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eGPU experiences [version 2.0]


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15" Lenovo W541 has a Thunderbolt2 port

Just been alerted to the new 15" Lenovo W541, a refresh of the Lenovo W540, now has a Thunderbolt2 port. It's been added to http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/4109-egpu-candidate-system-list.html#post57511 . Thank you kakashisensei.

Tech Inferno Fan, if it is the case that W541 has TB2; then i will jump onboard the eGPU wagon!

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Got the new Zotac GTX 970 today, so I figured I'd run a benchmark and share my setup:

post-17902-1449499888782_thumb.jpg

PSU is an S12II 430W in case anyone was wondering. Its a little overkill but i don't want to be stuck with a random <300w PSU if i ever go full desktop

post-17902-14494998889097_thumb.png

I only have Unigine benches because 3Dmark doesn't like me or something. I'll fix that after I'm done with college apps :P

I have 8gb of ram in the laptop so I have a dsdt override in place. I use setup 1.x to reallocate everything except sound/sata etc. and keep the iGPU in 32-bit space, then chainload to windows.

Everything runs very smoothly, my only complaint is the coil whine on the card, which sounds like a very fast tick/click. At first I thought the fan was hitting a piece of paper, but it only whines when I'm running a game or something. Kinda loud, but I'm hoping its just a day/week 1 kind of thing.

If anyone has any advice on that it'd be greatly appreciated, it gets annoying when the card is a foot away from your head.

post-17902-14494998888892_thumb.gif

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Hi guys,

I bought an EXP GDC Ares 7.0 to use a GTX 550 Ti on a Samsung Serie 5 ultrabook 530U3C.

I made the whole setup connection, Ares is connected to the laptop via mPCI-e, the GPU boot when i start my laptop. Problem, Windows can't see it.

Here is my Device manager setup

post-31769-14494998966053_thumb.png

​ I'm trying to get the DSDT override working, i already get the large memory in Device Manager via DSDT editor. Now i'm stuck at the setup 1.x step, that's why i ask your help.

First, do you have any advice about my config ? ( Ares 7.0, GTX 550 Ti, Samsung Serie 5 ultrabook 530U3C, HD 4000iGPU, Windows 7 ultimate )

Then, do i have any chance to get that stuff working with Setup 1.x ?

Thanks in advance for your answer, and thanks for your job

Regards, Max.

PS : If you want any information about my config, ask me ;)

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From my experience on these card:

- did you first uninstall other card drivers

- you need to connect the card the first time only after the laptop is up and running

- after the card is recognized you need to reboot with the card already connected

- didn't try to extend desktop before boot is fully complete and catalyst cc is loaded

I tried to follow your instructions and card is now recognized by the system. However there is still something wrong. I made screen of HWINFO and GPU-Z, where some values are very low or none.

post-30248-14494998967039_thumb.png

post-30248-14494998967287_thumb.png

Does anybody have any clue, what is wrong? I tried to set ExpressCard to Gen1 or automatic, but it doesn't help. I bought new 360W seasonic PSU, so hopefully the issue of undervolting isn't there as well.

Thanks for any advice

EDIT: I connected the PSU through Watt-meter and The consumption is only 21,6 W. So clearly the card isn't fully running :(

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I tried to follow your instructions and card is now recognized by the system. However there is still something wrong. I made screen of HWINFO and GPU-Z, where some values are very low or none.

Does anybody have any clue, what is wrong? I tried to set ExpressCard to Gen1 or automatic, but it doesn't help. I bought new 360W seasonic PSU, so hopefully the issue of undervolting isn't there as well.

Thanks for any advice

EDIT: I connected the PSU through Watt-meter and The consumption is only 21,6 W. So clearly the card isn't fully running :(

My suggested troubleshooting process:

- try to reboot again

- the monitoring process are launched inside the external monitor attached to eGPU? Since I did noticed the laptop monitor its still driven by the iGPU.

- try to load the eGPU with some benchmark can let you free to monitor the activity, such as Cinebench OpenGL test

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My suggested troubleshooting process:

- try to reboot again

- the monitoring process are launched inside the external monitor attached to eGPU? Since I did noticed the laptop monitor its still driven by the iGPU.

