DIY eGPU experiences

Try a program called "lexar usb format". I personally couldn't get my laptop to boot from USB, so I'm stuck with using 2gb.

If anyone can provide any insight as to exactly why having *more* RAM causes resource allocation conflicts and having *less* does not, please enlighten us as this does not seem very intuitive. Is it possible at all to resolve error code 12 in a simpler way?

 

DIY ViDock Setup 1.x superceded software/information below. Information left for legacy purposes.

DIY ViDock Bootdisk Installation Instructions

The instructions below create a USB or floppy bootable drive to overcome error 12: cannot allocate resources errors in XP/Win7. This should ideally be sorted by your BIOS or Windows, though in at least the 2510P's and DV2000's case it isn't. grub4dos is then used to chainload your XP/Win7/Linux bootloader.

Instructions

All files mentioned below are downloadable from the DIY ViDock Repository.

1. download and extract DIYVDOCK-xx.rar to c:\DIYVDock, where xx is the latest version.
2. Install and run HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool ( HPUSBFW_2.2.3.zip). It will create a DOS bootable USB stick. Choose Create a DOS Startup Disk Using System Files located in C:\DIYVDock.
3. Copy C:\DIYVDock files to your USB drives root directory (eg: H:\) using Windows Explorer
4. Boot the DIYVDock USB boot. It will prompt you to 'edit' the supplied 2510P.bat or DV2000.bat for usage on your system. Alter the following lines as appropriate:

Code:

set sys=HP_2510P
set port=1
set io_win=2020
set mem_win=CFF1C001
set vid=ATI

5. Uncomment entry in autoexec.bat to allow automated run of your batch file.
6. Now can use your USB bootdisk to allow desktop video graphics to work.

NOTE: latest examples of config_files are in the DIY ViDock repository -> PCIScripts folder

Win98SE DOS DIY ViDock Bootdisk instead?

A report here come that a Asus N61JQ required a Win98SE DOS bootdisk instead of the supplied FreeDOS version, otherwise the USB stick wouldn't boot. I'm not sure what the copyright issues if a pre-made Win98SE bootdisk was made with the tools, so instead below are instructions on how to create your own Win98SE DOS DIY ViDOck bootdisk:

1. Download a Win98SE DOS bootdisk image from allbootdisks.com
2. Use WinImage to mount the image and extract to a DOS directory.
3. Use HPUSBFW_2.2.3.zip to format the USB stick, pointing to the DOS directory for the system files
4. Extract the DIYVDOCK-xxx.rar to the USB stick, ensuring you don't overwrite any existing files (autoexec.bat is OK) - also from Repository.

Automating the bootup so don't need a USB bootdisk

Initially advise using the DIY ViDock USB bootdisk to setup your PCI scripts. Once tested and working to your satisfaction, then automate the process to speed up the boot without needing a USB stick by one of the methods below:

[XP/W7] Using grub4dos's grldr to load your DIY ViDock disk image

(i) Using WinImage, save your final scripts (eg: autoexec + 2510P.bat) to the DIY ViDock bootdisk image
(ii) save grub4dos' grldr to c:\
(ii) create c:\menu.lst

Code:

   title DIY VIDock
   map (hd0,0)/DIYVdock-conf.img(fd0)
   map --hook
   chainloader (fd0)+1
   rootnoverify (fd0)

(iii) Add grub4dos' grldr to the bootmenu as explained for Vista/W7 or XP. Note. Use direct mapping to be able to save to the disk image as explained here. See other DIY ViDock user's notes about this here.

[Linux] using grub or grub2 to boot DIY ViDock bootdisk image

If you have grub installed then can have a automated AND fast bootup without needing a floppy or USB disk. Once you have a working floppy/USB DIY VIDock bootdisk completed, use DIYVDOCK-xx.IMG. 'dd if=/dev/xxx of=/boot/VIDVDock-xx.img' to save it as an img file, adding entries below. This boots a ramdisk and is recommended for it's much faster bootup than using a USB stick or s-l-o-w floppy disk.

Code:

title           DIY ViDock PCI Bridge Configuration  
root            (hd0,0)
kernel          /boot/grub/memdisk
initrd          (hd0,0)/boot/DIYVDock-xx.img
quiet

Can edit the bootimage in Linux with:

Code:

$ losetup /dev/loop0 /boot/DIYVDOCK-xx.img
$ mount   /dev/loop0 -o loop /media/floppy-image
$ cd /media/floppy-image
[ edit the files using vi ]

You'll need to grab syslinux and copy memdisk to make this work.

Code:

$ apt-get install syslinux
$ cp /usr/lib/syslinux/memdisk /boot/grub/memdisk

[Linux] Add entries against your grub2 OS boot item

Means don't even need to boot the DIY ViDock bootdisk to do memory/PCI config space using setpci/pt. grub2 1.98 provides setpci AND write_xxx commands to do it. If have an older version of grub2, then need to convert setpci commands to memory writes as shown here.

