Tech Inferno Fan

Hello Nando4,

I'm new here in this great forum. I have read DIY eGPU at NBR and this, I purchased the DIYeGPU-setup-110b5 and have trouble getting the eGPU fully working on my laptop. I have successful once got eGPU running on win7 by turn on the eGPU at the start of win7 logo start up, and installed the driver for HD7870 and asked to be restarted win7 tried again hasn't get it to work again??? I have done the win7 logo start up and turn on eGPU many time and unsuccessful could not get eGPU running in win7. one problem is when I turn on the laptop and eGPU and went in setup 110b5 it didn't find the eGPU I had to enable the PCI port 2 everytime? how do I make it automatic/save the pci settings permanent for when I turn on the laptop anytime? did I do anything wrong? I have screenshot of setup 110b5. please help with getting it work?

Specs: Asus G74SX 3D, i7 2960XM , 32Gb, win7 ulitmate, 64bit, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M inbuilt, Powercolor HD7870 eGPU.

Attached-- [ATTACH=CONFIG]5014[/ATTACH]

Sorry for my terrible english

Regards

Pizzazz

Setup 1.1x will give a startup screen if it doesn't detect the eGPU instructing you to power on the eGPU, the hotplug the PM3N component. Have you tried that?

I assume you are using the wifi mPCIe port2 for the eGPU. When doing that, the mPCIe slot may not have secondary buses assigned or may be whitelisted by the bios. The methods to correct that are in PCIe ports->Anti-whitelist. Another method to use is boot with the wifi card installed, halt bootup either with F8 (win) or go to Setup 1.x, then hotplug the PM3N with eGPU attached. Then the HD7870 eGPU should appear OK. If in Setup 1.x, you can perform PCI compaction if needed to overcome error12. mPCIe implementations can be more complicated that expresscard ones.

Thanks nando, that's cleared everything up. Time to do some shopping.

Well, there is on caveat of using your system. A NVidia eGPU can use a fragmented 128MB+64MB+32MB pci-e space, whereas a AMD requires a straight 256MB block. That has caused on Elitebook owner to switch from AMD to NVIdia previously to get a 4GB+ working solution. That's in case you were thinking of getting an AMD eGPU for it's better DX9 performance per 2. Which video card do you recommend for best performance on my system?. A NVidia Fermi/Keplar a better option if wanting Optimus' internal LCD mode or x1.2Opt performance later down the track with an iGPU-equipped notebook.

Hi there, just about to take the plunge on an egpu....information here is fantastic and I've pretty much got my head wrapped around it. I do have a couple of questions that I'm struggling to find definitive answers for after searching.

Specs: HP Elitebook 8460p, i7 2720QM, 8Gb, Radeon 6470m dGpu, expresscard 2.0

I picked up a PE4L 2.1b already and planning to use an external monitor.

1. Since I can't disable the 6470m (as far as I can tell) I understand I can't enable optimus for pcie compression. Can I still take advantage of the increased bandwidth of the expresscard 2 for decent performance?

2. Looking at picking up a GTX 660 - is it worth getting a card of this spec if I can't enable optimus?

3. Are there any caveats to using this AMD dGpu with an Nvidia eGpu ?

You are correct. HP Elitebooks with dGPUs have no switchable graphics, so no iGPU, so no Optimus pci-e compression. Expresscard 2.0 will still give decent performance, certainly better than the HD6470M, but you won't get Optimus extra 20-300% performance improvement as the NVidia driver won't engage pci-e compression (x1 link and a 4500MHD or Intel HD iGPU is required).

You may consider asking if any 8460P owner wants to do a systemboard swap? Or check if there is any provision to do that with HP? A GTX660 is a great card but will be quite bandwidth handicapped. I'd suggest pick up a s/h GTX460 on ebay instead. There are no caveats to using an AMD dGPU + NVidia eGPU.

Hi Nando,

I'm not sure if you may know,

I've purchased they DIY egpu setup, but my download ID says it's invalid.

I've received an email confirmation that my file is ready for download, clicking the link provided gives me the invalid download ID.

I have emailed them but still no reply, not how long they take to reply but it has been a couple days.

Post a reply to this and you'll have 6 posts on TI. Then we can PM each othe rto sort this out.

Thanks very much for this Nando! I can confirm it is an Nvidia chipset according to CPU-Z and AIDA 64, i assume they are pretty releiable, so no X1E. The iGPU is an Nvidia 9600M GT, so i think optimus is not possible? However, I noticed in the post above you say if the OP can disable the NVS 4200M then 1.2Opt would be possible, i thought you could only do it on intel iGPU's? If the OP in the above post can do it, would i be able to disable my 9600M GT to use Optimus with an nvidia card?

