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eGPU experiences [version 2.0]


Tech Inferno Fan

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Hi all...

i am not sure if i did it correctly but it shows that the device is working properly...

it has been awhile and i took Tech Inferno Fan and Dan advice and upgraded my PC to a windows 7 64 bit os...

below shows the steps i took

[ATTACH=CONFIG]13160[/ATTACH]

just to show you guys what my TOLUD is... though im not quite sure what it is...

[ATTACH=CONFIG]13161[/ATTACH]

this is my computers intel chipset and CPU...

[ATTACH=CONFIG]13162[/ATTACH]

installing the 306.97-desktop-win8-win7-winvista-64bit-english-whql driver to my leadtek Winfast GTX 660 Hurricane II this is what i think it is called thanks to google search...

rebooted plug out the express card and put it back in after im in desktop screen.

checked device manger shows that device is working properly

post-29384-14494998775231_thumb.png

However there is this code 12 problem that i believe i need to do DSDT override? beauese i didnt do it...

post-29384-14494998775601_thumb.png

GPUZ v0.8.0 shows the results below with this error(?) i presume...

post-29384-14494998776155_thumb.png

post-29384-14494998775939_thumb.png

Please do advise me if there is anything wrong here...

thanks again to those that has helped me...

please ignore the bad english...

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Hi Guys,

I have a Fujitsu Siemens Amilo XI3650 - 18,4" FHD / QX9300 / GM45 / 4500MHD - NV130M / 8GB DDR3 / 120GB SSD/W 8.1 - working along with an EXP GDC v6 (pcie-express card) @ MSI HD6850 Cyclone OC.

The setup works (with an external display) just fine, but I got some bandwidth issue. It is kind of okay, because I can get 14000 points (instead of 6300 - NV130M) out of 3DMark 06 and I can play older games very smoothly, but when it is time for a newer title it is just lagging as f... and suffering in low fps. (D3D bandwidth VGA Mem -> System Mem download: 160MB/s - Upload: 110MB/s)

Now, the XI3650 has an eSATA port and so as far as I know the eSATA has a bigger bandwidth than the pcie 1.1x.

So I was wondering is there any possibility to get an eSATA to HDMI cable and get it connected that way? (There is some shop online who sell such cable but over 500pcs only..)

Or any solution to get the bandwidth increased?

Thank you very much for your help.

Regards,

Gensc

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@Tech Inferno Fan I have low fps in games while a desktop with the same gpu and similar cpu would get more. I have the PE4L v2.1B (mPCIe version), and I was wondering if I could gain more fps if I buy the EXP GDC. The PE4L has a x1 1.1 link and the EXP GDC would have a x16 1.1 link (correct me if I'm wrong).

The PE4L can pass through max 5GB/s (2.5GB on each side), while the EXP GDC would pass through 80GB/s (16x2.5x2=80). (again, correct me if I'm wrong).

My gpu (r7-240) has a bandwidth of 34.6GB/s, so the PE4L bottlenecks the max bandwidth right?

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@Tech Inferno Fan I have low fps in games while a desktop with the same gpu and similar cpu would get more. I have the PE4L v2.1B (mPCIe version), and I was wondering if I could gain more fps if I buy the EXP GDC. The PE4L has a x1 1.1 link and the EXP GDC would have a x16 1.1 link (correct me if I'm wrong).

The PE4L can pass through max 5GB/s (2.5GB on each side), while the EXP GDC would pass through 80GB/s (16x2.5x2=80). (again, correct me if I'm wrong).

My gpu (r7-240) has a bandwidth of 34.6GB/s, so the PE4L bottlenecks the max bandwidth right?

I'm sorry buddy but the PE4L and EXP GDC both use 5GB/s so no difference there. What system are you using?

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Hi all...

i am not sure if i did it correctly but it shows that the device is working properly...

it has been awhile and i took Tech Inferno Fan and Dan advice and upgraded my PC to a windows 7 64 bit os...

below shows the steps i took

[ATTACH=CONFIG]13160[/ATTACH]

just to show you guys what my TOLUD is... though im not quite sure what it is...