Tools used

• pt.exe as part of peridos. Everything that Baredit can do in Windows, pt.exe can do in DOS, plus it can also write to I/O ports too. This is incredibly useful for our purposes. It can read/write/save/dump PCI Registers/IO and 32-bit memory space. Though for individual PCI Device Configuration space modification I used setpci instead, since it's syntax is the same for Linux.
• grub4dos to allow chainloading from DOS to XP/Vista/Win7/Linux.
• setpci/lspci, pcitool to query and modify PCI Configuration Registers. pcitool is a DOS component delivered with PCIScope, Professional PCI probing utilities. Useful to capture all the configuration space (pcitool /DB:all) then import it in PCIScope for Windows for analysis or comparison.
• atiflash to scan the bus to identify ATI video card is present.
• nvflash to scan the bus to identify Nvidia video card is present.
• Freedos provides a DOS environment. edit and choice from a DOS bootdisk.

Copyright?

I hope there has not been any infringement of copyright using these tools. Pls PM nando4 on if that has inadvertently been the case.
______________________________________________________________________________________

See explanation here.

 

So does the memory issue not exist on a 64bit OS?

 

Can you please help me with this nando

Thanks, Ben

 

Hi guys,

First of all, thank you all for all the time dedicated to this project. Also, I have received my PE4H device a while ago and wanted to share my experience as well.

My laptop is a Dell Inspiron 1501 (Amd Turion X2 64, 2.5 GB Ram, Ati X1150) running Windows 7 32bit.

I removed the wireless card and plugged in the PE4H module with a HD 4670 1GB DDR3 card - external PSU. I also bought a mini HDMI cable from ebai - 1.5m for 4£.

Everything worked flawless - plugged everything in, restarted, card detected, drivers on - good to go. So far I have tested the solution on XP 64bit - same as above - first run.

I do ocasionally get some blue screens on W7 - though I'm not sure its because of the video card.

I don't have enough time to post benchmarks as I haven't done any - but I can say that the difference is supprisingly.

Just one question - to finish this post, what do you think the odds are to have it working 2x mode with an express card as well?

Many thanks and keep it going!

 

do you need an express card slot for this.

will it work with the gateway m6874h model

i just have hdmi,usb, and vga plugs.

 

I tried with a 4gb sodimm, it wont work ...

 

Moved to it's own post at http://forum.notebookreview.com/sol...e-ews720-zif-ssd-user-review.html#post6952134

Optical Bay caddy for 2560P

Requirements

* HP 2560P
* Newmodeus $45 caddy
* Optical bay-to-esata convertor (


Installation

1. Peform [ ] to allow boot from the upgrade bay SSD/HDD.

2. Remove the 2560P's access panel, unscrew the 1xPhilips head screw securing the optical drive in place and slide it out.

3. Remove the original optical drive's faceplate and install on the caddy. If you do not have the original optical drive
then consider the steps here to use the optical drive weight saver to provide a matching faceplate.


4. Attach your SSD or HDD to the optical bay caddy.

5. Slide the caddy in the upgrade drive bay.

6. Start your system and enjoy having a second SSD/HDD tha you can even boot from.

Doing a RAID-O/RAID-1 installation across the primary and upgrade bay dives

RAID-0 allows striping across two identical disks. This in effect doubles performance
RAID-1 allows mirroring across two identical disks. This means if one drive fails you can use the other
without any downtime.

Requirements

* 2 identical SSDs or HDDs
* latest RST driver noting 11.x will support TRIM across RAID-0

1. Install second HDD in the caddy

2. Set the bios option to RAID

3. Install the RST driver, go to preferences...

Optional #1: external optical drive as e-sata unit

Use newmodeus $25 eSATAp cable to attach via the e-sata powered port.
+ neat single cable solution
- only usable on other powered e-sata notebooks

Optional #2: external optical drive as USB unit

+ inexpensive
+ versatible - can be used on any notebooks with USB ports (many)
- the pictured one works in Windows but I've never been able to boot a Ubuntu or Win7 DVD using this.

____________________________________________________________________________________________
DRAFTING - will become it's own post when done.

Renice X3 (SF1200) 1.8" microSATA SSD User Review

Note: Reviewed below is the 60GB product whose read/write speed is 75%/50% that of the 120GB or 240GB product.

Introduction

The Renice X3 1.8" microSATA SSD use a SF1200 controller delivering a affordable, high performance storage upgrade for SATA systems. It is available now for purchase from MyDigitalDiscount-US or from Renice-CN. Below is my user review of this product.

1.8": X3 plain black external housing	1.8": X3 conformal-coated internals	1.8": X3 in HP 2530P

Renice X3 1.8” microSATA specifications summary

Interface: 1.8” microSATA Price: 25GB-US$130, 60GB-US$200 120GB-US$300 240GB-US$500 Random 4kb reads | writes: 120MB/s | 40MB/s (measured 178MB/s | 102MB/s)

Seq read/write MB/s: 285/275 (1.8") (measured 206/102 Mb/s) Average access time: 0.1ms Power consumption idle/active: 0.5/2W

Installation

Installation was relatively straight forward. I placed the Renice X3 in a USB enclosure then did a block-for-block copy using Linux. Windows users could use the Acronis TrueImage 15-day trial demo instead.