I guess im just confused why my current set up can run more modern titles and not older ones, one might assume it would be the other way around? and i thought an ATI set up at X1 woudl be better for DX9 games whihc the Cand C titles are i think

Thanks again for your help

Your system is running at full x1 1.0 bandwidth, equivalent to x1E on an Intel chipset. There is no x1 2.0 or Optimus pci-e compression available form your older NVidia chipset. If you want that better performance then consider upgrading to a thin-and-light Sandy or Ivy Bridge system, eg: 12.5" Lenovo X220/X230, Dell E6220/E6230, HP 2560P/2570P; 13" Toshiba R830/R940 or Dell E6320/E6330; 14" Toshiba R840/R940 or Lenovo T420s/T430s.

Hi

I am trying to make my EGPU run on the internal display

My specs are

Toshiba Tecra R840

I7 2620M

Third party gpu : Radeon 6450M

Using an egpu : palit gtx 670 jetstream

From the intel website i7 2620M has an Intel HD 3000 but my device manager cant detect the igpu is there like a fix out there to make it run on the internal display

PS: Thanks Nando for your previous reply

My understanding is that the HD6450M model of the R840 has a dedicated graphics setup only. Ie: no switchable graphics. If you want a internal LCD mode driven by the eGPU then the best way is to get an iGPU-equipped R840 from which your GTX670 can do that via the optimus drivers. So you may want to see if can do a system or systemboard swap. Failing that, you system is a Sandy Bridge one so can use LucidLogix Virtu to drive the internal LCD too but will not be so impressive. It won't get the NVidia Optimus' pci-e compression that engages on an iGPU-equipped system running a x1 link.

My setup is as follows:

Fujitsu T901 (2620M, NVS 4200M, 8GB RAM, 60GB Intel 520 SSD, 500GB 7200RPM Toshiba) w/ EVGA GTX 660 Ti connected via PE4L v2.1b

I have it hooked up to two external displays (so internal + 2 = 3 displays total). I have no issues with setup other than the common error 12, but Setup 1.x fixed that. Everything runs as it should, I can run Skyrim, Crysis 2, Borderlands 2 all on max settings.

However, I do have a few complaints / questions.

1. Setup 1.x says I have a x1.1 link. What is the difference between x1.1 and x1.2? How do I go about getting a x1.2 link/is it worth it?
   
2. I have not found much detail on automating the Setup 1.x process. I currently have to disable my dGPU, run compation on my iGPU and eGPU, hotreset my eGPU, the chainload and boot. I'm sure there is a way to automate, how to?
   
3. I was hoping to avoid using Setup 1.x after having the issue of having to boot and setup my eGPU each boot. So I attempted to perform the DSDT override. The DSDT that I have has a heap of issues, and even after spending hours on it, I have not been able to clean it up. Googling resulted in nothing. Anyone good at fixing DSDT files?
   

Is there anything else I need to check out or any other information needed to finalize my setup?

My pleasure to help. Now you won't be able to run x1.2Opt unless the NVS4200M can be disabled. Unless your T901 has a bios setting to do that then you will need to use Setup 1.1x to do that. You can automate the process by hitting the F3 key after going manually through the steps you need. The individual commands will be added to your startup.bat after which you can boot Setup 1.1x and select "automated startup via startup.bat", adding ~3secs to your normal Win7 boot process.

Hey,

I'm very happy to see this thread back Thanks Nando4 to bring it back

I knew about it for a moment ago but I was way very busy and decided to post something later.

Though in the meanwhile, I've managed to sucessfully make a eGPU setup on the SVZ, and I have now the chance to compare the performance between the two!

How is the CPU important for the eGPU setup, comparing benchmarks is now really really interesting !

And from what I can say now, even though I did just a few test, is that, although the SVZ quad cpu is clocked only at 2.1Ghz, it's almost as fast as my 2.7Ghz dual core at GPU benchmark (CPU test are obviously mch faster), sometimes it's a bit faster sometimes slightly slower.

I've been told that CPU speed was more important than the number of cores, though the i7 3612QM performs quite equally to the i7-2620M in games can be explained by its absolutely great turbo mode.

As a matter of fact my i7-3612QM is always clocked at 2.8 Ghz even if I start CPU stress test software... In fact it's not a 2.1 Ghz but a 2.8 Ghz when it's inside the SVZ

It's really something I would have never expected.

I'm trying to make a spaceless and convenient eGPU so I bought a new GPU, the ZOTAC GTX 660 Ti AMP! which is only 19cm long and I've modded a XBOX 360 203W psu just like theendless did wonderfully.

But I couldn't test it so far, because there a little problem and I'd need some help.

The problem is that when I plug the GPU and the PE4L, nothing happens, it's like on a stand by mode.

The PSU is showing an orange LED which means it's in stand by and the PE4L shows up two LED, on green, on orange.

I think I did the rewiring part properly but I couldn't test the PSU to see if it is fully working as I do not have any xbox.

Do you think there's a special things to do to power it on.

Or is my PSU faulty ?

Thanks.

