DIY eGPU experiences

VPC-Z1 & eGPU GTX 480 & 560 Ti mini review/tutorial
The installation setup may vary for other laptop but it should be helpful if you are a bit lost though. The green lines only concerns VPC-Z1 owners.

● Here is my eGPU setup



● A view from above



Originally, our family computer has a GTX 480 and in my flat I had my VPC-Z1 only.
First I thought that anything more powerfull than a GTX 460 was useless due to limited bandwidth.
But the MSI N560 GTX Ti Twin Frozr II OC was really attracting and I didn't resist.
I've mainly played at TES IV Oblivion with a lot of enhancing mods to the point that
whatever my two cards, it made not much difference and it runs 10 fps or little less into
Oblivion's towns. (but most of the time I get comfortable FPS). But since I have two card
why not comparing them into further tests and games.

● Equipment

- Sony VAIO laptop VPC-Z11Z9E
(i7 620M - HM57 - switchable Intel HD Graphics & GT 330M - 4x4Gb DDR3 - Quad-SSD RAID 0)
- PEAH 2.4 + EC2C + Mini-HDMI 1m
- MSI N480 GTX & N560 GTX Ti Twin Frozr II OC
- LEPA Gold 87+ 700W (Enermax Modu87+ 700W clone) I want a silent, efficient, modular and safe PSU.
- SAMSUNG F2380M & DELL U2311H

● Installation setup

First I'd recommend for VPC-Z1 owners (experienced one only) to flash your BIOS to enable advanced options.
Please leave it if you don't understand the whole flashing process, you cant still use eGPU with an other and safer method.

1. First get Verde 275.33 and this custom nvam.inf and the latest intel HD graphics
2. Uninstall any graphic driver nVIDIA/Intel then instal the new intel one.
3. If you have enabled advanced features in your bios, do not change switching gpu policy yet, just let it on AUTO.
3bis. If you don't have VPC-Z1 or enabled advanced option in bios, then install the Setup 1.x but do not disable your dGPU yet.
4.Shut down, then Assemble the eGPU, power on your laptop and when windows 7 is loading connect your eGPU.
(If you connect before powering on VPC-Z1 it will freeze it. Connecting the eGPU once windows 7 has loaded could freeze your USB ports, bluetooth and the VPC-Z1 won't shutdown.)
5. Once windows 7 has loaded, you should notice that windows found a new hardware and tries to install it. Let it try to then restart just like asked. (if no hardware detected then do 4. again)
6. When your system has restarted, install the nVIDIA driver, select advanced option if you do not want 3D Driver/nvidia update soft.
7. Restart, then your laptop should recognize your eGPU correctly, set your external monitor and enjoy the power of your eGPU!

● GPU Clocks

First of all, my graphic card are running higher clocks for every test, but always the same. The clock are my 24/7 settings. They are quite high.

GPU	Core clock	Shader Clock	Memory Clock
GTX 560 Ti	1010Mhz (823 Mhz)	2020 Mhz (1646Mhz)	2205 Mhz (2004 Mhz)
GTX 480	866Mhz (700Mhz)	1732Mhz (1401Mhz)	2001Mhz (1848Mhz)

● 3DMark Series !

GTX 560 Ti

3DMark06	SM2.0	SM3.0	CPU	Proxycon	Firefly	Canyon	Deep Freeze
15648	6484	8535	3221	53.96FPS	54.10FPS	103.28FPS	67.42FPS

3DMarkVantage GPU	TEST 1	TEST 2	FEATURE 1	FEATURE 2	FEATURE 3	FEATURE 4	FEATURE 5	FEATURE 6
15393	48.80FPS	41.25FPS	55.69FPS	7.19FPS	43.96FPS	45.59FPS	70.55FPS	100.28FPS

3DMark11	Graphics Score	Physics	Combined Score	GT1	GT2	GT3	GT4	Physics Test	Combined Test
P3904	4316	2997	3095	20FPS	21FPS	26FPS	12FPS	9FPS	14FPS

GTX 480

3dmark06	SM2.0	SM3.0	CPU	Proxycon	Firefly	Canyon	Deep Freeze
15793	6521	8756	3190	54.32FPS	54.37FPS	108FPS	67.13FPS

3DMarkVantage GPU	TEST 1	TEST 2	FEATURE 1	FEATURE 2	FEATURE 3	FEATURE 4	FEATURE 5	FEATURE 6
16359	52.12FPS	43.57FPS	47.36FPS	9.34FPS	58.12FPS	53.74FPS	84.38FPS	114.58FPS

3DMark11	Graphics Score	Physics	Combined Score	GT1	GT2	GT3	GT4	Physics Test	Combined Test
P4496	5277	3116	3113	22FPS	25FPS	33FPS	16FPS	9FPS	14FPS

DX9 = No significant difference
DX10 = Slight difference
DX11 = More important difference particularly with tessellation test.


