eGPU experiences [version 2.0]

[euqlaog]

Hello @goalque,

Really nice build !

I follow your instructions with my macbook pro (mid-2012 this one have a dGPU Nvidia 650M) but I'm a bit confuse, you didn't use the dy Setup 1.x ?

You didn't get some deadly Windows "Code 12" or some other pci allocation issues ?

Thanks! I cannot promise if it will work with older than late 2013 models, and I haven't seen any results yet, so maybe you could be the first one to tell My setup doesn't need any extra software. It is a standard Win8.1 boot camp installation, no error codes. You may need to format the created boot camp partition to NTFS during the installation process to enable the next button.

[jacobsson]

@Tech Inferno Fan please take me to the future...now!

[useafo]

Man, I was so close of running the pe4c v2.0 at Gen2, but all I did was enabling PCI Express 2.0, not the Gen2 link. Help, please?

[Hunter-Rovio]

Hi everyone i'm new here,

I have an ASUS k75VJ with i7-3630QM as a processor ,6gb on ram, intel hd graphic 4000 and a geforce gt635m

and i rly like to use an external graphic card gtx 770, and i wonder if my pc will have any hardware problems and then my new graphical card works perfectly.

Sorry for my bad english, and thank u

[Tech Inferno Fan]

Hi everyone i'm new here,

I have an ASUS k75VJ with i7-3630QM as a processor ,6gb on ram, intel hd graphic 4000 and a geforce gt635m

and i rly like to use an external graphic card gtx 770, and i wonder if my pc will have any hardware problems and then my new graphical card works perfectly.

Sorry for my bad english, and thank u

Please start by reading the opening post's Pre-purchase FAQ.

[Tech Inferno Fan]

Maxwell 9xxM dGPU benchmarks are out with GTX980M 3dmark firestrike=9364 and discussed here with keypoints:

MXM-B (the PCIE slot type used for the bigger mobile GPUs) is currently limited to 100W power draw. Most laptop cooling systems cannot deal with much more than about 120W TDP either.

So the 980M is (based on speculative article above) getting massive Firestrike scores without breaking that 100W barrier.

If you want to compare to desktops (assuming 980M does indeed get ~9300 GPU score):

-A GTX 760 draws 150W average and scores ~6200 GPU score in Firestrike. Far behind.

-A reference GTX 780 draws 225W(!!!!) average scores ~9400 GPU score in Firestrike. Pretty close here.

-The Radeon R7 260X is the closest to 100W card I can find @92W average. It scores a piddly 4000 in Firestrike.

So, you're getting GTX 780 desktop levels of performance at less than half the power consumption and likely half the heat generation as a result. As far as I'm concerned, Maxwell is a freakin miracle for GPUs

[Gass]

Hello people,

I wanted to share my successful egpu implementation (please read it to the end, as it appeared to be not so successful in the end) . Also I will write some comments to help for those people who are having difficulties to understand what is needed and why, as I had the same difficulties.

Hardware I use/have:

- Laptop: Lenovo ThinkPad T420 with i5-2520M CPU, 4 GB of RAM, and Internal Intel HD3000 graphics.

- Graphics card: Nvidia Geforce GTX480

- PSU - 500 W (Be quiet! Straight Power E9-500W)

egpu set:

PE4L V2.1b (the main card where graphics card is plugged)

ExpressCard (actually arrives in one piece connected with PE4L and EC2C cable)

EC2C +60cm Flat HDMI (meaning the cable between PE4L and ExpressCard)

SWEX GEN.2 (To fake the PSU)

All of this was bought in ebay from Taiwan. It took me 2 or 3 days to arrive in the europe.

Connecting all the stuff:

My PSU already had 8 pin and 6 pin connectors, so I plugged them both to the GTX480

Floppy disc power connector plugged to the PE4L card

SW settings on PE4L are these: SW1 - 2-3, SW2 - 1.

