your F8-Sg.

You can run an Internal LCD setup without running any cabling from your desktop video card, with some performance loss. See Optimus and Ultramon internal LCD setups. Optimus is a far more integrated solution but NVidia have locked it down to notebooks using only Intel 4500MHD or HD primary graphics.

360M will be faster than a HD57xx DIY ViDock. To get faster gaming performance, buy a Sony with Intel HD graphics and do a NVidia GTX4xx Optimus DIY ViDock. A GTX460 DIY ViDock Optimus setup benchmarks faster than a 360M.

Congratulations! Pleased you went the GTX460 over the HD57xx which on balance will give better x1 1.0 performance.

Please post system details and benchmarks so can be linked as another experience from the first post.

 

try installing NVIDIA drivers, not Microsoft

 

Can do the following to get the GTX470 to run faster.

1. hack the Optimus drivers to enable the enhancements to work with your GTS360M primary video card
2. Replace your X505 with an Optimus capable notebook system.
3. Figure if can access port1+2, port3+4, port5+6, port7+8 to do a x2 link.
4. Accept the performance for now and upgrade to a Sandy Bridge pci-e 2.0 (5Gbps) system in Q1 2011.
5. Use the GTX470 to make a cheap desktop system.


thanks for the help its a bad news .

because the x505 latop is a powerfull machine

intel icore 7
6gb of ram
and more ..

i looking for extra video graphic performance .

i have the hp dv8 with 230m nvidia .. it better ? for the diy vidock .


thanks again.

and i dont know what that meaning

3. Figure if can access port1+2, port3+4, port5+6, port7+8 to do a x2 link.

again thanks for the help

 

Great!
That's all I needed to hear.
Just bought a pe4h and the adapters, and hopefully a gtx 465 in a day or so.

nvm, got it today

 

Didn't know a x2E link was possible! I should be able to do that aswell with my 6930g right?



That's

1= expresscard
2= mpci-e
3= mpci-e
4= not connected
5= not connected
6= onboard lan

or 1-4 free

Bad thing is i'd have to get a usb wifi stick.

Edit or is it possible to get a dualboot vidock setup

1 Vidock setup =>2xe mode disabling slot 3-4
2 Mobile setup => normal mode, slot 3 working

 

try that same result /: dont know what to do

 

Hi ANTALIFE,

Nice to see another F8S user around here

Here is the port layout I managed to figure out for my F8Sa:

PCI-E 1.0 x1 port # 1 Empty (unwired)
PCI-E 1.0 x1 port # 2 mPCIe slot # 1
PCI-E 1.0 x1 port # 3 Realtek Gigabit LAN controller
PCI-E 1.0 x1 port # 4 mPCIe slot # 2
PCI-E 1.0 x1 port # 5 ExpressCard slot
PCI-E 1.0 x1 port # 6 Disabled (unwired)

My guess is that it will be identical to your F8Sg. Unfortunately this layout only allows for x1 or x1E links, unless you take your chances with disabling the LAN controller and hijacking its PCIe lane or try soldering directly on the Southbridge FBGA chip for ports #1 and #6...

Still, I'm fairly happy with the performance of my GTX 460 Vidock on expresscard x1 1.0 (check my sig for more details).

Judging from the diagram above, it seems that your layout is more like this:

1= expresscard
2= mPCIe
3= not connected
4= mPCIe
5= not connected
6= onboard lan

Which means that you can get a x1 (port1) or x2 (port1+2) links for your Vidock <s> but you will lose port #4 if you go for x1E or x2/x2E since port #3 will switch to x2 mode.</s> If you go for an NVidia card you can get a x2 link on port1+2 without losing your Wifi (port 4) which is optimal! If instead you prefer an ATI card you can either go for a x1E link that keeps port 4 alive or x2E for best performance but no WiFi.
(thanks to Nando for clearing this up)

 

Typing error but it didn't really affect the question!


But okay, a x2E setup is possible, this is starting to look good!

 

Recently they announced the MSI N460GTX Hawk to 1 GHz!!! Not the royal consumption but will it be possible that pe4h bears this card? It uses 126 mV in the core, 39 mV in the memories and 13 mV in the pll, is possible?

 

Well, considering it's powered externally, I wouldn't see why not.


Also, at anyone who has had experience doing this, what will I have to do extra to set up the 2x link? (obviously besides plugging everything in correctly)

 

you will need to setup the x2 or x2E link using the DIY Vidock boot files. Should not be too hard as Nando has automated most of the process.