Performance Comparison: Renice X3 versus msata HDD

Drive​	Standby/Idle/Active Power (W)​	Benchmark​
		CrystalDisk| PerformanceTest| atto​
Renice X3 (SF1200) 60GB 1.8" microSATA SSD	0.5/2.0​
120GB Toshiba MK1229GSG 1.8" microSATA SSD	0.4/1.2​

Test platform: HP 2530P SL9400-1.86 ICH9M.

The Renice X3 SSD is a very noticable improvement in performance over any HDD. Boot times decreased to less than a third, Firefox doesn't have momentary seek delays when scrolling windows or reading/writing cache, applications just popup instantly and there are no longer any HDD seek noises. Experiencing this sort of quiet speed makes it difficult to go back to using a slow, noisy HDD.

Power Consumption and Running Temperature
...
Garbage Collection

The SF1200 firmware has onboard GC as well as provides TRIM support. This ensures write performance is maintained at a peak.

One thing I did notice however was that write performance degraded after some usage, clearly seen from reduced sequential writes: 100MB/s to 65MB/s. Forums suggest that storing non-compressible data causes this. My solution to restore write performance was a secure-erase using hdparm, which erased the whole SSD.

Pros

• very fast 4KB AHCI read performance
• Win7 trim garbage collection maintains write performance
• internal automated garbage collection maintains write performance on XP installations

Cons

• 25/60GB product is slower than the pricier 120GB/240GB product.
• new product with no product history

Conclusion

The Renice X3 is one of the highest performance MLC msata/1.8" SSD at one of the lowest prices making it a very attractive upgrade.

---

Related links

• mSATA & 1.8" SATA SSDs available - competing products currently available.
• Renice support forum - direct interface to Renice engineers.
• Renice X3 firmware update - update to the newest if have any issues.

 

Nando, big thank you for your pointers.

According to Everest, my mini PCIe card is on port 2, so 0/1C/1 for port2.

Where can I find out if my Nvidia Geforce GT240 also uses register 24 for the prefetchable memory and register 20 for the non-prefetchable memory?

Thanks.

 

hi nando, thankyou for your instructions, but nothing has worked.

I followed everything to the letter, i formated like you said, i copied all the files to the usb from vdock folder. Then rebooted, it comes up with an error, something like" no boot media" then tells me to remove my usb/media and reboot.

Ive tried suspend and resume, everything i can think off.

Am i doing something wrong.
With the express plugged in it fails to boot bios.
It crashes and the screens go black once drivers have been installed, and then everytime i plug it in the screen goes black and doesnt do anything until i unplug the express card, then reboots.
If i disable onboard graphics, plug it in, it recognises it and works fine, but i cant use it because me onboard graphics arent on, so then i enable the onboard and it either brings up an error 43 for the vidock, or the screen goes blank and flashing white cursor apears and does nothing until i unplug the diy vidock, then it restarts itself again.

Sorry for these constant posts, hope no ones getting anoyed at me yet.
Does anyone have any sugestions?

Why wont it boot to usb? I can try and post a video on youtube tonight to show you all what im doing and what happens if it helps someone understand whats happening.

I wish this thing would work, is it just compatability with my laptop?

Many thanks, Ben

 

---

Original post

With < 2.5 GB, try suspend, plug EC2C, resume. If get an error 12: cannot allocate resources, then ask a tech-savvy friend to help you create the DIY ViDock USB Bootdisk.

If it blacks, reboots, sizzles then suggest tests your setup on another notebook to confirm no hardware fault.

I'd also ask if you could please keep post quoting concise, including your own. Keeps thread nice and trim.

 

you might have to format your usb drive as FAT16 - i had to get use a 2GB flash drive for that or enable 'usb emulation' in bios

 

in regards to x2 mode with the PE4H.

I have 1 express port in my HP ZD8000, however I do also have an PC Card slot.

I noticed the same company also makes a PC card to express adapter, here;
http://www.hwtools.net/Adapter/ECCBA_C01.html

They rate the transfer at 480 Mb/s .. not sure how that compares to express.

Has anyone considered using the ECCBA with EC2C to provide a second input to the PE4H ?

 

Also I have an "expansion port 2" could this be utilized for any input/output for our objective function? if nothing else than feeding video to the lcd ?

 

ok, im deciding between diydock and xbox 360.
my electronic and computer tech skills are non existant. can you confirm for me what i need to get this working?

ATI 5770 graphics card, 1gb version. (£130)
PE4L and EC2C ($55+shipping)
400 watt standard PC power supply (~£40)

is that everything? is there a better graphics card available for £130? cheaper power supply? (i dont have old laptop chargers)

how hard is it to get it all working? thanks.