Glad you could make it over here MikjoA and thank you for the encouraging words. You are the pioneer of high performance mPCIe DIY eGPU implementations of which the i7-3612QM SVZ + [email protected] would near the top of the foodchain. You are most welcome to share those bench results if want entries on the first page. The SVZ is a very nice machine deserving of the attention.

Jumper 5Vsb and the Power Enable pins to switch on the XBOX 360 PSU

As for the orange light/standby, that can be easily corrected. theendless' 203W XBOX360 wiring diagram has an error. It shows the power-enable pin wired to GND. Whereas here, corroborated by Kuro-D here explains:

i found that one can easily enable the power supply on by wiring a switch between the +5VSB and the PWR ENABLE Pins.

So just jumper 5Vsb and the Power Enable pin to switch on the PSU. These pins are shown below:

Wow very nice !!!

Seems like a lot are getting really nice result, I'm stuck on error 12 with a TH05.

I've been reading everywhere, really getting confused, I''ll eventually get there.

I'm endeavoring to organise a Thunderbolt system (eg: Lenovo T430s or Macbook Pro) + TH05 so can get Setup 1.1x certified working on those systems atm.

dear Nando... is PE4L required x1.2Opt software??

thanks.

You have a Lenovo T420 which has been shown to not require any pci compaction nor Gen1/Gen2 auxilery switching using Setup 1.x. So the answer is no, you do not need Setup 1.1x to if using a NVidia Fermi card or Keplar card to run a x1.2Opt link. The lowest spec NVidia card I'd recommend is being a GTX460 or GTX560 Fermi.

Hi All,

My PE4H has finally arrived but now I'm having trouble with the DIY eGPU setup. I don't know what else to do.

My laptop is Lenovo E420 with i5 2430M, Intel HD 3000, 8 GB RAM. My eGPU is Zotac GTX 560 Ti. I use an old Simbadda 380W PSU.

These were my trial & errors in DIY eGPU setup:

1.a. Run Compaction (32 bitA) > All PCIX Ports.

Result: system froze before compaction finish

2.a. Run Compaction (any method) > eGPu & iGPU

2.b. Run startup.bat

2.c. Chainload mbr

Result: Error 12 in device manager

3.a. Run Compaction (any method) > eGPU

3.b. Run startup.bat

3.c. Chainload mbr

Result: Error 12 in device manager

4.a. Run Compaction (any method) > iGPU

4.b. Run startup.bat

4.c. Chainload mbr

Result: No more Error 12 in device manager, but system froze when I right clicked on desktop wallpaper / set up screen resolution from control panel. Also, nothing was displayed on my secondary monitor before my system froze

5.a. Run Compaction (other than 32 bitA) > All PCIX Ports.

5.b. Run startup.bat

5.c. Chainload mbr

Result: Error 12 in device manager

6.a. Initialize iGPU (or also eGPU)

6.b. Run Compaction (32 bitA) > iGPU (or eGPU also)

6.c. Chainload win7

Result: No more Error 12 in device manager, but system froze when I right clicked on desktop wallpaper / set up screen resolution from control panel. Also, nothing was displayed on my secondary monitor before my system froze

I always used to run startup.bat since it seemed the only way to make the compaction takes effect. I'm not sure though.

What else should I do?

Many thanks in advance.

Regards,

Haris

The compaction solves the error12 issue, but you are using a PE4H 2.4 and your system's expresscard slot would default to Gen2 (pci-e 2.0) speed. The PE4H can only reliably run at Gen1 (pci-e 1.x) speed, resulting in the systems that you describe.

So you either need to set the expresscard slot to run at Gen1 speed in the bios, is such a setting exists, or use the DIY eGPU Setup 1.1x's PCIe ports->Link speed.G1 option on the expresscard slot to force Gen1 speed. The better option would be to offload the PE4H for a PE4L 2.1b that can run at Gen2 speed.

Now that things are up and running again, I figured I'd re-post my case and questions here. Apologies to those of you reading this post for the second time.

After getting sick of having wires all over my desk, I designed and built a case for my GTX560/PE4H eGPU out of laser-cut acrylic. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out!

..

However it's not completely finished yet - I still have some operational issues. The eGPU (GTX560/PE4H running on an HP Elitebook 2540p with the latest Nvidia desktop drivers) works beautifully on an external monitor, however the performance is so bad when running on the internal LCD that it makes no discernible difference when running games. I realise there's a performance drop running internally vs externally, but is it really this bad?

Mass Effect, for example, runs at 1fps using the onboard Intel GMA HD, 3fps using the eGPU on the internal LCD, but a solid 60fps (vsynched) at 1920x1200 with full settings on my external monitor. As far as I can see, the eGPU is detected correctly and is being used in some capacity. Every game & performance test I've tried has the same problem. Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions as to why this is?

And again a huge thanks to everyone for posting their results and builds, I'd never have got this working without such a wealth of information. .

