DIY eGPU experiences

Ok i will try that
And you think its just from the drivers this issue?


(hm do they have for this PE4L board an adapter for AGP or an AGP2PCI-e adapter for tha laptop? )

 

Hey guys. Typing on an iPad so sorry if this comes out messy.

I am going to university next year and deciding between the Sony vaio sb and the think pad x220. The only real advantage the sb has is the graphics card.

Do I need to get an external monitor to utilize a graphics card? And also, is there such thing as a super super tiny and compact power supply that would power a midrange graphics card to play deus ex human revolution on??

Also, what graphics card would you recommend to play deus ex human revolution on medium settings?

 

no switchable graphics, just IGP. At first error 43.
My setup is on the first page,
p8600+gtx460Se opt x1

Follow my post for more details on how to do the setup. I have put enough details in there for ppl to follow.

 

OK. I'm starting to do the experiment . I decided for this and my lab will be:
PE4H-PM3N ver2.4 Package
430 watts PSU
GTX 580

 

Oh! I'm waiting for watching the highest mark

 

Hello,

I have a newbie question - I'm trying to create a DIY ViDock and want to know whether it is possible to get a newer graphics card (I'm looking at the ATI 6950 2gb card here) - of course with the appropriate power supply.

Will I be able to realize the full potential of this card (or any of the current-gen cards)?

For reference, I have a Dell XPS 1530.

Thanks!

 

dont think any of these DIY solutions can utilize the card fully because of the bandwidth limitations of the connection between computer and card.

 

You're right, I started reading this thread from page 1 (about 100 posts deep at this point) to get a better idea. Still have a few things going over my head, but just in general, given my Dell XPS 1530/4gb/T9300 2.5ghz with its ICH8M chipset and assuming money was not an object (well, within reason and as long as it does not reach the cost of a desktop gaming rig ), what's the best setup I could do?

Would it be the PE4H combined with the 1.25TB nVidia GTX470 as listed by nando4 in this post?

I assume that the GTX470 card is suggested because it would not be possible to obtain better performance even with a faster card given the limitations of the ExpressCard interface. Is this right?

 

"My laptop battery died about 2 years ago".

The laptop's li-ion battery would last about 2 to 3 years.

 

The link width and speed will determine the performance you'd get. Now your XPS 1530 cannot do a x1.Opt or x2 link but can do x1E. The x1E makes ATI cards like a HD5770 or HD6850 attractive. ATI cards tend to perform better with DX9 applications.

Then again a GTX460 performs better in DX10/DX11 and is certainly no slouch in many DX9 games. It's Optimus capabilities making it a better card to re-deploy on an IGP-equipped notebook, so consider even a system changeover to accomodate Optimus. This is covered in 2. Which video card do you recommend for best performance on my system? on the first post.

Also refer to HD5750 versus GTX460 on x1 and x1E links (T9300-2.5, ithildin) for a similar specced system to help you decide which card to use on your XPS1530. There is also a both a GTX460 and HD5770 (not x1E) M1530 implementation on the first post. Your system has good coverage.

 

That's very helpful nando4, thanks! I'm leaning towards an nVidia card because of the better DX10/DX11 performance. I also have an nVidia card on board (256mb 8600M GT).

I'm guessing it would be hard to tell without testing, but would performance be significantly better with a card like the GTX 560 or the 2gb ATI 6950? i.e. would the performance improvement be similar to these benchmarks?

Or does this go back to the point about the link width and the speed?

 

Okay... here goes something?

I've been thinking about either going to a newer Sandy Bridge notebook or putting some upgrades on one of my current existing Montevina systems. I have both a ThinkPad X200 as well as a T500, the specs for both are listed in my sig.

I'd like some more GPU grunt so I'm definitely considering a Vidock4+ combined with either a GTX460 or GTX470. I'm not sure how much performance difference there would be between the two cards since I'm assuming the ExpressCard bandwidth limitations will be a bottleneck.

As well as the ViDock, I'm likely going to be modifying other components of either notebook, depending on how much performance I can eke out of either system. If I choose the T500 I will be upgrading the processor to a T9900 and bumping the RAM up to 8GB among a few other things.

If I choose the X200 it's going to be a bit of an experiment, one which I don't think has been tried before. Prices on X201 motherboards have dropped down to a reasonable level, and I'm considering retrofitting the X201 board into my existing X200. I've found a reliable source for boards with the i7-640M CPU, which would be a healthy upgrade from what I have now at the very least. I'm no stranger to this sort of modding as I've done an X60s to an X61s swap; and I recall from a post on this thread that this particular notebook/ViDock combination churned out a very healthy 13K 3DMark06 score. I'll admit having the power of my old XPS M1730 in an ultraportable-sized footprint is very attractive.

