Let's figure out how to make a DIY eGPU (previously DIY ViDock)

Do you believe I would run into any problems with the DIY vidock?
I'm going to try to use it on the PE4L or PE4H with my studio xps 13.
The biggest concern I have is that I'll only have access to the express card slot and I have 6 GB of ram, well over the 2.5 threshold as well as the fact that I am already running two graphics cards, the 9400 + 9200 combo. I'm running Windows 7 64 Ultimate.
Do you think I should purchase the PE4L or the PE4H? Also, since I'm using a hybrid geforce system, do you think I should get a Nvidiaor a ATI card?
Thanks.

 

We can have a look at your system if you:

* download the DIY VIDock bootdisk, run 'pcitool /db:snapshot' and link it here, together with a Device Manager->View->Resources By Type->memory image of PCI Bus are (likely C0000000-FFFFFFFF) to see what your bios-allocated PCI space looks like. You can do the PCI Reallocation now to see if can free up 256MB of space.

* Please also provide an Everest->Motherboard->Chipset->Southbridge screenshot, so we can see if there's any chance of a x2 1.0 link.

atm hwtools is out of stock of the PE4L. So PE4H appears to be only choice. PE4H is more accomodating of the newer HD5xxx cards with larger fans/heatsinks. PE4L's USB connector impedes installation of such cards.

Since Win7 supports a multi-card setup, you can go an ATI HD5xxx card, which offers 40nm tech with lower power consumption and superior performance to similarly priced Nvidia competition. Things may change with upcoming GT4xxx Fermi cards. Your onboard Nvidia card may useful for a hybrid physX setup??

 

I'm apparently in the exact same confusion... if a chipset has PCI-E 2.0 does that automatically means it's ExpressCard is 2.0 ??

 

The laptop has a physics card on the PCIe bus as well (port5). The ExpressCard slot is on port4.

Without allocating memory the driver installs as you can see in device manager, but no memory is allocated to it.

When I check the allocated memory on the 8700M Device manager hangs and I have to kill the task.

Do you thinks it's memory allocation or drivers?
I don't use the wireless adpter so I can always disable that if I need too.

 

I have a picture of my southbridge. It'd odd because it shows me has having 5 open PCI-E slots, including one x16.
I'm trying to get the USB boot disk to work. I followed the instructions and when I reset my computer to boot from the USB, it gives me an error. I'll try again.

 

We're not sure. Only way to be 100% is to attach an ATI card to a PM55 chipset system and see if GPU-Z report it as running at x1 2.0.

 

his Ports are all marked as PCI-E 2.0... wouldn't that mean even with only one port (ie, not port 1 + port 2), he would benefit from double the speed of x1 1.0 ?



According to the above image, when it's not PCI-E 2.0, it will say PCI-E 1.0, so i'm assuming that if a chipset report PCI-E 2.0 it means that if you use ViDock it will work at 2.0 speed even with only one PORT. Am I assuming right?

 

I think it's an error or something because it's not listing my bluetooth card as well as not listing my graphics cards.

 

Dell XPS 1340 details

PCI Configuration Space

Device Manager output here shows your Dell XPS 13' PCI Configuration space starts at 2.5GB boundary, as set by the bios. You bios allocated Memory map shows you have a free 256MB window at D0000000. SO don't need to perform PCI Reallocation. Shown system has 6GB installed.

PCI-E Port Layout

Your system is not using a Intel ICHxM I/O controller. It is using an Nvidia MCP79 as shown here, which is PCI-E 2.0 already as your Everest output here shows. This would suggest your XPS 13 can do a high performance x1 2.0 link using just the single expresscard slot.

Which high performance video card did you want to radically improve your graphical performance with?

 

Haha, yay! I haven't decided. I was thinking of going with the ATI HD4770 a while ago, but I got distracted and forgot about picking up the PE4H. Now I have to wait till after chinese new years to purchase it. When I receive it, I'll pick up a graphics card to try it out. I was thinking of sticking with the 4770 or maybe switching to the 4870 or 4890 or 5770 for performance/price.

Edit: I don't suppose there's anyone who's got a spare PE4H or PE4L to sell me now?