Thank you for posting your commercial-quality enclosure pictures. Impressive stuff

The 1fps vs 3fps for internal LCD makes me wonder if even the GTX560 is even rendering Mass Effect. You can do a quick test to be 100% sure of that by runing Mass Effect in a window on the external LCD then drag it over to the internal one. Is it till very slow?

Dear all i am a noob in this forum please pardon if i ask anything wrong. i received a PE4L for my Thinkpad T420 yesterday. I success with my old Geforce9500GT but not my latest HD 7750. is that problem with GPu with Optimus?? i found AMD gpu on OS but not working both internal LCD or external.

Any suggestion?? please??

ATiAMD doesn't have Optimus to drive the internal LCD -> need LucidLogix Virtu

It's only the NVidia Optimus driver that can transparently drive the internal LCD. There you'll need a Fermi or Keplar card and ensure the system boots with the iGPU as the primary video card.

The ATiAMD driver doesn't have Optimus, so is designed to drive an external LCD. Only way to get Optimus-like features for ATiAMD is to get LucidLogix Virtu software to do it. Other readers note, that requires a Sandy or Ivy Bridge notebook which the OP's T420 is.

I have an egpu set up and working:

System

Macbook pro 2009

Win 7/64 with bootcamp

2.66 core2duo

4GB ram

egpu

550 ocz modular PSU

sapphire HD 7750 via expresscard @X1

..

Heres the thing, i like RTS games and i set this up to run old C and C titles, eg. tiberium wars, red alert 3 etc. but the set up struggles with these games even thought they are from 2007/2008. I get rubbish FPS and it crashes periodically

At the same time i can run Starcarft 2/diablo 3 on ultra setting with no issue at all, i dont understant it. Surely if it can run these games OK and RE5 at 80 FPS it should run 4 year old games??

could anyone suggest why this might be?

You are running a HD7750 @ x1 1.0. There is no Optimus pci-e compression running there. Please read the CYAN x1 section here to understand why your performance is poor in some titles. If the MBP has a NVidia chipset then it's running at best performance. If it's got a Intel chipset then depending on what port the expresscard slot is on you may be able to apply the X1E tweak to get better performance.

If your 2009 MBP happens to have a Intel iGPU (4500MHD or Intel HD), then consider swapping the HD7750 for a GTX460/GTX560. Then you'll get significantly better x1.Opt performance. If not, then you may want to upgrade to a Sandy/Ivy Bridge iGPU-equipped system so could run x1.2Opt, faster again or even a Thunderbolt-equipped notebook and watch this space for implementations trickling in. They have the most bandwidth x2 2.0 (BPlus TH05) or x4 2.0 (Sonnet Express Box)

Hi nando, I've made a real account (no longer the facebook "Ivar Af Oring"). Just so you know!

I've been thinking about what you said about the cons using an xbox360-203w ac. It should possible to "strip" it down to make it slimmer in order to fit it in a smaller case?

This will be my new approach.

A much better name for me to know who from NBR it is I'm chatting to.

Last time I measured one, a XBOX 360 PSU was about the length of a NVidia video card but shorter. However, the the special end connector cable made it longer than then the video card.. It looks like you are electronically minded, so you can have a look at the innards of a XBOX360 203W PSU from allen pan's awesome eGPU work where he attached directly to the internals. See: [show OFF] External Universal GPU (Day0) | In the center of life's Whirlpool.

Wow, thanks, the breakdown really helped. Considering what you said, I think I'll look into swapping out the 5738G for a better system.

You know, it's funny that you mentioned the Dell Inspiron 1545, since my sister has one. Wish me luck in trying to convince her to swap it for mine

Wish you luck. The Inspiron 1545 with 4500MHD iGPU is what you want so can do a x1.Opt implementation, eg: GTX460. If hers has the ATI HD4330 discrete graphics then it too is no good to you for the same reasons why the 5738G is no good - no x1.Opt or x2 are possible on it.

I was thinking of using my ACER 5738ZG for a eGPU setup. After some research (including disassemble the laptop) I found that I only had access to mPcie slot 2 and 3 (verified by moving my wifi-card). This indicates that 2x-link would not work since you'll need available mPCIE slots in pairs of either 1+2 or 3+4 etc. Also, I found that there is a HD4500 (iGPU) located on the motherboard but since it's physically disabled by intel and can't be activated, this kills the option for any 1.x-opt implementation.

To conclude: No possibility for 2x-link nor 1.x-opt. For performance you should really look into what Nando suggested regarding swapping to a low cost sandy-bridge system.

NANDO: correct me if I'm wrong about the 2x-link.

That is correct. No x1.Opt nor x2 is possible on the Acer 5738G. It can only run straight x1 1.0 which will see stuttering due to the low bandwidth. It's not a good candidate system for an eGPU implementation.

Instead I would advise a iGPU-equipped notebook with an expresscard slot + PE4L 2.1b + s/h GTX460 to gain x1.2Opt (Sandy Bridge) or x1.Opt (older 1st gen i-core or core2duo, eg: Dell Inspiron 1545). There are plenty of examples on the first page of such candidate systems.

