rgpu

I have now built a desktop computer and not going to be using eGPU setup anymore. Overall I recommend going eGPU route if someone has a laptop already as a temporary solution and wants to game with decent settings and frame rates before being able to afford a decent computer. This is not a permanent solution for gaming because of mPCIE bandwidth limitations and few annoying things in usage, like problems with Optimus (only works on Win10, but on Win10 can not use dGPU as PhysX processor), performance issues while loading game into GPU. Desktop PC using 980 TI is pushing around 30%-50% more FPS than eGPU setup (some games even 100%). My desktop build: CASE: In Win 707 Full Tower MB: Asus Z170 PRO GAMING CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K @ 4.6Ghz RAM: Kingston 8GB DDR4/FURY HyperX 2133Mhz CPU COOLER: Enermax LiqMax II 240 Universal CPU Liquid Cooler Parts reused from eGPU setup: GPU: GAINWARD GeForce GTX 980 Ti Reference Cooler Model @ 1460Mhz PSU: 750W ATX Corsair CX750M MONITOR: Asus LED VS247HR 23.6'' wide, Full HD, 2ms, DVI, HDMI, black SYSTEM SSD: Kingston Digital HyperX FURY 120GB SSD SATA 3 2.5 HDD: 750 GB SATA 2.5 The system is able to run most games maximum settings @ 1440p 60FPS.

Hi, I can only comment on these: install desktop version of GeForce 900 series driver (which uninstalled dGPU driver) - done //////ok restarted Windows, but with BSOD, so I removed eGPU, started up again and disable dGPU, shut down and then connected eGPU and started Windows with no BSOD done i dont know why you are disabling and renabling the BSOD because iam not getting any Error with them. //////I only get BSOD on Win 7, I have not tried windows 8.1, but there is not BSOD on Windows 10 (dGPU is just auto disabling after few seconds of use, but it shows fine in device manager at all times) connected monitor to eGPU - should it be the whole time unplugged and then Plug / When should i plug him when iam in windows at boot ? or when u mean that ? ////// I connect monitor to eGPU before I turn on the laptop, when I turn on the laptop in Windows 10 my external monitor turns on only when Windows is fully booted and read to insert the password, while Windows boots only laptop display is active. when I am using eGPU in Windows display settings I disable laptops internal display and enable only external monitor (my laptop display is turned off) - that's mean you are in windows and u can duel Screen but you disable the Laptop screen from windows setting or the gtx setting right ? so you dont turn it off from DIY eGPU or something like that ? ////// yes, when I log into windows and go into display settings I see 2 displays detected. As for the solution to your problem - I dont know, I am not a guru myself, I would be stuck like yourself. I also used HDMI cable and it worked fine, I also tried DVI cable, also worked. To me it seems that your eGPU is not fully detected by Windows. I never used any jumpers for PSU, I only connected that big 24 pin cable to Beast adapter via adapter cable that was included. Sorry I cant be of more help.

Does PSU fan spin when you turn on your hardware? I saw in picture, that GPU fans are spinning, so Im know they are.

I think I see your mistake (see attached picture). you must not power GPU from BEAST, instead you power GPU directly from PSU using PCI-E 6/8 pin connectors accordingly. Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

Hi, I did not have any problems with PhysX not on W7 not on W10 (right after upgrade with W10 preinstalled Nvidia drivers nor with the latest Nvidia drivers). I have options in Nvidia control panel. I dont know what is the cause in your case. I have a problem chosing dGPU as PhysX processor though in W10, I could do this with W7. I ran W7 like this: Optimus: NO PhysX: dGPU GT 730M W10: Optimus: YES PhysX: eGPU GTX 980 TI The problem with W10 is that dGPU is being turned off after 3 seconds of usage, I dont know how to fix it. So Im using dual boot system, I can boot into W7 if I need to play a game with PhysX and for everything else I use W10.

