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eGPU experiences [version 2.0]


Tech Inferno Fan

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Hello all,

I'm new to this forum and overall a noob in all this stuff. However I love gaming and I wish that I can play a little of the new games (from here let me warn you of my horrible english and please excuse me).

I have an old crappy PBell with a Intel Celeron and ATI Xpress 200M iGPU, and would like to put together a eGPU using something like lucidVirtua. Also, this laptop doesn't have any expresscard only a Wifi mPCIe.

I'll need to test the PE4L/PE4H on this laptop before buying a new one (that will surely have ExpressCard), if I buy the PM3N then buy new laptop with expresscard can I just swap between the mPCIe thing (lol) with an expresscard?

I'll clearly use the internal screen, so which laptop do you advice me to have decent performances and that would be cheap?

Also, there's something bothering me, from what I understand if there are more pins in PCIe, larger the bandwith would be, now how come PE4H doesn't have better performances than PE4L? (I'm feeling dumb lol )

Hope I'll have clarifications

Thanks

PS: a big Bravo at all these men that came along with this solution, I'm one of those who desktops aren't a solution at ALL for them but still would like gaming for an affordable price

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Mail answer from BPlus:



Hi Xxxxxx, Good afternoon. Actually, base on our test, the PE4H+PCIE-MM060B can work with PCIe GEN 2.0(we also test with GPU-Z). So I don’t know why it can’t work with your system. Maybe it’s signals quality. As you know PE4L signal quality is better than PE4H V2.4a. PE4H V2.4a+PCIE-MM060A only can support to Gen1 PE4H V2.4a+PCIE-MM060B only can support to Gen2 (some system) (*Because PCIE-MM060B signal quality is better than PCIE-MM060A)

PE4L V2.1 can support to Gen3 (some system) (*Because PE4L have no more connecter for PCIe signals)

If you have any question ,please feel free contact me. Thank you very much. Best Regards, Xxxxx

[/code]
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Quote

Mail answer from BPlus:



Hi Xxxxxx, Good afternoon. Actually, base on our test, the PE4H+PCIE-MM060B can work with PCIe GEN 2.0(we also test with GPU-Z). So I don’t know why it can’t work with your system. Maybe it’s signals quality. As you know PE4L signal quality is better than PE4H V2.4a. PE4H V2.4a+PCIE-MM060A only can support to Gen1 PE4H V2.4a+PCIE-MM060B only can support to Gen2 (some system) (*Because PCIE-MM060B signal quality is better than PCIE-MM060A)

PE4L V2.1 can support to Gen3 (some system) (*Because PE4L have no more connecter for PCIe signals)

If you have any question ,please feel free contact me. Thank you very much. Best Regards, Xxxxx



Omg.. I'm scratching my head right now. How can it be that we have tested 2-3 different systems and only manage GEN1? I wish I had the PM3N right now so that I could verify this once and for all, but spending even more $ (incl. unnecessarily high shipping costs) on redundant hardware is not very tempting at the moment. @Tech Inferno Fan was suppose to get test samples from hwtools but they seem to be delayed or something.

If there is anyone from this community that could send me a PM3N to test (I live in Sweden) for a reasonable amount please PM me. Until then, don't buy the PCIE-MM060B!
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@jacobsson: Yesterday I received my PE4L v2.1b replacement and the PCIE-MM060B cable for my old PE4H v2.4a. Now the new PE4L works perfectly and is stable!!! :)

But I can't also achieve Gen2 with the PCIE-MM060B on PE4H. The eGPU is detected in Setup 1.x and in the device manager, but the system is not able to start the latest nvidia / optimus driver. ^^ Same problem as with the first PE4L according to the not loading optimus driver. The driver says that a nvidia gpu can't be detected. In GPU-Z there is only shown a x1 1.1 connection.

@daver160: I added the versions of the models.

