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eGPU candidate system list


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eGPU candidate system list

 

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Recommended eGPU adapters/enclosures


Thunderbolt (max=16Gbps) US$189 AKiTiO Thunder2 PCIe Box

NGFF.M2 PCIe (8Gbps): EXP GDC V6/7

Expresscard_or_mPCIe (max=4Gbps) BPlus PE4C V3.0

 

Recommended systems: 6th gen Skylake | 4th gen Haswell | 3rd gen Ivy Bridge | 2nd gen Sandy Bridge


Units with a Thunderbolt or ExpressCard slot/port or with a user contributed mPCIe eGPU implementations are listed below. These are all Sandy Bridge or newer offering faster 5GT/s-per-lane PCIe 2.0 mPCIe/ExpressCard slots than previous 1st gen i-core and Core2Duo systems using only PCIe 1.x 2.5GT/s slots.

The cost effective ExpressCard is a dying standard. This means future eGPU implementations will be using either the mPCIe (WLAN) or Thunderbolt port. mPCIe present additional issues: the slot may be a whitelisted slot requiring third party program or booting with wifi, then swapping it out to activate it. mPCIe also adds the hassle of cabling it via underside covers with no concurrent wifi unless get a USB stick wifi. Note too that a USB 3.0 DIY eGPU product isn't likely to happen due to USB-to-pcie driver issues.

The highest performance eGPU solution is one using a Thunderbolt port. Though TB1's 10Gbps doubling of bandwidth questionable value over the the cost effective expresscard solutions. TB2's 16Gbps is however a worthy upgrade the only problem being the lack of notebooks with TB2 ports.

Expresscard/mPCIe systems are capable of attaching very low cost eGPUs, eg: GTX650 for Pre-purchase FAQ -> 2. How can I check if my notebook is compatible with an eGPU?. Refer to Pre-purchase FAQ and Getting Started guides on the main page to identify what parts are required for an eGPU setup.

Key

TB3 : 40Gbps "Thunderbolt 3" (~x4 3.0) - 96%-99% of x16 2.0 desktop performance
TB2 : 16Gbps "Thunderbolt 2" (x4 2.0) - 88%-94% of x16 2.0 desktop performance
TB : 10Gbps "Thunderbolt 1" (~x2 2.0 + 12.5%) - 73%-86% of x16 2.0 desktop performance
EC or mPCIe : 5Gbps (x1 2.0) expresscard or mini PCIe slot eGPU interface. Systems with an Intel iGPU and NVidia Fermi/Keplar/Maxwell sees the NVidia Optimus driver implement x1 pci-e compression, accelerating DX9 performance by 100-300%. This is referred to as x1.2Opt (Opt=Optimus) in the DIY eGPU documentation.

.......... : recommended lightest or most powerful in that LCD size class
purple : ULV notebook or ultrabook. Ultrabooks come with a non-removable lower-capacity li-po battery and mSATA SSD.
$ : Add US$14-delivered slim USB DVD if require an optical disk drive.

 

 


Skylake, 6th generation 14nm i-core (2015)

Thunderbolt3 equipped eGPU candidate notebooks by @zacsaturday (google docs link)

 



 
System ($=no internal ODD) eGPU impl? Weight/dimensions/dGPU
11.6" Macbook Air$ TB2 2.38lbs (1.08kgs). 0.64" thick.
13" Macbook Air$ TB2 2.96lbs (1.35kgs). 0.68" thick. 900P 16:10.
13" Macbook Pro Retina$ TB2 3.46lbs (1.57kgs). 0.71" thick. 1600P.

 


Haswell, 4th generation 22nm i-core (2013)

Haswell's ~30% battery life gains over Ivy Bridge are only within the ULV platform which, for the first time, integrates the chipset on the CPU die. The full-powered (37W/47W M/MQ/HQ CPUs) Series-8 platform sees very little performance or battery life gains over Ivy Bridge. Anybody requiring i7-quad performance may wish to look at the more extensive and affordable Ivy Bridge range instead.






