Hello, My question is - how do I forbid Optimus turning off dGPU or disable Optimus at all (I have no graphics options in BIOS)? Yesterday I upgraded to Windows 10 and installed Nvidia Driver for Windows 10. Everything seems to be the same as on Windows 7, both dGPU and eGPU (and ofcurse iGPU) are showing up in Device Manager and no hardware problems are present. But, when I try to set dGPU as PhysX processor - it does not let me, when I try to set dGPU as PhysX processor it switches back to eGPU automatically. I think the cause of the problem is that on Windows 7 I had Optimus disabled. But on Windows 10 I have Optimus enabled and I did not find a way to disable it to rule Optimus as possible cause of the problem. I can confirm that dGPU is only briefly turning on when it is being accessed (like when I want to see info in MSI Afterburner, or when I want to see driver details, or when I scan for new hardware) and then powering off after 2-3 seconds.

As I wrote, when I compare performance with desktop computer with GTX 980 TI I see that my setup is around 30% slower in games than desktop computer with proper CPU. So for example if you find on youtube a performance test for a game for example: with same settings on my setup I get ~50 FPS, not 70 as you can see in benchmark. Same applies for GTX 970 and GTX 980 TI. I get 30% slower performance. Than desktop computer with those GPUs. I get better 10-20 FPS better performance with GTX 980 TI compared with GTX 970 on same games so same game - Witcher 3 ran 30-40 FPS in same area with GTX 970. But when you compare the price - GTX 980 TI is twice the price of GTX 970 - you have to decide is it worth your money? If you are addicted gamer, then probably it is worth it. Personally I upgraded to GTX 980 TI only because of 6GB of VRAM, it helps in games like: Shadow Of Mordor, Batman Arkham Knight, Lords Of Fallen when you play on maximum texture details. 970 not only was 10-20 FPS slower, but it also had terrible stuttering if I was running the game on maximum texture detail level (because textures have to be loaded into GPU constantly using slow mPCIE interface). In short Withcer 3 comparison: Proper desktop computer with GTX 980 TI: 70 FPS Proper desktop computer with GTX 970: 50 FPS eGPU with GTX 980 TI: 50 FPS eGPU with GTX 970: 30 FPS For games that use alot of VRAM (shadow or mordor, batman arkham knight, lords of fallen on maximum texture details level): 980 TI - no stuttering 970 - constant stuttering There is one thing you should know also that applies for any eGPU setup (970 and 980 TI also) - when the game uses mPCIE bandwidth to load textures (usually it is loading screen, but in open world games textures are being swapped constantly) you get performance drops in 30%. So for example if you get 50 FPS in Witcher 3, then for example when you load from save game, then for 2-3 seconds while textures are still being loaded you would get framerate drop to 30 FPS. As I am planning to make desktop computer within 1 year I think that it was totally worth buying the 980 TI for me, as I get not stutters now and get +10-20 FPS, and when I make my desktop computer I will extend the life of this GPU because I will get even better performance. I am not afraid that 6 GB of VRAM will not be enough in near future, because current generation consoles have only 8 GB of VRAM, and while there is no new generation of consoles 6 GB of VRAM will be enough - this means that 980 TI will not get outdated that soon (until new consoles come).

Today I upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10 (PRO) and am very happy by my choice. The only problem I had is with Intel HD 4000 drivers - the Acer version is not supported, so I let Windows install latest drivers automatically. And problem with not running Acer driver is that I have to turn off laptop display using FN+DISPLAY key manually after Windows restarted. The main thing I am happy about is that now Optimus is working. So basically I have everything eGPU user can wish for - everything running stock software/drivers, no extra software/drivers required. For comparison: on Windows 7 (no Optimus) dx9 game Alan Wake ran at 24 FPS on highest settings on both GTX 970 and GTX 980 TI, but with Windows 10 (with Optimus - on external display) I get minimum of 35 FPS and 40 FPS AVG (playable for this game). The second thing I am happy about is DirectX 12. I dont know if it will improve performance for me (mPCIE bandwidth limited), but at least I will be able to try when games support it Otherwise I am happy with how Windows 10 feels - it does not require much time to get used to after Windows 7. EDIT: I think that the reason why I cant use dGPU as PhysX processor is that Optimus is powering off my dGPU to save power, I wonder if anyone knows how to work around this or disable Optimus at all.