 

Hey ithildin

Yea, looking at your progress it appears I will too face the same issues. So I canceled my order for the mPCIe raiser board, and am now slowly ordering the parts for my GTX460 setup.

Thanks for your help =D

 

I'm trying to set up a bootable USB for the DIY vidock setup.

I've been reading this: vidock setup

...but I have no idea what it is trying to say.
I just want to make a USB stick, not a partition on my hard drive.


-----edit-----
I read it all again and figured it out, it wasn't so hard to follow after all.

however, I came upon another question:
all the pci memory allocation stuff; does that only apply to 32-bit operating systems?

also, does the pe4h need power, or just the graphics card?

 

It looks like the GTS450 requires an extra power connector, and performs on par with the Radeon 5770... What do you think? Does that mean that an ATX PSU will still be required?

Discussion on leaked benchmarks:
SemiAccurate :: GeForce GTS 450 benchmarks slips out early

Specifications:
© 2009 Bright Side Of News*, All rights reserved. ASUS Leaks, GTS 450 Details Revealed

"This means the parts might have quite a potential when it comes to overclocking. Do note that you're limited with maximum of 150 Watts to play with [PCIe slot gives 75W, additional 6-pin connector gives 75W]."

 

I want to buy the adapter PE4L-PE3M and that was the picture you have to have TV or monitor, I have the TV SCART connector, and 2 phono inputs for video and audio (yellow and white), my question is how do I buy a cable that was the picture on the TV, video card will have input VGA, DVI and TV-out (s-video).
I have a question you need to connect the AC adapter from the laptop, how do I buy to work, I saw at the auction 65W AC adapter, plug 5.5 x 2.5 mm or he will work.

 

Anyone know if the A505-S6025 Toshiba Satellite schematics are around anywhere? I can't seem to be able to find it.

Anyways, all I'm basically trying to find out is whether my laptop will support 2x.

Here is Everest Info:
Southbridge: Intel Ibex Peak-M HM55


Don't have any sort of express card laying around to test out.

I can't find very much information on this laptop at all X_x;

 

@Soyaku Based on your everest snapshot it does not seem possible to do a x2 as your port 1 and port 3 seem used and you do not have a port 6.

 

Ah, that's a shame. So a PE4H would be a waste of money to buy then I'm guessing?

Thanks for the quick response, sir!

 

I want to buy the adapter PE4L-PE3M and that was the picture you have to have TV or monitor, I have the TV SCART connector, and 2 phono inputs for video and audio (yellow and white), my question is how do I buy a cable that was the picture on the TV, video card will have input VGA, DVI and TV-out (s-video).

 

I'm looking at getting a new Thinkpad T510 laptop with discrete graphics (the NVIDIA Quadro NVS 3100M), and I read that the Intel 4500/HD integrated gfx give much better performance. How much performance will I lose from having this setup?

 

Ok after researching everything about creating my own DIY ViDock, I've decided to order the PE4H 1.0 + PM3N + PM3N for x2 link with a GTX 470 and a Corsair Memory VX550W PSU for the 12v rail running 41amps as i heard the 470 needs 38 amps+ to run smoothly. I shall post benchmarks and pics when complete

I run a dell D830 T7300 @ 2.2ghz 10% OC at the moment with a nvs 140m (8400 gs equivalent) with express ports 1+2 free if I remove the wifi card.

Just wondering if I should buy more DDR2 ram as I have only 2GB @ 333mhz at the moment.

 

@willn58 Most game requires at least 3 gigs in their recommended settings so you should get atleast 4gig for optimal performance

@lowboy if you are asking how much performance you will lose if you don't use the optimus then it will really depend. As mention by nando and based on the results of the optimus vs non optimus the gains from using optimus can be from 20% to 100% percent depending on the games you play it on so it would be better if you could use optimus.

@wiktor96 are you asking on how to connect the diy vidock to the tv that only has a SCART connect and 2 phono inputs for video and audio?

 

Balls. Well, as the optimus update post said, hopefully there will be a way to unlock the Nvidia cards for optimus.

Ultimately gaming is a secondary priority for me, and I need the FHD screen.

 

My First Forum Post Ever!

Wow fantastic write up on how to over come the >3GB ram issues by nando4

http://forum.notebookreview.com/gaming-software-graphics-cards/418851-diy-vidock-experiences-63.html#post6295529

I can get everything working if I pull out the memory to get down below 2GB. Despite several attempts to use the cool DIY ViDock Setup v1.x utility I get stuck on step 1 sub step 5. I am unable to mount the .img file. I could not find a way to mount it natively in explorer ( i could un-mount my v drive but never get the img in its place.)

