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

Hello,
I've got a Thinkpad R61 (ICH8M chipset) and currently using a HD5770 connected via PE4H-EC2C to my notebook. Everything works fine so far.
I was wondering, if I would be able to create a x2 link.
That's why I've checked my pcie slots and which ports they belong to:
Port #1: empty slot (exists physically, P3MN could be connected to that port)
Port #2: WLAN card
Port #3: empty slot (I dont think that it exists physically)
Port #4: expresscard slot

Can I create a x2 link by putting a P3MN adapter into my empty mpcie slot (port #1)?

regards

 

hello guyss i was wondering if i could conecct a diy vidock to my laptop, my specs are: i7 q 720 1.6 ghz, 4 gig of ram ddr3, nvidia geforce 310m, it has a pci slot its a toshiba

 

Could anyone please help me?

 

You could do a x2 link by combining the two mPCIe slots: port1+port2. You'd need 2xPM3N, need to also install DIY ViDock Setup 1.x to setup the x2 link. Review the example DV4-2000 + GTX470@x2 in Setup 1.x's startup.bat to see how easy it is to automate the process.

In your case could do a x2E link (x4 link on port1 using only the first two lanes) to get even better performance.

 

What determines if a laptop can do a x2E link? How does that compare to X1 optimus?
Also, in sisoft Sandra port 3 does not show up while port 4 shows up as an empty port; Does this mean that port 3 is the expresscard slot? I know for a fact that my laptop has 2 physical m-pcie ports internally that can be accessed (one has the wireless card in it), but i'm not sure how the expresscard slot is represented.

 

No one knows the answer to this?

 

Only series-4 chipsets can do x1E/x2E and is only relevant to ATI cards or older NVidia cards as explained. Your series-5 chipset equipped Y460 has a choice of x1.Opt or x2 and you can see the benchmark performance of each here: x1.Opt outbenches x2 in most tests, but is almost onpar in real gaming performance.

I'd suggest go for a x1.Opt setup for simplicity and very good performance AND hope someone can eventually hack the driver to allow x2.Opt. That would give some spectacular performance results. Or wait to see if x1.Opt is possible on a 5GT/s x1 2.0 link (Sandy Bridge chipsets) which would have the equivalent bandwidth.

 

Hi Guys.

Only one question for now, Is that possible to power up the PE4H by only DC same way then PE4L.
I mean if im using e.g. 120w PSU. DC in so the card can get 75w from the slot. And floppy-molex out to molex PCI-e for additionlal power requirements. I know that is working on PE4H with the right jumper setup, But what is the situation whit the PE4L due it has no any jumpers.

Thank you Legu

 

Hey guys, m planning to get a new asus n53 sv or asus n53jq. Can anyone tell if they are diy vidock compatible? Do they have pci-e slots?

 

hey,
i'm interested in selling my viDock4plus and evga gtx 470 sc, both about two months old, perfect condition, for about 320 dollars, where should i post something like that?
i had a hp dv8 custom laptop, it had a x2 expresscard and the vidock and 470 worked awesome, i was playing starcraft2 and world of warcraft on a samsung 3d plasma (in 3d using nvidia 3dtvplay)
however, ive decided to take the lsat and goto lawschool, and am gonna need to put the toys/addictions away to study
send me a pm or email me if you are interested or can help me sell these two pieces, thanks
paul

 

eCool DIY ViDock! I need it.

 

RE: Mixed GPU types on same machine

I read in an earlier post that you can have, for example, an nVidia chip as your laptop GPU, and an ATI as your external card on the pe4h via ExpressCard.

Question: How does this work with the driver installation? How would I install both display drivers (nVidia and ATI) on the same Windows 7 install?

Thanks!

 

moved my post to the other forum

 

If you're dealing with a mainstream external video card, the laptop should recognize it when first attached and load appropriate drivers right then. No big deal.

I have nVidia internal + ATI in a ViDock and it all just plugged right in and worked under Win7 Pro.

