Another Tech Inferno Fan

I know nothing of consumer electronics outside of PC. I have a hunch a device like this is already out there, but I have no idea that it exists. Just like how I didn't know selfie sticks were a thing until 3 weeks ago. I am looking for a device that can sit on a bookshelf that can play music, either stored on itself or from a networked drive. It must also be able to browse Youtube. It must be able to output analog audio (by 3.5mm), since I'll be hooking it up to an amp and home theatre system. It should also be low-powered, I don't feel like putting my old laptop there and wasting 30W just to play the State Anthem of the Soviet Union. Bonus points if I can control it from a Windows PC (by means of a thin client or something). I prefer to buy something used for cheap. I am essentially looking for a giant ipod with wifi and proper typing interface. I've never used a touchscreen device of any sort, so I can't comment on whether my preference for physical keyboard (over a touchscreen keyboard) would be a major factor. What do I get? A cheap, used Android tablet? A netbook PC? I am 100% okay with a DIY solution, as long as it doesn't require extensive hardware modding.

I don't have any. If you truly believed this, you wouldn't have an eGPU.

Mobile drivers: http://www.geforce.com/drivers/results/102995

I presume you already have the Mobile version of the driver, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to use the internal LCD. I use internal LCD only with my eGPU.

I do believe that the 24-pin ATX connector is meant to go on the PE4C.

When it happens, go to device manager and disable and enable the gfx card. This will quickly restore functionality to the card, but whatever program you were running on it will have crashed (or at least show a perpetual blank screen) and you will have to open them again. If you are running GPU overclocking software such as MSI Afterburner, you will have to tell it to re-apply your overclocking profile again. Tech Inferno Fan says that since the EXP GDC uses a socketted connection between the adapter and the laptop, there may be signalling issues which cause intermittent dropouts. Your best bet is to secure every connection as thoroughly as possible. Find some way to put constant downward force on the adapter side of the cable. I did this and I rarely get these random dropouts any more.

Some options: Try the other mPCIe slot. Reset BIOS to original settings. Reseat everything.

I suppose we are going very off-topic with personal experiences with pricing. I bought my first EXP GDC Beast for $85 on a local classifieds. Then it blew up. Then I bought another one for $30 but it didn't come with the power cable, so I used the old one. I won't be surprised if I'm the only person in the world with an eGPU but no means of online payment. I have no bank account, PayPal, MasterCard, Visa, etc. I do have a Bitcoin wallet, but it's empty because screw bitcoin mining and screw going to Bitcoin faucets. I have no names, man. I am nameless!

Install notebook drivers. Actually, this shouldn't make any difference unless you're using Optimus, but it's best to use the notebook drivers nonetheless. Please also consult the stickies before posting your problem. I hear it helps.

I don't see why you can't have a watercooled eGPU if it's some kind of non-reference card where the manufacturer has all-in-one watercooling as standard on that card, and the pump is built-in (http://www.corsair.com/en-us/landing/hydrogfx). As for the fan, you could probably just have it directly connected to a 12V or 5V rail on the PSU. Perhaps add in a potentiometer to adjust its RPM. I'd happily do this if I had an AIO watercooled card, so if anyone wants to send me one, my address is [censored].

Details?

There exists a custom modded BIOS for the X220 which allows you to configure TOLUD settings: http://www.mediafire.com/download/7fne9hb2e3i9sjm/Lenovo+ThinkPad+x220_1.40-(8DET70WW)-8duj26us_NWL_ADV_AES_PM_Speedo.rar Flash at your own risk. Did you have to change the TOLUD size? If so, What did you change it to? On my 8GB X220, I didn't have to. I have the modded BIOS linked above. EDIT: Apparently, the X220 by default boots with a TOLUD of 3.5GB, but when it boots and detects a second GPU, it lowers the TOLUD to 3.25GB. Source: https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/ThinkPad-T400-T500-and-newer-T/Request-to-fix-TOLUD-in-newer-BIOS-files/m-p/677775/highlight/true#M49996 (For newbies, TOLUD must be 3.25GB or lower in order to have eGPU functionality)

Irrelevant. If it fits, it sits. Make sure the 4-pin CPU (2 black, 2 yellow) connector is plugged in.

Is the card running at full clock speed under load?

You have to make the GPU do something in order to make it run at x1 gen2 speeds. In GPU-Z there is a question-mark next to the bus speed indicator. Click it and it will give you a menu to run a short render test. This will make the GPU "wake up" and run at x1.2. The "automatic" option in BIOS basically means "Gen2 if available, otherwise gen1".

Once I had this problem. It turns out I accidentally moved one of the switches on the EXP GDC.

I don't mean to come across as snarky or condescending, but is that the consumer norm now? Buying stuff without knowing how to use it?

Do you see what your problem is? You need more power. Either use a 12V brick with more amperage or simply find an ATX PSU. You should be able to find one used for $15 on the local classifieds.

It really is. Sometimes I look at the DSDT override thread and I'm immensely grateful to myself that my X220 only has an iGP. What does it mean here by "plug and play"? To my knowledge (with the EXP GDC at least), you should never live-insert the thing. The last time I live-inserted it, the adapter blew up (not "spectacularly" however) and I had to replace it.

I believe you are supposed to plug in the EC part, then boot up the PC. By "fan stop and start" do you mean they just spin for a split-second and then stop? If that's the case, you may have some PSU-related connection that's wrong, but from your pic I don't see any problems. I had a similar problem when I first setup my GTX 580 eGPU. It turns out the GPU was so heavy that it tilted to one side of the adapter, and wasn't making good contact. So I stuck an eraser in between the card and the adapter to keep it on straight. If there are any 8pin power connectors on your card, you have to plug in the additional 2-pin segments as well.

Do you see what your problem is? Also, cheapo PSUs tend to have crappy power quality that causes hardware unreliability. Use something that was built better. Like a Silverstone or a Delta.

Notebook. Both will theoretically work, but direct to ATX is better. Less copper loss.

I'm intrigued as to what this "self-cleaning" function does. Does it just ramp the fan to a speed that the fan normally doesn't reach even when the machine is thermal-throttling? Then shuts the fan off, then puts it back to that speed, and repeats? I am a ThinkPad user, I can easily perform manual control of my fan using TPFC, and I'd like to try emulating this IdeaPad feature, but first I'd like to know what it actually does.

In the IT field, you learn the meaning of the term "Advanced stupidity" - It is a type of user error that can take your entire team of technicians months to figure out how it happened.

The additional 2-pin segment of any 8-pin PCIe power connector MUST be connected. To ground. Otherwise, the GPU can also sense that it is not connected, and refuse to operate. You CANNOT have a 6-pin connector plugged into an 8-pin slot with the 2 remaining pins floating. They must be grounded. Source: Read PCIe 8-pin pinouts.