eGPU experiences [version 2.0]

[anhdvu]

Hello everyone,

I just got the new Radeon R9 270 as a gift. So I decided to give this project a try. I'm newbie here so definitely there are many terms look foreign to me.

I have Lenovo y470 which GT 550m as dGPU and 2 mPCI-e slots (1 is used for wifi card). My BIOS shows an option to disable dGPU (I've tried it and it works). I have got myself a PE4L-PM060A, also.

Do I still need to use Setup 1.x to disable my dGPU and to check if the unused mPCI-e slot is whitelist? I may need some step by step instruction how to connect PE4L as well.

Thank you guys so much.

[Tech Inferno Fan]

So I'd suggest sparing your time and just disable the dGPU so you have iGPU+eGPU instead.

He has no iGPU. His system has only a dGPU so can't disable it. Means too no Optimus x1 pci-e compression either. He'll get pretty poor performance. Better to upgrade to a eGPU candidate in my sig to get x1.2Opt much better performance.

Hello everyone,

I just got the new Radeon R9 270 as a gift. So I decided to give this project a try. I'm newbie here so definitely there are many terms look foreign to me.

I have Lenovo y470 which GT 550m as dGPU and 2 mPCI-e slots (1 is used for wifi card). My BIOS shows an option to disable dGPU (I've tried it and it works). I have got myself a PE4L-PM060A, also.

Do I still need to use Setup 1.x to disable my dGPU and to check if the unused mPCI-e slot is whitelist? I may need some step by step instruction how to connect PE4L as well.

Thank you guys so much.

Test the second mPCIe slot by placing the wifi card into it. If you see it in Device Manager then it's a pci-e mPCIe slot. If not then either a mSATA, WWAN or both.

How to connect PE4L? Plug in the video card, attach power (ATX PSU) via the floppy molex cable, attach ATX pcie power plug to the video card's pci-e power connectors, set the PE4L 2.1b PCI Reset Delay to 6.9s (SW1=3) and set it as a X16 slot (SW2=2-3), plug into your wifi mPCIe slot. Power on the eGPU slightly before powering on the system, boot Windows. If it detects it load the latest NVidia drivers. If get an error 12 then try deleting iGPU driver, reboot. If still error 12 then obtain Setup 1.x.

[ThatEvilChickenNextDoor]

He has no iGPU. His system has only a dGPU so can't disable it. Means too no Optimus x1 pci-e compression either. He'll get pretty poor performance. Better to upgrade to a eGPU candidate in my sig to get x1.2Opt much better performance.

Wait, I have an i7-620m processor. The ark.intel.com page says it has Intel HD Graphics. Shouldn't that mean I have an iGPU? I'm getting confused.

[Tech Inferno Fan]

Wait, I have an i7-620m processor. The ark.intel.com page says it has Intel HD Graphics. Shouldn't that mean I have an iGPU? I'm getting confused.

In the Setup 1.x page you said you disabled the dGPU and system hung. This is usually the case when the dGPU is driving the primary display. In the STATUS window it will show whether you have an iGPU or not. If it says iGPU and dGPU then it's either switchable or Optimus graphics. If it's showing dGPU only then the vendor hasn't wired the iGPU through. No iGPU means no x1 pci-e compression nor internal LCD mode. No x1 pci-e compression will give lousy DX9 performance when using a NVidia card.

[anhdvu]

Test the second mPCIe slot by placing the wifi card into it. If you see it in Device Manager then it's a pci-e mPCIe slot. If not then either a mSATA, WWAN or both.

How to connect PE4L? Plug in the video card, attach power (ATX PSU) via the floppy molex cable, attach ATX pcie power plug to the video card's pci-e power connectors, set the PE4L 2.1b PCI Reset Delay to 6.9s (SW1=3) and set it as a X16 slot (SW2=2-3), plug into your wifi mPCIe slot. Power on the eGPU slightly before powering on the system, boot Windows. If it detects it load the latest NVidia drivers. If get an error 12 then try deleting iGPU driver, reboot. If still error 12 then obtain Setup 1.x.

Thank you so much for your thorough answer.

I've done everything you said and apparently, the empty mPCI-e slot I mentioned above is no use. So I took out the wifi card and connect PE4L to that slot. But the system doesn't detect my video card. It's an AMD card, by the way.