--------------------------------------------------------------------

on a total side note, i had a thought about the whole memory allocation problem meaning <2.5gb of ram to be used. if you go to run and type "MSCONFIG", then "boot", "advanced options" it has an option for "maximum memory". has anyone tried changing this to 2.5gb, or to however much ram and video memory you have? aka, 4gb ram, 256mb intergrated graphics, +1gb external =5376mb?
anyone tried/know what the "PCI lock" option does and how it affects express port?

ross

 

PE4L won't fit with this 5770 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150447&cm_re=5770-_-14-150-447-_-Product
so look for something like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150462&cm_re=5770-_-14-150-462-_-Product though it has a capacitor close to where PE4L's psu connector will be, while sapphire, msi, his and gigabyte don't

cheap psu's http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...0058 1409743845&name=80 PLUS BRONZE Certified

dirt cheap exploding psu's http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010090058 4093&name=$10 - $25

i guess you're from UK so you'll have search for those items elsewhere other than newegg

-------
and you'll have to buy a monitor too
-------
you can have all kinds of errors in xp/7 (error 12 due to ram or 9200, errors 10, 43 or 37? because the driver can't start some new error noone has heard of), vista prolly won't work at all because you're mixing nvidia with ati

and you'll probably have to solder 1 contact on PE4L unless hwtools already put a jumper on it.. which i doubt since it's right underneath the card's full-length pcie connector

 

See Max_Headroom's HD5850 setup with custom enclosure + cheap ebay PSU. Worth noting that a HD4870 consistently outperforms a HD5770 in pretty much all benchmarks on the net due to it's 256bit DDR5 RAM setup. It's cheaper too, minus DX11 but does need a beefier PSU.

Considering a xbox360?? scott1620 uses it's chassis as an enclosure + PSU here. So could look like an xbox360

 

i saw max's setup a while ago and that was what convinced me this might be possible. the only other one i had seen was strewn across a kitchen floor or nailed to a plank of wood.

i have no intention of using the USB unless its needed for the project, but i dont own a soldering iron. would chopping it off with a hack-saw then putting electrical tape over the ends work? i like the look of the fully enclosed cards lol.

"and you'll probably have to solder 1 contact on PE4L unless hwtools already put a jumper on it.. which i doubt since it's right underneath the card's full-length pcie connector"
i have no idea what you just said. sorry!

also, is DX11 practical on the diydock? looking at dirt 2 dx9 vs dx11 benchmarks it seems to just half the frame rate for very little graphical gain, even on top end cards. would the x1 speed be able to do dx11?
if not il get a 4870.

 

Okay, the PCI config script worked for me!

I have an Acer Aspire 9525 Laptop core 2 Duo 2Ghz 667Mhz FSB.
Built-in graphics card is a Geforce Go 7900 GS 512MB

I'm using an external Nvidia GeForce GT 240 1GB 128-bit DDR3 with the PE4H connected to the mini PCIe slot

I'm on Windows 7 64 bit.

I used the 2510.bat config script with just minor modifications. I commented out the call whitelst.bat line since I don't need it and I substituted atiflash -ai with nvflash --list to display the detected nvidia video cards. The rest of 2510.bat is untouched. The mini PCIe port is already on port 2, so I didn't need to change port numbers.

I can use 2 different ways to get the external Geforce GT 240 working. I can use the config script, or I can hibernate windows 7, connect the GT 240 then resume windows. Unfortunately, in both cases I can only use 2.5GB or less of system RAM memory.

I still don't know why, but I'm sometimes experiencing random screen hangs when doing the benchmarks. I had to retry and reboot several times before being able to complete 3DMark 06 and Resident Evil 5 benchmarks. With RE5 the average framerate of the GT 240 running at 1x is double the Geforce Go 7900 GS running at 16x!

3DMark06 score with the GT 240 is 3431

Now, if I could get 2x working with the PE4H, and be able to use 4GB of system memory on Windows 7 64 bit, that would be great.

Thank you Nando4 for your config script, instructions and pointers on getting my NVidia card to work.

 

Update to my previous posts:

IT WORKS!

I ordered a PM3N, and my PE4L came to life (which confirms that yes, my expresscard slot is shot).

I borrowed the 4850 and PSU from my desktop, and after a couple reboots, I managed to have my 4850 as a secondary display. Since I was working on the floor, I shut down and moved up to my desk.

Interestingly enough, since moving to my desk, I can't get my laptop to recognize the 4850 anymore (still works fine in my desktop). I'll try again tomorrow.

 

Hi guys having some problems.

Ive got the PE4H and EC2C with a nvidia geforce 8800 gts and a 300w psu with a dell xps 1330 and samsung 28 inch monitor.

I Use the paperclip trick and I can hear the PSU working.
Everything is connected - the green light goes on the PE4H.

I used an adapter for the two 4 pin connectors from the PSU to get to the geforce card.

However there is no power to the geforce card. No fans moving.

Any suggestions? Please help.

Alexander

 

I also wanted to make a comment that Hwtool have been very supportive of an overcharge for import fees from fed ex. Hwtools accepted this payment invoice charged by fed ex, they accepted responsibility and offered 5 star customer support - recommended.