I downloaded magicISO in an attempt to mount it that way but it is unsuccessful and posts an unable to mount error. OK then I thought that I might not be defraging it correctly. I started over from scratch and used wincontig again as recommended in NANDO4's write up and noticed that after navigating and defraging that file that winconfig says that the operation was successful however the file was not fragmented to begin with.

I went and tried to use the other recommended "contig" program however I am afraid that I do not know enough to use it. When I go to run it it opens CMD and then closes. Clearly a ID10T error on my part i dont know.

Next I tried to burn that .img to a physical CD and use that but then i got the error " disk image is not valid". So I am stuck. I can not proceed until i can get that file mounted. Can this mounting issue be a limitation imposed by my domain admins? (this is my work computer)

Can any of you veterans help me out? Thanks in advance.

I am running a dell E6500 win 7 x64 + nvidia 9500GT successful with 2GB ram and want to be successful with 4 GB ram.

 

Welcome to NBR I've updated the instructions on how to mount the image from the CMD prompt as v: after you've installed imdisk. This should get you going so long as there are no UAC issues.

Code:

imdisk -a -f c:\DIYViDock-Setup-10e2.img -m v:

If your E6500 has 4500MHD then suggest load the Optimus driver, modify the INF to add the 9500GT and see if you get it's performance boost.

 

Wow nando4 thanks for the speed, fix, and the driver recommendation.

I will let you know what I find with the performance boost.

 

Troubleshooting FAQ​

Quick Links: Main page | SB eGPU notebooks | modded drivers | enclosures | Setup 1.x

13 July 2011: Troubleshooting FAQ moved to new page which will ideally document reoccurring issues. Contributions/edits are most welcome.

eGPU=external desktop GPU, iGPU=integrated GPU, dGPU=dedicated GPU

1. I have problems when running eGPU Setup 1.x
   
   
2. My system just boots to a black screen / my system hangs or BSODs while booting up to Win7
   
   
3. My eGPU is detected and drivers loaded but has an error 12: cannot allocate resources against it in Device Manager
   
   
4. My eGPU worked, then stopped working all of a sudden
   
   
5. My eGPU hangs, particularly when doing a lot of graphics processing
   
   
6. I can't play any game or run any benchmark for more than a minute or two before a complete system lock up - "black screen" of death
   
   
7. I get an error 42: cannot start device in Win7
   
   
8. [ATI] Device Manager lists my eGPU without any errors but has have no resources against it nor is any external LCD detected
   
   
9. I have a PE4L + DC adapter. The eGPU isn't detected/fan spins up fast.
   
   
10. (Update 26 July 2011) I get an error 43 against my eGPU in Win7.
    
    
11. My eGPU recognises the external monitor but when I make it the primary it doesn't "turn on" and I'm simply reverted back to my internal LCD
    
    
12. Upon powering my eGPU, the fan on the eGPU just spins faster and the card isn't detected.
    
    
13. I have problems running an NVidia eGPU with a internal Nvidia dGPU.
    
    
14. Lenovo Thinkpad/Dell Latitude: I boot with the expresscard in my system. The internal LCD doesn't appear/work. Neither do I see x1.Opt performance (NVidia)
    
    
15. Installing Nvidia drivers with AMD/Intel switchable graphics gives an error
    
    
16. My mHDMI cable does not fit in my half-height PM3N.
    
    
17. (NEW 24 JULY 2011) Why does my USB/network/sound not working when enable my eGPU in Win7?
    
    
18. (NEW 24 JULY 2011) Optimus-related: I can't get internal LCD mode to work.
    

---

1. q1I have problems when running eGPU Setup 1.x. See eGPU Setup 1.x troubleshooting.
   
   ^top
2. q2My system just boots to a black screen / my system hangs or BSODs while booting up to Win7
   
   Poweroff your eGPU. Boot Win7. Standby (not hibernate) your system, poweron your eGPU, resume your system.
   
   ^top
3. q3My eGPU is detected and drivers loaded but has an error 12: cannot allocate resources against it in Device Manager
   
   Many notebook vendors' bios were never designed to accomodate a desktop eGPU so do not setup PCI configuration space correctly to accomodate it resulting in the symptoms below. This will affect the DIY, Villagetronic ViDock and MSI Graphics Upgrade Solution (GUS) external graphics solutions.
   