[ATTACH=CONFIG]13161[/ATTACH]

this is my computers intel chipset and CPU...

[ATTACH=CONFIG]13162[/ATTACH]

installing the 306.97-desktop-win8-win7-winvista-64bit-english-whql driver to my leadtek Winfast GTX 660 Hurricane II this is what i think it is called thanks to google search...

rebooted plug out the express card and put it back in after im in desktop screen.

checked device manger shows that device is working properly

[ATTACH=CONFIG]13164[/ATTACH]

However there is this code 12 problem that i believe i need to do DSDT override? beauese i didnt do it...

[ATTACH=CONFIG]13165[/ATTACH]

GPUZ v0.8.0 shows the results below with this error(?) i presume...

[ATTACH=CONFIG]13167[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]13166[/ATTACH]

Please do advise me if there is anything wrong here...

thanks again to those that has helped me...

please ignore the bad english...

ami doing anything wrong? because the framerate that i was getting during games was ard 25fps... is this due to me not doing DSDT override? although the GPU says its working fine?

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Acer Aspire 5741 (Intel HM55 chipset).

Specs:

i5-560M Turboclocked with Throttlestop (2.9GHz-3.2GHz)

8GB DDR3 1066MHz Ram (The ram is 1333MHz, but the hardware limits it to 1066MHz)

500GB Seagate SSHD

eGPU setup:

PE4L v2.1b mpcie version

MSI R7 240 2GD3 LP

If both eGPU adapters have 5GB/s, then a 34.6GB/s bandwidth card is unuseful since only 5GB/s is "allowed to pass" right?

How can I increase my performance, because my GPU should handle FC3 easely on high settings, while I even lag at 60% of my res (1680x1050) at certain points.

About the same in other games, my FPS is mostly 25-30 FPS (doesn't matter if I play on ultra, high, medium or low, it only increases when lowering resolution), exept in Minecraft (60-90FPS on ultra) or old games.

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I hope that this is the right place to post this question:

In the now-closed "Implementations Hub" thread there is the following assertion:

Systems incapable of running 4GB+ setups for reasons as explained. These will require a DSDT override to work.

1. 41st-gen i-core and core2Duo Dell_Latitude have TOLUD=3.5GB.

2.MSI CRx20

3. Lenovo T420 doesn't work unless use bios 1.15 as explained here

(the last word "here" is a link to an old post about the fact that later Thinkpad BIOS change the memory map so that TOLUD=3.5)

I am **horribly** confused by the assertion that these systems are incapable of having 3.5GB of RAM followed by the assertion that they will work with DSDT Override.

Which of the following things is actually true about my THinkpad T420:

1. With more than 4GB of RAM, and a DSDT Override, the T420 should work EVEN WITH a BIOS version 1.15 or later.

or

2. With more than 4GB of RAM, and a DSDT Overrise, the T420 STILL MUST HAVE A BIOS version 1.14 or earlier to work.

If assertion 1 is correct, please correct the (now erroneous) assertion in the "Implementations hub"?

If assertion 2 is correct, please explain. Thanks!! i thought the whole point of the DSDT override was to make it irrelevant how much ram there is in the system.

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My current AMD eGPU setup is working flawlessly, problem is for some projects will possibly need a CUDA GPU.

Question is if anyone did find or foresee problems working with GTX 670 4GB GPU.

No problem. NVidia card will give a better feature set (x1 pci-e compression + internal LCD mode + CUDA), plus you may see better performance. Consider http://forum.techinferno.com/implementation-guides/2747-%5Bguide%5D-12-dell-e6230-hd7870-gtx660%40x4gbps-c-ec2-pe4l-2-1b-win7.html#post37197 .

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Warning about GTX970 and GTX980- these have voltage spike far beyond their TDP rating

We've had some reports of pairing a GTX970 card (TDP 145W) to Dell DA-2 AC adapter (220W) as giving unreliable results or blackouts. TomsHW below explaining that a Maxwell GTX980 sees voltage spikes nearing on 300W from a card rated at 176W (average). Such spikes would see DA-2 detect being overdriven and shut down to prevent damage.