Also, how do multiple monitors work on the ViDock? I know I can use the internal LCD when I'm on the notebook itself, but if I could get the external card to run three or four external monitors when I'm at my desk that would be completely awesome.

I've read up on the ViDock route a little bit but really need more information; with this topic at 300 pages it's really hard to find specific information on what I should do. Any ideas on which notebook I should upgrade, and what challenges I would face with doing this?

 

I don't mind seeing EC2C type card with a Thunderport.

I have bought thier EC4U USB 3.0-to-ExpressCard adapter.

 

Hey guys,

I was wondering if you can help me, since you have found a way to build a Vidock from scratch.

I've recently purchased a ViDock3 and i've added an ATI HD5570 as graphic card. I've connected the ViDock to my laptop through pcmcia express. The Vidock get illuminated, the viedeo card fan works, the USB ports in the front panel works completely if i link every sort of USB device, however my computer after recognizing the Vdock as HUB Usb and PCI-e connector does not see at all the Video card.

Any idea how to solve it ???? Villagetronic support is totally vanished

I'm running W7 Pro 64 bit on a Fujitsu-Siemens Lifebook

Thanks in advance

 

A NVidia card can run two displays. Three displays requires a HD5400+ or better with the third requiring a special adapter, four with certain (pricey) FirePro cards like 2450, 2450x1, and 2460.

In Win7's Display Properties can arrange these monitors as a stack, lengthwise or a combination of both so moving the mouse off the edge off one monitor goes to the next. Any monitor can be assigned to be the primary display where the startmenu appears and applications popup on as default. A monitor can also be disconnected so displays nothing. Win7 gives a lot of flexibility.

Specific information covering many topics summarized from discussion in this thread is in the first post. No need to pour over 300+ pages.

See My Villagetronic ViDock2/3/4 isn't working. Can you help? on the first post.

 

Can you guys help me out?
My system is a Win7 64, Core 2 Duo with an integrated 4500mhd and 4GB RAM. I got the PE4L and I'm trying to make it work with a Geforce 8600GT.

I could successfully use it by hotplugging the card when leave the system with only 2GBs of RAM, but when I install all the memory it gives me a blue screen either immediatelly or after up to a minute.

The solution then is probably the ViDock setup, which I installed but I don't think I understand how it works. I'm leaving here my DIAG folder - Download DIAG.rar from Sendspace.com - send big files the easy way . Could you guys show me exactly what I have to do on the setup application?

Just one more question:

When I made the DEVCON.TXT file, I was on Windows WITHOUT the card plugged in. Is it right? Or should I remove 2GB from the computer in order to make the card work again and then create the file?

Thank you very much! I got the PE4L a month ago, but only now I could make it work when I decided to try and remove some RAM. It brought my hopes up again : )

 

Only recognized now that i deleted some part of the html code to quote......... and it was not quoted

However it does not work... the laptop does not detect the card but only an USB HUB....

I'm really desperate since i've spent hours on this....... any suggestion will be really appreciated, Nando4 u seems to be the only one with extensive experience in this....let me know if i can get in touch with u by skype

otherwise I have to ask for a refund to Villagetronic.... if it works....

 

Hi all... (im new here! even on forums sorry)

First of all im planning to buy this pci-e passive adapter...

BUT first (questions):

-Wich one is better (regarding recommendation) (performance) : PE4L or PE4H?
-Sorry for the newbie question: What is the USB port on both PE4* doing? (power?)
-For those 4-ports (pe4h) can we connect both pcie and mpci? (increasing performance ) i know silly question. Just to make sure.
-Should i buy the PE4* or i should wait for the next release?
-Is this really for test purpose only? (or just non-friendly setup?)

* you can see my notebook specs on my profile.

Sorry for the questions... I cant wait for the next guide you will release!

Special thanks to nando4 ...

I will appreciate your help! (sorry for my bad english "grammar" {if there was...})

 

Hey i just noticed today that 3dmark11 came out 3 months ago. At stock with a 1GB gtx 460 running x2 and a 2.53 6MB c2d I got P2427. At the top clocks I could complete the test at (3035 cpu, 910/2140 gxf) I got P3046.

Below is a comparison to the most similar system to mine that I could find on the results comparison page:



He had around 20% cpu speed over me while I had 1% higher gfx clocks. 3dmark11's graphic's tests seem to be very cpu light, so I think that my lower scores are due to the PCI-E link.