Is this something to do with whitelisting?

EDIT: I have also tried booting the system with wifi card plugged in, and after making sure that wifi card is listed in device manager, I took the wifi card out and plugged PM3N in, but there was still no success.

[Tech Inferno Fan]

Thank you so much for your thorough answer.

I've done everything you said and apparently, the empty mPCI-e slot I mentioned above is no use. So I took out the wifi card and connect PE4L to that slot. But the system doesn't detect my video card. It's an AMD card, by the way.

Is this something to do with whitelisting?

EDIT: I have also tried booting the system with wifi card plugged in, and after making sure that wifi card is listed in device manager, I took the wifi card out and plugged PM3N in, but there was still no success.

Boot with wifi card in the machine, halt bootup with F8/F12, swap in the eGPU mPCIe card, continue Windows boot. This is a method to overcome whitelisting. If still not detected power on the eGPU then carefully hotplug the eGPU mPCIe card at the aforementioned step. This is a method to start the CLKRUN signal only once the eGPU mPCIe card is inserted.

[anhdvu]

After messing around for a while, I now have gotten to the point of code 12. I guess the function to disable dGPU does not disable it completely. I'm on win 7 64bit so I tried and succeeded with the DSDT override. But this didn't help either. So I'm gonna go ahead and get setup 1.x.

Thank you so much Tech Inferno Fan for all your helps. You will receive my payment shortly

[lapytopy]

@bestfeed

Hello. Sorry if I get you guys messed up.This is a very serious issue to me. I'm interested to make an external GPU for my laptop...But the problem is, I even don't know whether it has a PCI-E slot or not. Here are my laptop specs so far:Laptop Brand : ASUS K43SJOS : Windows 7 Ultimate 64xRAM : 6 GBCPU : Intel Pentium B940 2.00 GhzGPU : Nvidia GeForce GT 520M 1GB HDD : Seagate 500GB<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

Ok does your laptop have WiFi or wireless internet? If so, it will likely be using a mPCIe slot. So if you are happy to lose your wireless internet then feel free to continue. However, your CPU is weak. 2GHz with no overclocking or hyper-threading.

You can most probably implement 1.Opt with a nvidia graphics card, as your processor has Intel HD Gfx, however even if you do get a whole lot more graphics power you will still be limited by your slow cpu.

I would recommend you open up your laptop and take a look inside (you may find you have a spare mPCIe). Feel free to take pictures (of the inside of you PC) and post them to me (or someone with more knowledge).

Hope that helped.

Edit: Forget what I said about your CPU, you can quite possibly replace it with something FAR more powerful. Here is a list of all the CPU's that fit your socket: list

This all depends on how comfortable you are with your laptop however, as replacing a laptop CPU is no mediocre task.

[bestfeed]

thanks lapytopy!

I do have dissambled my laptop finally I found that I have a MINI PCI-E slot on wifi card... but I have to take a risk to lose the wifi right?

However, I don't think remove the wifi card will be the 'dead route' for me. I can still access the internet If I install the wireless adapter via USB cable.. So thats pass!

About the CPU, you're right. My only solution is, I will upgrade my CPU and change it to i7 soon.. I have checked it via intel website...Kinda look around the name, my processor name is Intel Pentium B940 which derived from Intel HM65 Chipset (Ivy Bridge)...

One day, I gonna remove that super-slow 2Ghz CPU to i7 2.6 Ghz (turbo-boost 3.8Ghz). I have tired done some research for over 3-4 months.

Want to take it into action!

[Khenglish]

thanks lapytopy!

I do have dissambled my laptop finally I found that I have a MINI PCI-E slot on wifi card... but I have to take a risk to lose the wifi right?

However, I don't think remove the wifi card will be the 'dead route' for me. I can still access the internet If I install the wireless adapter via USB cable.. So thats pass!

About the CPU, you're right. My only solution is, I will upgrade my CPU and change it to i7 soon.. I have checked it via intel website...Kinda look around the name, my processor name is Intel Pentium B940 which derived from Intel HM65 Chipset (Ivy Bridge)...