How do I set up 1.1x as a disc image and how do i access the boot up menu. When I attempt to do so I get a cmd that checks if I'm an admin user, I hit a button and then it says that copying grub.exe and menu.lst to C:// has access denied then tells me to copy files manually. Also it says that bcdedit isn't detected on windows 7

To install Setup 1.1,x log into your system as an admin user and ensure UAC is disabled. Then run c:\eGPU\setup-disk-image to do a disk image installation.

Once it's all setup correctly, you'll boot into Win7 via the Setup 1.x bootitem to use the iGPU+eGPU (with disabled NVS4200M dGPU) or via the Win7 bootitem to use the iGPU+dGPU (NVS4200M).

I mean, I'm running a T9800-2.93 Dell E6400 with a HD7950@x4 and a GTX660Ti@x4. But now i have only 660 TI OC. 3dmark11 on hd7950 was ca. 7350 GPU mark and AUSUS 660 TI witout new AUSUS GPU Bios Update 7571 GPU 3DMarks. With official GPU Bios update (only ASUS 660 series ) 7836 GPU 3DMarks. In Games was AMD faster than Nvidia (4-8 %) like Crysis , Crysis 2, CS Source and in Battlefield was Nvida faster. Nvidia is stable, amd have 1-2 problems with egpu adapter. Amd must be first in 1x1.0 work, and after that you must plug in mpci 2, 3, and ec card .

[ATTACH=CONFIG]4981[/ATTACH]

Awesome.. another rare x4 implementation. Can you run the other benchmarks on the first page so I can add you in to the DX9, DX10 and DX11 sections? Ie: RE5-DX9-1280x800_var, 3dmark06, DMCV4-DX10-1280x800, 3dmark vantage, Unigine heaven.

I'm sure it doesn't have an expresscard slot... Only the usual mPCIe where the WiFi card is tucked. And I have no idea what chipset it's got or how to find out. You'll have to excuse my dilletantism, but aside from takin the laptop apart and putting it back together from memory, I don't have any real hardware experience. Also, right now (recently became a father) the 5738G is all I have available to make something out of, and of course, if I had the money necessary to get another rig, I'd definitely go desktop. For their portability, laptops have proven to have a much shorter expiry date.

1. It has no expresscard slot: Acer Aspire 5738G [Laptop Specifications Central]

2. I received the lspci output here finding it has

port1=LAN

port2=<no device>

port3=wifi

port5=<no device>

Given it is a Series-4 chipset, and the wifi is sitting on port3, you get an ATiAMD card and apply the x1E tweak to get the best possible performance.

For lowest possible cost, if you are in the US I'd suggest ask Harmonic Inversion if they can supply a PE4L-1.5 + PM3N from HIT. There you'll get the Setup 1.1x software necessary to do this included as part of the purchase. Acquiring the hardware from BPlus would mean then a separate donation for the Setup 1.1x software that you'll need.

Before splurging out on this, consider if you might be able to onsell the notebook and replace it with a 4500MHD or Intel HD equipped one with an expresscard slot for the same $$. If you could, then consider getting a s/h NVidia GTX460 and a PE4L-EC060A 2.1b instead. The performance will be much better and it can even drive the internal LCD screen using the NVidia Optimus driver.

Yes I have looked at the url, I'm using a PE4H 2.4. I did in fact get the set up 1.1x for free from Harmonic Inversion and have it downloaded but I have no idea what to do with it.

In the device manager there is no device showing up as an unknown device.

Setup 1.1x is an excellent tool to help diagnose if you have a pci-e link between the eGPU and your system. So proceed to install Setup 1.1x as a disk image, select it from your Win7 bootup menu and boot the "Setup 1.x: menu-based" option. It will advise if your eGPU is detected or not and actions to take to get it detected. The context-sensitive help for Setup 1.1x if available by hitting F1. The same HTML help is available for perusal at DIY eGPU Setup 1.x Help .

You'll need to:

1. get the eGPU detected first by following suggestions. You'll need to confirm your ATX PSU's has 2 pci-e power leads attached to the GTX560, a floppy molex power lead is attached to the PE4H 2.4, the EC2C is plugged into your expresscard slot and a mHDMI cable attaches between the PE4H port1 and the EC2C.

2. select PCIe ports->Link speed.G1 to set eGPU's port link to Gen1 speed, the only speed the PE4H 2.4 supports. Hit F3 to add that to your startup.bat

3. select Video cards.Hybrid gfx.dGPU[off] to disable the NVS4200M. You'll need to do that to get x1.1Opt performance. Hit F3 to add that to your startup.bat

4. select 'Chainloader mbr' to chainload back to the Win7 boot menu. From there select Win7. Your eGPU should then be detected in Win7 after which you can load NVidia drivers and have it appear under the Display Adapters section.