On a side note, spring break is next week and I have an idea to try to do x4. Probably won't work but I don't think I'll break anything.

 

hello everyone:smile:


i finally manage to get a some time to rerun the benchmarks with Physx set on CPU on my computer and without further ado, ladies and gentlemen let me present to you the results


my computer is call Acer Extensa 5620z-4801 and i upgraded and modded almost all parts on it. its current specification and other stuff are as follow
-Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2Ghz 4MB L2 Cache 65nm MEROM CORE
-4GB DDR2 800
-320GB Hitachi 5400RPM SATA II



the kit i have is PE4H 2.4 + EC2C(expresscard) running at x1
-Galaxy GTX 460 GC 768MB
-Dell 2007WFP 1680x1050(external monitor)
-OCZ StealthXStream II 500w



NOTE: I am using TweakForce 266.58 Desktop Drivers


result using Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2Ghz

Spoiler

and now using Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2876.1Mhz

NOTE: i TME-Unlocked and used throttlestop to lock my multiplier to x12

Spoiler

 

masterjumong2012 looking at your overclocking results, it looks like you locked your PCI-E clocks and only overclocked the cpu and ram. There is probably an option to also have your PCI-E scale with your cpu clocks to get 20% more pci-e bandwidth. It's not a guarantee that everything will be stable though (my ethernet chip goes unstable at 4% OC, but I just say screw it and use wireless).

 

i tried upping my PCI/PCI-E clocks by about .5(the smallest possible increment) but as soon as i select setfsb, it would result in BSOD or my computer would lock up

i also raised my cpu voltage to the max available and tried upping PCI clocks without overclocking my CPU but still no luck


i suspect that i am getting hit hard by bandwidth limit because i can play mafia 2 and gta iv on other laptop(Toshiba A665) that only has Core i3 350m 2.27Ghz with no turbo boost but optimus enabled but on my laptop it is lagging and stuttering so badly


i really need to find a way to increase my bandwidth because overclocking the cpu has very little performance improvement


edit: i also disabled the oboard HD audio on the Nvidia card as suggested

 

Well i'm planning to buy it, and i have the specs same as you...

Thanks for your info, to make sure about it before buying, BUT did you try it on external monitor? optimus with transparency rendering will affect on cpu load... (especially the igp is well integrated @ 500mhz.

Thank you guyz!

 

DIY eGPU implementation: [email protected] 12" HP 2530P + NVidia GTX460 @x1.Opt

Moved to http://forum.notebookreview.com/7816773-post123.html.

 

@nando4

Why should we consider buying this laptop if you can build a cheaper desktop? It's not that portable... But nice ideal for traveling!





P.S: Sorry for the nooby questions i asked before, but when "masterjumong2012" showed his results i admit that the chance that it will work is 90%...


Thanks a lot! (saved my wallet!)

 

I see the idea as that you can game at home, but when you want to unplug the graphics card, you can use your computer on the go.

 

I think for a lot of users (like myself) who own only laptops (personal and those issued at work) this is a great way to get high performance gaming.

In particular, the work issued laptops (I have a HP 2540p) have great CPUs and maxed out RAM, but terrible GPUs, usually those Intel integrated chipsets. With Optimus enabled, the DiY ViDock is a lifesaver

I have no intention of buying a desktop, ever. I can pay $300 or less and get decent gaming performance out of what I have.

 

I have a question. Is there anyway to get the DIY Vidock working through USB ports? And is it possible to use it with a sound card?

 

No. USB's bandwidth is too limited. It would also have to be going through adapter drivers and the USB interface before being able to function like this.

 

Is it possible to use USB 3.0 for Docking? There is a DV6 model that has 2 USB 3.0 slots, sandy bridge processor and HM65 chipset.. I am looking to buy that and when that in build 6770m becomes slow, it would be good if the 2 USB 3.0 slots can be used for docking with a newer graphics card, maybe gtx760 in 2015? =)

 

Hello there, you forgot about the frequency! (basically its not direct hardware access - especially tweaking)
_________________________________________________________
(non-optimus method full fps)

Well as i know yes! But its not integrated with the PE4H, the best way is buying (i think its still not released) USB 3.0 framegrabber using vga or dvi which is about 200 fps (i think), there is also 2.0 wich is limited (depending on the resolution) about ~40 fps (if every frame is about 2 MB).

Well, i'm not sure about my info...

thanks!