One day, I gonna remove that super-slow 2Ghz CPU to i7 2.6 Ghz (turbo-boost 3.8Ghz). I have tired done some research for over 3-4 months.

Want to take it into action!

Not sure if you just made a typo but HM65 only supports sandy bridge, not ivy bridge.

[excelangue]

Hi, I have a problem with my new PE4L 2.1b.

I just received it 3 days ago, and it hasn't been working for me, neither on my X220 nor my MacBook Pro.

The problem is the same on both; I plug in the eGPU to my 500W power supply (Cooler Master, so not a crap PSU), plug in my crap Radeon X300, the ExpressCard, power on the laptop.

After turning it on, LED D4 turns red. I'm able to use the USB port on the PE4L, but the graphics card is not detected, even as a generic PCI card or unknown device. The graphics card gets warm, so it is receiving power.

In Windows, there are several hidden devices such as Video Controller which seem to be related to the PE4L, all with error code 45. Upon plugging in the card, Video Controller became solid, with an exclamation mark, but went right back to hidden a half-second later.

The video card works in a desktop PC. One issue is that it may not be getting enough power from the PE4L, as it draws all of its power from the PCI slot. However, I'd imagine that it's not the problem.

Is there anything I can do to make sure my PE4L is not broken at least?

Thanks!

[bestfeed]

HERE is my mini pci-e slot which i figured to be the wifi card...

close-up

By the way, do you mind if I asking; why all this time, I never anyone done egpu using powerful graphic cards such as NVIDIA Quadro / ATI FirePro?

Upgrading to GeForce series is kinda regular to me... excellent in gaming but I'm afraid it will disturbing me because the reason why I upgrade; is not because want to have better game experience but to unlock my 3D application such as Adobe CS6 suite, Autodesk Maya and other powerful software..

So... is that possible for me to do the egpu using Nvidia Quadro card? I'm planning to use it on Nvidia Quadro K600 1GB gpu...

[bestfeed]

Not sure if you just made a typo but HM65 only supports sandy bridge, not ivy bridge.

Hm.... you're right...my bad, it Sandy Bridge...sorry I'm wrong...

[lapytopy]

Hi I am not aware of anyone doing an eGPU implementation with a quadro or a firepro. So you might be the first to attempt something like that.

You would have to ask someone like @Tech Inferno Fan whether not it is worth even trying. In the mean time however I highly recommend upgrading your CPU,

as that is something you can definitely do. I would say a normal graphics card would still be better then nothing in terms of gfx development though

[Tech Inferno Fan]

Upgrading to GeForce series is kinda regular to me... excellent in gaming but I'm afraid it will disturbing me because the reason why I upgrade; is not because want to have better game experience but to unlock my 3D application such as Adobe CS6 suite, Autodesk Maya and other powerful software..

So... is that possible for me to do the egpu using Nvidia Quadro card? I'm planning to use it on Nvidia Quadro K600 1GB gpu...

Yes, it's possible to use a Quadro card. Consult Benchmarks Workstation Graphics 2013 to see if it's worth it over a regular Geoforce card.

Hi, I have a problem with my new PE4L 2.1b.

I just received it 3 days ago, and it hasn't been working for me, neither on my X220 nor my MacBook Pro.

The problem is the same on both; I plug in the eGPU to my 500W power supply (Cooler Master, so not a crap PSU), plug in my crap Radeon X300, the ExpressCard, power on the laptop.

After turning it on, LED D4 turns red. I'm able to use the USB port on the PE4L, but the graphics card is not detected, even as a generic PCI card or unknown device. The graphics card gets warm, so it is receiving power.

In Windows, there are several hidden devices such as Video Controller which seem to be related to the PE4L, all with error code 45. Upon plugging in the card, Video Controller became solid, with an exclamation mark, but went right back to hidden a half-second later.

The video card works in a desktop PC. One issue is that it may not be getting enough power from the PE4L, as it draws all of its power from the PCI slot. However, I'd imagine that it's not the problem.

Is there anything I can do to make sure my PE4L is not broken at least?

Thanks!

Set SW1=3 (6.9s PCI Reset Delay) and SW2=2-3 (x16 slot). Power on the eGPU slightly before powering on the notebook. Hit F8/F12 to halt Win7/8 loading. A RED PERST# LED will show on the PE4L while the delay is active. Once RED LED switches off continue loading Win7/8. Fingers crossed there will be no error 12/43/45.