 

Hey AMATX,

Thanks for the response - I tried that but I get the dreaded 21 error. (cant find enough resources).

I even tried the boot disk and found a combination that shows 256MB free but still the same problem.

Anyone have any other ideas?

 

Hey, I'm pretty much a complete novice in this, but this is like enabling an external desktop gpu to work with a laptop right?

Also, if so, is my laptop compatible? I checked the list and it said it was, but I'm not sure... It's a dell inspiron 1525 with dual core

 

I have a Dell Studio 1558 with an i5 520 2.4Ghz CPU, an Intel HD graphics chip, 4GB of DDR3 ram, and Windows 7 64-bit, and want to use a desktop graphics card to improve my overall graphics and FPS in games, especially in Flight Simulator X. I want to make a DIY ViDOCK to accomplish this. I have a maximum budget of $200, but only $100 for the graphics card after building the ViDOCK.
I found a guide here: Adding a desktop graphics card to a laptop | Fun To Think About explaining how to make one using this: PE4H (PCIe passive adapter ver2.4) I am planning on using the first package: PE4H-EC2C ver2.4.
I do not want to not use an external monitor even though I will suffer a performance loss. I am willing to lower my screen resolution from 1920X1080 to a lower amount if it will speed things up. Using this: http://forum.notebookreview.com/gam...1-diy-vidock-experiences-121.html#post6542661 I can accomplish using the internal LED display on my laptop.
I have a 12v DC 135w desktop power supply from my old system that I am planning on using. The GeForce 240 is low profile and only uses up to 75w at full, so I figure that if will have sufficient power.

So here are my questions:

Is the nVidia GeForce 240 a reasonably good card for Flight Simulator X, in combination with my i5?
With the PE4H-EC2C ver2.4, how exactly do I power and build this?
How much of a loss in fps can I expect using the internal display?
Will the Optimus driver work with the nVidia GeForce 240 1GB card? I know it isn’t verified…
Do I just install the Optimus driver and that’s all? Will it work with my system?
Will my power supply choice work with the setup I am choosing (The PE4H and graphics card)?
How exactly is it done, as the PSU only has female molex connectors?

Thank you very much for your assistance.

 

Sorry, can't help you on this one, as I'm not that much of a pc guy(mainframe background). I just tried it and it worked

I have a Lenovo W700 w/8G of ram, running Win7 Pro. Not likely to have a resource program with this setup.

 

Hey Methapwn
I am interested in this vidock4plus you have for sell. I couldnt find your email or a way to PM you. Can you send me a email with some pics and more info about it? My address is bryce23h [a] [t] hot mail dot com
Thanks

 

heya, just wondering if its possible/easier to make a vidock from an existing pc and connect the video card from pc to a vaio z? Thanks

My pc is equipped with a radeon x1950 which has 2 dual link dvi ports. One of them is connected to the 30" lcd. Could i use the spare one to connect it to the vaio with a dual link dvi -> hdmi cable and hope that the vaio screen can be duplicated to the lcd screen?

 

With the intro of lightpeak/thunderbolt do you guys tihnk it will be much easier to make a diy vidock? Specs I just read on the mbp is two way 10gb/s speeds, but I'm not really sure what pci-express rates are (8gb/s maybe?).

 

I was also curious about Light Peak implementations and Apple's rumoured Thunderbolt caught my eye. According to the Intel specs, Light Peak can carry a PCIe signal. Despite being currently implemented on copper, 10 Gbps per port is a pretty decent bit rate. In theory, if all the available Thunderbolt bandwidth is available for a PCIe link, there is headroom for up to PCIe 1.0 x4 speeds (8 Gbps). That would be on par with any potential ExpressCard 2.0 implementations due to come out later this year.

 

Yeah I just read this at engadget.