Also what I was struggling to understand was why JP1 is needed on SWEX adapter and why J1 is needed on PE4L. The answer is - you can connect those both using the 2 pin power cable which arrives together with all the other stuff with PE4L. If you do so, your PE4L will not need turning the power on/of on your PSU - it will automaticlally turn on once ExpressCard is plugged in your laptop.

Software preparation:

BIOS I have updated to the newest currently available version 1.46

Downloaded the newest NVIDIA drivers for my GTX480 from nvidia.com.

Starting all it up:

While I had all package ready, I was having the difficulties the card to be recognized. I was trying to plug the Express card while computer was already on, was trying to plug the ExpressCard while laptop was on sleep/hibernate modes, also I was trying to shut down the computer and plug the ExpressCard and turn the computer on. But all of these didn't work. But the later on for some reason it started to work after the steps below:

1) BIOS sttings:

in Config> power

- PCI Express Power management - Disabled

- Express Card Speed - Automatic

In Security>I/O Port access

-ExpressCard slot - Enabled

2) Make sure your PSU is plugged into the GTX480 power pins and Floppy disc power connector plugged to the PE4L card

3) Shut down the laptop

4) Plug the Express card in the laptop. You should see Leds on your PE4L giving a red color on LED D4, orange color on LED D3 and green color on LED D1

5) Turn on the PSU (not the laptop, but the PSU which is connected to your PE4L) - video card fans start spinning.

6) Wait a few seconds (It might be unnecessary, but It didn't work for me while I was doing everything faster. I assume video card needs few seconds to be ready).

7) Turn on your laptop. LED D4 should turn of the red light.

8) Once computer starts, it should recognize your graphics card. Windows are installing some Nvidia audio and graphics card drivers and ask to restart the computer. I didn't restart.

9) Install the NVIDia drivers and restart the computer.

And it works!!! No error 12, TOLUD or other errors (I've read somewhere, that T420 has no issues with newest BIOS versions), not setup 1.x needed. Just as mentioned - some difficulties while trying the card to be recognized on the beginning and all the rest was as a standard plug and play device installation.

It shows x1 2 gen, so it seems installation is succesfull and ready for the full performance.

I have tested it with my f1 2013 and it floats with the highes possible graphics settings. It is so amazing, as without this egpu setup I only could run f1 2013 with the lowest settings which made the game look like the oldschool DOS based game, and still it was not playable if I was playing more than one car in the track!!!

UPDATE - After 3 days of good and intensive gaming, my T420 has crashed!!! It was so dead, that even bios couldn't be loaded, it was just giving 1-3-3-1 beeps. I'm only glad that warranty was still valid and it was repaired for free. But now I'm afraid to use this egpu set up...

Also I think it is important to mention, that laptop didn't crash while it was on. I stopped gaming, removed the card by "safely remove hardware" and made a shut down for the laptop. Later on I decided to clarify myself whether the egpu setup needs to be powered on while ExpressCard is already plugged into the laptop or not, as I was not sure which of these options was making BIOS to recognize my egpu. So I tried it first to plugin egpu already powered on and once I saw that it was not recognized (my Viedo card is making some strange high frequency sound until it is recognized by BIOS), I turned the egpu and laptop off. And then I plugged the egpu into the ExpressCard slot, powered the egpu, and once I turned on the laptop I found it making this 1-3-3-1 beep, which meant death.

Tech Inferno Fan - could you put your comment what could cause my laptops motherboard to crash? Could it be related to the voltage differences. If yes - is there a chance to avoid/control it? Could it be something related to the fact, that I turn my PE4L only when ExpressCard is already plugged into my laptop?

If someone needs some additional information, please let me know, I will update this post.

Cheers!!!

[Mark]

Hey guys,

I bought Setup 1.30 because I was hopeful that this will finally enable the internal screen in Windows for the Late 2013 15 inch MacBook Pro with the 750m dGPU. Needless to say, it didn't work as I cannot disable the dGPU or even enable the iGPU. I screwed up a Bootcamp partition over this

Is there another workaround for this or have I wasted $25?