● DX11 + Tessellation

Here are my favorites benchmark, they focuses on DirectX 11 technology, and particularly on Tessellation, which brings an incredible amount of surface details.

STONE GIANT



GTX 560 Ti

Stone Giant	Resolution	Tessellation	Depht Of Field	Anti Aliasing	Anisotropic Filtering
58FPS	1920*1080	High	OFF	OFF	OFF

GTX 480

Stone Giant	Resolution	Tessellation	Depht Of Field	Anti Aliasing	Anisotropic Filtering
78FPS	1920*1080	High	OFF	OFF	OFF

Unigine Heaven 2.5



GTX 560 Ti

Heaven 2.5	Av. FPS	Min FPS	MAX FPS	Resolution	Shaders	Textures	Filter	Anisotropy	Occlusion	Refraction	Volumetric	Tessellation
900 pts	35.7	8.3	106.7	1920*1080	High	High	Trilinear	16X	OFF	ON	ON	EXTREME

GTX 480

Heaven 2.5	Av. FPS	Min FPS	MAX FPS	Resolution	Shaders	Textures	Filter	Anisotropy	Occlusion	Refraction	Volumetric	Tessellation
1083 pts	43.0	25.2	123.9	1920*1080	High	High	Trilinear	16X	OFF	ON	ON	EXTREME

● Games benchmarks


CRYSIS 2



Crysis 2 Patch 1.9 + DirectX 11 Patch + HD Texture
(Tessellation inside)

GTX 560 Ti

Crysis 2	Quality	API	Resolution	Anti-Aliasing	Anisotropy	EdgeAA	Textures	Map
32.59FPS	ULTRA	DirectX 11	1920*1080	0X	0X	OFF	ON	Central Park
30.32FPS	ULTRA	DirectX 11	1920*1080	4X	8X	ON	ON	Central Park

GTX 480

Crysis 2	Quality	API	Resolution	Anti-Aliasing	Anisotropy	EdgeAA	Textures	Map
38.14FPS	ULTRA	DirectX 11	1920*1080	0X	0X	OFF	ON	Central Park
34.83FPS	ULTRA	DirectX 11	1920*1080	4X	8X	ON	ON	Central Park

As expected, with DX 11 activated, GTX 480 took the lead significantly
enough once again. Enough to make the game quite more playable.
Though, against my expectation, the GTX 560 Ti suffered less from
activating AA and EdgeAA.



Unreal Tournament III




GTX 560 Ti

UT3	Resolution	Quality	Motion Blur	Anti Aliasing	Anisotropy	Map	Mode
126FPS	1920*1080	Highest	ON	0X	16X	DM-ShangriLa	FlyBy

GTX 480

UT3	Resolution	Quality	Motion Blur	Anti Aliasing	Anisotropy	Map	Mode
128FPS	1920*1080	Highest	ON	0X	16X	DM-ShangriLa	FlyBy

● Conclusion

I go to bed !
edit : I'll complete that mini review after some rest.

 

Why my LAN adapter turned off when I turn on my vidock?I have installed setup 1x last development version, how the setting diy vidock setup 1x?please help me..

 

Hi guys,

I've discovered some issues over the past few days after getting Vidock working:

1. My computer refuses to properly reboot or shutdown. It goes to a black screen with a blinking underscore and I have to press the power button to shut down (not the same as holding the power button for x seconds.)

2. When I disengage Vidock, my laptop's LCD will sometimes not reengage. It won't respond to being put to sleep or reconnecting the Vidock. In this case I usually have to hold the power button and force a manual reboot. Also, disengaging vidock and removing the laptop AC caused a BSOD at least once.

3. My switchable graphics on T400 no longer work. I have DNA-drivers installed which at one point worked with my laptop's discrete card. I switched the bios settings to Switchable, but when I try to swap to "high performance" it complains that I must close any 3D programs or disconnect any external monitors. But none of that should be happening...

 

Try this:-

1. In the Setup 1.x, run PCI compaction.
   
   
2. Set Chainloader to Win7 if you're using Vista/Win7.
   
   
3. Select Chainload.
   
4. Select Windows.

If doesn't work, I hope nando4 have better idea.

 

I'll take khenglish's suggestion and run Setup 1.x/Compaction when I get home.
Thanks again for the help

 

Is the following laptop:
Samsung RC510
Will work with EGPU?

If so, the Optimus performance tweak will work on this laptop?

I've seen here:
Review Samsung RC510-S01DE Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews
Reminded the card INTEL HD screen but has not seen INTEL HD addition of the NVIDIA video card so I do not know if it will work

I will can connect the adapter PE4H to this laptop?
Or need another adapter?

 

Yes, this notebook have Intel HD Graphics. You can do Optimus setup. However, this notebook doesn't have ExpressCard slot & the mini-PCIe port, if available, is not easily accessible. Probably the mini-PCIe port is located under the keyboard.