Apple unveils Thunderbolt I/O technology -- Engadget

It talks about support already for hdmi, dvi, firewire, ethernet, usb, almost anything really (need adapters though) and bi directional information exchange at 10gb/s not even g/bits. Pretty neat really, wish my sandy bridge desktop had this lol

 

Yeah I might even consider buying a Sandy bridge MBP just for Thunderbolt. It should be possible to hook up a DIY Vidock with x4 1.0 bandwidth to one of these babies. Let's hope hwtools conjures up a Thunderbolt->PE4H 2.0+ solution soon after release.

 

Thunderbolt has:

PCIE 2.0 (Pretty sure its 2.0 not 1.0 from initial reading but could be wrong) x4
Displayport In and Out

I think the second one is the most important. Displayport in on the same cable as the PCIE adaptor.

Seriously, a DIY vidock over thunderbolt would be perfect.

Manufacturers need to look at this asap. I want this now!

-Ash

EDIT: Engadget's article confirms its PCIE 2.0 4x, from intels mouth.

 

Even though it would be great to get PCIe 2.0 x4 speeds on a discrete, I'm not sure that is what the article is saying.

"(...)up to 10 gigabits per second to start, primarily using PCI Express x4 for data and DisplayPort for video".

"(...)the basic system can work with any other PCI Express 2.0-compatible I/O system".

I understood that Thunderbolt can push PCIe x4 and can connect to PCIe 2.0 devices which doesn't necessarily mean it can operate at PCIe 2.0 x4. Thunderbolt would need to clock 16 Gbps to operate at PCIe 2.0 x4 but doesn't seem possible because its current bandwidth is only 10 Gbps...

Still, even PCIe 1.0 x4 (8 Gbps) has more headroom than the ever-delayed expresscard 2.0 (2.0 x1, 4 Gbps). Thunderbolt seems like the way to go for future DIY Vidocks.

 

Due to the higher power requirements of PCIE 1.0, and the fact that we are now up to PCIE 3.0, i'd bet the "Pcie 2.0" reference is also in fact referencing the control method in use.

However the "10gps" is confusing, because that is PCIE 1.0 4x speed, or PCIE 2.0 2X speed. We also have to account for the displayport bandwidth included in that too so...

I guess we have to wait and see, though I'm fairly confident its PCIE 2.0 purely for the power requirements.

-Ash

 

I Have a dv7-3090ed with nvidia GT 230m GPU and I was wondering if anyone here has any experience with external gpu solutions for this notebook or similar ones.
Would a gtx460 on a x1 link provide any benefits over the onboard gpu and can I run a x2 link ?

 

Yeah the specs on this iteration of Thunderbolt were not entirely clear but more detailed analyses are shedding some light into the matter. Anand's article on Thunderbolt states that the single port has two channels, each of them bi-directional.

"Thunderbolt is dual-channel, with each channel supporting 10 Gbps of bidirectional bandwidth. That’s a potential 20 Gbps of upstream and 20 Gbps of downstream bandwidth."

It might then be possible to hook up both channels in a single 20 Gbps link, enough bandwidth for a PCIe 2.0 x4 link. This tech keeps looking better and better - already it blows expresscard 2.0 out of the water with 4x more bandwidth and could replace it entirely as a future-proof connectivity solution for Vidocks.

 

Thats what im thinking.

You could conceivably have two modes.

1: Mobility mode
Notebook connected directly to vidock
While the vidock is connected to thunderbolt, the display adapter sends display data back through thunderbolt to the laptop display, and the display adapter itself gets 10bps bandwidth

2: Dock mode
vidock connected to notebook, external display connected to vidock
While configured this way, the vidock gets the full 20gbps link, and the display adaptor purely feeds the external display


I can imagine myself happily wandering around with a macbook pro 15 or future macbook air with thunderbolt, an external display at home, and a nice aluminium diy vidock with a thunderbolt port.

It would require new software, as I assume the capability for vidock is now much easier with thunderbolt, but it would be a much more seamless plug and play experience.

-Ash

 

Update from Gerry of hwtools RE: Thunderbolt port and enclosure update. As saved in progress link, copied below

2011/3/1

Thunderbolt port products is under developing now. Call PE4H ver3.0. Using mini display port cable. Please check attached file.

