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eGPU experiences [version 2.0]


Tech Inferno Fan

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Hi all. I am thinking of setting up an eGPU for a Retina MacBook Pro 15 with Iris Pro only. I would do this with a Sonnet SEL and an EVGA GTX 760, via Thunderbolt 2. I would like to use Optimus to use the internal screen.

Can someone please tell me what the steps would be to do this? I have a disk with Windows 7 on it, but I've read about 8.1 being better. Also things about installing with EFI? I understand that installing 8.1 EFI doesn't use the standard Bootcamp way. I'm not sure what exactly to do. Thanks.

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Folks, requested BPlus give a cheaper PE4C 2.x option inc 220W AC adapter than the US$113-shipped they have now to compete against the US$77-shipped EXP GDC V6 inc 220W AC adapter. That's US$36 in favor of the EXP GDC V6.

Only discounting offered so far would be via removal of the 220W AC adapter. No cheaper shipping option has been offered.

Anybody want to weigh in on the matter? 'd like to see them lob US$20 off it, making it US$93-shipped to give it a chance.

Hi Nando,

After discuss and check with our China selling team, for v.20 in web shop is doing well. Therefore we still do not want to cut price at this moment.

v2.1 Bplus might take off AC adapter for the package, customer can choose by them self price will be lower.

Any advice feel free to let me know

xx@BPlus

----

Hi BPlus team,

Just a short note advising that EXP GDC V6 is now selling for US$77-shipped with Dell DA-2 220W AC adapter. I'd encourage you to drop the price of PE4L 2.1 and PE4C 2.x or look for alternative cheaper shipping. At that pricepoint EXP GDC V6 will have no competition from BPlus at the current BPlus pricing.

EXP GDC Laptop External PCI-E Graphics Card Mini PCI-E Set - US$77.00

Thanks,

Nando

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Folks, requested BPlus give a cheaper PE4C 2.x option inc 220W AC adapter than the US$113-shipped they have now to compete against the US$77-shipped EXP GDC V6 inc 220W AC adapter. That's US$36 in favor of the EXP GDC V6.

Only discounting offered so far would be via removal of the 220W AC adapter. No cheaper shipping option has been offered.

Anybody want to weigh in on the matter? 'd like to see them lob US$20 off it, making it US$93-shipped to give it a chance.

I agree with you. I'd go for PE4C if its price were only slightly higher than Exp Gdc v6, because I trust BPlus more than any other retailer when it comes to eGPU matter. But here the difference in price is really a lot: about 1,5 times. If BPlus could manage to keep the price below 100$ I think it would be a fair price.

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First of all, I'd like to say a big thank you to Tech Inferno Fan and all the contributors to eGPU community for amassing a wealth of information and experiences.

Secondly my question is about the Maxwell cards that are coming in Q4 this year. I'm looking to buy a GPU with a budget of £200 and right now and the GTX 760 looks like the most attractive option. I'd prefer to get something stronger than the 750 Ti but I'm not sure whether to splash out money for a better GPU when my CPU is relatively old and I have ExpressCard 2.0 speeds(Thinkpad X220, Sandy Bridge i5-2520m).

I don't mind waiting for the new Maxwell cards but would it be of much benefit to do so?

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I would still buy from BPlus even at the price premium, correct me if I'm wrong but it seems to me like bplus did all the research and testing on these devices and cooperated with us users and then EXP GDC came in and with a better and cheaper manufacturer.

I know it's not exactly rocket science to build these devices but everyone needs to remember that there are costs associated with all the testing and correspondence they have done.

Sadly, most economies don't operate on good feelings and the cheaper product with the same features will prevail.

In my hopeful opinion BPlus need to somehow get through Intel's lisencing and get a thunderbolt 2 kit and they will again have dominance in this niche market.

Will edit for grammar later.

- - - Updated - - -

- - - Updated - - -

First of all, I'd like to say a big thank you to Tech Inferno Fan and all the contributors to eGPU community for amassing a wealth of information and experiences.