I upgraded to GTX 980 TI (Gainward reference version, mainly because of 6GB of VRAM), I was not expecting this (because I thought limited PCI-E bandwidth will have more impact on performance), but it is performing significantly better than GTX 970. Tested Witcher 3 and Dragon Age Inquisition so far, both games run 10-20 FPS better depending on an area. I was able to overclock the card to +200 core clock and +450 memory clock - running stable around 70C-80C. Did not change any voltage parameters. Here is 3dmark firestrike benchmark result of GTX 980 TI: 3dmark13-FS.GPU=15321 I can say that this setup is not running as good as decent desktop PC with same card, but it runs great.

I am no hardware guru. I wrote that about bottleneck because I saw my GPU at 100% usage (in firestorm GPU monitoring utility - like MSI afterburner) when gaming, but I am changing my mind because when I overclock GTX 970 - it does not affect FPS in games. So this means one of 2: 1) GTX 970 is actually not being used 100% 2) CPU is the bottleneck I think it is the first one. As for N55SF - I have no idea. I have only tried my laptop and got lucky.

as I wrote - for my hardware (laptop, eGPU adatper, GPU) nothing had to be done or configured - it was all plug and play. I also know that for one other member here with same laptop and a GTX 970 (only MSI version) and same eGPU adapter (Beast v6.1) was plug and play. So as for the GPU: GTX 970, it sure does not need any overrides, same goes for the Beast v6.1 adapter. So only variable left is your laptop - if you are lucky, then you will not need no extra configuration or setup to run this. As far as I understood it does not come down to CPU, MB, iGPU only. There are some other factors that might affect things, like BIOS and other I dont know. But if you have same hardware as I do (or lucky and you hardware is good) - you are good to go. One thing I noticed though - although my GPU is at 100% usage at all times when gaming, overclocking the GPU does not affect FPS. So I guess that mPCI-E is bottle necking the GTX 970. Or it could be the CPU that is the bottleneck. In other words - there is no point in using anything more powerful than a GTX 970 for this hardware that I have.

you should provide more details. like when you are using GTX 660, then you are not powering it from PSU - because your PSU has no PCI-E power cable. It probably has not got enough power. In case of 8600GT - it draws max 43W (Video Card Comparison - GPUReview.com), but I am no expert on this matter - I do not know if Beast can supply that much power from PCI-E lane alone or if such old card is at all supported. because this card only supports PCIe 1.0 x16. Experts should comment if he can use it by default, he might need some 1.3 setup or whatever to switch to PCIe 1.0?

Maybe someone else with better knowledge will reply, but meanwhile Im going to state the obvious: one or more of your components have died: gpu, beast adapter or dell power adapter. You should test all of them if possible (like test GPU on a desktop computer etc). I had same symptoms when my Beast died (it was my own fault though - I connected wrong 4-PIN ATX power supply connector to Beast), I was able to game for one day, then restarted system and eGPU was not recognized anymore (just showed up as generic VGA in device manager), on next restart it did not show up at all in device manager. Can you see the GTX 970 card in device manager?

Freezing in GTA 5 is the game issue. There is a ton of posts on Rockstar forums about freezes. I have those freezes also, sometimes random and sometimes in same place in story - like getting in car after some heists. I think there are more freezes if you play 3DM version, I would recommend buying the game or try RELOADED version.

I dont know what you mean by provided black (with EC yellow) 4-PIN connector (Im not hardware guy), all I know: DO NOT USE THIS 4-PIN: http://www.play3r.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Be-Quiet-Pure-Power-L8-530W-20+4-Pin.jpg (this is part of ATX 24-PIN motherboard connector (20PIN+4PIN); USE: 4-PIN labaled "CPU": It should look something like this (4PIN+4PIN): http://www.corsair.com/Media/catalog/product/c/p/cp-8920115_eps_12v_cpu_conn.png

I see your card uses 140W maximum: GeForce GTX 660 | Specifications | GeForce So it depends on your power supply - if it can provide that much power, then yes, DC input is enough. Im not sure, but I think mPCI-E also feeds the card with a little power, but nothing to rely on - dc power should provide most power for the card, just to be safe. And if you are not hardware guy like me - be careful if you chose to feed the card with ATX PSU - use correct 4-PIN connector.