 

Updated PE4L and PM3N products



L: PE4L v1.3 and PM3N v1.1 [currently shipping]
R: PE4L v1.0 and PM3N v1.0 [previously shipping]

What are the differences?

-PE4L: v1.3 has effectively flattened the USB and molex connector to allow double-width video cards or ones with large heatsinks/plastic enclosures such as HD57xx or HD58xx to be mounted without interference. V1.0's upright USB and molex connector would impede insertion of those video cards. It is slightly bigger with far better designed 3 middle mounting holes.

-PM3N: v1.1 has added a jumperable 6.9s reset delay to overcome bios whitelisting that halts the boot process when finding a non-whitelist compatible device. It also has a tiny blue led on it that switches on when it's connected, lighting the underside of your system

Only problem is hwtools is out-of-stock of the latest PE4L. Not sure if anyone noticed, hwtools are also now including the little ATX switch, SWEX, with PE4H purchase so don't need to use the paperclip trick to switch them on. That is a US$5 extra accessory if buying the PE4L.

 

Clarification please: If i was going to try the 1 x 2.0 I would need the PE4H, correct?

 

* x1 2.0 needs only needs a single port: Can use either PE4L+EC2C OR PE4H+EC2C

* x2 1.0 needs two ports (port1+port2 or port3+port4) so MUST use PE4H+ EC2C/PM3N combo

* PE4H has additional benefit of onboard voltage regulation so can supply pci-e slot power using say a 15-19V 80W AC notebook adapter. This is great if using a HD5670 or lower card.

Since you intend to use a video card which has an additional pci-e connector (HD4770/HD4890/HD5770), you'd need an additional ATX PSU. 75W to the pci-e slot via the molex connector and additional power to the video card via the pci-e power connectors.

XPS13's chipset appears x1 2.0 capable as shown here so recommend a US$82-delivered PE4L+EC2C+SWEX. Only problem is the PE4L is out-of-stock so you might need to fork out the extra for a US$107-delivered PE4H+EC2C+SWEX just because of it's availability.

 

Thanks for the help nando. I'm waiting for Chinese new years to be over. I think I'll be getting the PE4H. I already have an ATX 160 Watt power supply waiting just for this. I'll be sure to let you guys know about how it works out for me when I get it all together.

 

Im confused by all this.

Why cant I hook up a netbook to this? I mean my 1000he has a spare mpcie slot somewhere in its guts. If I could break that out some how would that be possible to work with DIY vidock?

 

Yes it's possible. Just get the PE4L + PM3N from hwtools.

Your CPU might slow your frame rate down a bit, but you should still be able to play all your games (GTA4 would probably need very low settings because it likes powerful CPUs).

 

+1 Moral Hazard's comments. However, I believe the spare mPCIe slot in the 1000he is either for WWAN and/or for a mPCIe SSD. The former having only USB pins attached, the latter having sata pins running off the pins that notebooks have pci-e pins (21,23, 33, 35).

A quick test can be done by putting the wifi card in the extra slot. If detected, then can use it for a DIY vidock implementation. If not, then would need to use the wifi mPCIe slot instead + purchase USB wifi if want simultaneous wifi access.

The Lenovo S10 has an expresscard slot, so DIY VIDock's EC2C setup is far more convenient with that netbook.

 

oh man, so how do i figure it out. im happy to strip this thing open.

how do you break out the necessary cabling though from inside the chassis so you can plug it into the vidock, thats the bit im not understanding.

 

Have you ever seen a miniPCIe slot?

You just plug the PM3N into the miniPCIe slot.


It's sort of like a ram slot, you just stick it in.

 

ya, im just trying to imagine how that breaks out of your chassis of the netbook though.

 

ok i figured it.

i unplug the wifi mpcie. i chuck the pm3 in. i run a mini hdmi from the pm3, to somewhere on my chassis and mount it somehow. then run the hdmi to the pe4?

any thoughts on what or how to mount the mini hdmi or where etc etc.

a usb wifi card will be ok for when i need wifi.

 

A single HDMI cable is pretty thin, you might find a whole big enough.
Or you could drill one, if you don't mind losing the warranty.

 

so really the only CLEAN way to have a vidock, DIY or other, is to have a pci express or mini EXTERNAL slot? thats like 2% of notebooks. i really dont see this as a viable option.

i wish i could just buy like a used dell d400 and do a simple vidock, but it doesnt have a an external pcie or mpcie slot.