 

OK
Thanks for the answer!

 

Hi,

I finally get the PE4H set with 1 EC2C and 1 PM3N. I was trying to do a x2 on my Sager NP8662 but so far failed. I'd like to seek some guidance and help from those who have done x2 link successfully.

My laptop has 6 pcie x1 port, port1 is wwan, port2 is expresscard, port3 is wireless, port4 is not physically connected, port5 is card reader/ieee1394, port6 is realtek lan. my internal GPU is gtx260m and external one is gtx460

so I first tested x1 link with either ec2c (port2) or pm3n(port1), both worked though performance not very good due to the limited bandwidth. 3dm06 5kish and 3dmv 7kish.

then I installed the setup1.x (1.08e) and tried to configure it to run on x2 link. I removed the wife on port3 just to avoid any potential interference. however in the setup1.x boot menu, first I can see my external gpu listed in port1 when both ec2c and pm3n are connected to pe4h with power on, but after I choose to set port1 into x2 mode, the gpu is no longer detected. I then tried set up port1 to x1e, now it detects my external gpu, but when entering win7 subsequently, it has error 43 for gtx460.

can anyone who've done x2 successfully using a pm3n and ec2c tell me your detailed steps of how to configure it?

thanks in advance!

 

There are 2 ways to set x2 properly. The method that seems to have the highest success rate is to boot to the setup program with only lane 2 connected. Next set x2, then plug in lane 1, reinitialize the card if needed, then chainload. I believe that in 1.08e, that the ports are reset when setting x2, and not reset when setting x1e. x2 and x1e are both actually the same thing, and you want to make sure that you do not reset the port in your case since it sounds like it makes your card no longer detected, so set x1e.

Another method you can use if you do not have to reallocate is to set x2 (resetting or not doesn't matter), then reboot. Rebooting on many systems does not reset the port configuration, but on some it does. After the reboot go back to the setup program and make sure your port 2 is disabled, then chainload.

Error 43 sounds a bit odd though. When I unsuccessfully set x2 it just runs in x1 mode. I have only gotten error 43 when a lane was physically not working properly. You might want to check your connections. I had some problems with the HWtools supplied mHDMI cable being pushed at a slight angle by the outside of my laptop which would make it not work.

 

Can someone give me a recommendation on the Same Series models (no matter of what a company) that have the connection or ExpressCard slot mini-PCIe port in accessible place?

 

Hello there,
I just got PE4H + EC2C for the following setup - hp 6510b and XFX 8800GT. I got it running fine but there were few glitches (stuck at boot with eGPU on, error 12 at win without Setup 1.x, card initialy reporting itself as 9600GTO, x1E reset on sleep).

However, 8800GT is too loud for my taste so I decided to get myself some GTS450/GTX460 card.

And here is my question:
Since Optimus driver doesn't work for X3100 and people tried to change that, has anyone tried to detour win api calls HalGetBusData and its current versions?

I haven't looked into that problem that much, so I don't know if optimus uses win api or it is even possible.

Thanks for hearing me out (reading)

 

I have one of the first Vaio Z models (VGN-Z11XN). Will a DIY Vidock with optimus drivers for the internal monitor cloning feature work with my notebook?

Anyone has experience with this?

 

This laptop:
Acer 5742G

In the list of tested laptops and I can buy it (my budget)

I have a question.
What does it mean - HM55 mPCIe?
I'll have to open the laptop to connect the video card with the adapter?

If not then is the adapter PE4L Will fit to this laptop Or not?
If not then what adapter should I buy instead of the PE4L?

I did not see this laptop has been tested with NVIDIA GTX video card.
Is the Optimus performance tweak will work for me (with GTX 460)?

Thanks a lot

 

many thanks!

I'll try the two methods you mentioned. just 1 thing not very clear to me. when you mention "make sure your port 2 is disabled", do you mean disable it in the setup program but still has the expresscard adaptor connected to PE4H?

 

the connector in the laptop end is either EC2C (to plug into expresscard slot if the laptop has one) or PM3N (to plug into mini pcie slot inside the laptop which in most cases involving opening up the back cover). PE4L or PE4H is the other end which host the external graphics card. then you need a cable (mini HDMI 1.3) to connect in between.

as of Optimus tweak it requires a intel 4500MHD or HD or HD 3000 integrated graphics if I understood it correctly so you need to check if this laptop is equipped with one of those.

 

HM55 is the chipset use in this notebook. mPCIe/mini-PCIe/mini-PCI Express is PCI Express port use in notebooks. These are several pictures of the mini-PCIe port:-


This is one in action; mini-HDMI connected to PM3N card:-


If using mini-PCIe port, you'll need to open the HDD, RAM & WIFI compartment. For example:-

Port labeled with WWAN & another on the left of WWAN are mini-PCIe ports:-


You can't put PE4L/PE4H in the notebook. You'll need to use mini-HDMI to mini-HDMI cable to connect between your notebook (ExpressCard or mini-PCIe) & the PE4L/PE4H board. Please look mine for example. I use ExpressCard:-



Acer Aspire 5742G doesn't support Optimus setup. For Optimus setup, notebook must have Intel 4500MHD, Intel HD Graphics or Intel HD 3000. In the first post, look for " @x1.Opt". See if any one of them is in your budget.