Secondly my question is about the Maxwell cards that are coming in Q4 this year. I'm looking to buy a GPU with a budget of £200 and right now and the GTX 760 looks like the most attractive option. I'd prefer to get something stronger than the 750 Ti but I'm not sure whether to splash out money for a better GPU when my CPU is relatively old and I have ExpressCard 2.0 speeds(Thinkpad X220, Sandy Bridge i5-2520m).

I don't mind waiting for the new Maxwell cards but would it be of much benefit to do so?

You should wait for maxwell if you can be bothered.The maxwell cards will offer lower power consumption ad lower heat output.

If these factors are not a concern for you, you should probably just get a 760, they are pretty much at the top end of the scale for egpu price / performance.

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Hey guys,

I've got an OWC Helios sitting here collecting dust that I want to get rid of. I'm considering offers above 200USD so PM me if interested. PM me and I'll give you a quote.

Details:

Package includes: 1x OWC Helios, 2x Custom PCIe extenders with my PCI Reset Delay switch, Setup 1.x , 1x Thunderbolt 2m cable (optional)

I purchased the Helios for 350USD from B&H back on 01/18/2013 so it is still under warranty. I've only used it for about 2 weeks and it has been sitting in a corner collecting dust ever since. This is basically a perfect setup for any SB/IVB Macbook owners who want to run bootcamp as I'm including everything you need for the setup, you just need to connect a few wires to an external PSU and you're set.

I didn't want to include any pictures in this post as they'll take up space but I'll be glad to provide pics via PM.

*Edit - Forgot to mention that I originally ran this with a 2012 rMBP 15" on Win7.

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Hello guys, I was thinking of buying the latest macbook air to be used with an eGPU, was wondering what is the best approach to this at the moment.

Also is it possible to run it without external monitor?

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Hey guys,

I've got an OWC Helios sitting here collecting dust that I want to get rid of. I'm considering offers above 200USD so PM me if interested. Shipping is free to India and China, if you want it delivered somewhere else please PM me and I'll give you a quote.

Details:

Package includes: 1x OWC Helios, 2x Custom PCIe extenders with my PCI Reset Delay switch, Setup 1.x , 1x Thunderbolt 2m cable (optional)

I purchased the Helios for 350USD from B&H back on 01/18/2013 so it is still under warranty. I've only used it for about 2 weeks and it has been sitting in a corner collecting dust ever since. This is basically a perfect setup for any SB/IVB Macbook owners who want to run bootcamp as I'm including everything you need for the setup, you just need to connect a few wires to an external PSU and you're set.

I didn't want to include any pictures in this post as they'll take up space but I'll be glad to provide pics via PM.

*Edit - Forgot to mention that I originally ran this with a 2012 rMBP 15" on Win7.

Wich GPU did you use?

I have 2012 non retina MBP so your setup will work under bootcamp WIN 7?

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i try my gtx 750ti on a old Fujitsu Amilo pi 3540,processor T9900,4gb ram 800mhz,dgpu 9300m gs,using an 1.x2 configuración ec+mpcie.it was needed to do dsdt override in order to make a succesfull compactation over the egpu.And also using once again the 1x Setup to configure port 1 wich is the express card to x2 lanes.Results:3dmark:NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti video card benchmark result - Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T9900,FUJITSU SIEMENS F47 and 3dmark 2013:NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti video card benchmark result - Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T9900,FUJITSU SIEMENS F47. i was playing batllefield3 camapaigne with good frames and a few lags (aceptable) meanwhile the multiplayer have nice frames but presents too many lags since the dual core stay almost all the time at 100% of usage.it clearly bottleneck the egpu for online games.The proccessor was upgraded from a P7350.it clearly make the difference but still a dual-core.i was using Windows 7 Ultimate x64.

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hello.

Found the eVGA quite interesting for CUDA rendering.

I have to spend some 6-8K euros on some rendering farm (2X dualXEON WS's or 4x i7Xtreme DIY rigs) but those will consume space, to much power and time to setup/service + 2/4 slave render Licences + OS.