for that money you can buy 6 (SIX) EXP GDC Beasts v6.1 (with every expense covered - no import/customs, no additional delivery charges) delivered to your nearest postal office. I just do not understand why people chose anything else. check my setup - Beast is not bottle necking GTX 970. Why would you want other eGPU solution? If you are going to buy a GTX 970 card, so why buy some expensive adapter that is not better than Beast for this card? I would understand if you went with TITAN Z or something, then yes - Beast would be bottleneck. But GTX 970? Why? My setup is pushing GTX 970 OC to 100% usage! If you are concerned about Gen2 speed - then read this: I have used two different Beast v6.1 adapters, both run on Gen2 speed with no problems.

Yes, see the full setup and benchmark tests here: http://forum.techinferno.com/provisional-guides/9762-17-acer-v3-771g-gtx970%404gbps-e-mpcie2-exp-gdc-beast-win7-64-%5Brgpu%5D.html I am pretty much surprised myself because GPU ran at 100% usage - this means I was not bottlenecked by mPCI-E EDIT: my eGPU is not Gen3 speed, it is Gen2 - on external monitor.

Thank you. I am now downloading three 3dmark benchmarks: 3DMark-v1-5-893 3dmark_11_v105 3DMark06_v121 When I have the results (probably later today) I will let you know and update my first post in this thread. EDIT: this setup runs latest games 30-60 FPS on maximum settings. totally recommended if you already own this laptop and GPU - just use eGPU of your choice.

NotebookAcer Aspire V3-771G-9441 Intel Core i7 3630QM (2.40GHz) 8GB Memory NVIDIA GeForce GT 730MOS: Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 64BITBIOS: BIOS_Acer_1.15_A_AMonitor: Asus LED VS247HR 23.6'' wide, Full HD, 2ms, DVI, HDMI, blackSYSTEM HDD: Kingston Digital HyperX FURY 120GB SSD SATA 3 2.5 Solid State DriveeGPU partsvideo card: GAINWARD GeForce GTX 980 Ti Reference Cooler Modelvideo card: ZOTAC GeForce GTX 970 AMP! Omega Editionadapter: EXP GDC Beast v6.1 mPCI-E versionPSU: 750W ATX Corsair CX750MHow it looks (in spoiler) Getting it all goingEverything is plug and play - I did not have to install anything third party or configure anything, steps I did: connect eGPU and start the system install desktop version of GeForce 900 series driver (which uninstalled dGPU driver) restarted Windows, but with BSOD, so I removed eGPU, started up again and disable dGPU, shut down and then connected eGPU and started Windows with no BSOD connected monitor to eGPU when I am using eGPU in Windows display settings I disable laptops internal display and enable only external monitor (my laptop display is turned off) I had used my first Beast for couple of days and then I broke it by connecting wrong 4-PIN power cable from ATX PSU - be very careful when you first connect it, then bought a replacement and have been using it heavily for 3 month now with no Gen2 glitches.Note for best performance: I am no guru and by mistake had set global Nvidia settings to respect quality instead of performance and was still getting 30+ FPS in new games maxed out (all GTX 970 benchmarks below are with "prefer quality" setting on), but when I set it to respect performance I was blown away, game like Shadow of Mordor ran 30-40 FPS before and 60+ FPS after maxed out and the visuals are the same, at least no difference what eye can tell.Benchmark resultsI have ran 3dMark tests, here are the results (want to mention that GPU was at 100% usage at times, so this means mPCI-E did not bottleneck the eGPU):GTX 980TI:3dmark06=139193dmark11.GPU=177283dmark13-FS.GPU=15321GTX 970:3dmark06=128773dmark11.GPU=122073dmark13-FS.GPU=9815Final commentsSetup with GTX 970 runs latest games 30-60 FPS on maximum settings. Totally recommended if you already own this laptop or GPU - just use eGPU of your choice.I then upgraded to GTX 980 TI (Gainward reference version, mainly because of 6GB of VRAM), I was not expecting this (because I thought limited PCI-E bandwidth will have more impact on performance), but it is performing significantly better than GTX 970.Tested Witcher 3 and Dragon Age Inquisition so far, both games run 10-20 FPS better depending on an area.I was able to overclock the card to +200 core clock and +450 memory clock - running stable around 70C-80C. Did not change any voltage parameters.I can say that this setup is not running as good as decent desktop PC with same card, but it runs great.GTX 970 games performance: I tested all of following games with latest available patch/update/version for each of them.

