DIY: EGPU GTX 970 with DELL 702X 3D edition easy plug and play

Hey @master33

i'm also thinking of doing this. Been reading a few things here and there and you seem like one of the few people to have pulled this off.

A question though~ Is it easy to switch back and forth between gtx970 and Gt555m? I might need to use my laptop on the road now and then as well. And is itt easy to display the gtx 970 on the internal laptop screen?

Also, i'm having trouble finding these PCI adapters. CAn i also connect to the WWAN port? (this one is unused in my laptop

Also, do you reccomend GTX 970, or is there an even better card for my i7 2760QM?

Im also really interested in benchmark results, before and afters!

Lemme know

 

Greetings jasperstaal86-

Yes. It is easy to switch back and forth. Just unplug the EGPU cable whenever you want to become "mobile."

When you turn turn on the laptop without the EGPU cable plugged in, then you will automatically use the laptop screen running on the GTX555m.

You can try "ebay" or "Amazon.com" for the EGPU PCI adapters at a reasonable price.

Yes. You will be connecting the EGPU cable into your WWAN mini pci express port because the other mini pci express port will be occupied by your WIFI card.

I know that the Reference edition GTX 970 will work without any trouble in our laptops. However, I have not experimented with any other video cards. I would like to run the GTX 1070 with my current EGPU setup, but I do not know if it will work yet.

I would do a benchmark for you again, but I worry it would not be accurate because I just recently upgraded my CPU to a Intel 2960XM and my ram to Corsair 1866mhz. The new components would throw off the benchmarks from my initial post.

Let me know what you end up with.


All the best.

-M

 

Thanks for your reply. So that means I don't need to install the drivers for the GT555m everytime I want to use my laptop without egpu? (I got the non Optimus model).

Can you make an estimate how much performance loss to expect using these mobile pci solutions? I heard with thunderbolt its minimal, but haven't found anything on these p4el boards.

Also, I didn't even know you could upgrade processor as well. Is it also easy or does it require a lot of software and hardware modding.

To be honest, I didn't want to spend too much money on this project, but by the looks of it its easily running into the +400€ price range

 

Greetings jasperstaal86-

Just imagine the EGPU functioning as easy as an external hard drive (The drivers will install themselves when plugged in).

When you connect the EGPU before you turn on the laptop, then all the graphics will be loaded from your EGPU.

When you do not connect the EGPU before you turn on the laptop, then all the graphics will be loaded from your GTX 555m as if you never installed an EGPU.

The performance loss is about 30%, but the EGPU with the GTX 970 is able to handle most game titles at ULTRA HIGH resolutions still. In fact the benchmark of a DELL XPS 702 with a GTX 970 EGPU setup has higher benchmark scores than other laptops running the GTX 970m (mobile version).

Yes. If you get a new laptop with THUNDERBOLT 3 ports, then you will suffer NO performance loss with an EGPU setup because of the high bandwidth of the THUNDERBOLT 3 (this will be my next goal in two or three years). I love the portability of having a laptop, then turning it into a high performance gaming machine when it is docked with an EGPU.

Yes. You can upgrade to the fastest and best processor possible for the DELL XPS 702: The INTEL 2960XM. This beast of a processor will increase your frame rates of many graphically demanding applications. There are no software modifications required. However, you may have to do some "physical" cooling modifications to your laptop chassis if you decide to upgrade to the 2960XM because it runs a little warmer. Please see my other post: http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...g-physical-modification.807316/#post-10571328

You can also upgrade your RAM to 1600Mhz or 1866mhz. The DELL XPS 702 will recognize the 1866mhz memory. However, the INTEL 2960XM will only use 1600mhz until someone figures out how to implement INTEL XMP into the bios to unlock higher speed compatibility.

Keep me posted on your progress.

All the best.

-M

 

Thanks a ton for these pointers!

I have actually physically modded my case last week because of my Temps. Gpu would get 93 celcius. I can still get it there if I overclock it, but I don't really do that anymore. I get artifacts pretty soon, already at the 680 Core mark :/

I drilled extra holes around the fan area to get a better airflow going, it has dropped the temps to about 80 celcius max. I still think it's pretty warm, but coming from 93" this feels like a step in the right direction. I saw your other post about modding the case, looks like it did quite some temp drops. Not sure if I'm ready to go full Frankenstein on my laptop yet though haha.

My xps has a thunderbolt connection, but it's probably an old one I'm guessing? (I have the 2011 model l702x)

I see there is a few different pci cards, some with longer lanes than others, which is the best known my case?

Thanks again for your info, really helpful!