- try to load the eGPU with some benchmark can let you free to monitor the activity, such as Cinebench OpenGL test

The problem is I cant turn the external screen on, those screenshots were made on my laptop internal screen.

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Hi,

in the German forum we have a little bit annoying problem with the special case of a X230 in combination with a eGPU. As you know the Lenovo X230 has the unique situation of two TOLUD tables.

The guy already posted something on the Lenovo forum:

Hi,

in the last 2 month I read quite a lot about eGPU and fortunately(at least I thought so..) I have a x230 notebook which usually works fine with eGPUs and also in some german forums there where quite a lot people with setups combining the parts I have right now.

Those are the PE4L-EC060A v2.1b Adapter to connect my new Zotac Geforce GTX 970 through the expressCard Slot in my X230.

My X230 has 16gb of ram and I thought that might be the problem but I have also updated the BIOS to the newest version 2.62 which should have solved the problem. I also tried with removing one bar of 8gb ram but still does not work. If I plug the expressCard adapter into my notebook it recognizes the card and i can install the drivers. But if I reboot, it hangs up during boot process before my grub loader shows up (I also tried with an usb fresh installed windows 7) and hangs there without any error or anything... I heard that if I start with the card inside it is normal that it restarts after 1 second because of the TOLUD Table which initializes again so these setups would work. But even then it does not work and freezes..

I also took a video of the booting process:

If I, like some guys recommended, plug the card in only when grub shows up, it boots but then I get the "famous" code 12 error.

Could it be because the zotac gtx 970 has 4gb ram?

I really dont know what to do anymore 16x16_smiley-sad.gif

I also did some pictures of my setup if that might help to find the source of what is going wrong:

Link to image 1

Link to image 2

Link to image 3

Link to image 4

Link to image 5

If someone could help me I would be veeeeeeeeeeeeeery glad 16x16_smiley-happy.gif

Do you have any idea what could fix his problem?

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Hi,

in the German forum we have a little bit annoying problem with the special case of a X230 in combination with a eGPU. As you know the Lenovo X230 has the unique situation of two TOLUD tables.

The guy already posted something on the Lenovo forum:

Do you have any idea what could fix his problem?

I run an x220 with the same zotac gtx 970, and experienced similar symptoms which leads me to believe its not an issue with the dual TOLUD.

When I start up the x220 with the card plugged in from the very start, the system hangs before it even reaches the BIOS startup screen. To bypass this, I just hotplug right after the BIOS screen shows, which still allows windows to detect the card (which he does end up doing) . My system needed a DSDT Override and PCIE reallocation in setup 1.x to fix a bunch of bsods with memory allocation in win8 (should also fix the error 12). Hope I could help.

EDIT: I'm stupid, edited some stuff above

EDIT 2: this guy ->http://brightbulb.co.nz/?p=145 might help if you can't do a dsdt override. I'd find that hard to believe since I've done it by hand with both the x200 and x220, but if its not possible/not an option that guy offers a nice "solution".

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The problem is I cant turn the external screen on, those screenshots were made on my laptop internal screen.

Meaning when you extend the screen the external monitor didn't power on and remain in standby due to no signal?

From what you wrote appear your card was not correctly recognized after all.

Did you install drivers downloading it directly from AMD website or using amddriverdownloader?

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Meaning when you extend the screen the external monitor didn't power on and remain in standby due to no signal?

From what you wrote appear your card was not correctly recognized after all.

Did you install drivers downloading it directly from AMD website or using amddriverdownloader?

Yes exactly I cant get signal to external screen no matter how hard I try, I tested this on two different LCD's so faulty unit is out of game. The card seems to get recognized by Windows normally and driver is installed without any warning sign. However there is something, which is preventing the card from going to full-working state.

I used both automatic downloader and manual one, both stable and beta drivers... I'm really curious where is the weak point in my setup

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Yes exactly I cant get signal to external screen no matter how hard I try, I tested this on two different LCD's so faulty unit is out of game. The card seems to get recognized by Windows normally and driver is installed without any warning sign. However there is something, which is preventing the card from going to full-working state.

I used both automatic downloader and manual one, both stable and beta drivers... I'm really curious where is the weak point in my setup

Mmmm the only suggestion I can give you is be sure you installed the new drivers always uninstalling first the old one, and restarting the installation sequence as new one.