[Arise]

Not kinda wasted, cause setup 1.3 is a great software which could come in handy in the future in a lot of situation.

What you can do now is to use an external display to get advantage of the thunderbolt bandwidth and use the dGPU dedicated for physX.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Tech Inferno Fan]

I bought Setup 1.30 because I was hopeful that this will finally enable the internal screen in Windows for the Late 2013 15 inch MacBook Pro with the 750m dGPU. Needless to say, it didn't work as I cannot disable the dGPU or even enable the iGPU. I screwed up a Bootcamp partition over this

Is there another workaround for this?

Macbooks have a gmux that controls which display is active and which isn't. The furthest anybody got to enabling it is as shown at http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/2367-macbook-pro-retina-15-gtx-560-ti-%40-th05.html . I had another user try this with a 2013 Macbook Pro model pretty much with the same internals as yours but unfortunately Apple have since completely locked out the iGPU in their newer Macbooks at boot. Other than in MacOSX, the iGPU no longer appears on the PCIe bus.

You then have three options in getting an accelerated internal LCD mode: (1) Obtain the Iris Pro 15" Macbook Pro or say a ZBook 15 which has an active iGPU and so can enable NVidia Optimus to use internal LCD mode (2) Use the Ultramon/Chung-gun method to move *windowed* apps to the internal LCD or (3) start hacking c:\windows\system32\drivers\nvlddmkm.sys as somewhat described at the bottom of http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/6253-t500-compat-q-4500mhd-optimus-ends-306-97whql-2.html#post89243 to try to enable Optimus when no iGPU is active.

[Tech Inferno Fan]

If someone needs some additional information, please let me know, I will update this post.

Cheers!!!

Yes, please add some pics to bring your config to life and at least your external LCD DX9 and DX11 benchmark results. Then I make your post a guide for T420 owner's as well as add you to http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/6578-implementations-thunderbolt-expresscard-mpcie-egpus.html#post89707

[Hunter-Rovio]

Guys i need some help plz

I'm rly bad and i just can't follow what in PRE PURCHASE FAQ

i have an asus k75vj and i wanna use this trick for a gtx 770 , the problem is that i don't know what i've got to buy the pe4l or the pe4h.

i have a lot of difficulties and i rly need someone to help me.

Thank u

[Tech Inferno Fan]

Guys i need some help plz

I'm rly bad and i just can't follow what in PRE PURCHASE FAQ

i have an asus k75vj and i wanna use this trick for a gtx 770 , the problem is that i don't know what i've got to buy the pe4l or the pe4h.

i have a lot of difficulties and i rly need someone to help me.

Thank u

Neither. Use a Gen2-capable EXP GDC Laptop External PCI-E Graphics Card - US$50.00. GTX770 needs ~230W so use a ATX PSU with at least 12V/20A (240W) to power it.

EXP GDC V6 is discusssed at http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/6643-exp-gdc-v6-discussion.html#post88642 .

NOTE: The US$99 EXP GDC V6 or US$113-delivered PE4C 2.0 kit with a Dell DA-2 220W adapter would be cutting it fine in terms of powering a GTX770. Therefore I'm not suggesting either unless you're prepared to undervolt/underclock the GTX770 to bring power requirements down if you do run into power starvation/instability issues.

[Tech Inferno Fan]

Refreshed HP Zbook 15 G2 and 17 G2 have been announced. Availability to be late September.

Both ZBooks have a Thunderbolt 2 port

Both ZBooks support HP Z Turbo drive (PCIe SSD). The 730 MB/s read spec suggests it is at least a x2 2.0 link. Is it NGFF.M2?