 

For example, when port 1 and 2 are set to work as an x2 port, port 2 can also be set to operate as an x1 port, which will cause a BSOD when you try to load windows since the port can't do both. My bios will enable port 2 in x1 mode after a reboot into x2, so I have to go disable it.

 

So...since Expresscard 2.0 was released a year ago...I haven't heard anything about it. I have a full-sized EC slot on my latitude and was wondering if there was any way I could put an EC 2.0 module in there...I'm ready to try out an eGPU.

 

thanks!

I just tried with the first method, but still fails. here's what I did:
1. power on laptop with PM3N and EC2C plugged in but only EC2C connect to PE4H (2nd port), and PE4H stays off.
2. enter setup program, it prompts to power on ViDock so I power on PE4H.
3. inside setup program, set port 1 to x2 mode.
4. connect PM3N to PE4H(1st port), F5. now the setup program detected the external GPU and it shows up as on port1 in x2 mode.
5. PCI compaction.
6. chainload W7 then got BSOD:

*** STOP: 0x0000005C (0x0000000000003000,0x0000000000000001,0x0000000000000008,0x0000000000000000)

after reboot (disconnect PE4H from laptop) I found port 1 and port2 are in x1 mode again.

I then tried choose x1e instead of x2 in step 3 above, but got the same BSOD.

the compaction mode I choose is default one (bridge). not sure if I shall choose 32bit or 36bit instead. or maybe skip compaction?

anyway, the good news (hopefully) is that I tried your 2nd recommended method and it seems to have worked. I did as you mentioned, first set to x2 with lane1 disconnected, then reboot (I'm guessing this is to allow the laptop to reallocate resource during boot up instead of using pcie compaction?). After reboot and entering the setup program, port2 was enabled again though port1 is shown as in x2 mode. so I disable port2 and chainload W7, ignoring the warning that ask me to do pcie compaction. I entered W7 successfully and driver and everything showed up ok in device manager. Everest shows GTX460 is on port1 is in x2 mode.

I'm running benchmark to see whether there's performance improvement as it should.

many thanks again Guru!

 

Ok well my stuff just arrived so hopefully will soon have some results for a Studio 1555. Ordered enough to try EC + mPCIe x2 link so no doubt will be coming here for some help

 

Thanks for your help, my LAN adapter is work. But my benchmark score no increase, is there any solution for it? help me sir..

 

There is nothing we can do to improved your score. Look like notebook with PM965/GM965 chipset can score higher with ATI graphic card (or older graphic card, for example HD 4xxx) but not with Nvidia graphic card. Your only solution right now is to get newer notebook, for example ( $450-shipped) 14" Lenovo E420 i5-2410M 2.3 4GB 500GB W7P (have expresscard slot). Sorry mate!

 

If you do the reboot method you don't have to have lane 1 disconnected. Good to hear it worked though. 3dmark06 will show the biggest improvement out of anything.

 

Dell Inspiron 1545 T4400 4500MHD
My budget

But he has an old processor ...
Processor I3 is this important?

Maybe there is this model with processor I3?

 

How do I get 3d applications to use the GPU when running on the internal display? The GPU works fine when I use my external monitor (very fine! ), but games run on the integrated graphics when I unplug the external monitor even if I right-click and choose run on high-performance graphics.

My setup:
Lenovo X201 tablet w/ Windows 7 64-bit (Core i7-620LM, 8GB RAM)
PE4H + EC2C
Nvidia GTX 570 (Evga GTX 570 HD DS)
Integrated 600w power supply from Silverstone Sugo Sg 07

I plug in the eGPU by booting into Windows, going to sleep, powering on the GPU, and then waking up the laptop, and that seems to work fine if I use the external monitor.

 

I read here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/479959-expresscard-ssds-new-vaio-z.html

That on the old Vaio Z (VGN) the ExpressCard Bus might be connected to a USB port on the main board.

How will this affect the usage of an eGPU on the old Vaio Z?

 

Benchmark results of my first eGPU setup. Thanks for the elite eGPU team here at NBR for making such a fantastic solution for laptop gamers.

My setup hardware:

• Laptop: Sager NP8662 (Clevo M860tu), [email protected], 4GB DDR3, dedicated GPU (dGPU) Nvidia GTX 260m 1GB. This laptop is based on PM45 chipset with ICH9M south bridge so 6 pcie ports other than the pciex16 used by dGPU. On default port 1 is WWAN card, port 2 is expresscard, port 3 is WLAN/wifi card, port 4 is not physically connected, port 5 is card reader + 1394 port, port 6 is Realtek Gigabit Lan.