 
System ($=no internal ODD) eGPU impl? Weight/dimensions/dGPU
11.6" Macbook Air$ TB & 2.38lbs (1.08kgs). 0.64" thick.
13" Macbook Air$ TB 2.96lbs (1.35kgs). 0.68" thick. 900P 16:10.
13" Toshiba R30 EC 3.40lbs (1.55kgs). 1.00" thick.
13" Macbook Pro Retina$ TB2 3.46lbs (1.57kgs). 0.71" thick. 1600P.
12" Fujitsu T734 tablet EC 3.96lbs (1.80kgs). 1.48" thick. i7-quad option..
15" Dell M3800$ TB2 4.15lbs (1.88kgs). 0.71" thick. i7-quad, K1100M, 2160P-IPS/1080P.
15" MSI WS60 2OJ$ TB2 4.18lbs (1.90kgs). 0.78" thick. i7-quad, K2100M, 1620P-IPS/1080P.
14" Razer Blade$ mPCIe 4.19lbs (1.90kgs). 0.70" thick. i7-quad, GTX970M, 1800P/1080P.
15" Macbook Pro Retina$ TB2 4.46lbs (2.02kgs). 0.71" thick. i7-quad, GT750M, 1800P. Avoid GT750M model if want internal LCD mode per details &.
15" ASUS G501$ TB2 4.54lbs (2.06kgs). 0.81" thick. i7-quad, GTX960M 2160P.
14" Dell E6440 EC 4.68lbs (2.12kgs). 1.25" thick. i7-quad, HD8690M option, RAID-0 storage, 1080P/900P.
14" Lenovo L440 EC 4.98lbs (2.26kgs). 1.04" thick. i7-quad, NGFF M.2 slot, 900P. NOTE: TOLUD=3.5GB
14" Dell Latitude E5440 EC 5.06lbs (2.30kgs). 1.10" thick. 900P, GT720M options..
15" Lenovo T540p EC 5.45lbs (2.48kgs). 1.06" thick. i7-quad, GT730M, NGFF M.2 slot, 1620/1080P.
15" Lenovo W540 TB + EC 5.57lbs (2.53kgs). 1.06" thick. i7-quad, NV Quadro, NGFF M.2 slot, 1620/1080P.
15 MSI GE60 mPCIe 5.60lbs (2.55kgs). 1.46" thick. i7-quad, GTX860M, 1080P
15" Dell E6540 EC 5.64lbs (2.56kgs). 1.31" thick. i7-quad, HD8790M, 1080P.
15" Dell M2800 EC 5.64lbs (2.56kgs). 1.31" thick. i7-quad, M4710, 1080P.
15" Lenovo W541 TB2 + EC 5.57lbs (2.53kgs). 1.06" thick. i7-quad, NV Quadro, NGFF M.2 slot, 1620/1080P.
15" Lenovo L540 EC 5.50lbs (2.50kgs). 1.22" thick. i7-quad, NGFF M.2 slot, 1080P.
15" Toshiba A50 EC 5.72lbs (2.60kgs). 1.37" thick. 37W Dual-core, GT730M, 1080P, non-US market?
15" Toshiba W50 EC 5.95lbs (2.70kgs). 1.37" thick. i7-quad, K2100M, 1080P.
15" HP ZBook 15 G2 TB2 + EC 6.20lbs (2.82kgs). 1.20" thick. i7-quad, K2100M/M5100, PCIe SSD slot, 1800P. Faulty EC slot!!
15" Dell Precision 4800 EC 6.34lbs (2.88kgs). 1.37" thick. i7-quad, M5100/K2100M, 1080P/1800P.
17" HP ZBook 17 G2 TB2 + EC 7.70lbs (3.50kgs). 1.33" thick. i7-quad, K5100M/M6100, PCIe SSD slot, 1080P. Faulty EC slot!!
17" Dell Precision 6800 EC 7.85lbs (3.57kgs). 1.59" thick. i7-quad, M6100/K5100M, 1080P.
17" ASUS G751JLW$ TB 8.40lbs (3.82kgs). 1.70" thick. i7-quad, GTX965M 1080P.
17" Clevo P375SM TB 8.82lbs (4.01kgs). 2.16" thick. i7-quad, GTX780M/HD8970M. 1080P. No iGPU.
17" Sager NP9390 TB 8.82lbs (4.01kgs). 2.16" thick. i7-quad, GTX780M-SLI/HD8970M-XF/GTX765M. 1080P. No iGPU.
17" ASUS G75VW/G750JW TB 9.90lbs (4.50kgs). 2.05" thick. i7-quad, GTX765M. 1080P.