I'm sorry Nando, I posted the wrong link before!

This is what I wanted to show you. If you look at the third picture you can see 3x outputs, that could be it?

I see | L | N | GND | V-,V-V- | V+,V,+V+ | Vadj . Without any further instructions I'd be reading the three V- and V+ outputs to just DC tap off points where you could have budget for say 3x75W outputs (225W) off the single rail. Two could be your 75W pci-e plugs for the GTX660TI and the last could be your floppy molex that runs to your PE4L.

So all would work but just note my previous precaution. You'd be drawing 3.3V/1.3A (4.3W) from the expresscard slot whereas pci-e is rated at 3.3V/3A (10W). If your card does need that much 3.3V power then it would be power starved. A separate 5V supply to the PE4L's floppy molex would get downregulated to 3.3V, giving more power.

I just finished building an eGPU and was wondering how I know if it is working or not. I power everything on but I can't tell if it has increased my performance or not. Is there a application like CPU-Z that tells me that the computer is using the GPU?

My rig is a standard eGPU using an express card port in a Dell Latitude E6420. The graphics card (Gtx 560 2gb Fermi) also has a cord attached to the monitor that I am using which has a vga cord plugged into the laptop as well.

Processor: i7 2620

Ram: 8gb

Integrated Video card: nVidia nvs 4200M

Thanks

Edit1: Alright so I checked the device manager and I can't seem to find it, what is an eGPU suppose to look like in device manager? I even opened up the casing while it was powered on and all of the fans are working so it is definitely on. Will post pictures if it is necessary.

Have you had a look at the http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/2129-diy-egpu-troubleshooting-faq.html#post27397 ? If your eGPU is detected then it would appear as an unknown device in Device Manager until you load drivers. After loading drivers it would appear in the Display Adapters section.

Two other points. I am not sure if you are using a PE4L 2.1b or not. If using an older PE4L or PE4H, then I unless Dell have a bios setting to do it you'd need Setup 1.1x to downgrade the expresscard slot link to Gen1/pci-e 1.x. Secondly, to get x1.2Opt performance, you'd need to disable the NVS4200M. There is no bios setting to do that so you'd need Setup 1.1x to do it. If you purchased your hardware from Harmonic Inversion then you can get Setup 1.1x for free. If not, there is a $25/$15 (with coupon) donation required for access.

Nando thanks for your answers.

what kind of powersupply is this? looks very compact -> 200 Watt DC-DC ATX

Another idea: will it be possible to use the internal screen at x2 2.0 (or x4 1.0 for bbx^) speed over expresscard with the lucid software. According to the lucid homepage: "Virtu MVP Mobile - Replaces Optimus", in the product page it says: "boosts gaming responsiveness up to 70%" Lucidlogix with the multi gpu solution

Did anyone made a comparision for optimus vs lucid?

The 200W pico adapter is very compact but the comparison page tells us a PW-200-M has 12V/12A and 5V/6A. So it doesn't have the 12V/16A+ requires to drive a GTX660Ti.

I recall Khenglish did a Optimus vs Lucid comparison, finding performance and stability of Optimus was much better.

Now not sure if it was PMed info or whether it was publically released. Can Khenglish chime in?

It makes a lot of sense that NVidia could engage link level compression using their hardware (CUDA?) if necessary whereas Lucid would just tweak the pipelining of data to the video card to get better performance. The former guaranteed to get a better result.

In addition, Virtu needs a Sandy or Ivy Bridge processor. bbx has a 2 gens older core2duo in his E6400 so won't be able to use Virtu.

Hi,

the time has come when my laptop has started showing its age, and I'm doing some research on beefing it up through an eGPU.

I went through your elaborate post in Notebook Review (although I can't wrap my head around most of the terminology), but I found no mention to my laptop, the Acer 5738G.

Specs are:

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 @ 2.00GHz

RAM: 4GB DDR3 1067MHz

GPU: nVidia Geforce G 105M

OS: Win 7 Ultimate x64 (was originally Vista Home x32)

Is the eGPU solution even possible with the 5738G?

What parts do you suggest?

Would downgrading my OS to a performance version of XP SP3 make sense? (Since I get the common Acer Win 7 USB bug)

Thank you for your time,

Ian

PS: Any chance the laptop will let me display to the internal LCD?

PPS: Don't shy out on the crazy, since the laptop is way past its guarrantee, and I don't mind one bit building a Frankenstein out of it.

An eGPU would be possible on a 5738G given it has an expresscard slot, but the lack of an iGPU means no x1.Opt would be possible. Then I'd only suggest you consider it if x2 is possible as x1 performance would mostly be unacceptable. For that you'd need a port layout as described in PRE PURCHASE FAQ -> 6. (Performance) Can my system do a PE4H x2 or x4 link as shown in PCIe Scaling Analysis? Do note the additional costs of the hardware to do x2 as well as the DIY eGPU Setup 1.x software. No transparent internal LCD mode functionality like NVidia Optimus or LucidLogix Virtu would be available to you.