 

Hi there im having some problems with settings this up.

my setup is:

Dell XPS m1530
Win7 32bit
GeForce 8600m GT
the PE4H + EC2C
ATI HD 5770

(i know someone else on this thread has a very similar system only Win64 "Scott1620")

When i suspend the system and plug in the expresscard, my wifi disables as well as any attached USB devices. The card becomes visible in device manager but says no drivers installed (which they are).

What ive also tried is powering on the card and then the laptop immediately after (with the expresscard already attached). By doing this and booting up windows all my devices work and both cards are shown to be working correctly.

I dont know if its actually working though because i cant find any way to switch to the other monitor properly. Ive tried extending my screen in the screen resolution window from control panel and selecting the external card > display device on VGA. Ive also tried disabling the onboard card at the same time in device manager although nothing changes.

I have no idea why suspending the screen and plugging in the expresscard gives such weird results.

Ive tried using the USB boot disk but i cant figure out how to make one specific to my system.

Any advice would be much appreciated considering the cash invested into this project, thanks.

 

On windows 7, my Nvidia has the same primary and secondary graphics card activation issues as with ATI.

For the external card to work, the primary card has to be present and active. If I disable the primary card and reboot, I only get 800x600 display on my laptop screen only. The GT240 external card is not active and does not appear in the Nvidia Control Panel, even though Device Manager reports that the GT240 is working properly. So, the primary card has to be present and active on Windows 7.

Now, is there a config script to enable 2x with the PE4H? I connected the PE4H to both the mini Pcie port and the expresscard port, but still only get 1x. Everest even reports the expresscard on port 1 as being empty.

 

We have had zero confirmed examples of this working so far so it's a work in progress. Great that someone is having a go at x2.

OK - you'd need to confirm port1 and port2 are the expresscard and mPCIe ports by running in x1 mode through each of those ports independently. Please post everest screenshots of running port1 and port2 showing video card attached to either like this.

Once that is confirmed, modify DIY VIDock Repository -> config-scripts -> x2-conf.bat to hardset x2 link mode via the DIY ViDock bootdisk, test and report I hope some success. ::fingers-crossed:: Create the repository to make file management easier.

 

Here are screenshots.

1st connected to Mini Pcie port on port#2, then connected to expresscard port on port#1

I ran the x2-conf.bat script, but it doesn't leave the DOS screen. I substituted atiflash -ai with nvflash --list. Here are the last lines few that I have on the screen:

NVIDIA display adapters present in system:

<0> GeForce Go 7900 GS (10DE, 0298, 1025, 0096) H:--:NRM B:01, PCI, D:00, F:00
<1> GeForce GT 240____(10DE, 0CA3, 1682, 3002) H:--:NRM B:04, PCI, D:00, F:00

C:\>
C:\> ctty con

By the way, when selecting XP as the OS, it stalls also on the DOS screen. Could it be because the 7900GS is on B:01 as indicated above (bus 1?) and not on bus 0?

 

Yes, you have port1 and port2 as expressport and mPCie port. The x2-conf.bat is specific to my HP 2510P having offsets from RCBA=FED90001. You'll need to modify x2-conf.bat changing the config parameters based on your RCBA value. Other point is the ICH7M datasheet also only lists the Port Configuration (RCBA+0224h) as being either x1 or x4 as shown on the left. Not sure if really the ICH7M can do x2 as the ICH8M has listed. Maybe Intel have forgotten to ad an entry. In any case, a x4 link *may* work, just in x2 mode, or use 01h for x2 mode. Requires some playing around to see what works.

 

Thanks again for your pointers nando.

I pulled the important values from the ICH7M datasheet.

Root Complexe Base Address (RCBA) is 00000000h

Root Port Function Number (RPFN) is 00543210h (default standard value, so don't need RPFN override)

Root Port Configuration is at offset 0224h

So, in the x2-conf.bat, I substituted all occurrences of your RCBA=FED90001 with my RCBA=00000000

I then ran x2-conf.bat again. Nothing happens differently. It just runs the batch file and stops at the command prompt when finished. Do I have to manually type in "grub" to chain into the windows bootloader?

 

x2-conf.bat within it informs you how to find RCBA. I'd suggest:

1. modify x2-conf.bat offsetting from the RCBA address obtained by the first pt command as highlighted in RED+BOLD below
2. cut power to your video card and PE4H
3. run x2-conf.bat
4. power up your video card. This means it re-negotiates the link state.
5. run 'grub' to chainload your OS. Check link speed with GPU-Z in Windows
6. If no success, repeat 1-5, but change last highlighted line in x2-conf.bat to run in x4 mode instead.

x2-conf.bat

 

I just stumbled upon this whole ViDock phenomenon about an hour ago. It's late, and I'm confused. I have a Inspiron 1520 (specs in sig). It has an express-card 54 slot (26 pins). It is currently empty right now. I keep reading about people having to diable their wi-fi cards to get this to work. My wi-fi is built in. Do I have to disable my wifi in order to even attempt this set up?

From the pics of the setups I've seen, many people hook up the videocard and adapters straight to their expressport slots, but they also flip the laptop over and hook something under their laptop. can anyone explain this to me?

 

You don't have to disable the wifi if you have an express-card slot.