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@jacobsson: Yesterday I received my PE4L replacement and the PCIE-MM060B cable. Now the new PE4L works perfectly and is stable!!! :)

But I can't also achieve Gen2 with the PCIE-MM060B on PE4H. The eGPU is detected in Setup 1.x and in the device manager, but the system is not able to start the latest nvidia / optimus driver. ^^ Same problem as with the first PE4L. The driver says that a nvidia gpu can't be detected. In GPU-Z there is only shown a x1 1.0 connection.

Just curious, is your PE4L v1.5? Just so we have some context. Because the PE4L v2.1 doesn't have a detachable cable :)

If it weren't for being restricted to company funding (of which there is next to none left for this side project) I would totally order a PCIE-MM060B cable to test out with my PM3N configuration. I was already able to get this eGPU to pull double duty for me (gaming at home leisure time, CUDA crunching during work-at-hone time), but the powers that be prefer to on spend funding on a guaranteed solution. If anybody can find the same cable on Amazon, however, I'd gladly pick one up to test out and see if we can get Gen2 going!

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PE4H 2.4a + EC2C/PM3N + PCIEMM-060B are not Gen2 compatible[/SIZE]

Wish it wasn't so but testing of these freshly delivered *brand new* components shows that this combo will not run a Gen2 (pci-e 2.0) link o the HP 2570P. Not surprised really. I previously concluded the mHDMI connectors were the cause of the link degradation. I had two PCIEMM-060B cables to play with, both of which failed to run a Gen2 link with the NVidia GTX660Ti.

What was interesting though is the PM3N did start off and maintain a x1 2.0 link for about 5secs of the RE5 run, whereas the EC2C wouldn't budge from x1 1.0. Meaning whatever the link issue is is affecting the EC2C more than the PM3N. I'm guessing there are mHDMI connector impedance matching issues.

[URL=http://imageshack.us/a/img33/3826/pe1p.jpg][/URL] [URL=http://imageshack.us/a/img850/4989/i0y7.jpg][/URL] [URL=http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/1696/biuj.jpg][/URL] [URL=http://imageshack.us/a/img706/1131/q627.jpg/][/URL]

Far right: the new PCIEMM-060B cable is significantly thinner and more flexible than the unwieldly flat cable (PCIEMM-060A style). It's a breeze to work with.

From this we can conclude:

1. BPlus should investigate further why the Gen2 link is failing when using a socketted cable paying more attention to the mHDMI connectors.

2. BPlus could at least solder that new flexible cable onto the unsocketted PE4L 2.1 in their next revision to give us a product that's easier to work with.

3. Given the PM3N showed some positive signs of initiating a Gen2 link, it may be enough then to just have the one free socketted end that plugs into either the EC2C/PM3N or the PE4H 2.4 end with the other soldered directly onto the PE4H 2.4 or EC2C/PM3N respectively.

4. Anybody who acquired this PCIEMM-060B for Gen2 use should seek a refund as it's not Gen2 compliant as advertised.

I've advised BPlus of my findings further confirmed by T|I user Splitframe's test here.

BPlus' PCIEMM-060B testing was with a desktop system using an AMD card

BPlus' PCIEMM-060B Gen2 compliance testing was done on a desktop system using a HP1A adapter and AMD HD7750 card. No EC2C or PM3N tested there which explains the differing results we get. AMD drivers also seem to be far more fault tolerant of link irregularities. AMD continues working whereas NVidia will BSOD. Details in screenshot below:

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I really would like some help, I'm looking to buy a Dell Latitude E6xxx series, I think the E6420, and I want to run a eGPU setup on internal screen.

Can I do it?

Will the PE4L or PE4H perform best?

Thanks for helping me in choosing and sorry if I sound annoying but I'm really excited about this.

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Well there's definitely one benefit of the new PCIEMM cable over the older flat one: it's flexible so easier to manage.

Sadly i cant find any buyers on local craigslist who wants a PE4H+PM3N. I'd love to upgrade to a PE4L, but am a bit arsed to fund it myself. I might just bite he bullet and buy one for my own personal use and keep the PE4H at the office.