From A New Power Consumption Test Setup - Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 And 980 Review: Maximum Maxwell writes when measuring GTX980 power consumption:

To illustrate, let’s take a look at how Maxwell behaves in the space of just 1 ms. Its power consumption jumps up and down repeatedly within this time frame, hitting a minimum of 100 W and a maximum of 290 W. Even though the average power consumption is only 176 W, the GPU draws almost 300 W when it's necessary. Above that, the GPU slows down.
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No problem. NVidia card will give a better feature set (x1 pci-e compression + internal LCD mode + CUDA), plus you may see better performance. Consider http://forum.techinferno.com/implementation-guides/2747-%5Bguide%5D-12-dell-e6230-hd7870-gtx660%40x4gbps-c-ec2-pe4l-2-1b-win7.html#post37197 .

Thanks, will decide for Nvidia path beginning next year, when will be clearer the availability time of some OpenCL pure GPU renderer.

In fact I didn't like the idea to pass to Nvidia since will receive less at same price: smaller bus, less shaders and much worse double precision floating performance.

But currently almost all GPU renderer are CUDA only, with few exceptions that didnt work with my workflow.

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You raise a good point. I'm getting a fair few intermittent "NVidia driver has stopped working" issues with a EXP GDC V6 that I didn't have with a PE4L 2.1b. NVidia drivers having little fault tolerance if the link can't maintain Gen2 speed, requiring either downgrading the port to Gen1 link speed and losing half the bandwidth along with it or getting a better eGPU adapter.

ATM testing a PE4C 2.1 to see if it's any better than EXP GDC V6. Wonder if EXP GDC V7-Areas or newer EXP GDC Beast have better signal integrity?

So I've figure out that the reason for my "NVidia driver has stopped working" issues is my fridge: every time my fridge compressor turns on, my screen goes black and the "NVidia driver has stopped working" occurs.

I'm not really sure how to fix this, besides using a different outlet for my fridge (so. many. extension cables). Would using a PSU instead of the DA-2 solve the problem?

I've also heard that using a higher quality HDMI cable might solve the problem. Anyone know where I can buy a better HDMI to mPCIe cable?

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So I've figure out that the reason for my "NVidia driver has stopped working" issues is my fridge: every time my fridge compressor turns on, my screen goes black and the "NVidia driver has stopped working" occurs.

I'm not really sure how to fix this, besides using a different outlet for my fridge (so. many. extension cables). Would using a PSU instead of the DA-2 solve the problem?

I've also heard that using a higher quality HDMI cable might solve the problem. Anyone know where I can buy a better HDMI to mPCIe cable?

Bang on. Try using an ATX PSU instead of the Dell DA-2. It seems the DA-2 has a lot less filtering to noise and spikes than an ATX PSU does. It may solve your issue.

A quick fix may be to plug your DA-2 into at a different outlet. Better yet, use a different line from your circuit breaker than the fridge is using.

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I got some success with T430s and GTX770 after many trials.

My Setup: T430s EXP GDC7 + Dell adapter DA2

More details about my computer
Component Details Subscore Base score
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3520M CPU @ 2.90GHz 7,2
7,2
Determined by lowest subscore
Memory (RAM) 16,0 GB 7,5
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 7,9
Gaming graphics 4096 MB Total available graphics memory 7,9
Primary hard disk 291GB Free (447GB Total) 7,9
Windows 7 Professional


System [H][/HR]
Manufacturer LENOVO
Model 23554L9
Total amount of system memory 16,0 GB RAM
System type 64-bit operating system
Number of processor cores 2
[H][/HR]
Despite Dell DA2 should not have enough current to drive the GTX 770 it seems to work satisfactory. I choose the MSI GTX 770 that fits the GDC 7 metal enclosure and have silent fans and is not overclocked. Now I am just scared to reboot, cannot understand how this chain loading works.

I could not get the card to fit DSDT 36 bit override despite enabling it. Yes, I have to use eGPU setup 1.3 and PCI compaction. In order to fit TOLUD I have to configure the 770 to use the dGPU address space. The cards connects at PCIe 2 speeds according to GPU-Z.