In my case the problem (similar to yours) was only the sequence and the presence of old driver version.

To be sure uninstall divers, CCC, all and restart from step 1.

If didn't work hope for more expert to give help.

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Hallo

May I ask. How can I know, if in my vaio SVZ the Optimus activated..?

On the previous vaio VPCZ1 with pcie 1.1, it is definetely easier. If I can get 10k++ 3DMark06 score, that mean the Optimus is active. But how in the vaio SVZ with a pcie 2.0..? Obviously the score would be more than 10k++

I ask this since something weird happend. I use nvidia control panel, and check the box, to let me know, which GPU I use currently. As long as I use the external monitor, it looks like the nvidia GPU always active, and never switched between Nvidia and Intel HD4000 ( Looks like no Optimus ). And when I switched to internal LCD, the Intel HD4000 active, and Nvidia idle

Thanks for your help

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Samsung NP700Z5C-S01UB

Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-3615QM 2.3GHz

RAM: 8GB DDR3 (1600 MHz)

iGPU: Intel HD Graphics 4000

dGPU: NVIDIA GeForce GT GT 630M 512MB

eGPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 SC 2GB

post-31835-14494998981275_thumb.png

GREETINGS!

I have been scouring the forums and trying to soak up everything I can. While some questions are getting answered, many are becoming more complex. In hopes of not becoming frustrated with the project, I figured I would go ahead and begin a WIP thread.

1. If my system is not listed here, which was updated within the week, does that mean it is not/should not be a candidate for egpu implementation?

2. Because my computer has Optimus technology, it seems the TOLUD is not a factor, however, the process of determining it went over my head when it wasn't a clear-cut alphabet letter followed by 7 zeros. Would someone please make sense of mine, and either confirm or deny my aforementioned Optimus claim?

3. Given the C216 Chipset (Intel® BD82C216 PCH) on my system, I have a MAX of 8 pcie lanes. Is this something dreadful I need to be concerned of, or will bandwidth just be halved?

4. annnnnd given optimistic responses to the first questions, likely most importantly: Reading out-dated charts and information has made the decision of what mpcie adaptor quite daunting. I believe I have correctly narrowed it down between the EXP Beast and the PE4Cv2.1.. If I'm correct so far, for my specific project, is there a huge advantage one way or another (aside from the noted "NVidia driver has stopped responding" possibility)?

5. Lastly, I saw somewhere that the Dell DA-2 would be enough to power my eVGA GTX 660 sc. Is this correct? That power adapter only outputs 18a, rather than the required 24a on the +12, let alone about half of the required wattage?

Thanks ahead of time for everyone's current and past input. This is a great community you guys have built. Special shoutout to Nando; you're everywhere! I can tell you've invested a ton.:Banane06:

post-31835-14494998980981_thumb.png

post-31835-14494998981528_thumb.png

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Hallo

May I ask. How can I know, if in my vaio SVZ the Optimus activated..?

On the previous vaio VPCZ1 with pcie 1.1, it is definetely easier. If I can get 10k++ 3DMark06 score, that mean the Optimus is active. But how in the vaio SVZ with a pcie 2.0..? Obviously the score would be more than 10k++

I ask this since something weird happend. I use nvidia control panel, and check the box, to let me know, which GPU I use currently. As long as I use the external monitor, it looks like the nvidia GPU always active, and never switched between Nvidia and Intel HD4000 ( Looks like no Optimus ). And when I switched to internal LCD, the Intel HD4000 active, and Nvidia idle

Thanks for your help

optimus is there,but without switch between Intel hd-egpu function.this mode is only available in the internal screen mode since the Intel hd is not conected to external monitor.

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optimus is there,but without switch between Intel hd-egpu function.this mode is only available in the internal screen mode since the Intel hd is not conected to external monitor.

Hallo

Thanks, thats explain why my egpu not switched to Intel HD when a simple tasks are engaged

By the way, may I know how is your system setup..? Is your laptop using the UEFI or Legacy Bios when you installed the eGPU..? I just heard some incompability between the UEFI and some GPU ( I use GTX 780 )

Thanks

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hi, I have a problem with the detection of the graphics card with a PE4C 2.1b with mPCIe adapter.