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@coyote: The PE4H v2.4a will perform best, cause a Dell with an E6420 will only have an Gen1-connection on the ExpressCard-Slot. You could also buy the PE4L v2.1b cause it is able to downgrade the connection from Gen2 to Gen1... if you would like to buy a better notebook in the future you don't have to invest another 70$.

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@coyote: The PE4H v2.4a will perform best, cause a Dell with an E6420 will only have an Gen1-connection on the ExpressCard-Slot. You could also buy the PE4L v2.1b cause it is able to downgrade the connection from Gen2 to Gen1... if you would like to buy a better notebook in the future you don't have to invest another 70$.

I'll need to correct you. The E6420 is a Series-6 machine with a Sandy Bridge CPU. It is most certainly capable of a Gen2 link on it's expresscard slot. It is true then that the PE4L 2.1b is recommended for it.

Cheap laptops that can run x1.2Opt using an expresscard slot are a 15.6" HP 4530s, Lenovo E520, Dell Vostro 3550.

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@Tech Inferno Fan

Thanks so much :applouse:. I was finally able to find a laptop that could fit in my budget but with most options (internal screen, high bandwith). In this case, I'll just purchase it with PE4L 2.1b and provide feedback (a couple of weeks though).

I just love this place. A great thanks to Tech Inferno Fan for all his contributing, investment and time and all the others.

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Ok I know I might be quite annoying but I'll have a LAST question, just to make sure, I know I can't run more than something like x1.xOpt with a Dell E6410 but can I still run eGPU on internal (assuming that I have Nvidia GPU).

Thanks for your replies.

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....................

- - - Updated - - -

Ok I know I might be quite annoying but I'll have a LAST question, just to make sure, I know I can't run more than something like x1.xOpt with a Dell E6410 but can I still run eGPU on internal (assuming that I have Nvidia GPU).

Thanks for your replies.

No no, you got it all wrong, there is no stupid/annoying questions here =)

From what I understand this notebook is first generation i3/i5/i7 CPU with a dedicated GPU (nvidia)?

First, you need optimus to render internal screen (quote from first page):

"Optimus tweak engages only when Intel 4500MHD/HD/HD3000/HD4000 primary graphics AND x1 link is detected, improving mostly DX9 performance by 20-333% with some DX10 improvements as well. Provides ability for the internal LCD to render games running on the external GPU"

From what I can see from googling "E6410 switchable graphics" it seems that you don't have any switchable graphics options on your system, this means that you can't have your iGPU as primary video card -> No optimus :(

There is a lot of low cost ivy/sandy bridge expresscard systems out there that will give you much higher performance than what you'll ever get from your current system, see first page "7. (Performance) What recommended candidate notebooks should I buy for best performance?"

I hope this helped you somewhat =)

..and don't forget to read the first page (like I did 100 times) of this thread, it really have almost all of your answers!

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@jacobsson: Thanks a lot for your reply, at least I wouldn't have bought a laptop that cannot allow me to use EGPU on internal screen :sweat:

Although I can use the UltraMon/Chung-Gun alternative, I prefer have Optimus which makes me feel it has more performance.

In few words I need a laptop (beside ExpressCard slot) with Sandy/Ivy-Bridge (for Gen2 or whatever if I choose Gen1), and Intel HD primary Graphics in order to run Optimus on internal...?....but if I have integrated GPU I must ensure that the switchable option is available.

Ok I got it. Tell me if I'm missing something

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here is my score :

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-3632QM,Sony Corporation VAIO

+12000 pts on the graphic score :P

Tech Inferno Fan addition> hardware specs:

My config :

Sony vaio SVZ :

I7-3632QM @ 2.9 [email protected] ghz on each 4 cores

8 gb of ram

2*128 SSD in Raid 0

Full HD

HD4000 + AMD 7670m with the PMD

My Egpu :

GTX 780 Inno3D HerculeZ ultra X3 ( stock is 1006/1053/3105)

PE4L V2.1b

Alim Silverstone Micro ATX 450 W modular

a notebook cooler

The score before was made with the stock frequencies with +50 mhz on the core.