Can i build a CUDA rendering eGPU for Vray/etc that will be better then the setup proposed. Same money... maybe more? 2 GPU cards, maybe more.... let's say 2 Quadro's k5000. Or some gaming cards. i was aiming for at least 70 CPU threads. (4x six cores slaves+ and one 12core main rig = 36 cores = 72 threads)

Can i beat that?

I'd like to open a new thread but it is impossible.

So: CUDA/GPU rendering on eVGA?

+

Have you heard of bitcoin mining rigs used for GPU rendering? Would be possible?

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hello.

Found the eVGA quite interesting for CUDA rendering.

I have to spend some 6-8K euros on some rendering farm (2X dualXEON WS's or 4x i7Xtreme DIY rigs) but those will consume space, to much power and time to setup/service + 2/4 slave render Licences + OS.

Can i build a CUDA rendering eGPU for Vray/etc that will be better then the setup proposed. Same money... maybe more? 2 GPU cards, maybe more.... let's say 2 Quadro's k5000. Or some gaming cards. i was aiming for at least 70 CPU threads. (4x six cores slaves+ and one 12core main rig = 36 cores = 72 threads)

Can i beat that?

I'd like to open a new thread but it is impossible.

So: CUDA/GPU rendering on eVGA?

+

Have you heard of bitcoin mining rigs used for GPU rendering? Would be possible?

If you are wanting a way to put more compute / graphics cards in a Workstation PC, an External setup may be able to help, you could purchase say a Dual xeon workstation which comes with thunderbolt, then on this you could add more cards.

But remember that even workstations don't have unlimited PCI-E bandwidth, this could be a limitation for you.

You could also just install two dual-gpu graphics cards like the Titan-Z

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Hi all,

Newbie here and I'm considering building my first egpu setup. I've got a ThinkPad x230 and I've gathered from my reading here that Lenovos have a TOLUD limit problem. I'm also thinking of buying a GTX 750Ti and have read that 750Ti's require more PCI-E allocation space. So I'm wondering with maybe a DSDT override or a Setup 1.30 could I get the 750Ti to play nice with the x230 or will it just exasperate the TOLUD limit of the x230?

Also is it safe to buy the PE4C v2.0 from hwtools now as I can see it's back on sale or should I wait for v2.1?

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hello.

Found the eVGA quite interesting for CUDA rendering.

I have to spend some 6-8K euros on some rendering farm (2X dualXEON WS's or 4x i7Xtreme DIY rigs) but those will consume space, to much power and time to setup/service + 2/4 slave render Licences + OS.

Can i build a CUDA rendering eGPU for Vray/etc that will be better then the setup proposed. Same money... maybe more? 2 GPU cards, maybe more.... let's say 2 Quadro's k5000. Or some gaming cards. i was aiming for at least 70 CPU threads. (4x six cores slaves+ and one 12core main rig = 36 cores = 72 threads)

Can i beat that?

I'd like to open a new thread but it is impossible.

So: CUDA/GPU rendering on eVGA?

+

Have you heard of bitcoin mining rigs used for GPU rendering? Would be possible?

If the mining rigs are GPUs then I don't see why not. If you are talking about ASICS then no, they're only built for a single purpose which is bruteforcing SHA256.

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I am going to be using the Ultrabay 8x PCI-e bus within the Lenovo Y410P laptop. I am going to be modifying the BIOS to remove the GPU whitelist, and I have a spare Ultrabay connector. Since Ultrabay provides 8 PCIe lanes, I wanted to know if there were any eGPU solutions that have 8 lanes implemented. If there are, it would save be some time and make the PCB fabrication of the Ultrabay connector slightly easier.

Let me know!!!

Thanks in advance

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I am going to be using the Ultrabay 8x PCI-e bus within the Lenovo Y410P laptop. I am going to be modifying the BIOS to remove the GPU whitelist, and I have a spare Ultrabay connector. Since Ultrabay provides 8 PCIe lanes, I wanted to know if there were any eGPU solutions that have 8 lanes implemented. If there are, it would save be some time and make the PCB fabrication of the Ultrabay connector slightly easier.

Let me know!!!