From a bang-per-buck perspective, I'd suggest offloading the 5738G system for an inexpensive Sandy Bridge x1.2Opt capable one with an expresscard slot like a Dell Vostro 3550, HP Probook 4530s or Lenovo E520. Other than the significantly faster NVidia eGPU performance, the CPU too is much faster than what you have now and you could drive the internal LCD only if you like, saving $$ from not needing to buy an external LCD.

What about this power brick?

Appears the DC output terminals have only the one voltage level out. So there is no 12V and 5V rail. The S-201W product has a 5V listing against it, but it too looks to only have the one rail out. It's likely you adjust the Vadjust screw to set it to 5V, 12V or 24V output only.

Aliexpress.com : Buy retail,wholesale(it is best send goods by ship ) LED power supply S 201W(2 years quality warranty) from Reliable power supply suppliers on ITC STORE---retail,wholesale,purchasing agent

Is the PE4L adapter available with detachable cable+2.0speed? PE4L-060A?

According to Major0din here, PE4L-L060A can only support gen1 speed and also isn't available for purchase yet. BPlus only have the PE4L-EC060A (expresscard) and PE4L-PM060A (mPCIe) 2.1b that supports gen2 speed.

- - - Updated - - -

I have since 2 weeks with 4x1.1 Dell e6400 T9800 (no optimus). i tested AMD PowerColor 7950 PCS +, ASUS GTX 560 TI TOP and Asus GTX 660 TI OC. I am of the opinion, the performance of AMD cards is the best, because pci-e scaling better see Ivy Bridge PCI-Express Scaling with HD 7970 and GTX 680 Review | techPowerUp, but on AMD 4x1.1 to change was difficult. Playing with AMD was really cool. The Best Performance and easy changing on 4x1.1 was 660 TI. I have about 7800 GPU Bench in 3DMark11. (Core2Due CPU and GPU Bench 7800 is OK). Who can not turn on Nvidia Optimus ,anyway chooses Nvidia cards because they are the easiest to work on 4x1.1 (not the fast like AMD 4-8% lower performance but stable.)

Do you mean you are running a T9800-2.93 Dell E6400 with a HD7970@x4 and a GTX660Ti@x4? If so, would you mind providing a full set of benchmarks like shown on the first page for inclusion? You'd be the second user who has successfully done a x4 1.0 implementation. There are plenty of Dell E6400 systems out there so maybe others would like to duplicate your results?

does anyone know how to do a DSDT override on Windows 8? It's not working for me. It did work on Windows 7.

You are pioneering this work. I have as yet not loaded Win8 on my box to try it but if I can get a loaner Dell E4300, the test box I did the original DSDT override on, then I'll see if I can get a Large Memory Area defined in Win8. The different behavior of Win8 indicates the pci-e driver has been altered.

Hi i recently bought the PE4H-EC2C and im trying to hook the GTX 670 to my toshiba tecra r840

intel core i7-2620

8GB Ram

im using a cooler master 450w PSU

now heres the problem

after setting up everything my laptop was able to read the graphic card and isuccessfully installed the 670 driver from the disc (i am using a palit GTX 670 jetstream 2GB)

BUT despite all that my tecra r840 is unable detect the display on my external monitor which is meant for the gtx 670, i am using a DVI connector

can any expert please advice me, its my first time trying this )

We've had a previous Toshiba R840 NVidia Optimus implementation here also with a PE4H. Having a PE4H 2.4 rather than a PE4L 2.1b means you'll require Setup 1.1x to downgrade the link to pci-e 1.x or else it will not work. That's because a PE4H 2.4 cannot transmit at the pci-e 2.x speed, the default your expresscard slot is set to.

My suggestion is rather than obtaining the Setup 1.1x software, offload the PE4H for a PE4L 2.1b so you get double the bandwidth (pcie 2.0 vs pci-e 1.x) and don't need donate for Setup 1.1x.

Hi guys!

Can anyone comment on this idea of a setup for my eGPU project:

GPU: GTX 660/GTX 660-ti

Power: 350w power brick

Interface: PE4L-PM060A

Do you think that the "power brick" be compatible as supplier for a GTX 660-ti setup?

A MSI GTX660Ti requires 164W of peak power as shown. An incredibly efficient card. That means a 12V/14A rail would be OK, though I'd go for 16A for a safety margin. The PSU you link is 12V/29A, so has plenty however, it doesn't have a 5V output. A PE4L 2.1b can then only use 3.3V/1.3A (4.3W) from the expresscard slot to drive your cards which might or might not be OK. Reason is a pci-e card is rated at up to 3.3V/3A (10W). You may need to run a single or double-ended USB cable from the notebook to the PE4L to supply an extra 5V/0.5A (2.5W - single or 5W - double), downregulated to 3.3V by the PE4L just to give slightly more power.