I have ~10000 pts on gpu score in the internal screen.

I'll try to test O/C but the card freeze at 1220 mhz.

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That's a VERY nice score. Please give us the details: hardware, software, overclocking?

Good job!

- - - Updated - - -

@jacobsson: Thanks a lot for your reply, at least I wouldn't have bought a laptop that cannot allow me to use EGPU on internal screen :sweat:

Although I can use the UltraMon/Chung-Gun alternative, I prefer have Optimus which makes me feel it has more performance.

In few words I need a laptop (beside ExpressCard slot) with Sandy/Ivy-Bridge (for Gen2 or whatever if I choose Gen1), and Intel HD primary Graphics in order to run Optimus on internal...?....but if I have integrated GPU I must ensure that the switchable option is available.

Ok I got it. Tell me if I'm missing something

I don't know much about the UltraMon/Chung-Gun but you wouldn't have to deal with that when buying a proposed optimus system (that have hd3000/hd4000) I from the list I mentioned. Yes, optimus = internal screen + highest possible bandwidth for GEN1/GEN2. Check out the list and look for a deal @ebay.

If you make a find, run it by the community and someone will help you, good luck sir!

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Hi all, I'm new, I want ask you something:

I'm looking to use an external gpu on my laptop, I have see this type of adapters: PE4H-EC2C-060B (gen 1-2) and PE4L-EC060A (gen 3). I think the last one is the best for use next gen gpu.

The question is: it will work on my laptop? I have an Inspiron 1750 with gm45/gm47 chipset, intel mobile 4 express gpu -.-.

The laptop have the expresscard slot, i'm using it with an usb3.0 adapter.

Please answer

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EDIT: I also noticed something strange, your Physx score is almost 1K better. Do you have Physx set on GPU or CPU?

CPU becasue of the bandwidth limitation (maybe GPU will change the score?). I will try some stuff the next days and report.

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CPU becasue of the bandwidth limitation (maybe GPU will change the score?). I will try some stuff the next days and report.

Well to be honest I never understood if Physx is recommended to be set on the CPU due to bandwidth limitations. I know that when playing Borderlands 2 my game is unplayable if Physx is set to higher than LOW, it doesn't matter if I run CPU or GPU, ever tried it?

I'm also a fan of Chivalry: Medieval Warfare and that game is almost more CPU demanding than Prime 95 (due to poor coding) and I use Physx->GPU to unload some of the heat.

Would be nice if anyone could verify these games on another eGPU setup =)

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My config :

Sony vaio SVZ :

[email protected] ghz on each 4 cores

8 gb of ram

2*128 SSD in Raid 0

Full HD

HD4000 + AMD 7670m with the PMD

My Egpu :

GTX 780 Inno3D HerculeZ ultra X3 ( stock is 1006/1053/3105)

PE4L V2.1b

Alim Silverstone Micro ATX 450 W modular

a notebook cooler

The score before was made with the stock frequencies with +50 mhz on the core.

I have ~10000 pts on gpu score in the internal screen.

I'll try to test O/C but the card freeze at 1220 mhz.

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My config :

Sony vaio SVZ :

[email protected] ghz on each 4 cores

8 gb of ram

2*128 SSD in Raid 0

Full HD

HD4000 + AMD 7670m with the PMD

My Egpu :

GTX 780 Inno3D HerculeZ ultra X3 ( stock is 1006/1053/3105)

PE4L V2.1b

Alim Silverstone Micro ATX 450 W modular

a notebook cooler

The score before was made with the stock frequencies with +50 mhz on the core.

I have ~10000 pts on gpu score in the internal screen.

I'll try to test O/C but the card freeze at 1220 mhz.

Damn, that's some crazy stock clocks!

I think that explains much =)

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