amarD

Hmm that sounds a bit strange, usually the WLAN-card is an easy part to "upgrade", just like HDD and memory modules.

Yes, there is a usb-based mPCIe card that I linked earlier that should be able to work in the WWAN slot. I tried this on my Lenovo e530 and it worked really good.

Here is a link to the one I tested. This would mean that you could free up your WLAN-slot for the PE4L.

I can disconnect it and pull it out, it's just that it's really wedged in there. And thanks, I'll probably get the full-sized one as the real mPCIe slot is half-sized and the USB-based one is a full sized.

So did you test the WWAN slot, did the wifi work?

If it did work there is a very good chance you can use WWAN slot for eGPU and keep the original WLAN card.

You are referring to a full size 16x slot (like one in a desktop), the PE4L only host a 1x slot, therefore bplus/hwtools choose to have it as short as possible. I don't agree with that design at all since they could have kept the slot full size in order to hold the GPU more steady (even though its only 1x functional).

Also since you're thinking about upgrading your system you should consider the elitebook 2570p, small and as powerful as you want it to be,

check it out at the 2570P owners lounge!

EDIT: I saw that you found the answer already =)

Just got back from work ... Anyway, the WLAN card is connected via mPCIe, but it's a really tight fit. I can disconnect it but it's not going anywhere without opening up the laptop a bit more. I tried disconnecting that and putting another mPCIe WLAN card in the other slot, but it's not recognized. I'll have to look into it a bit more tomorrow.

If it doesn't work, is there a WLAN card I could get for the other slot (where WWAN would normally go)? Then that would free up the mPCIe slot for the PE4L.

Hi Amard, welcome to the eGPU community!

I'll try to answer your questions as good as I can:

1. Your WLAN port is the often the only mPCIe-slot to use, which in that case requires you to use USB-based WLAN.

There some good WLAN-cards that can be used in WWAN-slot via its USB-lanes, like this one.

The WWAN port can sometimes have PCI-lanes too, rare I think! Test this by swapping your WLAN-card to WWAN slot, does it work?

2. This seems to an excellent card both performance- and consumption -wise, although no one seem to have tested it for eGPU yet, but I don't see that it should be any problems.

The GPU can be powered directly from the PCIe-slot of the PE4L. For this you need a 2.5*5.5mm 12v adapter of at least 70W (to be safe), look at the post I made one page back.

3. You should at least go for the PE4L PM100A (or longer):

PE4L-PMxxxA V2.1 The "PM" -version has the mPCIe-interface

Heh, that's actually a really simple test. Thanks for the help! It'd be a bummer if my laptop isn't compatible ... If not, I've been looking at updating my laptop with a used/refurb ThinkPad anyway, so we'll see ... I'll make sure to keep you guys updated on how it goes. I just went ahead and ordered the card since I'll need an NVidia card for CUDA, whether I build an eGPU or a desktop PC (plus, tax returns!).

I'm still a bit confused by the PE4L. I've built a few PCs, but I'm no hardware expert, so please bear with me ... Most graphics cards have a larger connector than the one on the PE4L. Does the card just connect at the front, and does it work normally that way?

EDIT: I just did a simple Google search. So it's a 1x connector rather than the usual 16x connector?

Thanks again for the help!

I'm looking to build an eGPU for to learn CUDA and for some light gaming, and I have a few questions ...

1. How can I make sure my laptop is compatible? There's an expansion port for WWAN, which I don't use, but I'm not sure if it'd work. The hardware manual says "PCI Express Mini card for wireless WAN." It certainly looks like a mPCIe or mSATA port ... Right now, I have a 24 GB SSD cache in there.

2. I've been looking at the 750 Ti. This should work, right? And since this card doesn't connect to the PSU, could I just plug in a power adapter to the board? I have one from a family member's old Dell laptop, which I think should be compatible.

3. I'm confused by the adapters. From reading the thread, it seems like the PE4L is the correct one, but the connectors do not match, and I'm wondering if I'm missing something.

Thanks!

Sorry if this has been answered already, but can I use an eGPU for CUDA/OpenCL programming? I'm especially interested in using Matlab's Parallel Computing Toolbox, which uses CUDA, and PyCUDA.