 

Just want to confirm that the 460 setup with the 203W Xbox adapter WORKS! More details to come in the following days... power + mobility! Can't wait to make a case for it.

 

203W? Full performance?

 

I dont really understand the frequency part... So does it mean USB 3.0 can't be used to dock?

 

Well, i don't really know (You can go and compare between USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt) , but what i know is no.

http://www.techradar.com/news/compu...herals/thunderbolt-vs-usb-3-0-vs-esata-931343

Maybe it can solved with software tweaking, nah it's complicated. Also, BIOS tweaking.

By the way, i think Thunderbolt is the same thing ...

(Just sharing my info! maybe it's wrong)
Waiting for @masterjumong2012 to answer my question. (Did u try it with an ext. monitor?)

Thanks.

 

I have no idea too =(, hopefully nando can clarify this..

 

Hi guys,

I have been following this thread since it started. Just recently I bought a PE4L with the ATX-power switch and the expresscard-adaptor. Tried getting it working with a nvidia 8800gts + ATX PSU connected to my lenovo t61p today, and: Nothing.

Both LEDs on the PE4l light up, the nvidia card spins slowly for 1 sec, then (I assume) boots, and the fans kick in like normal operation. The external screen even flickers a bit, like it's about to get a signal.
I therefore assume the PE4L and graphics card are "online".

On my Lenovo, on the other hand, nothing happens. No detection of device, nothing. Tried hooking the setup to another laptop as well, but still, nothing. (Putting the comp to sleep, powering the PE4L+gfx, then returning from sleep-mode).

Am I wrong to assume that the setup is working (minus the connection to laptop)?
I have read that "some" forum ppl have had trouble with the mini-HDMI cable. Should I get a replacement mini-HDMI cable?
Any other n00b mistakes I should check for first?


Thanks,

Audun

 

Go and check the first page. :d im kidding!

you didn't describe what you id. Did you do the setup? What is your OS? Are you using 1 port? if yes (of coarse its only one port : PE4L), you dont need this powerfull GPU, there will be maybe bottleneck. Describe!

Thanks for the info, still planing to buy PE4L.

 

Haha, well, now I have actually read +/- 100 pages of this thread

Running the lenovo t61p, t9500 core2duo, one stick of 2gb memory, quadro 570m gfx, win7 32bit.

Tried the diy vidock tool, but no external gfx detected there, only the intel wifi and turbo mem.
Tried hotplugging, sleep etc, but no card.
Tried switching up the jumpers on the PE4L, but nothing.
Tried the 8800gts card, the 260gtx card and the 460gtx, with 3 different laptops, nothing recognized, not in the Setup tool 1.x, no "ping" when in win7.
The USB-port on the PE4L, did however work.

I really don't understand how to make use of the Setup tool, but I would imagine that for there to be anything to do with it, it should detect the presence of the card?

Starting to think this is beyond my capabilities, but I might try another mini-HDMI, just in case. baaaaaah.

@tpro, yes, I know, 1x pcie, it's prolly all overkill, but I really wanted to see if it was able to perform somewhat better than the quadro 570m


anyone?

thanks

 

What you described in your earlier post about what happens when you power the card on sounds abnormal. If the card is not connected to the laptop or if it isn't detected the fans should spin at 100%, which is loud. If it is detected they will spin at 40%, which is practically silent. The card should be detected even if you do not have enough resources for it. I would try a different power supply if possible. If you don't have a stronger one you can also have multiple power supplies work together to power the card. ex. one plugged into the pe4L, one into the graphics card. You may even be able to plug your laptop's power supply into the Pe4L to test things out.

 

More details please

 

Hey guys,
I currently have a Gateway P-6860fx with an nvidia 8800m gts. For about 5 months now, my gfx card broke (it displays but the vram is **** up so it shows blue and red lines, and I cant even run any game cause the drivers wont properly install). I was thinking of getting a $800 desktop over the summer, but when I saw this, I was amazed how cheap this solution was. For only about $200 i can finally play games again with a gtx 460.

First off here's a couple of things I already have.
1)A samsung 1600x900 external monitor
2)Vista 64-bit
3)4gb Ram
4)Intel T9300 2.5 Ghz
5)An ExpressCard Slot (1.0)

I should also note I have a chipset with ICH8M.

Now a couple of questions?
1)Is it possible for me to do 2x instead of 1x, and how?(Theres a pic attached that should show you the slots I have available)
2)What should be the steps to install the whole thing considering I have a dedicated nvidia GPU already in it?
3)Is it a good idea to disable the broken gpu after i install the gtx 460?