For those who don't have an express-card slot, they have to flip their laptop over, take out the wifi adapter from the miniPCIe slot and plug the DIY vidock into the miniPCIe slot.

 

Wow, this thread is very confusing to say the least

I've got a Lenovo U330 and it has the ExpressCard 34, so that's what I would use to hook this up. Seems like most people in this thread are using mini-PCIE, any advantage to using that over ExpressCard? Is there any weird driver hacks and coding required if you use the ExpressCard slot?

Edit: Upon further review, it appears here that he used both ExpressCard and mini-PCIE in order to run it at 2x, vs. 1x? Is that correct? The PE4H is 2x capable, so that means 2x PCI-E vs. 16x PCI-E (found in desktops)? Whereas running it just through the ExpressCard would run it at 1x PCI-E?

Edit2: OK so the PE4H allows graphics cards to run at 16x, but the only way you get 16x bandwidth is by opening up your laptop and plugging it into the mini-PCIe?

 

theres a lot of discussion on the mini pci because it gives much better performance when combined with the express port, but i think a lot of people are just using the express port.
theres no real advantage to using the pice slot instead of the express slot, just it increases the speed by about 20-30% when using both.

 

Gotcha. Well 20-30% is a substantial increase, so most likely that would be the route I'd like to take. If I wanted to go that route, the PE4H is the chip I would want? I don't see a model on the website that allows you to hook it into both ExpressCard and mini-PCIe

Edit: If I buy the PE4H-PM3N, do I still need to buy a 2nd PM3N if I plan on hooking it up to both the mini-PCIe and ExpressCard? The first post of this thread would seem to imply that.

 

A couple results with my attempt at x2.

I booted into my USB DOS stick and under DOS typed:

pt PCI rconf 0 31 0 4 0xf0

That returned the value 0xFED1C001 that I used as my base RCBA for all the other offsets calculations.

In my x2-conf.bat, I had to comment out the line:

pt MEM write 4 0xFED93418 0x0

That line enables and reveals PCIe ports 5 and 6 but prevents establishing an x2 connection.

0x11=x4 mode on port 1 doesn't work on my ICH7M southbridge. I only get x2

I followed nando4's instructions of powering off the PE4H and Geforce GT240, then running the x2-conf.bat, powering on again and then typing "grub" in the dos prompt.

Everest and GPUZ both report that I have established a x2 connection. Unfortunately, I get error code 12. I have to figure out what config script to use for the x2 configuration.

The Expresscard port is connected to the PCIe x2 connector of the PE4H
The mPCIe is connected to the PCIe x1 connector of the PE4H.

 

Woo-hoo! First sign of x2 1.0 working!! Your x2 link is established on port1. T5010.bat has had an attempt at a 8800GTX working so I assume your GT240 would require something similar to what's below. Defined for port1:

Fingers crossed, can't wait for benchmarks

Did you set your ICH7M link into x2 (0x01) or x4 (0x11) mode to get it to work in x2 mode?? x2 (0x01) isn't specified on the ICH7M datasheet, but is on the ICH8M. An oversight by Intel?

 

try this http://www.magma.com/store/productpdfs/drivers/FULL_FUNCTION_2_6.exe or disable your 7900

 

nando, you did point out that the intel ICH7M datasheet only had:

0x11=x4 mode
0x00=x1 mode

I had doubts that my 3 year old ICH7M could enable x4. I currently have it on 0x11 for x4 mode and it just gets downgraded to x2 mode. I also tried 0x01 for x2 mode and that works too, even if it's not in the datasheet.

The key here was to obtain the correct RCBA because everything else is based on that.

Also the following section in the x2-conf.bat:

:: enable all pci-e/usb/sata ports/controllers. Note: Enabling extra pci-e
:: ports that aren't electrically connected will just confuse things.
:: pt MEM write 4 0xFED93418 0x0

I had to comment it out because, although it enables and reveals unknown ports 5 and 6, I discovered it prevents the x2 connection, just like you're hinting in the remarks.

Also, port 1, the x2 enabled expresscard slot is connected to the PCIe x2 connector on the PE4H
port 2, the mPCIe slot is connected to the PCIe x1 connector on the PE4H. It didn't seem to work if I switch the wires.

So, I'm almost there.

 

Thanks for the suggestion of disabling the 7900GS.

Unfortunately, as nando and I have discovered, things are tricky on window 7.
The primary card has to be present and active for the secondary card to be activated. It' a weird behaviour on windows 7. I'm still waiting for a workaround.

 

Can't remember now, has anyone tried playing around with RPFN settings to get x2 ?
i.e. running "pt MEM write 4 0xYYYYYYYY 0x543210" with different combinations of 0x543210 (0x541230 to make Port 4 into Port 2 and so on)

 

ICH8M datasheet says in the RPFN description:

So for x2 mode still need physical port1 and port2 available for connectivity and cannot remap other ports to function in it's place.