Thanks in advance

PE4H 2.4 has a x4 interface via mHDMI ports. PE4C 2.1 has a x2 interface via HDMI ports. Other adapters like PE4L 2.1, EXP GDC V6 have only a x1 interface.

While PE4H 2.4 would look to to be the best candidate to mod, be aware that there was Gen2 signalling issues: http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/2109-diy-egpu-experiences-%5Bversion-2-0%5D-142.html#post55765 .

May I'd suggest grab a x16 powered PCIe riser off ebay and solder your x8 lanes + signalling to it?

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That's a shame... The Lenovo Y410P has 8x PCIe 3.0 lanes, so it looks like I will just have to design the board myself. I was hoping to just save some time instead of doing PCB fab from scratch. Since HDMI lines aren't good enough for the LVDS lines, perhaps I'll look into something else more readily available. Maybe SATA3, USB3, or DisplayPort Lines...? I am pretty certain their specifications are <6MT/s though... Oh well I'll figure it out!

Thanks @Tech Inferno Fan !!!

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That's a shame... The Lenovo Y410P has 8x PCIe 3.0 lanes, so it looks like I will just have to design the board myself. I was hoping to just save some time instead of doing PCB fab from scratch. Since HDMI lines aren't good enough for the LVDS lines, perhaps I'll look into something else more readily available. Maybe SATA3, USB3, or DisplayPort Lines...? I am pretty certain their specifications are <6MT/s though... Oh well I'll figure it out!

Thanks @Tech Inferno Fan !!!

Getting a clean x4 3.0 external PCIe interface would be more than enough. At least that's what HP has running to their consumer notebook dGPUs. I saw them change their dGPU inteface from x16 1.0 (1st gen i-core and older), to x8 2.0 (Sandy Bridge), to x4 3.0 (Ivy Bridge+). PCIe 3.0 was introduced on the PCIe ports hosted on the northbridge as part of the Series-7 chipset used with Ivy Bridge CPUs (2012). Haswell Series-8 chipset machines of course also have a PCIe 3.0 port on their northbridge too. That being used generally to host dGPUs, though 15" Macbook Pros have their PCIe 2.0 Thunderbolt port hanging off there.

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Getting a clean x4 3.0 external PCIe interface would be more than enough. At least that's what HP has running to their consumer notebook dGPUs. I saw them change their dGPU inteface from x16 1.0 (1st gen i-core and older), to x8 2.0 (Sandy Bridge), to x4 3.0 (Ivy Bridge+). PCIe 3.0 was introduced on the PCIe ports hosted on the northbridge as part of the Series-7 chipset used with Ivy Bridge CPUs (2012). Haswell Series-8 chipset machines of course also have a PCIe 3.0 port on their northbridge too. That being used generally to host dGPUs, though 15" Macbook Pros have their PCIe 2.0 Thunderbolt port hanging off there.

You're right, a x4 PCIe 3.0 bus would be more than sufficient. However since I'm going to be designing this entire eGPU system from the ground up, I'm going to add in lines for the other 4 PCIe lanes, especially since it's not too much effort to implement them anyways.

I'm going to use a SATA interface to extend the PCIe bus because it looks like it will be the easiest to match trace lengths, it's cheap, and it's definitely up to the task. Each SATA cable will implement a single PCIe lane which means 4 cables for the x4 and 8 cables for x8 connections. There will also need to be an extra SATA cable for the CLK/CLK#, and I guess the SMBus data as well. This is all totally achievable and I don't mind getting my own PCBs fabricated.

But first thing's first, getting rid of the Lenovo GPU whitelist. I can test this because I have another Ultrabay GPU which is technically not compatible with the system, so I will be able to tell whether or not the GPU passes the whitelist or not. I will try my best to keep updated on my progress in the other thread (http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/5943-egpu-possible-lenovo-ideapad-y510p.html). I might need to source some of the expert's help to modify the BIOS if I'm unable to do it... Only time will tell!

This is an exciting project :).

Edit: I've only for 4 inches of space to work with, so that leaves me with 5 SATA connector widths :) 4x PCIe 3.0 it is!