Update: I don't do any compacting, I just to use setup to disable dGPU and enable eGPU. Compacting seems to have unwanted side effects, for me it is not needed now.
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Hello,

my EXP GDC Beast arrived so I started setting things up. I did DSDT override, disabled my dGPU GT 525M via Windows Device Manager and succesfully connected my eGPU GTX 750 through ExpressCard and installed drivers.

Everything works but the performance is somewhat weird. In some games I'm getting worse performance than I did with the GT525M with same settings, sometimes it's a few FPS better(around 10) and sometimes I can max out game and get way over 60 FPS while with GT 525M I was getting 30 at medium details(All tested games are recent, none older than 3 years). This is with output to internal screen(1366x768), I tried hooking it up to my TV while keeping the resolution same and almost all games ran a bit better but some performed almost the same.

I did not use the Setup 1.30 so I'm running at x1 1.1 connection. Would changing it in Setup 1.30 improve it or is something else wrong? I don't want to spend more money for something that won't improve the situation, that's why I ask. Also Thanks in advance.

The notebook is Lifebook AH531

i5 2430M

8 GBs of RAM

Win 7

GT 525M + Intel HD 3000

post-30619-14494998793052_thumb.png

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Hello,

my EXP GDC Beast arrived so I started setting things up. I did DSDT override, disabled my dGPU GT 525M via Windows Device Manager and succesfully connected my eGPU GTX 750 through ExpressCard and installed drivers.

Everything works but the performance is somewhat weird. In some games I'm getting worse performance than I did with the GT525M with same settings, sometimes it's a few FPS better(around 10) and sometimes I can max out game and get way over 60 FPS while with GT 525M I was getting 30 at medium details(All tested games are recent, none older than 3 years). This is with output to internal screen(1366x768), I tried hooking it up to my TV while keeping the resolution same and almost all games ran a bit better but some performed almost the same.

I did not use the Setup 1.30 so I'm running at x1 1.1 connection. Would changing it in Setup 1.30 improve it or is something else wrong? I don't want to spend more money for something that won't improve the situation, that's why I ask. Also Thanks in advance.

The notebook is Lifebook AH531

i5 2430M

8 GBs of RAM

Win 7

GT 525M + Intel HD 3000

Your choppy FPS a symptom of saturated x1 bandwidth.

You could do three things to see better results (1) set a 60 FPS limit in the NVidia control panel (2) acquire Setup 1.30 and switch your port to Gen2 speed to double bandwidth and (3) use an external LCD so LCD traffic goes straight out the video card and so doesn't tax the x1 link.

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Hello,

my EXP GDC Beast arrived so I started setting things up. I did DSDT override, disabled my dGPU GT 525M via Windows Device Manager and succesfully connected my eGPU GTX 750 through ExpressCard and installed drivers.

Everything works but the performance is somewhat weird. In some games I'm getting worse performance than I did with the GT525M with same settings, sometimes it's a few FPS better(around 10) and sometimes I can max out game and get way over 60 FPS while with GT 525M I was getting 30 at medium details(All tested games are recent, none older than 3 years). This is with output to internal screen(1366x768), I tried hooking it up to my TV while keeping the resolution same and almost all games ran a bit better but some performed almost the same.

I did not use the Setup 1.30 so I'm running at x1 1.1 connection. Would changing it in Setup 1.30 improve it or is something else wrong? I don't want to spend more money for something that won't improve the situation, that's why I ask. Also Thanks in advance.

The notebook is Lifebook AH531

i5 2430M

8 GBs of RAM

Win 7

GT 525M + Intel HD 3000

~snip, nando to the rescue

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@Tech Inferno Fan

Using an external LCD is unfortunately not an option for me. Can you explain why setting 60 FPS limit would help? I'm nowhere near this figure, for example I ran NFS Shift 2 with GT525M at around 35 FPS, now with GTX 750 that outputs to internal LCD it drops to 20-25 with the same settings, and when I connect it to the TV, it runs similarly to the GT525M at 35 FPS with same resolution and details. Most other games behave differently though(Dota 2 runs at 45 internal and jumps up to 100 when using TV). I am gonna grab the Setup 1.30 and see what happens.