Don't have expresscard/TB: Lenovo X240s/X240/T440s/T440p, HP 820/840/850 G1 (replaces 2570P/8470P/8570P), Dell XPS 11, Gigabyte P35K
Note: NGFF M.2 may be SATA or pci-e. Only pci-e versions are useful for eGPU purposes. REF: Understanding M.2 NGFF SSD Standardization (Or The Lack Of) | The SSD Review
 


Ivy Bridge, 3rd generation 22nm i-core (2012)


If require longest possible battery life then recommend a Haswell ULV system shown in purple. If wanting i7-quad performance then note that Ivy Bridge runs cooler than Haswell as discussed in http://forum.techinferno.com/throttlestop-realtemp-discussion/6958-haswell-step-backwards-ivy-bridge-i-have-some-shocking-tdp-results.html#post95181 . Ivy Bridge are currently the best bang-per-buck eGPU candidate systems.

 




















































 
System ($=no internal ODD) eGPU impl? Weight/dimensions/dGPU
11.6" Macbook Air$ TB 2.38lbs (1.08kgs). 0.64" thick.
13" Sony_SVZ$ mPCIe 2.60lbs (1.18kgs). 0.66" thick. 1080P. i7-quad, RAID-0, Lightpeak port, HD7670M.
13" Acer S5$ TB 2.70lbs (1.20kgs). 0.6" thick.
13" Macbook Air$ TB 2.96lbs (1.35kgs). 0.68" thick. 900P 16:10.
13" Toshiba R930 EC 3.26lbs (1.48kgs). 1.00" thick.
12" Fujitsu P702$ EC 3.30lbs (1.50kgs). 1.26" thick. 1280x800 LCD.
12" Lenovo X230$ EC 3.40lbs (1.55kgs). 1.36" thick. IPS LCD option. mSATA. NOTE: eGPU probs with 16GB RAM.
12" Dell E6230$ EC 3.50lbs (1.59kgs). 0.97" thick. IPS LCD mod.
13" Macbook Pro retina$ TB 3.57lbs (1.62kgs) 0.75" thick 1600P.
13" Sony SB mPCIe 3.74lbs (1.70kgs). 0.95" thick. GT640M-LE/900P option.
11" Clevo W110ER mPCIe 3.80lbs (1.73kgs). 1.50" thick. i7-quad, GT650.
14" Lenovo T430s TB + EC 3.89lbs (1.77kgs). 1.02" thick. NVS5200M. 900P. Thunderbolt on i7 models.
13" Clevo W130EW EC 3.92lbs (1.78kgs). 1.26" thick. i7-quad option.
14" Lenovo S430 TB 4.08lbs (1.85kgs). 0.94" thick. GT620/900P option
12" HP 2570P EC 4.20lbs (1.90kgs). 1.29" thick. i7-quad cpu and RAID-0 storage upgradable.
13" Acer P633-M$ EC 4.20lbs (1.90kgs). 0.98" thick. i7-quad.
14" Toshiba R940 EC 4.20lbs (1.91kgs). 1.00" thick. HD7570M/900P opt. HD7570M opt is not switchable gfx.