If this sounds overly complicated then may I suggest acquiring a 203W XBOX360 PSU. It's got a 12V/16.5A rail + 5V/1A rail. There's an example of how to wire it here and here.

Hi Nando.

How about starting a new thread dedicated for eGPU?

I'm still very motivated to discuss this subject and try to help others.

There is a dedicated eGPU thread now: http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/2109-diy-egpu-experiences-%5Bversion-2-0%5D.html#post27126

Great to see the eGPU scene going on here, unfortunately the users are now split in different forums. I am following the eGPU scene for a while.

I am considering to drop my desktop and switch to a laptop+egpu, but dont know what to get atm. Expresscard is a nice solution with optimus atm i think, with also internal screen possibility.

But thunderbolt is available too now, did someone already test the Bplus th05? is it worth it with x2 2.0 (instead of max x4 2.0)?

Is the Lucid software for internal screen mode + compression a good alternative for optimus? Lucidlogix with the multi gpu solution

I think i have 3 options right now:

1. Buy cheap laptop with expresscard now (eventually buy new laptop when tb is more common)

2. Buy second hand macbook air 13" with tb-port (still relatively expensive, no 1080p screen, no quad core, no upgradeble ram)

3. Wait for hasswell (2013?, problably expensive)

What do you think guys?

As much as it wasn't desirable to do so, moving content here was the only way I could communicate with users and update content. You can read the measures I went to in order to prevent fracturing of users in the NBR ban details in my sig. Anyway.. back to your query.

BPlus' TH05 Thunderbolt adapter with it's x2 2.0 performance is not worth it for the majority of users that run Windows, are OK with an iGPU/Optimus-equipped notebook and prefer a NVidia card. It's only benefit is then:

1. Macbook users who have no expresscard option. Note 13" Macbook Pro retina is rumored for release soon.

2. Users who want to run an ATiAMD card (no Optimus)

3. Users who have a notebook with dedicated graphics (no iGPU - no Optimus)

4. Users who predominantly run MacOS/Linux (no Optimus)

A expresscard-based x1.2Op NVidia using a $70 PE4L 2.1b is a more cost effective solution than a $180 TH05 Thunderbolt one. Performance will be pretty much the same since x1.2Opt's pci-e compression means x1 2.0 is approximates x2 2.0. That pci-e compression only engages upon detecting a x1 link. There are also far more expresscard equipped notebooks than Thunderbolt ones available at a lower cost too.

The cheapest x4 2.0 capable Thunderbolt enclosure is the $400 Sonnet's Echo Express SE Thunderbolt. There you'll need to add a $50 Thunderbolt cable and hack it to work with an external PSU. I believe it's designed for a x8 card, so need to cut the slot too to accept a x16 card.

So from your options I'd go 1. Buy cheap laptop with expresscard now (eventually buy new laptop when tb is more common and monitor the development of TB eGPUs, upgrading when it's performance-to-cost ratio improves. BPlus have said they'll be releasing a x4 2.0 Thunderbolt adapter next year.

REF: Internal Screen for ATI GPUs with Virtu Driver (timohour) shows the Virtua software giving good performance when rendering to the internal LCD. This is how one would get the equivalent of NVidia Optimus' internal LCD mode using an ATiAMD configuration.

PCI-Express to Thunderbolt Adapter is released

TH05 ( PCI-Express to Thunderbolt? Adapter) .

Has anyone already tried it?

2.0 x 2 is 1.1 x 4. If Nvidia Optimus technology work on Thunderbolt Adapter,it's the best egpu solution !!!

We found that Nvidia Optimus had two benefits on a expresscard solution. Firstly, it engaged pci-e compression when a x1 link was detected accelerating output 20-300% and secondly, it could display accelerated output to the internal LCD. This was however dependent on the hosting machine booting up with a Intel 4500MHD or HD iGPU as the active video card.

With Thunderbolt's x2/x4 link, the pci-e compression will no longer be available. So if you don't need the internal LCD mode then an ATiAMD card may in some cases give better performance. On a x1 link (with no pci-e compression) I found that DX9 was faster on an ATi card and DX10 was faster on a NVidia card.

BPlus' TH05 is far more affordable but at x2 2.0, it's going to be pretty much on par to a x1.2Opt link in performance when using an expresscard slot + NVidia Fermi/Keplar card on an iGPU-equipped notebook. The PE4L 2.1b expresscard solution costs US$71 with a lot of notebook options, while a TH05 costs US$180 with few TB notebook options, except of course if you are a Macbook owner.

Saying all of this, I'd love to get a Lucid Thunderbolt-to-pcie enclosure (x4 2.0) and benchmark it with NVidia and ATiAMD cards on a x1.2Opt, x2 2.0 and x4 2.0 Thunderbolt link on say a 13" Macbook Pro. That would be done by masking lanes on the video card using cellophane tape.