 

actually isnt pc card type 2 slot, pci express?

the dell d420 has that

 

The old PC card slot uses a very slow PCI bus.
Not good enough to handle a GPU.

And if you look at notebooks today, a lot of them do have an express card slot.

 

as mine early model HP Mininote 2133

instead i would suggest looking inside for a second mini pci slot for a hd decoder in mini-pcie form (ebay)

thats why this mod isn't for every netbook if at all

 

Dell Latitude D400 - Pentium M 1.3 GHz - 12.1 " - 128 MB Ram - 30 GB HDD
.....snip.......
Video
Graphics Processor / Vendor AGP 4x - Intel Extreme Graphics 2 shared video memory (UMA)

dude you can't connect a pci-e card to that laptop or any laptop like that :/

"thats like 2% of notebooks" - lol good one

 

Finally had some time to go pick-up a new PS. I will be updating more now that I can actually work on the project again. Wish me luck!!

 

Good luck!! Your RS780M-based system an interesting one since it might:

1. be x1 2.0 capable, since the ports appear as pci-e 2.0 [likely]. See code here to try to switch it into 5Gbps mode.
2. be able to do cross display to the internal LCD [less likely]

 

From our first bout of configuration, I found that the link cap is already set to 5Gbps, but only configured to use 2.5. It also wasn't retraining correctly for some reason. I could get it to flag to retrain, but it wouldn't execute the retrain. This is all through baredit (with active link), so I will now try it through grub2 so that the link won't be currently active.

 

After tweaking the provided batch file (it needed to be w not b or l), I believe it finally completed successfully. However, as soon as the first line is parsed (disable link), I lose the screen and i can't get it back. I know everything is still working because and can see the usb stick led flickering whenever I input/run commands. I still can't get the usb to boot the local bootmgr. Any help would be appreciated.

 

You are running to the external desktop video on bootup. Suggest to not do that, but rather use the onboard graphics then proceed to:

1. Boot DIY ViDock bootdisk, setup your link in x1 2.0 mode, chainload into Win7. If problematic there, set sata to compatability mode in bios (grub uses INT13 calls which can be problematic when set to AHCI).

2. In win7, suspend, attach PE4L/PE4H, resume.

 

This worked in win7 with a Microsoft driver for x1400 and catalyst 10.2 for 5750, and dx11 worked.

now i'm trying to connect 5750 to inspiron 1520 with 8600m gt. I installed a 1.1 wdm microsoft driver for 8600, then cat 10.2 and just like before I can't make 5750 my primary display (it's greyed out). Also usb doesn't work with pe4l connected in win7, but it works in dos and safe mode - could be due to some autoupdate driver that was installed.

 

Would this work with the express slot on a laptop based on the GM965 express chipset?

 

Yes. GM965 uses ICH8M I/O controller. 4 successful examples implemented using this chipset here.

Update from Gerry/hwtools.net: PE4H to add x4 link support as added to progress link.

Not really sure on the value of this. There is only a small percentage of systems with the right layout to do a x2 link, with far less again capable of x4. Still useful to have the ability there. MSI GT627 may be able to do a x4 link if an additional mPCIe socket is soldered on the systemboard.

2010/3/12

I will update my PE4H to support x4. Please check attached file for reference.Engineering sample available on Mar/25

PE4H Ver2.0.pdf
pe4h_2010mar11.pdf​

 

Hi guys, I've read some of this thread on several occasions (far from all 134 pages, but a good amount). I'm interested in setting up a DIY Vidock for myself, which is why I finally made an account here, so that I could get some help. Here is what I want to do, and I just want to know whether it's possible and what problems I might run in to.

I have an HP Tx2000 (model 2110us) with an AMD Turion 64 2.1ghz. It has an ExpressCard 34 slot, which currently just houses a slightly useless remote which doesn't in any way use the slot. The laptop comes with integrated Geforce Go 6150 (ugh) which is really slow, but the main reason I want an external GPU is because the VGA out on this laptop is horribly blurry when I plug in a 1680x1050 LCD, and I need the extra real estate for coding and for work.