ZBook 15 G2 supports a 3200 x 1800 resolution internal LCD

HP ZBook 15 G2: <a ref="http://www8.hp.com/us/en/campaigns/workstations/zbook-15.html" target="_blank">HP ZBook 15 Mobile Workstation | HP® Official Site</a>

HP ZBook 17 G2 :<a href="http://www8.hp.com/us/en/campaigns/workstations/zbook-17.html" target="_blank">HP ZBook 17 Mobile Workstation | HP® Official Site</a>

[sinatrya]

Hi guys, I learned doing egpu about 2 weeks and thanks to this thread for lot information egpu and other stuff, it makes me easier to learn. Secondly, thanks to Tech Inferno Fan for lot your effort . Btw, I plan to implement it and guys, I really need your opinion about this.

My laptop spec

Toshiba Satellite L735

6gb ram

Intel Core i5-2410M @ 2.30GHz

Windows 7 Home Premium

dGPU only, Nvidia 315M (here's my dGPU detailed spec)

since there isn't express card on it, so I'm using mpcie slot behind my keyboard (because of it, I need external keyboard).

I am planning to use EXP GDC V6 (without power brick) for adaptor and nvidia 750 ti for egpu (my TOLUD B0000000 - 2,75GB).

What about it guys? If you think that my laptop can do egpu, what is best suitable PSU for it?

Thankss..

[jakethesnake438]

Refreshed HP Zbook 15 G2 and 17 G2 have been announced. Availability to be late September.

Both ZBooks have a Thunderbolt 2 port

Both ZBooks support HP Z Turbo drive (PCIe SSD). The 730 MB/s read spec suggests it is at least a x2 2.0 link. Is it NGFF.M2?

ZBook 15 G2 supports a 3200 x 1800 resolution internal LCD

HP ZBook 15 G2: HP ZBook 15 Mobile Workstation | HP® Official Site

HP ZBook 17 G2 :HP ZBook 17 Mobile Workstation | HP® Official Site

Here's hoping the yet-to-be-released zbook 14 g2 has thunderbolt and a quad core option. I didn't see a quad core zbook 14 so chances are slim. One can hope right?

Sadly the performance of a dualcore haswell chip leaves much to be desired

Otherwise looking forward to seeing some second hand zbook 15 g1 on eBay for < $1k

[Slovedon]

I've just got myself a nice Thunderbolt-enabled G46VW that I'll be adding onto with a ThunderTek/PX chassis (unless there is a better option, but this is what the others on this forum have used with this computer) and an eGPU.

My question is: Do the vast majority of people here use Nvidia GPUs because of the x1.2OPT? Are there any downsides to using an AMD GPU over Thunderbolt? It seems that AMD GPUs lose considerably less performance when starved for bandwidth, compared to Nvidia, and are also more competitively priced, at least for now.

Also, is there any speculation on if the GTX 860/870/880 will lose less % of performance over TB, given their improved efficiency or any other improvements?

Edit: Does performance tend to be similar on the internal and external LCD with a TB implementation? (sorry for all the probably-searchable questions, but I thought I'd ask here while I research)

[Tech Inferno Fan]

I've just go myself a nice Thunderbolt-enabled G46VW that I'll be adding onto with a ThunderTek/PX chassis (unless there is a better option, but this is what the others on this forum have used with this computer) and an eGPU. My question is: Do the vast majority of people here use Nvidia GPUs because of the x1.2OPT? Are there any downsides to using an AMD GPU over Thunderbolt? It seems that AMD GPUs lose considerably less performance when starved for bandwidth, compared to Nvidia, and are also more competitively priced (for now).

Also, is there any speculation on if the GTX 860/870/880 will lose less % of performance over TB, given their improved efficiency (or any other improvements)?

NVidia is the dominant card used for eGPU purposes because:

1) NVidia Optimus: accelerated internal LCD mode for iGPU-equipped notebooks. Equivalent for AMD requires purchase of LucidLogix Virtua which even then isn't as good: http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/2967-lucidlogix-virtu-internal-lcd-mode-amd-egpus.html#post41056 . Optimus works even on old 4500MHD equipped notebooks but Virtua requires a 2nd-gen or newer Intel CPU.