The *only* unknown here, for anyone with a desktop system, is what happens when you mask out video card pci-e pins to work only in x4 mode, then mask out say lane 1 and 3. Does it work in x2 mode using lane 2 and 4?
For example, on my DV2000, expresscard=port1, mPCIe=port4.. connecting port1=lane1, port4=lane2 did not work in x2 mode.

If the desktop video card can work in x2 mode using other lanes (1-4), then would need to ask hwtools to re-ignite development of PE4M to allow ports to be connected to allow any available ports (port1-port4) to be connected to lane (1-4), matching their port order.

My last correspondance with hwtools had them announce stopping PE4M development due to customer returns/refunds because of error 12: cannot allocate resources problems that they didn't know what to do about. I asked hwtools to link to this thread off their website.

 

It shouldn't be too difficult to make PE4M out of PE4H with the adapter from LinITX.com plugged into it:
http://linitx.com/viewproduct.php?prodid=11773

It is IDE and provides an easy way to solder 2 extra lanes in a shape of mini HDMI sockets or direct soldering to HDMI wires.

 

Hi there.

Managed to get the power to my GPU and the fans are spinning.

I connect it to the laptop and.. nothing happens. Is there some software I need? Why is windows 7 not picking it up through the express card slot?

Alex

 

I plugged a mouse into the EC2C adapters USB port and the laptop picks this up. However the 8800 gts remains no where to be picked up. I have disabled the 8800 onboard card on the laptop.

There is no reason for me to suspect the 8800 gts card is damaged. I can check it in another computer if need be.

What are the other areas I should look at?

 

Thanks to Nando's help, I'm running in x2 mode on windows 7 with 4 GB System RAM

Now, Everest, GPU-Z and the Nvidia Control Panel all 3 report that I'm running at x2.

With the GeForce GT240 in x1 mode, 4GB RAM I get:

3dMark06=3464
RE5 Benchmark=37.3 fps


In x2 mode, 4GB RAM I get:

3dMark06=5197
RE5 Benchmark=47 fps

It could have been more. I think my 2.0 GHz 667 MHz FSB CPU became the new bottleneck.

 

UPDATE: DIY Vidock Setup 1.x makes the steps below obsolete . The information below is left as a legacy of the old way of doing things.

Getting > 2.5GB to work in Win7 with PCI Reallocation

PCI Relocation process below can be performed *without* buying/attaching a DIY ViDock.

- ATI cards require 32-bit PCI allocation. Win7 with a 64-bit CPU+chipset using Intel 4500MHD IGP can do the simpler IGP Reallocation instead.

- NVidia cards (9600GT+) can use 64-bit BARS (>4GB) using Win7/32 PAE or Win7/64.

Without a bios allocated 256MB window, the ATI driver will give a error 12:cannot allocate resources in Win7 with > 2.5GB RAM even *after* configuring the underlying PCI bridge, requiring workaround below.

1. There's no free 256MB contiguous window above TOLUD to accomodate the desktop video card. 2. Win7 requires an enabled primary adapter. Cannot disable it then hijaak it's 256MB window like can under XP.

32-bit PCI allocation can only occur above TOLUD to the 4GB boundary (FFFFFFFF). TOLUD, more often than not, cannot be altered as vendor bios lock it by setting D_LCK. See limitram.bat if you want to try anyway. Appears vendors set TOLUD to be mostly 3GB when 4GB is installed, providing 1GB for pci-e configuration space.

DIY ViDock users have so far resorted to removing RAM, which makes TOLUD smaller and frees at least one extra 256MB window. Not an ideal solution.

The Better Solution: PCI Reallocation

Spend 30min-1hr analysing the bios set PCI allocation and then override it with tighter allocation to free up 256MB of space. Performed with 100% success on 3 out of 3 systems below. The analysis of the fourth system, the Dell Studio 1555 found it didn't need reallocation. The fifth system, the Inspiron 14, had a too frugal bios allocated memory map so there isn't room to free 256MB of space.

Steps-by-step instructions

1. Without the desktop video card attached, boot the DIY ViDock USB bootdisk
2. Capture the default pci allocation as a snapshot with 'pcitool /DB:snapshot'
3. Load captured snapshot.bpd into PCI Scope to review the allocation. [Note: PCIScope BSODs on me in Win7, but runs OK in XP]
4. Use Device Manager->View->Resources By Connection->Memory and review PCIScope PCI device configuration data to relocate devices by creating a PCI Reallocation Script. Examples below.
5. Configure the PCI Bridge hosting the desktop video card to use the freed 256MB window.
6. Boot DIY ViDock bootdisk, run PCI Reallocation Script file to tighten up allocation. Run 'grub' to chainload Win7. Enjoy Examples below:

Alternative approach:
1. Run 'pt PCI map' to show your default mapping of devices
2. Run 'lspci -v -xx > pci.txt' to save your PCI configuration
3. Review the pci.txt output, noting the addresses currently occupied, relocating them to another area to free space. Done with the 'setpci -s <device>' command.