MINI DP M TO M CABLE Model_SZ.pdf

enclosure also design now.

Let me know if you have thunderbolt port specification or pin assignment. It can help me to speed up the develop.​

 

looking at the initial post, i think i want to build my own from scratch. im not the best, but it does give me a challenge.

the cheap option simply uses the mini pcie to ribbon and then to the actual pci express adapter which the graphics card connects too. so this established the laptop to pci e graphics card DATA connection?

then the final part is giving the card the POWER by making the dc in connector using the notebook power adapter as the psu. so basically we take the riser remove the molex connector and install a dc in connector where the molex wires were?

this is great, and i plan to do this very soon, is there a pcmia express version for those laptops that i dont want to use mini pci e on?

 

For those waiting on a ultraportable Sandy Bridge laptop to pair with your DIY Vidocks, the specs on the upcoming refresh of Lenovo X210 model, the X220, have been leaked:


(Source: Engadget, Lenovo (PDF))

The X220 is equipped with an ExpressCard/54 slot and internal mPCIe slots so it supports the same DIY Vidock connectivity options as the X210. The display adapter is an updated Intel HD and so Optimus compatible for x1.Opt links with DIY Vidocks. The chipset used is one the new Intel 6 series so in principle it *should* support a PCIe x1 2.0 link on the ExpressCard slot.

The fact that its detailed specsheet was uploaded on Lenovo's online shop suggests that the X220 should be on sale soon.

 

Hi. I'm kinda new to all of this but I was wondering if you guys could help me with this build. I'm interested in making a DIY vidock for a Dell e6400. It has a p8600 Intel Core 2 Duo (2.5) with 2gb of ram and windows 7. It's an old laptop but I was wondering if I could spend around $200-250 to help increase the graphics as it only has the intel integrated graphics on the mobo and they're awful. I'd really appreciate any help.

 

Creating a US$180 GTX460-768MB DIY ViDock shows the parts and details to make an excellent bang-per-buck DIY ViDock. Your system would be running a x1.Opt (Optimus) NVidia setup with a 3dmark06 of around 11,000. Quite an improvement over your integrated 4500MHD graphics.

Consider too your E6400's P8600-2.4 could could also run a dual-IDA overclock at 2.53Ghz by disabling EIST in your BIOS setup and running Throttlestop as described from step 3 onward here.

 

Sorry for being such a noob at this, but for the PE4L-EC2C do I need to order anything from the drop-down menu's or are they all optional for what I'm trying to build? Would you also recommend putting this in some type of enclosure?

 

I am trying to figure out what I can do to save my laptop rather than trashing it when I buy a new one and this sounds good. Is it possible to also add a sound card as well? I have an Hp DV9925nr (the one with all the problems...). It has 4gb of ram windows vista, AMD Turion X2 TL-60 and NVidia GeForce 7150M/nForce 630M. Would like to add sound and upgrade the graphics... via vidock. Would it be possible? And what parts should I go for?

 

Is there any new snb notebook with a 14' or 15' screen can work well with this?which i mean it can connect to the notebook display.

 

I'm definitely interested in the X220 with a DIY Vidock. That laptop looks sweet even with integrated graphics. Add dedicated graphics and bam!

Any thoughts from the Vidock gurus? No expresscard 2.0 for the X220, right? Any performance advantages over the X201? (re Vidocks of course)

I'm also wondering if there's any problems using a DIY Vidock with the Thinkpad port replicator / mini dock. Thanks!

 

What do you think the timeline is for a DIY vidock thunderbolt product?

 

i found this site, i dont know if anything on there is useful
PCIEXP.HTM

 

Wikipedia entry on mDP now has pinout information, including the pin assignments for the four PCIe lanes.