In my opinion it comes down to 2 things: 1) chipset: on this depends speed of the PCI-E port 2) BIOS: on this depends if the external card will be detected and allowed. I have the same chipset as you and Beast (v6.1) works flawless for me. I even have same CPU and IGPU as you. I finally received a Beast replacement (I destroyed my first one by connecting it incorrectly - used wrong 4-PIN power cable from ATX PSU). So now I can confirm - I have used two Beasts. Both have Gen2 speed on my setup (with Nvidia GTX 970 external GPU). Today I had 6 hours of gaming one of the latest games (Evil within - assignment) on 1080p max settings at 50-60 FPS. Laptop did not crash once. So as for your Dell laptop - it only comes down to BIOS, if it allows unapproved hardware connected to PCI-E port, then you are good to go. to make it short - you can go and buy whichever adapter you want and you will be happy with it. if you chose beast - remember, you can get 8% off the price - just look for my first post on this forum. Here is proof that it runs on Gen2 speed: here is my unigine heaven benchmark results:

Read also edited posts and post by Tech Inferno Fan. Regarding power supply - it depends on external video card you are going to use. Because the power supply will power the video card - you have to know how much power the card requires.

Take whichever you prefer, as many posters already have posted - Beast is known to be of less quality (in a sense of faults/ not working), but it is cheaper, PE4C is more expensive, supposed to be of better quality. There is no difference in performance between those two options. if you chose Beast, I have seen posts that v6.1 is better than v7.0. comparison here: http://forum.techinferno.com/enclosures-adapters/6643-exp-gdc-beast-ares-v7-v6-discussion.html In the first post of the thread find section: "Why EXP GDC V6/V7s better than PE4C V2.1?" You will see advantages and disadvantages of both. Why do you have doubts regarding any of those options? If you are asking regarding compatibility, then as far as I understand - if one of them will work, then the other will also work for you. EDIT: as for Tech Inferno Fan post, there are people claiming that beast also works with Gen2 speed: http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/diy-egpu-for-dell-xps-l702x-required-physical-modifications.763330/ It all depends on your luck I guess (probably on the quality of your cable). The idea is - Beast also supports Gen2 speeds, but it might not work for you, may be due to poor quality hardware (this is what I already mentioned in first line of my post). Also manufacturer claims that they support Gen2 here: http://www.banggood.com/EXP-GDC-Laptop-External-PCI-E-Graphics-Card-p-934367.html

Hi, I have read almost all posts since 2014, first thing that I did not see mentioned here, you can have 8% off any purchase on Banggood, see the coupon codes here (I tested couple of days ago - works good for CN/UK stores): https://www.facebook.com/BanggoodCouponCodes Next thing, the EXP GDC Beast (mPCIE) works on following system: Acer Laptop Aspire V3-771G-9441 Intel Core i7 3630QM (2.40GHz) 8GB Memory NVIDIA GeForce GT 730M Windows 7. eGPU: ZOTAC GeForce GTX 970 AMP! Omega Edition ATX PSU required. The only things to know - remove WiFi adapter (the only mPCIE port on this laptop), if you get BSOD when booting up system, then remove eGPU and once booted, disable dGPU, then boot up with eGPU connected. Nothing else had to be done to make it work. Unfortunately for me It stopped working after one day of gaming, I suspect GDC Beast had died, Im waiting for a new one, will update with my full story then. EDIT: I saw someone writing to you that it will not work, maybe too late to answer, but I have same laptop and I had eGPU running with Beast. You have to use mPCIE that has WiFi in it.