2) Even when comparing real-world AMD vs NVidia gaming benchmark results on a TB link, NVidia will often outperform AMD : http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/3062-%5Bguide%5D-2012-13-mbp-gtx660ti-hd7870%40x2-2-th05.html#post42483

3) x1 pci-e compression: on mPCIe/EC systems, accelerated DX9 apps by up to 300%.

I don't expect any major differences in PCIe efficiency with the Maxwell GTX9xxx video cards. I expect major improvements in performance-per-watt. Eg: GTX980 will deliver 10% more performance than a GTX780Ti yet only need 170W of power. A GTX780Ti requires 250W of power: GeForce GTX 980 rumored to use 170W, but offer GTX 780 Ti performance . This is reported to still be under the the same 28nm manufacturing process.

[Slovedon]

NVidia is the dominant card used for eGPU purposes because:

1) NVidia Optimus: accelerated internal LCD mode for iGPU-equipped notebooks. Equivalent for AMD requires purchase of LucidLogix Virtua which even then isn't as good: http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/2967-lucidlogix-virtu-internal-lcd-mode-amd-egpus.html#post41056 . Optimus works even on old 4500MHD equipped notebooks but Virtua requires a 2nd-gen or newer Intel CPU.

Ah, the accelerated internal LCD mode is the kicker for me. Nvidia it is!

3) x1 pci-e compression: on mPCIe/EC systems, accelerated DX9 apps by up to 300%.

Out of curiosity. Has anyone looked into the possibility of getting PCIe compression over Thunderbolt? Would this be remotely possible?

I don't expect any major differences in PCIe efficiency with the Maxwell GTX9xxx video cards. I expect major improvements in performance-per-watt. Eg: GTX980 will deliver 10% more performance than a GTX780Ti yet only need 170W of power. A GTX780Ti requires 250W of power: GeForce GTX 980 rumored to use 170W, but offer GTX 780 Ti performance . This is reported to still be under the the same 28nm manufacturing process.

This is great news if the GTX 980 will be able to run off of a Dell DA2 PSU.

[Tech Inferno Fan]

Ah, the accelerated internal LCD mode is the kicker for me. Nvidia it is!

Out of curiosity. Has anyone looked into the possibility of getting PCIe compression over Thunderbolt? Would this be remotely possible?

This is great news if the GTX 980 will be able to run off of a Dell DA2 PSU.

Yes, NVidia Optimus accelerated internal LCD is a major feature AND it comes free with the NVidia drivers.

Optimus making it easible to carry a small eGPU enclosure around with you for gaming on the go. That dock becoming more portable with Maxwell due to the power efficiences we are seeing leaked. Consider we'd get ~GTX770 performance at 150W (75W slot power + 1x6P PCIe).

The pci-e compression has little affect on DX10 or DX11 apps. It mainly accelerated DX9 which presumably sends image data in a very inefficient way over the PCIe bus for NVidia cards.

I've commented about the possibility of hacking the NVidia drivers to enable Optimus accelerated internal LCD mode on non-Intel primary GPUs and pci-e compression at http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/6253-t500-compat-q-4500mhd-optimus-ends-306-97whql-2.html#post89243 . Would love to see that level of hacking attempted

[Lind.LHeart]

Guys i need your opinions in this. i have an old laptop that i am planning to use to include the eGPU on it.