I want to be as thrifty as possible, without sacrificing easy of use and safety. My plan was to get a PE4L with EC2C and a Radeon HD 4650. Since the HD 4650 does not require the 6 pin PCI-E power, do I need anything else? I'm mainly confused about the power issue, since it seems like the PE4H has a voltage regulator and also takes in more power than the PE4L, so it seems to me that the PE4H is safer overall to use. Also, it looks like the PE4L is out of stock and I want it fairly soon, so I might just order the PE4H because I'm willing to spend up to $150 on this (+ the cost of an LCD), I just would prefer to spend less if possible.

Another thing I wanted to know is how you guys keep your graphics cards safe. It seems like I would have this graphics card just sitting on my desk, which seems kind of dangerous to me. I'm probably getting something cheap like the 4650 so not too worried about the monetary loss or the heat output, but in general it seems a bit unsafe. I was thinking of putting it in some sort of plastic mesh-like container.

The last thing is the driver issue. I have Windows 7 x64, so it seems like with WDDM 1.1 drivers it should be able to handle GPUs from two different manufacturers fine, right? I'd prefer to get the Radeon HD 4650 rather than anything else right now but my IGP is a Geforce Go 6150. Should this *just work* on Windows 7? I don't want to deal with pre-boot scripts or anything like that, I want it to be fairly close to plug and play (having to standby to plug it in is fine with me). The main use is for an external LCD anyway, with gaming being slightly secondary. Thanks!

Oh yeah, it's 64 bit Windows 7 so address space isn't an issue. It looks like the PE4H is $117 shipped, which is kind of annoying. In that case, I might spend a little more on the graphics card if I can get by without using an external PSU, since I'm already spending so much on the adapter. Maybe something in the low/midrange 5 series?

Oh, and how long does it take them to ship usually? I'd like to get it next week if possible.

 

I worked with Shewtemup who has the system below. The bios automatically setups up the bridge and uses the desktop video card to send it's output to, including bios. So your system is highly likely to be the same PnP.

HP Pavilion dv2416us
2GB
TL56-1.8
MCP51 chipset

For your purposes, if you don't need the PE4H's voltage regulation, the PE4L is smaller AND cheaper. According to this post it will be on sale again tomorrow. A compact US$250 12V/80W HD5750 example setup using a PE4L is here. A HD5670 would be US$200. HD54xx or HD4670 would be cheaper still. Shipping of PE4L/PE4H takes a few days from Taiwain. I just run the video card on a sheet of think cardboard. Could even put it into a shoebox using with the 80W AC adapter to make it easier to transport as a complete unit.

 

Yeah, that's the same chipset I believe. Awesome, your response was really helpful! I'm not too knowledgeable on whether voltage regulation matters so much, so I guess I'll go with the PE4L. Technically I am an EE student so I should be able to build a voltage regulator myself anyway ^_^ although whether I would trust myself to do it is another issue. I said somewhere in my monster post that I want to spend $150, so probably going with the PE4L and a 4650 or 3670.

You didn't quite explain what happens when the card doesn't need external power, does the PE4L supply enough power in that case? The comparison chart on hwtools' product page says that the PE4L takes in 12V/3A so that seems to be a max of 36W, and since a card can use up to 75W without requiring a 6 pin PCI-E power connector, might that not be a problem? Or am I reading the chart wrong.

 

The PE4L has a 12V DC jack which is used to power the pci-e slot. A pci-e slot can provide up to 75W to the video card. If a video card needs additional power (eg: HD5750), it has a pci-e power connector. A HD4650 only needs ~40W at load as shown here so you could consider building a tiny 12V voltage regulator from the parts below using a DC jack suitable to plug in a 12-19V with 50W or more notebook power supply to power it [as copied from the first page of this thread]. I've done this before and found it works, but the heatsink gets hot.

DIY 12V PSU to drive the pci-e card

Good if you don't have a 12V PSU, but might have some older notebook adapters lying around. This tells us the pci-e specification says 75W is needed. I would suggest a adapter needs to be rated between 12V-32V with 60W or more. A $2 LM338T voltage regulator (Tandy/Radio Shack/DSE)+tiny heatsink plumbed in to can then deliver up to 5A. See pictures on right.