13" Dell E6330 EC 4.29lbs (1.95kgs). 1.2" thick.
15" Macbook Pro Retina$ TB 4.46lbs (2.02kgs). 0.7" thick. i7-quad, GT650M, 1800P. PROB: iGPU not accessible in Win.
15" Acer V3 571G$ mPCIe 4.46lbs (2.02kgs). 1.0" thick. i7-quad, GT640M/GT730M, 1080P.
13" Macbook Pro TB 4.50bs (2.06kgs) 0.95" thick.
15" HP Spectre XT Touch$ TB 4.77lbs (2.17kgs). 0.70" thick. 1080P-IPS.
14" MISC PREMIUM BUSINESS EC HP 6470B/8470P(no dGPU), Lenovo T430, Dell E6430. i7-quad, NVS5200M(~GT550M), 900P.
14" Dell Vostro 3460 mPCIe 4.92lbs (2.23kgs). 1.19" thick. i7-quad upgradable.
15" Fujitsu AH532 EC 5.25lbs (2.40kgs). 1.43" thick. GT640M-LE, i7-quad .
15" HP Probook 4540s 'mPCIe 5.29lbs (2.40kgs). 1.34" thick. i7-quad.
15" Fujitsu A512 EC 5.50lbs (2.50kgs). 1.44" thick. i7-quad upgradable.
14" Asus G46VW TB 5.50lbs (2.50kgs). 0.86" thick. 900P, GTX660M, i7-quad option. option.
15.4" Macbook Pro TB 5.60lbs (2.56 kg). 0.95" thick. i7-quad, GT650M. 900P (16:10). PROB: iGPU not accessible in Win.
15" ENVY DV6T-7300 mPCIe 5.66lbs (2.57kgs). 1.16" thick. i7-quad
15" Acer P453 EC 5.72lbs (2.60kgs). 1.00" thick. i7-quad upgradable
15" Lenovo G500 mPCIe 5.76lbs (2.62kgs). 1.02" thick. i7-quad upgradable, HD8750M option
15" Dell Vostro 3560 EC 5.75lbs (2.61kgs). 1.28" thick. i7-quad, HD7670M. 1080P.
15" Lenovo Z580 mPCIe 5.94lbs (2.65kgs). 1.30" thick. i7-quad upgradable, GT640M option
15" MISC PREMIUM BUSINESS EC HP 6570B/8570P(no dGPU), Lenovo W530/T530, Dell E6530/M4700. i7-quad, M4000(~HD7750M), K2000M (~GT640M), 900P/1080P.
17" MSI GE70 mPCIe 5.96lbs (2.71kgs). 1.54" thick. i7-quad, GTX660M. 1080P.
17" Fujitsu NH532 EC 6.60lbs (3.00kgs). 1.79" thick. i7-quad, GT640M-LE, 900P/1080P.
15" Acer V3-571G mPCIe 7.05lbs (3.02kgs). 1.31" thick. i7-quad.
15" Clevo P150EM mPCIe 7.08lbs (3.22kgs). 2.01" thick. i7-quad, GTX670/HD7970, 1080P.
17" Acer V3-771G mPCIe 7.21lbs (3.27kgs). 1.54" thick. i7-quad, GT650M, 900P.
17" Dell M6700 EC 7.77lbs (3.50kgs). 1.46" thick. i7-quad, M6000 (~HD7850)/K3000M/K4000M/K5000M. 1080P.
15" ASUS G55VW TB 8.40lbs (3.80kgs). 2.00" thick. i7-quad, GTX660M. 1080P. no iGPU.