The specifications for it is :

Computer Type ACPI x86-based PC (Mobile)

Operating System Microsoft Windows Vista Enterprise

OS Service Pack Service Pack 2

CPU Type Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T6570, 2100 MHz (10.5 x 200)

Motherboard Chipset Intel Cantiga GM45

System Memory 3036 MB (DDR2-667 DDR2 SDRAM)

Video Adapter Mobile Intel® 4 Series Express Chipset Family (1325722 KB)

some extra information:

PCI Express Controller

PCI-E 1.0 x1 port #1 Empty

PCI-E 1.0 x1 port #2 In Use @ x1 (Atheros AR5006X Wireless Network Adapter)

PCI-E 1.0 x1 port #3 Empty

PCI-E 1.0 x1 port #4 In Use @ x1 (Realtek RTL8168C/8111C PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Adapter)

I got these values from aida64. i would like to know what eGPU setup would do best with this laptop and whether i could run the egpu using the internal screen. It is an old laptop but i dont want to waste this laptop. I have bought PE4H (PCIe passive adapter ver 2.4). i would really appreciate it if you guys could aid me on this project of mine. please tell me if you need more information.

[Tech Inferno Fan]

Guys i need your opinions in this. i have an old laptop that i am planning to use to include the eGPU on it.

The specifications for it is :

Computer Type ACPI x86-based PC (Mobile)

Operating System Microsoft Windows Vista Enterprise

OS Service Pack Service Pack 2

CPU Type Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T6570, 2100 MHz (10.5 x 200)

Motherboard Chipset Intel Cantiga GM45

System Memory 3036 MB (DDR2-667 DDR2 SDRAM)

Video Adapter Mobile Intel® 4 Series Express Chipset Family (1325722 KB)

some extra information:

PCI Express Controller

PCI-E 1.0 x1 port #1 Empty

PCI-E 1.0 x1 port #2 In Use @ x1 (Atheros AR5006X Wireless Network Adapter)

PCI-E 1.0 x1 port #3 Empty

PCI-E 1.0 x1 port #4 In Use @ x1 (Realtek RTL8168C/8111C PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Adapter)

I got these values from aida64. i would like to know what eGPU setup would do best with this laptop and whether i could run the egpu using the internal screen. It is an old laptop but i dont want to waste this laptop. I have bought PE4H (PCIe passive adapter ver 2.4). i would really appreciate it if you guys could aid me on this project of mine. please tell me if you need more information.

AFAIK, a SL400 is pretty much like a T400 but without the rollcage and different dGPU. I'd think then a SL400 implementaiton would be similar to a T400 or T500. Both have previous implementations at http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/6578-implementations-thunderbolt-expresscard-mpcie-egpus.html#post89707

Your system has a 4500MHD iGPU, so with a PE4H 2.4 can accomodate a NVidia GTS/GTX 4xx, 5xx 6xx card to provide Optimus features (x1 pcie compression and internal LCD mode). The most recent driver allowing that being NVidia 306.97WHQL as noted at http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/6253-t500-compat-q-4500mhd-optimus-ends-306-97whql-2.html#post89243 .7 series cards are not recommended as you'd need modification of the INF files for it to work which I'd recommend against.

[rwzdoorn]

Hi all,

After doing some research and not choosing for the ViDock 4++ (MSI doesn't fit?!) the only option left is creating my own eGPU. I've read a couple of things about P34L / P34H but I'm not totally sure what parts I need. I'm using a MBP 15" (2011) with Thunderbolt. I'd like to connect it the same way as the ViDock by using a (overpriced) Sonnet Echo Expresscard Pro Thunderbolt.

This is my shopping list:

- Power supply

- MSI GTX 770 (MSI Global N770 TF 2GD5/OC)

- Sonnet echo Expresscard Pro TB (2.0!)

- Thunderbolt > Thunderbolt

And finally P34L / P34H (which one do I need ??) , or am I missing something?

I know I will lose performance due to the Expresscard > TB but I can live with that.

Can someone advise me on the P34L / P34H?