 

Greetings jasperstaal86-

If you want to drastically lower your temperatures, then I highly recommend getting "Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut Thermal Grease Paste" to repaste your CPU and GPU.

I repasted my CPU and GPU with the above compound, and my temperatures dropped 20 degrees. That stuff is magic. I saw my temperatures drop to lower temperatures than when I was running a INTEL 2920QM. My new INTEL 2960XM is running cooler than my INTEL2920QM with the above mentioned Thermal paste.

Extra holes help out a lot when it comes to venting out laptop heat. Extra holes right over the CPU, GPU, FAN intake area, and FAN exhaust area will help out a lot.

Our Dell 702x XPS comes with a "mini-display port" that looks looks like a "thunderbolt port," but it lacks the speed of a thunderbolt port. I got tricked by it too. See this article: https://www.cnet.com/news/confusing-mini-displayport-with-thunderbolt/

The EGPU setups for our Dell 702x XPS can only use up to "one lane" because the mpcie slot can only handle one lane. Just get the EGPU setup I recommended in my post because I know it works, or you can ask others who have gotten other brands to work as well. You can get EGPU adapters with 16 lanes to connect to the GTX 970, but all the other lanes would be wasted because of the limitation of the mpcie slot. However, if you get a 16 lane connector to the GTX 970 and run it with the thunderbolt 3, then all the lanes would be used. I plan on getting a laptop with a thunderbolt 3 port in a couple of years, then connecting the laptop to an external EGPU running GTX 1070 on 16 lanes.

Keep me posted.

All the best.

-M

 

Ah thats a good tip dude! I repasted my GPU last year but im not sure if i also did my cpu. Im guessing i did, but im not sure. I used arctic silver back then, it dropped the temps for about a month or two and got back up to the dreaded 93 celcius point again :/

Isn't the 2960xm a 55 watt cpu? How does that work on a 45watt mobo?

Might drill some extra holes above the heatsink and see what it does, good tip. thanks!

 

You have at least to use a high quality paste like IC Diamond or Grizzly Kryonaut. If your heatsink is making proper contact you might use Liquid Metal instead + high quality thermal pads like fujipoly Thermo-Pad Extreme 11 W/mK. Then you're good to go!

 

@master33 and @CaerCadarn i used artic silver , my temps for 2760QM are between 49 - 87 celcius (min - max). Do you think it's worth repasting the cpu? I only got some random coolermaster paste lying around here. The thermalgrizzly stuff is hard to find around here.

I'm thinking of drilling some holes above the heatsink for now, to see if that changes anything..

 

I would see it as mandatory, if you want to gain some significant temp improvement. Gain some ICD, if it is easier. Gelid Extreme would work as well. Don't forget the thermal pads.

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@CaerCadarn what do you mean with don't forget about thermal pads?

I'm working on my laptop as we speak. Got the purple cooler master ready.

 

For example this one:

MOD/Smart fujipoly/Extreme x-e Thermo-Pad – 100 x 15 x 0,5 – Wärmeleitfähigkeit 11,0 W/mK https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00ZSJRH22/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_33GEzbQ59DC27

You need thermal pads to cover the vRAM, VRM's, etc. for your GPU as well as the CPU.

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Ai, I don't have those, so atm I will have to go with my old pads :


EDIT: So, my repaste results

GPU went down from 81 max to 66 max

CPU went down from 93 max to 89 max. Still a tad high :/ could it have something to do with the thermal pads? I even drilled holes above the heatsinks :/

EDIT TWO: Yikes. CPu cores at 94 sometimes.ehhhhh :/

Edit 3: @CaerCadarn do you know what height thermal pads I need? I see some differences.

I'm kinda bummed out about my cpu reaching 94 celcius. I kan get a very good deal on a 2960xm but I don't feel like putting it in my laptop with these temps

 

For the CPU 1mm should be sufficient. For the GPU I dunno as it is a desktop card. I am not familiar with these ones.

 

Im talking about the thermal pads , the foam like pads that are on the xps 17 heatsink they cover the ram pads and more!

im thinking of replacing those!

 

Greetings jasperstaal86-

TDP is NOT POWER CONSUMPTION.

"The thermal design power ( TDP), sometimes called thermal design point, is the maximum amount of heat generated by a computer chip or component (often the CPU or GPU) that the cooling system in a computer is designed to dissipate in typical operation. Rather than specifying CPU's real power dissipation, TDP serves as the nominal value for designing CPU cooling systems." See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_design_power.

The 2960XM's TDP is 55w. The 2720QM's TDP is 45w. The 2960XM is runs a little bit warmer.

The 2960XM works perfectly in our DELL XPS 702 after you modifiy the chassis to dissipate heat more efficiently.

All the best.

-M