NOTE: The HP Probook 4x40s and Lenovo Ex30 low cost business notebooks no longer have expresscard slots in the Ivy Bridge series.

 


Sandy Bridge, 2nd generation 32nm i-core (2011)

The hosting Series-6 chipset has, for the first time, pci-e 2.0 connectivity on the Southbridge that host the expresscard or mPCIe slot. There is no USB 3.0 integrated on the chipset so any machines that come with USB 3.0 typically attach a Renesas USB 3.0 controller on the Southbridge.

i7-quad users note: Ivy Bridge improves on Sandy Bridge by using more efficient 22nm tech compared to 32nm used in Sandy Bridge. Typically i7-quad Sandy Bridge CPUs will see significant TDP throttling where it only reaches a x27 multiplier in 4-core mode and consumes 10-14W more power under load as discussed. Meaning it's maximum performance is considerably lower than an Ivy Bridge CPU at the same power limit!! For that reason I recommend the Ivy Bridge range for best performance.

 






























































 
System ($=no internal ODD) eGPU impl? Weight/dimensions/dGPU
10" Panasonic J10$ EC 2.35lbs (1.07kgs). 1.38" thick.
11.6" Macbook Air$ TB 2.38lbs (1.08kgs). 0.64" thick. .
13" Sony_Z2$ mPCIe 2.60lbs (1.18kgs). 0.66" thick. 900P/1080P. Raid-0, Lightpeak port HD6650M.
13" Macbook Air$ TB 2.96lbs (1.35kgs). 0.68" thick. 900P 16:10. .
12" Fujitsu P771 EC 3.10lbs (1.41kgs). 1.18" thick. 1280x800 LCD.
13" Fujitsu SH76 EC 3.20lbs (1.45kgs). 0.91" thick.
12" Lenovo X220$ EC 3.20lbs (1.45kgs). 1.36" thick. IPS LCD option. mSATA. Req bios 1.23+.
13" Toshiba R830 EC 3.26lbs (1.48kgs). 1.00" thick. NOTE: SATA-II capping.
12" Fujitsu P701$ EC 3.30lbs (1.50kgs). 1.02" thick. 1280x800 LCD.
12" Asus B23E$ EC 3.40lbs (1.55kgs). 1.1" thick. Boston Power Sonata 48Whr 3cell.
12" Dell E6220$ EC 3.50lbs (1.59kgs). 0.97" thick. IPS LCD mod.
13" Sony SA mPCIe 3.71lbs (1.69kgs). 0.95" thick. HD6630M/900P option.
12" Samsung Series-4 EC 3.83lbs (1.74kgs). 1.3" thick.
13" Fujitsu S761 EC 3.85lbs (1.75kgs). 1.26" thick. GT520M option.
12" HP 2760P tablet$ EC 3.97lbs (1.80kgs). 1.27" thick. AFFS 1280x800 LCD option.
14" Lenovo T420s EC 4.03lbs (1.83kgs). 1.05" thick. NVS4200M/900P option. mSATA. Req bios 1.30+
13" Fujitsu SH561 EC 4.18lbs (1.90kgs). 1.40" thick. GT520M
14" Fujitsu LH701 EC 4.18lbs (1.90kgs). 1.27" thick. GT520M
14" Toshiba R840 EC 4.20lbs (1.91kgs). 1.00" thick. HD6450M/900P opt. HD6450M opt is not switchable gfx.SATA-II capped.
12" HP 2560P EC 4.24lbs (1.92kgs). 1.29" thick. i7-quad capable.
13" Dell E6320 EC 4.29lbs (1.95kgs). 1.2" thick.
12" Fujitsu T731 tablet EC 4.40lbs (2.00kgs). 1.54" thick..
13" Macbook Pro TB 4.50lbs (2.04kgs). 0.95" thick. 1280x800 LCD. .
14" HP DM4T mPCIe 4.50lbs (2.04kgs). 1.27" thick. HD7470M option. 900P.
13" HP 6360B EC 4.65lbs (2.11kgs). 1.33" thick.
13" HP 4330s EC 4.70lbs (2.13kgs). 1.10" thick. HD6490M option. i7-quad capable.
13" Fujitsu T901 tablet EC 4.73lbs (2.16kgs). 1.42" thick. NVS4200M option. i7-quad capable.
14" Lenovo Y470 mPCIe 4.85lbs (2.20kgs). 1.29" thick. GT550M. mSATA, i7-quad option. 900P LCD swapout. 62Whr 6-cell.
14" Lenovo Z470 mPCIe 4.85lbs (2.20kgs). 1.34" thick. GT540M.
14" Lenovo Y460p EC 4.85lbs (2.20kgs). 1.33" thick. HD6550M. mSATA. i7-quad option.. Not switchable gfx
14" HP 4430s EC 4.88lbs (2.22kgs). 1.12" thick. HD6490M option.