• PSU: Andyson F500M, 500W

• external GPU (eGPU): PE4H v2.4, EC2C on port 2, PM3N on port 1. Gainward GTX460 1GB. ASUS GTX580 1.5GB (DirectCuII).

• External monitor: 1920x1080

eGPU configuration:

• software environment: Windows 7 Ultimate x64, Nvidia driver 275.33 notebook version. I only edited nvam.inf of my current laptop driver to add in the description for GTX460 and manually install it. There’s a warning about unverified publisher which I just ignore.

• x1/x1e mode: using either PM3N in WWAN slot (port 1) or EC2C in expresscard slot (port 2) alone to link up PE4H. This setup works as hot plug and play (EC2C) without the need of setup1.x program. When using PM3N on port 1 I have the option to set the port as x2 mode though only a single lane is utilized here. This is known as x1e mode (correct me if I’m wrong) but since my eGPU is GTX460 so it doesn’t have any advantage over usual x1 mode like ATI/older Nvidia cards do.

• x2 mode: using both PM3N in WWAN slot (port 1) and EC2C in expresscard slot (port 2). This requires the setup 1.x program to configure port 1 as x2 mode and disable port 2 though both port/slot are physically connected to PE4H. Thanks Khenglish for the help on properly set up x2 mode in setup1.x program (a couple threads above).

So here are the benchmark results I have so far. All benchmark are done on external monitor either at program default resolution or 1920x1080.
red color bold number shows how much improvement of x2 over x1 link.


1. 3dmark06 (Pro 1.2), 1280x1024, default setting

• a. dGPU (GTX 260m): 9601, SM2.0:4501, HDR/SM3.0: 4481.
• b. eGPU (GTX 460) x1: 5185, SM2.0:2124, HDR/SM3.0:2021
• c. eGPU (GTX 460) x2: 8115, SM2.0: 3599, HDR/SM3.0: 3647, 56%
• d. eGPU (GTX 580) x1: 5461, SM2.0: 2271, HDR/SM3.0: 2123.
• e. eGPU (GTX 580) x2: 8732, SM2.0: 3848, HDR/SM3.0: 3994, 59%

2. 3dmarkVantage, 1280x1024, default setting

• a. dGPU (GTX 260m): P5526, GPU4402
• b. eGPU (GTX 460) x1: P8988, GPU7646
• c. eGPU (GTX 460) x2: P11420, GPU9754, 27%
• d. eGPU (GTX 580) x1: P12740, GPU11147
• e. eGPU (GTX 580) x2: P15457, GPU14129, 26%

3. 3dmark2011, performance preset, (720p / 1080p)

• a. dGPU (GTX 260m): not supported
• b. eGPU (GTX 460) x1: P2110 / X977
• c. eGPU (GTX 460) x2: P2408 / X1045, 14% / 7%
• d. eGPU (GTX 580) x1: P2695 / X1569
• e. eGPU (GTX 580) x2: P3274 / X1740, 21% / 10%

4. Warhammer 40k DoW2 Chaos Rising, 1920x1080, ultra setting (average/ max/ min, in fps)

• a. dGPU (GTX 260m): 22/ 51/ 7
• b. eGPU (GTX 460) x1: 22/55/8
• c. eGPU (GTX 460) x2: 30/70/11, 36%
• c. eGPU (GTX 580) x1: 25/65/12,
• c. eGPU (GTX 580) x2: 35/81/14, 40%

5. Resident Evil 5 benchmark, dx10.0 version, 1920x1080, 4xAA, high for everything, motion blur off, variable scene.

• a. dGPU (GTX 260m): 39.9fps
• b. eGPU (GTX 460) x1: 51.7fps
• c. eGPU (GTX 460) x2: 62.5fps, 20%
• d. eGPU (GTX 580) x1: 61.1fps
• e. eGPU (GTX 580) x2: 73.4fps, 20%

6. Devil May Cry 4 benchmark, dx10, 1920x1080, AA:C16xQ, super high, variable, scene 1-4 fps:

• a. dGPU (GTX 260m): 51.7 | 34.3 | 55.1 | 39.2
• b. eGPU (GTX 460) x1: 69.9 | 45.7 | 97.7 | 49.6
• c. eGPU (GTX 460) x2: 93.2 | 62.6 | 112.8 | 64.3, about 30%
• d. eGPU (GTX 580) x1: 88.6 | 56.1 | 117.1 | 65.1
• e. eGPU (GTX 580) x2: 136.7 | 91.2 | 166.92 | 93.4, 40%~60%