   [/TD]

   Symptom​	Requirement</FONT SIZE>	Details with solution <sup>1</sup></FONT SIZE>​
   Device Manager error 12: cannot allocate resources	Fix error	Problem explanation: Windows XP/Server 2003 do not reconfigure the bridge windows based on the requirements of a device behind the bridge. This leads to a classic problem where a PCI device cannot be started due to lack of resources on the bridge, even though enough device resources are available to the system. For reasons such as this, a platform configuration that configures PCI devices at boot time works best. Some systems with more than 2.5GB RAM have no bios allocated free 256MB PCI window to host the desktop eGPU. Need to configure this correctly using one of the methods below: Solution#1 (ATI) : Use DNA-AMD drivers as described. Solution#2 : Use Win7 to do a PCI relocation as described. Solution#3 : Use eGPU Setup 1.x PCI Compaction. Solution#4 : [XP or Win7_with_XP_drivers] - disable onboard graphics using eGPU Setup 1.x Solution#5 : install only 2.5GB/3GB of RAM, freeing 256MB of PCI Resource space. Solution#6 : Use Magma ExpressBox Full Driver described here.
   	Greater than 2.5/3GB RAM installed

   
   Examples Neither the DV2000 or the 2510P had an appropriate PCI bridge memory window defined by the bios. The DV2000 too didn't have a free 256MB window when equipped with 3GB of RAM, the 2510P didn't have it's bridge correctly configured. In both cases eGPU Setup 1.x was used to configure the PCI space correctly.
   
   ^top
   [*]q4My eGPU worked, then stopped working all of a sudden
   
   First thing is check your mini HDMI cable. 2 users requiring a replacement US$6-shipped cable to restore functionality.
   
   ^top
   [*]q5My eGPU hangs, particularly when doing a lot of graphics processing
   
   Check your PSU is delivering the required power OR swap with another more powerful PSU and test again. We've found cheap double-rail PSUs might not deliver enough power. Eg: a Shaw 680W PSU has a 12V/16A and 12V/15A rail. The latter rail was insufficient to power a GTX470 requiring 225W of power.
   
   Also refer to Panzer's fuse bypass on PE4H < 2.4 for GTX465+ eGPUs. PE4H 2.4+ can set a jumper at J4 to do the same bypass.
   
   ^top
   [*]q6I can't play any game or run any benchmark for more than a minute or two before a complete system lock up - "black screen" of death.
   
   Pretty much the same issue as for Q5. Likely the PE4H's fuse is kicking in upon detecting a very high load and shuts down the power to your eGPU. This will occur with any of the heavy duty gpus like a GTX465+ or GTX560+.
   
   The solution is to set the PE4H 2.4 fuse bypass jumper (near the floppy molex connector). Older PE4H can do Panzer's fuse bypass to accomplish the same thing.
   
   ^top
   [*]q7I get an error 42: cannot start device in Win7
   
   Standby (not hibernate) your system, poweroff your eGPU, poweron, resume your system.
   
   ^top
   [*]q8[ATI] Device Manager lists my eGPU without any errors but has have no resources against it nor is any external LCD detected
   
   This is a problem seen with onboard HD3450+HD6850 setups. The solution being a unified driver for both cards as provided by the DNA modded ATI drivers.
   
   ^top
   [*]q9I have a PE4L + DC adapter. The eGPU isn't detected/fan spins up fast.
   
   Set JP4 on the PE4L as described so it draws 3.3V from the expresscard or mPCIe slot. Can connect a USB cable b/w your notebook and the PE4L to provide additional 5V->3.3V (regulated) if you find it's still flakey.
   
   ^top
   [*]q10I get an error 43 against my eGPU in Win7.
   
   UPDATE: Use NVidia Verde 270.61 driver as described.
   
   First thing to replace is the mini HDMI cable. Could also be a faulty eGPU. Or if using a NVidia eGPU try:
   
   • Ensure your PE4L 1.5+ or PE4H 2.4+ has the PCI Reset Delay slider set to 0s rather than 7 or 15. If it's the latter then upon doing a resume-from-standby the card will be delayed leading to an 'unconfigured' state, hence the error 43.
     