System	RAM	Chipset	PCI Memory Map			Freed 256MB area	PCI Reallocation Script
			TOLUD	Bios Allocated	Reallocated
HP DV2000	3GB	ICH7M	3.00GB	here	here	@3.25GB/D0000000	dv2000pr.bat
HP 2510P^1	2GB	ICH8M	2.00GB	here	here	@3.50GB/E0000000	2510ppr.bat
Acer 9525	4GB	ICH7M	3.00GB	here	here	@3.25GB/D0000000	9525pr.bat
Dell Studio 1555^2	4GB	ICH9M	3.00GB	here	N/A	@3.00GB/C0000000	N/A
Dell Inspiron 1440	4GB	ICH9M	3.50GB	-	N/A	perform the simpler IGP Reallocation

^1 for demonstration purposes only, as don't have a 1x4GB module for it's single slot
^2 - PCI Reallocation not application as it already has a free 256MB window

Disabling onboard graphics?

For further demonstration purposes, and unnecessary after applying the PCI Relocation Script, we see here that by disabling the 2510P's x3100 graphics resources using igp_disb.bat, we could have freed another 256MB @D0000000. This is a shortcut way to free a 256MB window if using XP or Win7-with-XP-video-drivers without desiring a dual-adapter setup. Win7 WDM 1.1 drivers, that provide aero support and DX10, do however require the primary video card active so cannot use this method.

Easier setup?

A request has been gone to a coder to create a DOS based program to run off the DIY VIDock bootdisk to do all this for you. Fingers crossed, we'll see something in the coming weeks.

 

Great discovery about the >2.5 GB Ram issue on Windows 7.

Is there a chance the PCI memory reallocation can work for me? The memory allocation structure for my laptop does not seem to be exactly the same.

The PCIScope snapshot was done with the full 4GB ram and without the DIY Vidock connected.

 

Since PCI Space is > C0000000 (3GB), your bios has set TOLUD to 3GB. You have devices using D0000000 space that can be moved to F0000000, freeing up the 256MB at D0000000.

I viewed the PCI Config registers of devices that sit in the D0000000 256MB space by loading your snapshot into PCIScope, creating a setpci/batch file to move any address that start with D to a F (ie: Dxxxxxxx -> Fxxxxxxx).

The result is below. Suggest trying initially without attaching your desktop video card. You should just have the PCI Bridge (Port1) at D0000000 shown in Device Manager. Once confirmed, run your x2-conf, then 9525pr.bat, chainload your OS with grub, enjoy

Code:

@echo off
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:: 9525pr.bat - Acer 9525 PCI Reallocation
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:: Free up D0000000(256MB) to then host the desktop video card.
:: on port1 (0/1c/0).
::
:: The following setpci commands will only make sense if you viewed
:: alongside the PCI Scope snapshot file and screenshot of MEM map.
::
:: You may get an error on the writes to 0:1c.1, 0:1c.2, 0:1c.3 (port2-4) as
:: they will disappear when you disable them with your x2-conf

echo [ 9525pr.bat ] Performing PCI Reallocation..

setpci -s 0:1.0 20.w=F500
setpci -s 0:1.0 22.w=F6F0

setpci -s 1:0.0 10.l=F6000000
setpci -s 1:0.0 1C.l=F5000004

setpci -s 0:1C.3 20.w=F800
setpci -s 0:1C.3 22.w=F9F0
setpci -s 0:1C.3 24.w=F001
setpci -s 0:1C.3 26.w=F1F1

setpci -s 0:1C.1 20.w=FA00
setpci -s 0:1C.1 22.w=FAF0
setpci -s 0:1C.1 24.w=F301
setpci -s 0:1C.1 26.w=F3F1

setpci -s 0:1C.2 20.w=FB00
setpci -s 0:1C.2 22.w=FBF0
setpci -s 0:1C.2 24.w=F401
setpci -s 0:1C.2 24.w=F4F1

setpci -s 0A:7.0 10.l=FC000000

setpci -s 0:1E.0 20.w=FC00
setpci -s 0:1E.0 22.w=FC00

setpci -s 0A:6.1 10.l=FC015000
setpci -s 0A:6.1 14.l=FC010000

setpci -s 0A:6.2 10.l=FC014000

setpci -s 0A:6.3 10.l=FC015800

setpci -s 0:1D.07 10.l=FC304000

setpci -s 0:1F.02 24.l=FC304400

:: Your x2 port1 is connected to 00:1C:00 bridge.
:: Set it to use the D0000000 (256MB) Window which should be free now.
:: Also Nvidia requires an additional 48MB window which we'll allocate at F0000000
setpci -s 00:1c.0 1c.w=2020
setpci -s 00:1c.0 20.l=F2FFF000
setpci -s 00:1c.0 24.l=DFF1D001

You're setting the lead with the x2 1.0 link. A HD58xx at x2 1.0 with 4GB RAM would provide some stunning results.

 

Hi ,
Im out of this topic ... and i would like to know
I have one Sony Fw, external monitor, px8800gt video card !
What the best way to make work !

 

I too am having some issues figuring out what to change when doing the reallocation. Also my snapshot.bpd file is showing everything as unknown. Can someone please take a look at these files and give me some guidance? I would appreciate it greatly.

Thanks for your help and time,

Mike