7. Crysis I, GPU test, 1920x1080, 4xAA, very high, average|min|max fps:

• a. dGPU (GTX 260m): 9.7|7.2|10.7
• b. eGPU (GTX 460) x1: 11.6|6.4|15.2
• c. eGPU (GTX 460) x2: 15.9|6.0|19.5, 37%
• d. eGPU (GTX 580) x1: 14.4|7.8|20.4
• e. eGPU (GTX 580) x2: 22.1|7.9|28.8, 53%

8. Crysis II, 1920x1080, high res texture, average|min|max fps:

• DX9, high graphics setting (worst)
• a. dGPU (GTX 260m): 30.6 | 20.3 | 42.1
• b. eGPU (GTX 460) x1: 28.2 | 18.8 | 39.2
• c. eGPU (GTX 460) x2: 35.9 | 21.9 | 54.6, 27%
• d. eGPU (GTX 580) x1: 33.4|21.8|46.6
• e. eGPU (GTX 580) x2: 48.6|28.4|63.2, 45%
• -----------------------------------------
• DX9, ultra graphics setting (best)
• a. dGPU (GTX 260m): 11.9 | 11.7 | 18.4
• b. eGPU (GTX 460) x1: 12.2 | 9.00 | 18.1
• c. eGPU (GTX 460) x2: 18.7 | 14.4 | 24.7, 53%
• d. eGPU (GTX 580) x1: 16.1|12.6|22.1
• e. eGPU (GTX 580) x2: 24.8|17.1|34.6, 54%
• -----------------------------------------
• DX11, high graphics setting (worst)
• a. dGPU (GTX 260m): not supported
  [*]b. eGPU (GTX 460) x1: 23.9 | 14.3 | 31.1
  [*]c. eGPU (GTX 460) x2: 29.2 | 22.6 | 31.7, 22%
  [*]d. eGPU (GTX 580) x1: 31.1|18.9|47.8
  [*]e. eGPU (GTX 580) x2: 35.2|20.1|57.1, 13%
  [*]-----------------------------------------
  [*]DX11, ultra graphics setting (best)
  [*]a. dGPU (GTX 260m): not supported
  [*]b. eGPU (GTX 460) x1: 10.4 | 7.60 | 15.0
  [*]c. eGPU (GTX 460) x2: 13.7 | 10.2 | 19.7, 31%
  [*]d. eGPU (GTX 580) x1: 12.7|10.9|19.8
  [*]e. eGPU (GTX 580) x2: 19.4|14.4|28.2, 52%

9. Metro 2033, 1920x1080, AAA, average|min|max fps:

• DX10, low, 4xAF
• a. dGPU (GTX 260m): 20.0 | 4.2 | 69.2
• b. eGPU (GTX 460) x1: 17.3 | 1.9 | 77.6
• c. eGPU (GTX 460) x2: 24.3 | 4.7 | 109.6, 40%
• d. eGPU (GTX 580) x1: 20.0|5.2|94.7
• e. eGPU (GTX 580) x2: 26.3|3.1|123.5, 31%
• -----------------------------------------
• DX10, high, 16xAF
• a. dGPU (GTX 260m): 11.0 | 2.4 | 35.8
• b. eGPU (GTX 460) x1: 12.0 | 3.1 | 37.2
• c. eGPU (GTX 460) x2: 16.3 | 4.9 | 62.3, 35%
• d. eGPU (GTX 580) x1: 15.0|3.1|55.4
• e. eGPU (GTX 580) x2: 22.6|4.1|94.3, 50%
• -----------------------------------------
• DX11, high, 16xAF
• a. dGPU (GTX 260m): not supported
  [*]b. eGPU (GTX 460) x1: 9.7 | 3.0 | 38.4
  [*]c. eGPU (GTX 460) x2: 12.3 | 3.9 | 45.3, 27%
  [*]d. eGPU (GTX 580) x1: 13.0|4.0|51.5
  [*]e. eGPU (GTX 580) x2: 19.3|2.4|49.7, 48%

10. Furmark 1.8.2, 1920x1080, 60s benchmark (0x/4x/16x, as in MSAA)

• a. dGPU (GTX 260m): 2102/1223/359
• b. eGPU (GTX 460) x1: 3785/3255/1080
• c. eGPU (GTX 460) x2: 3916/3355/1092, 3%
  [*]d. eGPU (GTX 580) x1: 6414/5451/1829
  [*]e. eGPU (GTX 580) x2: 6802/5816/1909, 6%

11 CUDA bandwidth test (host-to-device/device-to-host/device-to-device, in MB/s)

• a. dGPU (GTX 260m): 1328/1092.9/41683.1
• b. eGPU (GTX 460) x1e: 156.8/189.5/60167.0
• c. eGPU (GTX 460) x2: 300.7/356.9/60058.8, x2

12 OpenCL bandwidth test (host-to-device/device-to-host/device-to-device, in MB/s)

• a. dGPU (GTX 260m): 1391.2/1090.8/23775.9
• b. eGPU (GTX 460) x1: 156.9/190.9/49745.1
• c. eGPU (GTX 460) x2: 302.2/3361.1/52010.2, x2

Overall I’m quite satisfied with the x2 performance of this eGPU setup. x1 is not so impressive as compared to laptop’s internal GTX 260m but still boosts performance in most cases. If you are using a non-gaming laptop then x1 can still mean a lot to you. Now I’m thinking my next laptop will probably be a thin & light SB CPU based with intel HD/HD 3000 so that I can have Optimus enabled for even better performance (Optimus > non-Optimus x2 if I understand it correctly).