   • Use Setup 1.x to load a PCI dump AND use the 258.96 Optimus drivers (becak)
     
   • Downgrade to 258.96 Optimus drivers (apollo-fox)
   
   (Update 26 July 2011)
   There is the Video cards->Initialize and Video cards->Save/Load dump features to eradicate error43. Ensure you are running the latest 275.33 Verde drivers + modded nvam.inf and the PCI reset delay slider on the PE4L 1.5/PE4H 2.4 is set to the 0 seconds position (not 7 or 15 seconds). Then proceed as follows:
   
   1. Boot eGPU Setup 1.x with 2GB installed, run Setup 1.x, select to Video Cards->Save. If you are hotplugging after bios boot then need to select Video Cards->Save(Win) and follow instructions generated from within Windows.
      
   2. Install 4GB of RAM. Boot Windows. Create a devcon with 4GB of system RAM installed:
      
      Code:

      \eGPU\eGPU-setup-mount
      v:\devcon\mkdevcon 

   3. Boot eGPU Setup 1.x,
      - select Video cards->Load to load the PCI space dump created when it was working with no error 43.
      - perform 32-bit PCI compaction on the iGPU+eGPU.
      - select startup.bat->edit, remove the 'call vidinit' since it might interfere with your load dump.
      - select Apply config.Run startup.bat
      - select Chainload mbr
   If still get an error 43, then repeat steps in (3) above but use 32-bitA PCI compaction method instead.
   
   ^top
   [*]q11My eGPU recognises the external monitor but when I make it the primary it doesn't "turn on" and I'm simply reverted back to my internal LCD
   
   If you see a brief flash on the external LCD then it could either be a faulty HDMI cable connected to the LCD or the PSU is insufficient to drive the eGPU to actually display something. I did encounter a intermittently faulty HDMI cause this problem.
   
   Also, Optimus drivers newer than 258.96 will cause this if using a DVI-to-VGA adapter.
   
   ^top
   [*]q12Upon powering my eGPU, the fan on the eGPU just spins faster and the card isn't detected.
   
   This indicates the eGPU is either not on the PCI bus or isn't getting 3.3V. Try unplugging, replugging the mini HDMI cable (expresscard solution) or hotplugging the PM3N (mPCIe solution). If the card is still not detected then connect the setup to another system's expresscard slot. It may be either a faulty expresscard slot or mini HDMI cable. Worth testing the eGPU in a desktop system as well.
   
   ^top
   [*]q13I have problems running an Nvidia eGPU with an internal NVidia dGPU (supplied by nlooije/Khenglish)
   
   The trick is to get both an NVIDIA dGPU and eGPU working work under the same driver.
   
   This method assumes that the eGPU is detected in the device manager. If any errors such as code 12 or 43 are present check the corresponding items in the Troubleshooting section. If using the PM3N and it is not detected then maybe the mPCIe port is whitelisted, use the Setup 1.x to unwhitelist.
   
   • Download the latest drivers from the NVidia website or from this post by nando4.
   • Once the eGPU is detected, windows will automatically search for drivers through windows update.
     Cancel the search, and let windows install the standard vga drivers.
   • In the device manager, right-click uninstall the dGPU and eGPU NVidia drivers. Use CCleaner to search for any residual Nvidia driversoftware and delete further.
   • Install the latest Nvidia drivers. If everything went correctly then the installation software should ask permission to install the drivers twice, once for every card.
   • Reboot and cross fingers.
   
   ^top
   [*]q14Lenovo Thinkpad/Dell Latitude: I boot with the expresscard in my system. The internal LCD doesn't appear/work. Neither do I see x1.Opt performance (NVidia)[/URL]
   
   These system's bios will use the eGPU as the primary video if it detects it on bios startup. That means the iGPU will be disengaged. Problem then is the internal LCD won't work and neither will x1.Opt since they are both reliant on a iGPU to be the primary video card.
   
   Solution is to boot past the bios with the eGPU switched off, then either:
   
   • hotplug the EC2C by hitting F8 to stall the Windows boot proces
   • power on eGPU, resume in Windows
   • boot Setup 1.x and hotplug if need PCI compaction
   
   ^top
   [*]q15Installing Nvidia drivers with AMD/Intel switchable graphics gives an error[/URL] (supplied by appolo-fox)
   
   Installing Nvidia drivers with AMD/Intel switchable graphics may give you an error asking you to install Intel drivers first.
   
   Solution is to uninstall the switchable driver from your manufacturer (Lenovo in this case); system should revert to pure Intel driver via WinUpdate (if not, you will need to reboot and disable AMD discrete GPU with Setup 1.x and let WinUpdate install or download newest Intel driver from their website. The Nvidia installer should be content with the pure Intel driver and install correctly. After Nvidia installation, reinstall your switchable graphics driver.
   
   
   
   -> Intel driver provided by ATI (AMD). Nvidia installer exits with error.
   