[excelangue]

Yes, it's possible to use a Quadro card. Consult Benchmarks Workstation Graphics 2013 to see if it's worth it over a regular Geoforce card.

Set SW1=3 (6.9s PCI Reset Delay) and SW2=2-3 (x16 slot). Power on the eGPU slightly before powering on the notebook. Hit F8/F12 to halt Win7/8 loading. A RED PERST# LED will show on the PE4L while the delay is active. Once RED LED switches off continue loading Win7/8. Fingers crossed there will be no error 12/43/45.

Okay. I'll try as soon as I get home today. Does it not matter that the slot is 1x and the setting is for 16x, or is it the type of the card?

[artixalpha]

Thank you; I checked my mother board is from Sony Bios: INSYDE and Chipset HM67. My external graphic card is an ATI Radeon 6650M.

Sorry to ask but 660ti is that about the motherboard type or graphic card type ?

Sorry about the late reply but, The 660ti is an optimal graphics card for great performance. I'd recommend you get a PE4L and 660ti and follow nando's 1.x setup

[sskillz]

I managed to run compaction with eGPU PSU powered down. Error 12 is fixed!

HOWEVER, as soon as I load eGPU system reboots itself.

I suspect it could be power issue (PSU is more than enough though, Corsair 600w and eGPU is AMD R9 290)

or my long TB cable (2m)

What do you mean by load? Power it on? Connect it? Or run a 3d program?

I'm not sure if a working compaction while the gpu is off is a good idea unless its hot-swappable and windows knows to allocate the new found card in the correct space (I tried it with mine and it didn't work).

Have you tried DSDT substitution? (Link: http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/2109-diy-egpu-experiences-%5Bversion-2-0%5D-28.html#post31421)

[otacon]

Hey guys. I have setup 1.3 and it has gotten rid of the error 12 that I have been having... But now I am showing error 43. I have the latest drivers installed (I think) and I have no dgpu (only intel HD graphics 4000). I have followed the advice in angerthosenears sig, but I am still getting the error. Does anyone know how to get rid of this?

[Tech Inferno Fan]

Hey guys. I have setup 1.3 and it has gotten rid of the error 12 that I have been having... But now I am showing error 43. I have the latest drivers installed (I think) and I have no dgpu (only intel HD graphics 4000). I have followed the advice in angerthosenears sig, but I am still getting the error. Does anyone know how to get rid of this?

error 43 is a general errors. It can mean the Video card isn't initialized properly or even that there is transmission errors along the cable.

The Setup 1.30 compaction automatically does a Video Cards->Initialization if it detects a NVidia card. That's one strategy to get rid of error 43.

Another would be to set the PCI Reset Delay (SW1=3) as well as set SW2=2-3 (x16 card). Those settings may help initialize the card as well. NTE: Setting the PCI Reset Delay may cause the Lenovo bios to no longer reduce TOLUD since no eGPU will be seen by it during boot, which then may lead to error 12.

Worth checking what the card reports to GPU-Z. Usually error 43 situations see it report nonsense VBIOS/VRAM details.

[artixalpha]

One question I have an m15x with i7 720qm and graphics card won't work. Can I use an i5 540m and it will work with Intel HD graphics?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

[sskillz]

One question I have an m15x with i7 720qm and graphics card won't work. Can I use an i5 540m and it will work with Intel HD graphics?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

What do you mean by not working? Does it get past/to BIOS? Safe mode? Or just a black screen.

[artixalpha]

Black screen

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

[excelangue]

Set SW1=3 (6.9s PCI Reset Delay) and SW2=2-3 (x16 slot). Power on the eGPU slightly before powering on the notebook. Hit F8/F12 to halt Win7/8 loading. A RED PERST# LED will show on the PE4L while the delay is active. Once RED LED switches off continue loading Win7/8. Fingers crossed there will be no error 12/43/45.

The red LED never switches off, even with No Delay set...

Still same problems as mentioned before.

[jax]

Does anyone know if the 2560p has the same 5gbps expresscard as the 2570p?