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Hi all,

Newbie here and I'm considering building my first egpu setup. I've got a ThinkPad x230 and I've gathered from my reading here that Lenovos have a TOLUD limit problem. I'm also thinking of buying a GTX 750Ti and have read that 750Ti's require more PCI-E allocation space. So I'm wondering with maybe a DSDT override or a Setup 1.30 could I get the 750Ti to play nice with the x230 or will it just exasperate the TOLUD limit of the x230?

Also is it safe to buy the PE4C v2.0 from hwtools now as I can see it's back on sale or should I wait for v2.1?

The tial-and-error adventure in this setup is what makes it exciting, you will never till you try buddy!

Yes you have to wait until Q4 (what they e-mailed to me, BPlustech) cause they are doing a revision on it.

Good luck!

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The tial-and-error adventure in this setup is what makes it exciting, you will never till you try buddy!

Yes you have to wait until Q4 (what they e-mailed to me, BPlustech) cause they are doing a revision on it.

Good luck!

Thanks, I'll definitely give it a go anyways. If it doesn't work out with the Lenovo then I've got a VAIO S13 as well so I'll give that a try.

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Thanks, I'll definitely give it a go anyways. If it doesn't work out with the Lenovo then I've got a VAIO S13 as well so I'll give that a try.

If you feel like doing this setup sooner why not go with EXP GDC V6? I am waiting for mine from yoybuy.com if you want to get it started with (eGPU) setup

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

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Hi all,

I've been happily using my egpu setup for the past two years. When I first set it up, I was unable to use 4GB of RAM due to the dell TOLUD issue. I tried using DSDT override, but at first it merely broke my system (I was on Windows 7 32bit at the time), and I eventually left it alone. Recently, I have been contemplating some upgrades to my setup, and I started by installing Windows 7 Pro x64 from scratch and changing back to 4GB of RAM. After installing all drivers (including those for the built in Quadro NVS 160m), I implemented the DSDT override using the instructions found on this board (mimicking the Dell M6500). After connecting the eGPU, windows automatically allocated it using the 36bit space, and I was able to install the drivers though the standard GeForce setup tool. After rebooting, everything worked including the NVS 160m dGPU, and I didn't end up requiring any pre-boot modification.

System Specifications:

MODEL: DELL Latitude e6500

OS: Windows 7 Professional 64 bit

CPU: Intel e8435 @ 3.06 GHz

RAM: 4GB DDR2-800

Internal GPU: Quadro NVS 160m

eGPU Connection: PE4L 1.5 with express card

eGPU PSU: Corsair CX430

eGPU GPU: Nvidia GTX 460 768MB

Here is the link to my original setup at the old thread:

http://web.archive.org/web/20120713075400/http://forum.notebookreview.com/gaming-software-graphics-cards/418851-diy-egpu-experiences-847.html#post8324201

Regarding the upgrades I would like to implement, I have examined the pci-express layout on my computer, and I think I can achieve an x4 1.0 link.

http://www.laptopschematic.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Dell-Latitude-E6500-UMA-Block-Diagram.png

Here are the port assignments:

Port 1: WWAN (not currently installed)

Port 2: WLAN (wifi, currently installed)

Port 3: Bluetooth (currently installed)

Port 4: Express Card (Currently eGPU)

I think I can get rid of wifi and Bluetooth by installing dongles to supplement those functions, leaving the door open for x4.

Here is what it looks like on the bottom side of my laptop, showing the two occupied mpcie ports as well as the empty WWAN port.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/q8bz2vhhl2pqo0r/e6500.jpg?dl=0

I would very much like to try an x4 link, as I am bandwidth limited in many applications, but I don't have the necessary hardware. I think I can get a PE4H from M-Factors storage with a PM3N adapter. I would still need two more PM3Ns though, and I haven't been able to find them from a US Seller. If anyone has any extra/unwanted PE4Hs or PM3Ns and wants to arrange a sale, please let me know. I am located in the Atlanta, GA area if that helps. This community has been a great help to me so far.

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