Mini DisplayPort - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'm guessing the main hurdle to overcome will be figuring out what (if anything) to send on the config/control channel to tell it to just hook up the four PCIe lanes and not try to fold/unfold a DisplayPort video signal. Looks like this might require a Thunderbolt controller on the device side as well.

That, and getting a 2011 MBP with the port for testing.

 

Update from Gerry@hwtools in progress link, copied below. The CLKRUN addition important mPCIe users who otherwise need to hotplug a live DIY ViDock to get their card detected in Setup 1.x.

2011/3/14

PM3N ver 1.2 support CLKRUN# request. [sample made]. You can download PM3N schematic: http://www.bplus.com.tw/PDF/PM3N_schemaitc ver12.pdf

PCI-E 2.0 5GT/s still develop now. But test fail still now​

 

I'm trying to get the GTX460 set up to work but I seem to have driver issues. I'm have a dell e6400 with a p8600. I keep getting an error saying that no compatible hardware is being found and I was wondering if you guys had any idea what I could do in order to make it work. I have fully up to date bios. Could there be some conflict between my integrated 4500MHD graphics and these drivers?

 

Does your GTX460 get detected in Device Manager, appearing as a VGA adapter? If so, what's it's Hardware ID, eg: 10de:0e22? The Optimus driver will only load if the there is a device on the PCI BUS which is contained in the NVAM.INF file.

 

Nothing seems to appear in the device manager. In my set-up I set-up all the external components and then turned on the laptop. I put the laptop to hiberate and then plugged in the powered card into the laptop and woke the laptop. There was no difference in the device manager list. I ran a syscheck and it said device 0: gpu is intel 4 series express chipset family
gpu driver version number is 122.020000
gpu system memory is 807 mb.
I'm also running windows 7 with 2gb of memory.

 

Hi I have a pretty mediocre knowledge about PC, I don't get what is this 1.0 2x / 2.0 1x thing. Im planning to get 8800 ultra (2nd hand) and plug it in on a PE4H, so which should I be looking at in the scaling analysis? thanks a bunch

 

The "1.0" or "2.0" is the version of PCI Express that is being used.
The 1x or 2x is the number of "lanes" connected to the card.

1.0 has a data rate of 250MB/s per lane, 2.0 is 500MB/s per lane. This is why 1.0 2x = 2.0 1x.

If your laptop supports PCIe 2.0 through either port, you can look at the 1.0 2x / 2.0 1x column. If you plan to use both the ExpressCard and mPCIe ports, you can look at that column as well. Otherwise, it's 1.0 1x for you, and significant reduced performance.

What model of laptop do you have?

 

Why are Fermi based solutions using Optimus with DIY ViDock rendering internally on the laptop's display/LVDS so slow?

Million dollar question:
Is the external card still doing DMA and not asynchronous DMA (Optimus Copy Engine) or are the external cards simply not given enough bandwidth to asynchronously copy frames to the IGP and also render them?

I guess what I'm hinting at is that already with 1x Opt setups we see massive increase to external displays at reasonable laptop resolutions (x720, x900, etc). If we had Thunderbolt tomorrow and 4x link or 8x link, would that make display to the internal LCD significantly faster? As it is already, performance gains are impressive at a 1x link.. for external.

 

WOW, found kind of intresting idea (link) : Products — PCIe-over-Cable — Host Adapters — Express Card PCIe Host Interface Board OSS-PCIe-HIB2-EC-x1/x4

with this : Products — PCIe-over-Cable — Host Adapters — PCIe Express x1 Host Interface Board OSS-PCIe-HIB2-x1

or other : PCI Express Cable Adapters




Edit: naah, forget it, more expensive than Vidock, ( http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1SNNT_enSA390SA390&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=xpress+Card+PCIe+x4+Host+Cable+Adapter&safe=active#hl=en&safe=active&rlz=1C1SNNT_enSA390SA390&q=Express+Card+PCIe+x4+Host+Cable+Adapter&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbo=u&tbs=shop:1&source=og&sa=N&tab=wf&biw=1280&bih=923&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=f3631e0cf306c035