Wes Lawrence

Have you looked into something like unRaid?

NAS alternative: My unRAID server build - RedFlagDeals.com Forums

Isn't as demanding spec-wise. Doesn't require exact same drives to work properly. Doesn't need to rebuild the whole array when you want to add more space...

Interesting, tbh the only reason I ordered from them was for the free setup 1.x. Did you eventually get in contact with them for a working PE4L, or get a refund and order somewhere else? If so, how long did your refund take?

I received it at the end of November 2012. I emailed them December 3rd. Opened paypal dispute December 27th (I figured 3 weeks was enough time to respond to an email...). Received an email from Randy the 1st of January (damn, that was quick!). Got everything sorted out by the 7th of January.

I filed a paypal dispute with them yesterday, and oddly enough as soon as I did that I received an email from harmonic inversion saying my order had been changed from "pending" to "cancelled" :\. Guess I'll have to wait for my refund now and order elsewhere (is mfactors legit?)

I had the same issue with HIT a while back when I ordered my PE4L and it was defective...

I sent them multiple emails saying I wanted to RMA it for a new one....nothing happened until I filed a paypal dispute.

Pretty sure that company is way understaffed or just doesn't give a damn.

Granted I did eventually get a working PE4L, but it shouldn't take that much time...

Just my Dell U2711 at home for now...too poor to buy another...

At work I use two though because that's what they gave me .

So after some months I have finally been able to put together my eGpu setup and get it to function properly after a malfunctioning PE4L.

Specs are as follows:

HP Probook 6460b

Core i3-2310M 2.1 GHz

16GB Ram

240GB SSD

Intel HD3000

PNY 670GTX

PE4L 2.1b

500W Thermaltake --> Will be trading for 750W Corsair

Dell U2711

2560x1440

I must say that this setup is a dream once I finally got it working. I found out pretty early on that my spare thermaltake just doesn't have the grunt for high-powered applications and benchmarks (get nvlddmkm.sys error BSOD), so I ordered a Corsair 750W with 67A on a single rail to recitfy this issue.

Once I get this new PSU I will see what kind of frames this baby can push.

I know my CPU is probably a limiting factor, but to date it hasn't given me issues, so I don't see the need to upgrade as of yet.

Would love to volunteer some time for benchmarks for you Nando once I get this 100% sorted out.

Wondering if anybody's recently tried to contact HIT? I've tried sending them a few emails about my PE4L over the past few weeks with no response....

I have PE4H, and it can do optimus.

PE4H is still only PCIe x1.0 compliant, PE4L allows a PCIe x2.0 link.

@Tech Inferno Fan:

Did you see my post http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/2109-diy-egpu-experiences-%5Bversion-2-0%5D-37.html#post33705 ?

Regarding the PE4L 2.1b (PCIe 2.0!): Is there a possibility to use it with a PM3N? It seems to me that the cabel on the PE4L is welded not only onto the PE4L itself but also onto the EC2C, or is it not? I can´t find a version with an PM3N as it seems to be replaced with a fixed minicard connector. (PE4L V2.1 ( PCIe Adapter ))

You are correct, both ends of the cable are soldered onto the PCB's, so when you buy the PE4L, you have to know whether you want the expresscard, mpcie, or PCIE1x at the end.

I don't know if it is okay with you, but If I were in you shoes, I would buy PE4H, because it uses full 16x PCI bus, which means it fully utilize GPU's capabilities.

No it doesn't?

From my understanding a PE4L is what allows 1.2 Optimus, whereas a PE4H does not (not yet anyways), so you get better results from a PE4L if your notebook will support it, which mine does...

-> PE4H vs PE4L

Alright, still having issues with my setup.

When I have the PE4L plugged into power, the LED's (Power, Detect, PERST) will be on, but once I attach it to the GFX card, those LED's turn off, and the EVGA light on my card turns on.

I have it set to SW1 - 3 - 6.9s, SW2 - 2-3, as that seems to be what it should be; I've tried switching them and rebooting, F5'ing in Setup 1.1, a whole whack of different combos, and still no dice.

I know the expresscard slot works because when I plug devices into the USB slot on the PE4L, my computer detects them fine. It can't be the graphics card either because I recently tested it in a desktop and it worked fine...bogus PE4L?

I remember this issue a year ago. I think it's from the mini-HDMI cable itself. Try this cable:

Gold Plated 1080P HDMI Mini V1.3 M-M Connection Cable - Black (1.5M-Length) - Worldwide Free Shipping - DX

I tried this cable and it seems that it solved many issues, but I wouldn't hesitate buying it yet. If there is no way to solve your problem, buy the cable.

I'm using the PE4L which was the soldered on HDMI cable, not the PE4H that has the detachable cable.

[EDIT]

Maybe figuring out how I setup the PE4L would maybe help...I've tried searching on how others have done it...but still not sure.

So I have my PSU plugged into my GFX card (8-pin and 6-pin)

I have the 24-pin attached to the switch.