 

Hello there guys! Ever since my implementation back in December, I've tried to update my Nvidia Drivers up from 258.96 Optimus.
Every time I try to do this, I encounter Code 43 Error. I have tested two 260.xx, Nautis' 265.xx and Nando's 266.xx drivers, I even followed Nautis' guide to mod my own inf.files and all I got was the same error as a result.

I've tried different pci compactions and hot-plugging methods. Today I was reading about setting the PCI Reset Delay slider switch to the 0sec position, #1 on the board, but the slider only moved between #2 and #3 on the board.

So I forced it a bit and you can guess the result... yes i broke the little slider and it is stuck in #2 (7 seconds) I really don't know if this will be really important down the stretch for newer drivers but I'm just putting all my recent info here.

If anybody has an idea as to why my drivers won't update please lend me a hand

 

To use Vista native NVidia drivers will require your 8800GTS active and using a NVidia driver. If it's defected to a point where that is not possible then you'll need to use XP drivers for the GTX460 instead, sacrificing Aero and DX10 support.

Details on how to confirm if your system is x2 capable are covered in (Performance) Can my system do a PE4H x2 or x4 link as shown in PCI-E Scaling Analysis? on the first post.

The PCI Reset Delay slider setting in a non-0second position means you've never been able to get a "configured" NVidia PCI dump AND your resume-from-standby has been in an unconfigured state, hence the error 43 you're seeing.

To correct this requires setting the PCI Reset to 0 seconds. Problem is your slider is stuck in position 2 (7sec) so now will need to either cut the track OR remove capacitor C1 as shown in the image above so it behaves as if it was position 1 (0sec delay).

 

So this pretty much was my problem all along, I'm glad i started to read today, but i just had bad luck/rushed my strength on that tiny switch haha.

Ok so I'll try to somehow move the "switch" with a Stanley knife or something, if it doesn't work I'll just cut the track on the board.

Thanks again Nando for your troubleshooting, let's hope i don't have many more setbacks

 

Hey nando, can USB 3.0 be used for vidock? At least will it be possible in the future if currently we cant do it? Since the HP DV6 has 2 usb 3.0 ports and I am probably getting that in May, it would be good if both of those ports can be used for docking in the future when the 6770m becomes obsolete

 

Thanks, I will try this later today, though I have a Corsair HX modular 520watt running the PE4L + 8800gts, which did fine with the gtx260/core2duo 3ghz stationary comp.

Q1: Since the usb on the PE4L works, am I right in assuming the mini-HDMI cable is intact?

Q2: The 1-2/2-3 switches on the side of PE4L, both left in the 1-2 position, is this right?

Q3: The JP3/JP4 switches. Are Harmonic Inversions instructions correct? http://harmonicinversion.com/products/manufacturer/hit.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage-ask.tpl&product_id=193&category_id=25

Anything else I might do to troubleshoot? The card(s), as mentioned, does not get detected, not by Everest, not by Win7, and not in the Setup Tool 1.x.


Thank you for your effort(s),


Audun

 

First of all, for being a dumb f***.

When I got the PE4L, I read on the board, thinking the 1-2/2-3 switches should stay at pos 1-2, so I moved both to that position, making for 0 sec delay, and the other switch to x1 operation (as opposed to x4, x16 etc).
Spent all of yesterday trying to find out why the laptops couldn't detect the card.

Today, I tried to switch it back to x4, x16 etc mode, and whooomp - there it is. Flawless victory

Hotplugged the gtx260 to an old Asus comp, win7 installed drivers, prompted reboot, rebooted, and it all worked.

Thanks for all suggestions, in the end, only my own stupidity to blame.

If any more benchmarks etc. is welcome to the database, I can test the gtx260, 8800gts and the gtx460 with 3-4 laptops.

Thanks,

Audun

 

Congratulations on sorting out the issue.

If you have an Optimus-capable 4500MHD/HD system then can please identify if the GTX260 and 8800GTS get the x1.Opt performance tweak? You'll know if you see the Optimus features the NVidia control panel AND your 3dmark06 exceeds 8k. x1.Opt has so far only been confirmed to work on Fermis.

It's been requested from hwtools with no details on when and even if it will happen. They mentioned it required USB 3.0<->pci-e bridging. I figure we'll see a Thunderbolt port version quicker than a USB 3.0 one since it looks like it's x2 2.0 via a mini DP cable. Regardless, you can still do a mPCIe implementation via your wifi slot. A SB DV6 providing a x1 2.0 mPCIe slot.