   ^top
   [*]q16My mHDMI cable does not fit in my half-height PM3N mPCIe socket[/URL]
   
   Newer systems have been reported to have half-height mPCIe socket which may be limited in space for inserting a mHDMI cable due to the rigid connector.
   
   DIY solution:
   It is possible to strip the rigid connector to give the cable more flexibility and make more efficient use of the space. Use a sharp knife to cut along the ridge of the connector; be careful near the cable itself as the wires there are not protected. Inside the connector the wires are protected by a thick layer of solid glue.
   
   non-DIY solution:
   no commercial products have been found to solve this problem.
   
   (supplied by beatTheRestrictions)
   
   ^top
   [*]q17Why does my USB/network/sound not working when enable my eGPU in Win7?[/URL]
   
   Likely a PCI contention issue. Recommend setting up Setup 1.x, configured with a pci.bat (resulting from PCI compaction on your primary GPU + eGPU) prior to chainloading Win7.
   
   ^top
   [*]q18Optimus-related: I can't get internal LCD mode to work.[/URL]
   
   This appears to be the case if you attach your eGPU after Win7 boots. So either hotplug your eGPU at the Win7 bootloader menu (hit F8 to pause bootup). Another option is to install and configure Setup 1.x to detect and configure your PCI configuration space prior to chainloading to Win7.
   
   ^top
   

 

@kizwan if your port 1 is your other mini pcie slot then yes you can do a x2. also if you want to do x2 on the dell you will still need to open the casing to access the mini pcie port to do the x2 so it is best to go with the asus as the optimus does provide a big performance improvement

 

Thank you for the advice James. I'll report back when I have PE4H board with me.

 

Howdy, Nando gave me a push with how to mount to the V: drive, and I have successfully progressed through steps one and two on the write up below.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/gam...51-diy-vidock-experiences-63.html#post6295529

created a devcon.txt file and copied it to the V drive. I can not get this drive to persist through a restart but i am not sure if it needs to I can remount it again, and copy my devcon file over.

When I go to the next step on generating the boot disk from the jump drive I am unable to use the HP USB Boot Drive utility the link on the write up is down, and searching for the utility on google I found many links to the previous download page on HP's website where there is a splash screen saying "this is no longer needed so we removed it". I was able to eventually find a copy to download however when I ran it as admin all of the options including device and file system were grayed out my only option was start which did nothing. I tried a few other programs including PE builder, and even making a bootable CD through nero but I was not able to get any results ( a bootable device).

I gave that method a break and went on to the other optional win7 boot loader menuitem. I got through all of the steps fine but when it comes to its use I get get lost. It might be a bit past my skills at this point, but I would like to learn, I have read through all of the help files and have done the initial setup method but when I compact It is done with out reference to my devcon.txt previously generated. How can I link that up? Does my afore mentioned v: mount being non persistent across boot ups being the issue?

Lastly I was a bit confused if the express card should be connected but not be powered on when doing the compaction? At what point should I connect and power it on?

Which of the two methods (jump drive or menuitem) is the best/ most strait forward for an uninitiated such as myself?

many thanks
Rob

UPDATE:

I just replicated the symptom of the the all options grayed out when attempting to use the HP USB boot Utility on my desktop windows 7x64. I do not think that this behavior is related to the laptop nor DIY VIdock.

 

What I did was this:

1. Make the V: drive.
2. Put my devcon file onto that V drive.
3. Make an image of that V drive.
4. Use that new image to setup the win7 boot loader.


If I remember correctly.

 

Hi All

Many thanks for this great guide.

I have Dell Inspiron 1525 with the following specs:

3.0 GB Ram DDR2 SDRAM @ 667 MHz.
Intel Core 2 Duo T7250
Graphics - Intel Mobile 965 express
1 x Express Card Slot.

Several questions:

Will a DIY Vidock work for this laptop?

Can i use the power supply from a laptop as the PSU?

is there any preference between PE4L and PE4H?

Many thanks in anticipation.

DOm

 

@dommcg yes it should work since you have an express card slot. As for the power supply you could use the laptop adapter as a power supply as long as it can provided sufficient power to the card. The pe4l is cheaper but only can do x1. The pe4h has the possibility to do up to x4 plus it provides better support for your card

 

Got my thing today and with my X201 i7 620 Tablet I get 11400 points in 3dmark 06

Worked right out of the box with my HD5770

Just waiting for my 1.5 meter cable now so I can rearrange my desk.