14" HP DV4-3000 mPCIe 4.88lbs (2.22kgs). 1.43" thick. HD6750M.
14" Dell E5420 EC 5.06lbs (2.30kgs). 1.28" thick. 900P option.
14" Lenovo L420 EC 5.06lbs (2.30kgs). 1.26" thick.
14" HP 6460B EC 5.09lbs (2.31kgs). 1.34" thick. HD6470M/900P option. No switchable gfx!
14" MISC PREMIUM BUSINESS EC Lenovo T420, Dell E6420, HP 8460P(no dGPU). i7-quad, NVS4200M(~GT520M), 900P.
14" Lenovo E420 EC 5.25lbs (2.39kgs). 1.43" thick. HD6630M option. mSATA.
15" MSI GE620DX mPCIe 5.28lbs (2.40kgs). 1.27" thick. i7-quad, 1920x1080, GT555M option.
15" Lenovo V570 mPCIe 5.29lbs (2.40kgs). 0.99" thick. i7-quad option.
14" Dell Vostro 3450 EC 5.35lbs (2.43kgs). 1.28" thick. HD6630M option.
14" Toshiba M645 EC 5.40lbs (2.45kgs). 1.39" thick.
14" Fujitsu S751 EC 5.40lbs (2.45kgs). 1.46" thick. 900P option.
14" Asus B43 EC 5.46lbs (2.48kgs) 1.38" thick.
15" Fujitsu E751 EC 5.50lbs (2.50kgs). 1.38" thick. 900P option.
15" Fujitsu AH531 EC 5.50lbs (2.50kgs). 1.43" thick. GT525M
15" HP 4530s EC 5.55lbs (2.51kgs). 1.12" thick. HD6490M option. 900P/1080P LCD user upgrade.
15" Acer 5750G / 5755G mPCIe & 5.60lbs (2.54 kg). 1.00" thick. i7-quad, GT540M.
15.4" Macbook Pro TB 5.60lbs (2.54 kg). 0.95" thick. HD6750M. 900P (16:10). PROB: iGPU not accessible in Win.
15" Acer 8573G EC 5.61lbs (2.55 kg). 1.22" thick. GT540M.
15" Samsung RF511 mPCIe 5.72lbs (2.60kgs). 1.0" thick. GT540M. i7-quad option..
15" Lenovo Z570 mPCIe 5.72lbs (2.60kgs). 1.00" thick. GT540M.
15" Asus A53SV mPCIe 5.72lbs (2.60kgs). 1.37" thick. GT540M. i7-quad option..
15" HP DV6T mPCIe 5.78lbs (2.63kgs). 1.39" thick. HD6770M. 1080P option. 47Whr 6-cell.
15" Lenovo Y570 mPCIe 5.94lbs (2.70kgs). 1.00" thick. GT555M. i7-quad option.
15" MISC PREMIUM BUSINESS EC HP 6560B/8560P(no dGPU), Lenovo W520/T520, Dell E6520/M4600. 900P/1080P.
15" Lenovo Y560p EC 5.94lbs (2.70kgs). 1.33" thick. HD6570M. mSATA. i7-quad option.. Not switchable gfx
15" Dell M4600 EC 6.15lbs (2.79kgs). 1.44" thick. M5950 (~HD6770M). 900P/1080P.
15" Dell XPS L502x mPCIe 6.33lbs (2.87kgs). 1.50" thick. GT540M. 1080P.
17" Dell Vostro 3750 EC 6.62lbs (3.00kgs). 1.46" thick. GT525M. 900P.
17" Dell M6600 EC 7.77lbs (3.50kgs). 1.46" thick. 1080P. M8900 (~HD6970M)/2000M/3000M/4000M/5010M.
17" Dell XPS L702x mPCIe 7.92lbs (3.60kgs). 1.50" thick. GT555M. 1080P.
17" Fujitsu NH751 EC 8.16lbs (3.71kgs). 1.79" thick. 1080P. GT525M.

 

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  • 2 years later...

Making this a read-only thread. I'll edit in new additions as they appear.

Copied from http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/10147-intel-unveils-thunderbolt-3-0-mentions-external-graphics-skylake-q4-2015-a-9.html

Thunderbolt3 equipped eGPU candidate notebooks

How does Thunderbolt 3 affect things. Intel said that thunderbolt 3 officially supports PCIE-x4 3.0. Can I buy any laptop/tablet with a thunderbolt 3 port and run a GPU from it (of course with power and docks)? or is it up to manufacturers to allow this.

P.S. I have an updated list about laptops with a Thunderbolt 3 port (rumor or otherwise), feel free to take them or if you want Edit access, tell me your email (by default, you can only view and comment)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12G1VTFWkTL5tb8nxUAtnDHwTLyya9I3Vw-OXXrIN4e4/edit?usp=sharing

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