I have a MSI GE60 dgpu 860m / egpu 9600gs. When I try to connect the 9600 is not detected, I have already tried to uninstall nvidia drivers but nothing.

how can I fix this?

thank you

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Wow, guys! You didn't tell me that in order to deal with this "DSDT Override", you had to know your way into the MATRIX! That's too complicated for non-professionals. Specifically talking, fixing the errors produced during "DSDT override" requires a decent coding knowledge, since the solution will be different for each computer.

This incompatibility problem between the EXP GDC V7.0 Ares adapter and my computer seems to happen only with a few laptops, unfortunally including my HP Probook 6470b with i7-3720qm, 16GB RAM, Intel Graphics HD4000; Windows7 Pro SP1; Connecting through Express Card; Using an ATX 700W throughout these tests.

I've tried to leave my laptop with only 2GB RAM, and yes, it works this way! Slow like the slowest crap! And even 3GB of RAM still produces the same faillure, and the same happened when I tried it running Windows 8.0, which should fix the problem according to some people.

Since I gave up on the DSDT Override solution, would someone be able to tell me if I could get this external GPU to work in my laptop though some other method? Specially, is there a different adapter in the market that could work for my HP without these compatibility issues?

Thanks!

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hi, I have a problem with the detection of the graphics card with a PE4C 2.1b with mPCIe adapter.

I have a MSI GE60 dgpu 860m / egpu 9600gs. When I try to connect the 9600 is not detected, I have already tried to uninstall nvidia drivers but nothing.

how can I fix this?

thank you

Why would you want to use a 9600gs when you have a 860m? For testing purposes?

That card is very old and I think you might need setup 1.x in order to accommodate it into the PCI space.

What system are you using?

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@liveitlkethelast

A: 1) Since it's not listed in any earlier implementatios it means that we can't recommend it as a candidate even if we wanted too.

A: 2) Your TOLUD seems to be BFA00000 =~ 2.99GB, which it less than the limit of 3.25GB so you should be safe.

A: 3) You can at best achieve x1 2.0 (5Gb/s) bandwidth with EXP GDC Beast / PE4L 2.1b / PE4C etc.

A: 4) Given the fact that some EXP GDC revisions have signal integrity problems I'd go for the PE4C mPCIe solution for now, or wait for an improved "EPX GDC V9"

A: 5) Dell DA-2 is an excellent choice of PSU for the GTX 660 SC, I just to run a GTX670 from a DA-2 myself.

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I run an x220 with the same zotac gtx 970, and experienced similar symptoms which leads me to believe its not an issue with the dual TOLUD.

When I start up the x220 with the card plugged in from the very start, the system hangs before it even reaches the BIOS startup screen. To bypass this, I just hotplug right after the BIOS screen shows, which still allows windows to detect the card (which he does end up doing) . My system needed a DSDT Override and PCIE reallocation in setup 1.x to fix a bunch of bsods with memory allocation in win8 (should also fix the error 12). Hope I could help.

EDIT: I'm stupid, edited some stuff above

EDIT 2: this guy ->Thinkpad X230 eGPU 100% CPU load — BRIGHTBULB might help if you can't do a dsdt override. I'd find that hard to believe since I've done it by hand with both the x200 and x220, but if its not possible/not an option that guy offers a nice "solution".

Hi,

I am that german dude Eisbrecher99 was refering to.

I still haven't figured out how to get my setup running :(

Am I inserting the express card at the wrong time maybe?

Could you watch the video of my startup (

) and tell me maybe the second where you are inserting the card? I cannot find the right moment. Either the boot hangs up before windows starts with a black screen(like in the video) or it boots and the card is recognized as it is but with code 12. Is that right like that and I have to do something with setup 1.x ? I havent done anything with it yet. Where do I get it and will it help?

I hope someone can help me, i am quite frustrated already and soon I will not be able to send the parts back so i have a 450€ worth paperweight :(

Thank you so much

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Wow, guys! You didn't tell me that in order to deal with this "DSDT Override", you had to know your way into the MATRIX! That's too complicated for non-professionals. Specifically talking, fixing the errors produced during "DSDT override" requires a decent coding knowledge, since the solution will be different for each computer.