 

Did you ordered EC2C + PM3N or 2xPM3N?

 

This will be my last question about what laptop should I buy ..
This is gonna be long but I promise that if I get an answer I will not ask questions like that!

The following list of laptops:
Acer Aspire 5742G I3-370M 500GB
Acer Aspire 5750-2314G50Mnkk
Acer Aspire 5750-2312G50Mnkk
Acer Aspire 5740G I3-330M 500GB
Acer AS5742G-374G50MN
Acer Aspire 5742G i3-380M 500GB
Acer Aspire AS5740DG-334G32Mn
Acer Aspire 5741G i3-330M 500GB
Acer Aspire 5750G i3-2310M
Acer Aspire 5740G i3-330M 320GB
Acer Aspire TimelineX AS3820T-7459
Samsung R540 JA06IL
Samsung R540 JT01IL
Samsung NP-X130 JA0IL
Samsung R540 JA07IL
Samsung R540 JA09IL
Samsung R580 JS02IL
ThinkPad Edge 11 0328-5GG‎ Lenovo
Lenovo G560 0679-B6G
Lenovo IdeaPad Z570 1024-53G
G560 ‎0679-6MG‎ Lenovo
Lenovo G560 0679-3PG
Lenovo G560 0679-4NG
Lenovo G560 0679-9BG
Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 15 0301-GVG
Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 15 0301-GPG
Lenovo Thinkpad Edge 11 0328-24G


All these laptops are in my budget.

Which Laptops from the list Is most recommended for:
PE4H + GTX 460
?

I'm sorry about the list ...
I read here a lot and the subject just too complicated for me so I had no choice to bring this list

Thanks a lot!

 

It's a long list but I immediately checked Lenovo G560.

• Specification: http://www.lenovo.com/shop/americas/content/pdf/notebooks/Essential/G-Series/G560 datasheet.pdf & http://shop.lenovo.com/ISS_Static/WW/EMEA/merchandising/pdf/en/G560_DS_18JAN2010_engl.pdf
• Based on the specification, there are two sub-model of Lenovo G560:-
  1. Intel® HD graphics
  2. NVIDIA® GeForce® G310M
• If you want to get this model, make sure you get the one with Intel® HD graphics. This is because Lenovo G560 can't do x2 link. So, Lenovo G560 with Intel® HD graphics will allow you to setup x1.Opt (x1 Optimus) with GTX460. You'll get better performance with x1.Opt & Nvidia graphic card.
• The specification mentioned the ExpressCard slot is optional. So, make sure you check it before buying.
• Remaining issue is the maximum of RAM you can use when using eGPU. I don't know what is the TOLUD value on this notebook.

I'll post information on the other notebooks when I have them later (no promise).

 

Thanks a lot!

I'm just afraid that this laptop stops working after a while because I've heard in my country that the company Lenovo is not good company

Can you tell me if this model good like standarts models ?

(I want to know if this model is not like XBOX 360 95NM destroyed quickly)


I hope my English is good

 

Hi guys, sorry to be such a noob, but I can't seem to find instructions on how to setup my eGPU... I received my PE4L in the mail, and have tried to put everything together... but I must have done something wrong, because nothing happened.

edit: my laptop is an x220, i5-2410, with 6GB ram installed (with the old BIOS, so the RAM shouldn't be an issue).

1) Connected PSU to power source, installed SWEX and turned it on (fan on PSU spins), connected 2x 6 pin to GTX460 graphics card

2) Connected GTX460 to PE4L, and mHDMI cable from PE4L to PCIe card in my laptop (lenovo x220). The PE4L has one green light on (the one closer to the GTX460).

3) I turned on my laptop, but no drivers installed/the system didn't seem to recognize anything was plugged in. The PSU fan started, but the GTX460 fan didn't start (the graphics card doesn't seem to work?). I've tried to install the NVIDIA verde 273.55 drivers with the modified .inf file, but I can't start the installation (it doesn't allow me to install, says no valid hardware detected).

Can anyone please help a noob out? Thanks!

 

Ensure you've plugged the floppy molex lead from your PSU to the PE4L. That supplies up to 75W to the slot. Without that there will be no go. Means you'll have the 2 leads attached to the PE4L - a floppy molex and a mini HDMI. The latter attaches to your EC2C plugged into your X220.