There's a 2 pronged header that I assume doesn't get used?

I have the PE4L attached to the GFX card.

On the PE4L there are 2 switches, one for PERST delay, one for PCIE card. What do I set those to?

Also, there's a little jumper on a 2-pronged head; I read somewhere you take that off if connected to a PSU.

Do I need to have the PSU connected to the PE4L via floppy-molex connector?

If somebody had pics, or know of where to find good pics on the full setup of one of these, I'd be totally grateful.

Thanks

[/EDIT]

Don't think the PSU is the problem, provides 35A on the 12V rails, 500W. The card is rated for ~260W under load, so roughly 20A; there shouldn't be any issues.

Your latop can do optimus with GTX580, download and install Geforce official driver, reboot and after you past bios, press F8 unitil you reach to advanced boot menu, then connect your egpu to your laptop, wait for few seconds, then select start windows normally. If that doesn't work, let me know.

I can't install the driver if it my computer won't detect the eGPU?

HP Probook 6460B

Core i3 2310 @ 2.1ghz

4gb ram

Intel HD 3000

Intel 335 240gb SSD

I've been reading through the FAQ and searching around looking at how others set their's up. Going to keep plugging away at this to see if there's something I've missed, just wondering if there was something I didn't catch. The Setup 1.1 is a little confusing to me, but reading through the troubleshooting is making it make a little more sense.

Thanks guys.

So I finally got everything in for my setup.

Plugged it all in, booted it all up, and no go. Not detecting anything.

I have an HP Probook 6460B, and I believe I've seen a couple people successful in getting an eGPU to work with it.

Running Windows 7 Ult 64-bit, 4gb ram. No TOLUD issues. Using a PE4L 2.1b and GTX580.

What gives?

Does this deal you got still exist?

Unfortunately, no. If you've ever heard of RedFlagDeals, I browse there a lot, and the deals are pretty good if you keep up.

The deal was on at NCIX for about ~40% off. I then PM'd with MemoryExpress that does a 25% pricebeat, which brought it to about 55% off, which I was impressed with. The next day ME had it on sale for the same price as NCIX, thus making the PM useless. Glad I saw it and jumped when I did.

I'm sure you'll be able to get a good deal around Black Friday on the 6xx series. I just picked up a used 580 for 180 bones. I'm sure a 660ti or even a 670 can most likely be had close to 200 bones in the next couple weeks.

Just got myself a RAT 7 on sale for > 50% off. The customization is pretty outstanding. A little weird to get used to at first, but it's amazing. I currently have it set to 1600DPI and find that to be a good balance. Haven't tried it in game as I am waiting for my eGPU setup to get here, but will update once I try a few games out.

I've heard mixed reviews on this...may jump on it when i get my eGPU setup.

Hey guys, so finally got around to ordering everything I needed to get an eGPU up and running. It should all be here within the next week, so I'll be sure to post my experience on setup and performance once it gets in .

My setup isn't the greatest, but I'm slowly working on making it into a semi-legit rig. College life ftw!

Just some insight, I started out with a used HP Probook 6460b that I got off Kijiji for supercheap.

More to come when the stuff gets here

Thanks for the encouragement. I took the keyboard off mine and you were right, it makes sense that they can be interchanged as the keyboard is one unit plugged in by that flat cable. Found a US version for $30 shipped, not too shabby. Cannot wait to be free of this bilingual keyboard annoyance.

I have the HP Elitebook 6930p and successfully exchanged the keyboard with an ebay version after I killed the Alt Gr key (once you don't have it anymore, you realize how often you need this key).

Swapping was very simple because HP designes their products to be as modular as possible. It was only 3 screws in the back and the 4 latches on the keyboard. AFAIK this does not even void your warranty (Phillips screws).

The only tricky thing is to get the flat cable back into the connector, but if you don't have 2 left hands this should be fairly easy.

As far as I understand Keyboards, they are all more or less the same only the printed characters differ. The computer interprets the keys with the help of the keymap(control panel), which of course has to match your physical keyboard in order to make any sense.

I honestly don't see anything you should be worried about, except the (sometimes exorbitant) price.

Hey guys,

So I got a Probook 6460B for a decent price used, but it came with the dreaded bilingual keyboard. Was wondering if it's possible to switch it for the US keyboard? I see them available on ebay, but not sure if it'll work properly...

I'm going to have to join the neutral team as well. I've had more experience with nVidia, as I haven't built very many systems myself, but the ones I did all used nVidia graphics cards. I have recommended AMD cards to a lot of my friends though, just due to the fact that they seem to always have the best bang for your buck. They have yet to have a problem with any of them to date, so I could essentially choose either one. I agree that nVidia does have more mature drivers though, as I remember I had to give my friends a hand every once in a while when they ran into issues with their AMD cards, but they were very minor.

I've been playing it quite frequently, and found it quite enjoyable. Yes, of course you're going to have people that think you're a noob, and blablabla, but I've only found that happened once or twice so far... crap happens.