 

Hey all this isn't DIY-related, or even laptop related, however, since I've been a regular contributing member on this forum, I felt it was my obligation & responsibility to inform everyone of the successful build of my 1st custom computer!

Specs:

Intel i7 930 2.8Ghz Processor
Rampage II Extreme MB
1.5TB 'Cuda 7200 RPM HDD (1 500GB, 1 1TB, for separate OS partition )
6GB Corsair Triple-channel RAM
EVGA nVidia GTX 470 1.28GB vid card (same used for DiY ViDock)
HX850 Corsair PSU
Sony Blu-Ray BWU-300S Blu-Ray Burner
D-Link Wireless Xtreme-N DWA-552 PCIe adapter
Creative SoundMAX 7.1 audio card
HAF 922 Chassis


What would specs be without scores, right?

Vantage score:


3dMark06 score:


FurMark:


Basically, the DIY-Vidock opened the door to realization of the true happiness that a high FPS can create

The legendary PE4H is currently residing quietly in it's anti-static bag, in the cabinet right above the HP HDX laptop it so faithfully formally served. I haven't decided yet if I am going to sell it, or keep it around just n case for future testing...

 

I thought it would be helpful to mention that I attempted to use a GTX 295 in a setup with no luck:

Toshiba Qosmio F55-Q502 with Windows 7 Ultimate 4 GB Ram
GTX 295
Corsair 650W Power Supply (12V @ I think at least 40 Amps)
PE4H with an EC2C

Everest sees the device as a PCI to PCI bridge with a GTX 295. At first I was getting the infamous black screen of death, which was remedied after the soldering with the Panzer fuse bypass. Unfortunately, while Device Manager sees the GTX 295 twice (the 295 has dual GPU's), after countless NVidia driver install attempts, Device Manager still reports a "!" with an explanation of "not enough resources" after a driver isntall and a successful reboot. This might coincide with nando4's explanation from the first post of this thread (2x256MB PCI-E space required).

Despite that warning I thought I'd give it a shot just for kicks. I'll be selling the PE4H kit I have on eBay soon since I no longer have interest in getting this to work, if anyone wants dibs before I auction it off feel free to PM me. It'll include:

PE4H with EC2C Express Card

PM3N PCIe Adapter (If this setup worked @ 1x, was going to attempt 2x)

All the fixins that came with the PE4H (Motherboard Switch, miniHDMI cable, screws, etc.)

Lesson learned, no GTX 295 and no Radeon 5970, or that fabled Asus Ares. Maybe it would of worked if I attempted 2x, but I seriously doubted it and didn't want to open up my laptop for a 3rd time to test again with the PM3N.

 

F55 uses a PM45 chipset and has onboard GeForce 9700 GTS. Use DIY ViDock Setup 1.x to perform 36-bit PCI allocation on the GTX295 then chainload into Win7 and see if that corrects your resource issue.

 

I performed 36-bit PCI allocation to my GTX 295 via the DIY Setup via USB with 1.0e and 1.0e2. The menu-based prompt says that 512MB is free with 1.0e2 when I allocate 36-bit to everything and it proceeds chainloading, but the system hangs on the "Starting Windows" screen where those 4 spheres merge to form the windows logo. If I attempt 36-bit allocation to just the video card, the system says that it can't find any PCI solutions. 1.0e can't find any PCI solutions whatsoever.

When the Express card is disconnected, even if I play around with random settings with either version (1.0e or 1.0e2) and proceed to chainloading, it'll still hang on the same screen. That being the case, it's not the card that's causing the system to hang.

At this point I'm thinking maybe removing the built-in graphics card, which is simple since it's MXM, might do the trick. Maybe I'll try it some day, since opening the laptop is a chore.

On a sidenote, in 1.0e, there is an option to disable the internal 9700M GTS, which yielded the same results of freezing at the Starting Windows screen.

 

That should not be the case. Try selecting just the GTX295 via the menus. If have no success via the menus perform a compaction at the commandline followed by chainloading to Win7. Use 'lspci -tv -n' to identify vid:did of GTX295.

Code:

compact pciend 310000000 useonly [vid:did of GTX295] import \config\devcon.txt
grub4dos w7

If the GTX295 isn't detected when you hotplug it in DOS then the compaction will fail in which case try to allocate it into 36-bit space manually as shown here.