SB Lenovo E420/E520 and HP Probook 4430s/4530s have expresscard slots and are selling for a low price. Dell Vostro 3450/3550 is too, but Dell tends to have problems with 4GB+ setups so need a confirmation of their TOLUD setup as requested in http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...ostro-latitude-egpu-friendly.html#post7633189 .

 

That did the trick... I was wondering what that extra cable was for Thanks! Fingers crossed it goes smoothly from here on out

edit: Seems to be working, I have a display on the external monitor. Downloading 3dMark06 to post some benchmarks. Is there any way to confirm that I have the x1.Opt link running correctly?

 

Is this laptop:

have ExpressCard slot?

Can you give me ways to know if there ExpressCard slot?

edit:
No matter
I checked it and there is ExpressCard slot

 

I feel like my 3dMark06 score is a little low at 9208.

Lenovo x220
i5-2410 (2.3 ghz, turboboost 2.9 ghz)
6GB ram
EVGA GTX 460 1GB

Any ideas what I can try? My detailed stats are below.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 video card benchmark result - Intel Core i5-2410M Processor,LENOVO 4286CTO score: 9208 3DMarks

 

In the Modded Drivers section, under Observations, first sentence:-

Please check the Nvidia control panel whether it have the " Preferred graphics process" option or not.

 

Yes, that option is there... in that drop down menu, the options are: Auto-select, High performance NVIDIA processor, Integrated graphics. It is set on Auto-select.

Any other potential causes? This seems lower than a lot of reported scores with GTX 460's, though I did find one other score similar to mine here: http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/har...let-pcs-experiences-benchmarks-setup-ect.html using the exact same card... perhaps it has something to do with the card?

 

Your 3dmark06 CPU score is less than half of what it should be for a i5-2410M. This means slower x1.1Opt pci-e compression with lower SM2.0 and 3.0 scores as well.

Check your power management settings.

 

Had a look at my power management settings, it was set at Max performance (I reset the settings, just in case). Didn't see anything within the settings that looked off. Reran 3dmark06, same result (score: 9110). I noticed in the results that some sections were blank, is this normal? Any other ideas?



edit: Here is my GPU-Z info

 

Your system has an underperforming CPU that is affecting the GPU results.

EDIT: Kizwan identified there was only one core enabled below.

 

According to your result, 3DMark06 only running on 1 core, which explain why your score is low. The other 3 cores are missing.


Please make sure in msconfig \ BOOT Advanced Options window, you didn't set " Number of processors":-

 

WOW! I remember setting this when I first was setting up my laptop, as a way to improve SSD performance. Guess it didn't really help! I quickly ran PassMark on my CPU, and the score doubled (up to the level it should be). I'll rerun the 3dmark06 tomorrow morning, and post the results. Thanks again! Rep'd!

 

EC2C + PM3N.

I'm mainly going for the expresscard setup though so if I need two PM3N's for x2 I might just bail on that. Eventual plans are to get an optimus capable studio 15 and use an x1.opt link.

 

Dell Studio 1555/1557/1558 PCI-e port layout:-

• port1=WWAN
• port2=wifi
• port3=N/C
• port4=expresscard
• port5=card reader
• port6=LAN

You'll need 2 x PM3N cards to do x2 link. You can check in AIDA64, port3 is not available. So, to do x2 link, you'll need to use port1 & port2.

(EDIT: Anyway, you can confirm it by moving your WIFI card to another empty mini-PCIe port, then boot into Windows & check in AIDA64. If WIFI card now at port1, it confirmed the above layout.)

 

What graphic card are you going to get? I already have Optimus capable notebook to do x1.Opt, except PM3N card & Nvidia graphic card. I'm currently focusing to get x2 link working first on my Dell. I'm going to order 2 x PM3N cards next month.

 

Could anybody help me with getting my GTX 570 to accelerate programs on my laptop display? I've installed the latest Verde drivers and the modded inf, and at least in the control panel Optimus is detected.

EDIT: At default settings, I get P3640 for 3dmark11 and ~12.1k in 3dmark06. Comparing to the table in the 1st post, Optimus might not be working correctly?

 

I have a GTX460 768MB in my desktop, and so i'm going to use that.

Also for the 1555 the port layout may be different based on this post. Will let you know though, as it was a little unclear how the x2 setup would go from there...

Also (going back a long way) nando4 posted this in response to my query when i was first going for a diy vidock.

 

Based on notebookcheck review website, Dell Studio 1555 have 3 mini-PCIe ports available. The one which WIFI current occupied is confirmed port2 (Broadcom BCM4310 USB Controller). I'm guessing the WWAN is port1 & the other one is port3. But the best way is for you to check it yourself. Use the WIFI card to know port number assignment for each of the mini-PCIe ports.

There is an attempt in the past to get x2 working on Dell Studio 1555. Last news is at post #305. Result at post #311 only show x1 link setup.