@Kaas93

The GPU works and can output to both internal and external LCD, it only has bad performance(pretty much no advantage over the GT525M). My bios has only boot device priority settings.

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I'm sorry to say that I think my eGPU project is about to end in complete failure. Here is my "last resort":

Thinkpad T420 model 4178-AFU (within Intel HD Graphics 3000 iGPU and no dGPU), running Windows 8.1 Pro and 16GB RAM.

PE4C 12 and PM3N 1.1

Asus GeForce GTX 760

Pulse Switching Power Supplly Model PPS-700BR.

The problem is very simple to describe: the card is simply never detected, ever, by anything. It does not show up in Windows Device Manager at all. The card appears to be running just fine: LEDs light, the fans turn. But there is no sign of life in Windwos Device Manager, so game over before it has begun. En route to this sorry state, however, the following happened:

1. Filrst, I tried to install the mPCI-E card into the WWAN slot, and nothing happened. Then I realized from this forum that I had to use the (Less accessible) WLAN slot. At first, the laptop put up a warning that the card was an unauthorized Wifi card and halted. So I found a modified latest-version BIOS from the BIOS Mods forum. The modified BIOS had no whitelist. This seemed to work perfectly: when I would hot-swap the card with the live Wifi card when the Windows Logo appeared, it showed up beautifully in device manager. unfortunately, of course, so did Error 12. I managed to do the DSDT override, or at least I think I did: thee is the "Large Memory" entry in the Device Manager. I seemed to have the right drivers installed, the device manger showed the card as working properly -- but no image ever appeared from the card to any external monitor.

There were all sorts of suggestions that I need to be careful to set in the BIOS that the primary display is on the PCI-E bus -- but there is absolutely Ntohing in the Thinkpad BIOS about such a setting. (there is the BIOS of T420s that have a dGPU, but this one doesn't).

I can only say that at this point, IO have cleaned out all the drivers (at one point I had only the basic Windows drivers, not even the Intel HD Graphics 3000 drivers), I have cleared pout the DSDT override, and I have reflashed the stock BIOS. I have even taken out the CMOS battery for a few hours. The board just does not appear.in Device Manager.

There is one thing that makes me think that perhaps I have corrupted something in an unknown way: I am quite sure that I have reflashed the stock BIOS correctly. However, when I boot up with the eGPU attached, the system does not complain and halt like it used to -- it seems to just boot up with no trouble. WHen it does this, the device manager lists that mPCIe port as empty of course.

Is it possible for me to have correctly flashed the stock BIOS but not have the system halt when a eGPU is booted with the machine?

Anyway, thanks to all who provided support, and if you have any clever suggestions, certainly I am open to them.

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I have used eGPU to play games but I realized that when the machine is relativly idle it BSODS after some time.

If I surf the web read email etc.

I noticed I don't have this issue when the GPU is under pressure during games? It seems the machine becomes stable if I leave a youtube window open so that Adobe Flash player is started.

?? Anyone noticed a similar behaviour?

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hi all,

does anyone have anything to say about the following setup:

EXP GDC Beast (via expressCard)

nVidia Quadro (k2200 or k4000)

running on i7 quad (e.g., 4810mq)

first question is: what would be the best way to power the eGPU? i know most people here use the GTX series, but for a 3d modeling application, I am under the impression that the Quadro drivers are unbeatable. but setting that debate aside, does anyone know if the quadro drivers are compatible with this hardware? would the Optimus work for the internal LCD?

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I have used eGPU to play games but I realized that when the machine is relativly idle it BSODS after some time.

If I surf the web read email etc.

I noticed I don't have this issue when the GPU is under pressure during games? It seems the machine becomes stable if I leave a youtube window open so that Adobe Flash player is started.

?? Anyone noticed a similar behaviour?

Sounds like your connection "crashes" when it lowers the connection to x1.1 to save energy. If you have stuff running that uses your eGPU you have the x1.2 link and while being idle it turns down to x1.1 which might cause this. Though I don't know a further reason for the BSODs, maybe check the energy settings for pcie in your energy profile.

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