 

Hi, I need the exact measures (especially the max. thickness) of the PM3N-Adapter. I plan to integrate it into a X60 Thinkpad and i hope that it will fit under the palmrest. How thick is a mini-HDMI-Plug?
If the PM3N with a plugged in mini-HDMI-Connecter will fit under the palmrest it will be no problem to route a flatcable out of the pcmcia-port.

Thanks for the information

Greetz...

 

Ok, my experience with ViDock
This is the link to the Futuremark website for the test: -link- (4934 3DMarks)
And the resident evil test gave me average of 26.4FPS.
The PC is a HP Pavilion DV9690en (Upgraded from 2GB RAM to 3GB)
No setup script was used, just hotplugged.
Also, the chipset is ICH8M.

Thanks nando4 and other for the wonderfull info here in this thread.

P.S: Create some sort of webiste to post all the news and info/instructions, cause its really hard to track a forum for news

 

lspci and the GUI report both GPU's within the GTX 295, 10de:05eb and 10de:062a. Not sure if there is a separate syntax to allocate both simultaneously.

Attempted to allocate each vid:vid separately, getting the same PCI error via DOS prompt.

For the curious, when I boot into Win7 with the card plugged in, and powered on, prior to booting the laptop, the 9700M GTS shows up as disabled due to "Code 12 Not Enough Resources." The GTX 295 does not show up in Device Manager, but is seen via Everest. The laptop LCD works despite this, @ 800 x 600 max, which allowed me to check Everest and Device Manager.

Thanks nando4 for the continued support and tips. Even if this never works, this proof of concept was an interesting experience.

 

Little question: My friends got a Samsung R something laptop, but with a fried GPU (BIOS gives signals on turn-on), is it possible that you could launch it with a ViDock?

 

it might be possible. I could launch my laptop with the vidock as that was my work around when i had the resource allocation problem but for it to work the gpu can not be detected by the laptop. In my case i had an mxm card so i just disable the pin that was sending the PRSNT#1 to the motherboard. Do note that this method disables the lcd screen on the laptop so you have to use the external screen.

 

can anyone tell me how to do the grub4dos thing when u install the diyvidock setup? I have no idea and I don't want to throw away gtx460 with all kits
I have win7
help sos ㅠㅠ

 

Hi all,

this is my first post here. First I want to thank moralhazard and nando for the great help with pll-pinmod and typhoonburner SPD-flash guidance of other threads.

Now I stuck with my diy-vidock. I read this thread since 08/2009 and e totally with you. But I'm unlucky with the board diagramm of the Quantas 31ZY8MB0000. It shows the ICH9M configured...
pci-x1 = firewire + cardreader
pci-x2 = free expresscard slot
pci-x3 = wired RJ45 lan
pci-x4 = mpcie1 wlan
pci-x5 = systembus (esata, bluetooth...)
pci-x6 = mpcie2 tv-tuner

So I have no chance to link two ports.
Maybe it's interested for same owners?!?!

Bye +the show must go on
Tom

 

I'm playing with the thought of getting me a nice new office notebook and using the vidock 4plus for some heavy gaming.
To get the most out of the graphicscard I'd need to get a laptop which obivously supports the bandwidth, only possible solution here would be to wait a few more months till laptops with PCI 16x / PCI3.0 are available, right?


Is it possible to just connect a TV card over USB and get around the issue of having to connect an external display? As in, let the laptop display run over the integrated card, and have the 2nd desktop/display as a 2nd monitor which you can see via the TV card application.

 

@Xenitic a quote from the first page "Not feasible with USB 2.0 systems. The notebook's LCD display uses a LVDS input on your systemboard with no external jack to connect to it. The desktop video card outputs HDMI/S-Video. To try to "clone" the output from the desktop video card via a USB frame grabber is feasible, but consider say 1280x800x32-bit = 4MB per image. If gaming at 30FPS that's 120MB/s bandwidth required. USB 2.0 is 480Mbps (60MB/s in *best case* scenario.. more like 30MB/s in real-life)."

 

Hey guys, been a while.

Anyways I upgraded from 8800GT to GTX 460, some good improvement.

I redid the DMC4 benchmark with dx10, here are results.


Got A rank, though one thing I will say about my card, on the website it is listed as 3600 Memory speed, but on GPUZ it reported at 900 Mhz, and on nvidia Monitor it is listed at 1800. On Tune settings in controll panel, under default clock it is listed as 1800 MHz as well. I might contact Zotac to see what is up with that.

Anyways yea all other games run good, SC2 runs fine, AC2 runes better, Bad Company 2 also runs well Dx10 now.

 

ram is 900 but gddr5 is x4 the speed = 3600