12V pci-e card circuit

 

Thanks for the schematic, that looks pretty simple. Just to be 100% clear though, the PE4L does provide power for the PCI-E slot, and up to 75W as specified in the PCI-E standard? Or do I have to mess with an old laptop power adapter and voltage regulator to power the 4650, even though it uses 40W? I don't understand why the comparison chart here says that it only takes in 3 amps, because that's not enough for even the 4650, but if it really provides 75W then it should be fine. Does the ExpressCard slot provide any power? Luckily enough, I do happen to have a spare power adapter with a broken barrel pin connector thing which I could cannibalize if I needed to, but I'm a bit nervous about that.

 

you guys might want to take a look at these:

http://www.amfeltec.com/products/minipcie-to-pcie-riser.php
http://www.amfeltec.com/products/minipcie-splitter2.php

 

good price, but limited to pci-e 1.0 x1

 

From here.

Since you have expresscard, you'd use the more convenient EC2C option. Only would consider a PM3N option if doing a x2 1.0 link. Can check if your system has the right port layout for that by following instructions Mini FAQ->2. Can my system use PE4H's x2 1.0 link for superior performance shown in PCI-E Scaling Analysis? here.

Any ATX PSU from here is capable of delivering the 85W you require. One other option you may consider is a more compact solution: 12V/80W AC adapter + certain HD5750 adapters + DIY pci-e to floppy molex cable as shown here. Though a 12V/80W adapter costs more than a cheap ATX PSU.

 

Thanks a lot, and I apologize for posting in wrong thread.

 

Worth noting, if you are going a ATX PSU setup, could get a HD5770 for $5 more than a HD5750 after rebate . At full x16 2.0 bandwidth, a HD5770 is 12% faster than a HD5750 as shown here.

US$135 1GB HD5750
US$140AR 1GB HD5770

If want a 12V/80W setup then the lower power consumption of a HD5750 is preferred. At x1 1.0 bandwidth there does not seem to be much performance difference b/w a HD5750 and a HD5770.

 

Agh! I read your reply immediately after I put an 5750 on order !
Oh well... I think I will get PE4L anyway...
Still, thank you for the info.

 

Has anybody tried one from cheaper substitute from amfeltec?
http://www.amfeltec.com/products/minipcie-to-pcie-riser.php

I was going to get PE4L, which supports only x1 anyway, so amfeltec's price is very compelling.
I don't know if it will be a smart move to get amfeltec converter since most of people who made DIY ViDock only used ones from hwtools.
Also, I wonder if it is possible to make above amfeltec product into expresscard version like EC2C PE4L.

 

I am sorry for keep asking trivial questions, but will any type of external monitor work?
That is to say, if I can connect the monitor to my laptop directly, will that be all I need to do (without monitor having to be connected to graphics card, or PE4)?
I tried the search, but I didn't get a satisfying answer.

I know these kind of thing should be obvious, but I barely know much about computers, so I just want to be as cautious as possible before making actual purchase.

Thanks in advance!

 

To utilize the added graphic power of the add in card on the PE4 you will have to have your monitor hooked up to THAT card.

 

HI all,

I got the PE4H and the EC2C adapter connected to a Saphire ATI 5770 with a cooler master 150w 10amp powersupply and MicroAtx case.... I've connected it to my HP Touchsmart Tx2 and I am getting Error 12... when I plug it in after Power on.

I'm on Window 7 8 GB of RAM... I've tried removing 4gb... not go.

With everything connected when I hotplug or power up... My Laptop Bios gives t 4 or 5 Long Beep errors.

However, when Hotplugged and hibernated...the display on the external monitor comes on after the beeping and says "Please Insert a Bootable Disc"... this makes me think the PE4H is working...and that I may need to either swap out the PowerSupply -- 150w 10AMP Cooler Master that only powers the GPU and the PE4H... that I need to downgrade the GPU to a lower power 5750 that I can power with a DC adapter.

I tried the pci bridge script..., but no go.

Everest does recognized the PCIe as 2.0 x1 Juniper ATI HDMI Audio Device/Juniper ATI 5770 Display Adaper

This may be a complete BIOS conflict so I might be hosed. Though it was nice to findout my expresscard slot supports PCIe 2.0

Any Ideas?