This incompatibility problem between the EXP GDC V7.0 Ares adapter and my computer seems to happen only with a few laptops, unfortunally including my HP Probook 6470b with i7-3720qm, 16GB RAM, Intel Graphics HD4000; Windows7 Pro SP1; Connecting through Express Card; Using an ATX 700W throughout these tests.

I've tried to leave my laptop with only 2GB RAM, and yes, it works this way! Slow like the slowest crap! And even 3GB of RAM still produces the same faillure, and the same happened when I tried it running Windows 8.0, which should fix the problem according to some people.

Since I gave up on the DSDT Override solution, would someone be able to tell me if I could get this external GPU to work in my laptop though some other method? Specially, is there a different adapter in the market that could work for my HP without these compatibility issues?

Thanks!

The compatibility issues aren't caused by your specific adapter, but by the memory allocation in your laptop. My understanding is that a DSDT override is the only way to fix this besides pseudo-disabling the iGPU in setup 1.x by forcing it out and the eGPU in. Besides, the DSDT Override is not that difficult overall. I'm 17 and I watched some videos about java and C++ a while ago, and I was able to successfully do the DSDT override on two different computers. Follow the instructions to the letter and it'll work. An alternative is to simply ask someone who has done a DSDT override with your model of laptop for the files.

Hi,

I am that german dude Eisbrecher99 was refering to.

I still haven't figured out how to get my setup running :(

Am I inserting the express card at the wrong time maybe?

Could you watch the video of my startup (

) and tell me maybe the second where you are inserting the card? I cannot find the right moment. Either the boot hangs up before windows starts with a black screen(like in the video) or it boots and the card is recognized as it is but with code 12. Is that right like that and I have to do something with setup 1.x ? I havent done anything with it yet. Where do I get it and will it help?

I hope someone can help me, i am quite frustrated already and soon I will not be able to send the parts back so i have a 450€ worth paperweight :(

Thank you so much

Hey,

I plug in right after the "to interrupt normal startup..." comes up, which would result in either a BSOD or error 12 if I didn't do a DSDT Override or use Setup 1.x to "disable" the iGPU like in the link of my edit 2. You need to pay for setup 1.x, so contact @Tech Inferno Fan if you need it.

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Hey,

I plug in right after the "to interrupt normal startup..." comes up, which would result in either a BSOD or error 12 if I didn't do a DSDT Override or use Setup 1.x to "disable" the iGPU like in the link of my edit 2. You need to pay for setup 1.x, so contact @Tech Inferno Fan if you need it.

Ok I did that but like I said, if it boots then I get the "code 12"/"error 12" in windows then. So you suggest I have to buy the setup 1.x and that will fix it?

Is there somewhere a guide or can you give me some hints how to use the tool then?

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Hallo

Thanks, thats explain why my egpu not switched to Intel HD when a simple tasks are engaged

By the way, may I know how is your system setup..? Is your laptop using the UEFI or Legacy Bios when you installed the eGPU..? I just heard some incompability between the UEFI and some GPU ( I use GTX 780 )

Thanks

tis is my setup:http://forum.techinferno.com/implementation-guides/7479-%5Bguide%5D-15-msi-ge620dx-gtx750ti%404gbps-c-mpcie2-pe4h-2-4-win7.html#post102604 my laptop has legacy bios and is accepting the egpu without no problem.guess the uefi bios may have some Little problem,but think is nothing to worry about.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Can someone help me with my issue?

I recently purchased the PE4C 2.1b DIY eGPU. I previously had the PE4H 2.4a and with the information in this forum had plenty of fun using it.

I purchased the upgrade because I have a laptop that supposedly supports 5.0 GB/s.

My setup:

HP Probook 4530s I5-2410m

8GB Ram

iGPU HD3000

dGPU disabled in the Bios

eGPU PE4C 2.1b with R9 280x Graphics card

Connected to the PC via Expresscard slot.

<strike>DIY eGPU setup 1.10b</strike>

I have successfully completed a DSDT override as I thought this would enable me to change the Expresscard port to 5GB/s but it has not.

When I change the port setting from Gen 1 to Gen 2, with or without any compaction, windows will boot into a blurred low resolution desktop with the HD3000 having error 12 and the R9 280x is recognised but non functional.

<strike>Would updating to DIY setup 1.30 fix my problem or have I completely missed a step that is causing the issue?</strike>

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