Kind regards,

Robin

[Lind.LHeart]

AFAIK, a SL400 is pretty much like a T400 but without the rollcage and different dGPU. I'd think then a SL400 implementaiton would be similar to a T400 or T500. Both have previous implementations at http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/6578-implementations-thunderbolt-expresscard-mpcie-egpus.html#post89707

Your system has a 4500MHD iGPU, so with a PE4H 2.4 can accomodate a NVidia GTS/GTX 4xx, 5xx 6xx card to provide Optimus features (x1 pcie compression and internal LCD mode). The most recent driver allowing that being NVidia 306.97WHQL as noted at http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/6253-t500-compat-q-4500mhd-optimus-ends-306-97whql-2.html#post89243 .7 series cards are not recommended as you'd need modification of the INF files for it to work which I'd recommend against.

Could you recommend me a graphics card to go with? Im just unsure with what i should use for the set up. There is the bandwidth limitations that I have read about. I was thinking to go with a msi 560 ti Twin Frozr II or the Hawk if i could find one since it seems to me everyone was using the 560 ti. When you said i could go up to 6xx cards im just unsure now... should i go with 660 ti or higher?

thanks a lot for helping me!

[Tech Inferno Fan]

Hi all,

After doing some research and not choosing for the ViDock 4++ (MSI doesn't fit?!) the only option left is creating my own eGPU. I've read a couple of things about P34L / P34H but I'm not totally sure what parts I need. I'm using a MBP 15" (2011) with Thunderbolt. I'd like to connect it the same way as the ViDock by using a (overpriced) Sonnet Echo Expresscard Pro Thunderbolt.

This is my shopping list:

- Power supply

- MSI GTX 770 (MSI Global N770 TF 2GD5/OC)

- Sonnet echo Expresscard Pro TB (2.0!)

- Thunderbolt > Thunderbolt

And finally P34L / P34H (which one do I need ??) , or am I missing something?

I know I will lose performance due to the Expresscard > TB but I can live with that.

Can someone advise me on the P34L / P34H?

Kind regards,

Robin

Anybody who pays US$309-shipped for a 320W ViDock 4+ expresscard enclosure has probably not investigated what competitors it has. For if they'd did, they'd see the ViDock is one of the highest priced yet lowest featured/performance enclosures on the market.

For the most part a US$99 220W EXP GDC V6 is functional equivalent and betters the ViDock by offering a free standing compact product with better cooling and a detachable cable. Why would anybody pay an extra US$210 for the ViDock?

The EXP GDC V6's 220W AC adapter is good enough to power up to a GTX680. It's even rated by independent Chinese electronic vendors as being able to supply up to 240W. Regardless if it can or can't, then if you are handy and prepared to undervolt/underclock a 229W GTX770 if hit instability issues then it can be made to work reliably with MSI Afterburner software.

The total package you'd be after there is the same as a BiZONBOX detailed here, US$274 of parts in total. It's a 5Gbps solution using a EXP GDC V6 + Sonnet Echo Expresscard Thunderbolt-to-expresscard adapter. You could reduce that down another US$20 if remove the acrylic enclosure.

However, I'd recommend you consider modding a AKiTiO Thunder2 instead. That may simply mean purchasing a PCIe riser and a ATX PSU to accompany the enclosure. THere you'd have a 10Gbps solution for probably less or the same $$. One that could then even give you 16Gbps is you upgraded to a 2013+ 13/15" Macbook Pro with a TB2 chip in it. REF: http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/7205-us%24225-akitio-thunder2-pcie-box.html#post98210 . It's the best value Thunderbolt2 enclosure on the market.

Could you recommend me a graphics card to go with? Im just unsure with what i should use for the set up. There is the bandwidth limitations that I have read about. I was thinking to go with a msi 560 ti Twin Frozr II or the Hawk if i could find one since it seems to me everyone was using the 560 ti. When you said i could go up to 6xx cards im just unsure now... should i go with 660 ti or higher?

thanks a lot for helping me!

Comparable performance can be found here. GTX560Ti, GTX660, GTX660Ti and GTX670 recommended. GTX650 not due to having quite large PCIe config space requirements making it difficult to accomodate on some platforms. The mini-ITX Asus GTX670 recommended due to it's compact sizing. Maybe compare performance scaling with cost in your market to see which is the best value money?