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eGPU experiences [version 2.0]


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@jcagara08

Yep, now I'm impatiently waiting for the ITX cards to be released.

I'm hoping to see an ASUS DC mini version of the GTX 970 (148W), which then can be OCed +20W to reach GTX980(165W) performance (Like they do here). <-Sorry for Swedish ref.

Yes its definitely big news to us gamers and eGPU enthusiasts, except that my resources limits me in setting up a thunderbolt setup..

I hope the Red team has an answer to this release or they better lower the whole R9 GPU prices down ASAP...

- - - Updated - - -

@jacobsson

hey I think I saw couple of minutes back in hardforum some mini ITX I mean short PCB length GTX 970s, it might bring a more compact EXP GDC V6 setup too.

Damn such tempting GPUs from NVIDIA here with low TDPs

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Well, I have both the AKiTiO's inner chassis and 204mm length (total length with the bracket) Gigabyte 750Ti in my hands, and can prove that this combination does fit, if the AKiTiO's fan is removed.

Do that and I love you! =)

This would mean that our proposed Zotac GTX970 would fit w/o modifications

avatar_d33b8bcb7a3a_128.png

Of course I'd have to mod the power input to have my DA-2 work with closed chassis, but that would not be a problem.

EDIT: weird enough the store says that the card is 266mm :S ?!

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Hi there, i need some advice. I have Thinkpad t420s, latest BIOS with connected eGpu Gigabite GTX 750 viaPE4C 1.2. After drivers was installed OS (W7) recognize eGpu but gives me "error 12: cannot allocate resource". I made DSDT override but i get BSOD and egpu still givinfg "error 12", any advice?

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Hi there, i need some advice. I have Thinkpad t420s, latest BIOS with connected eGpu Gigabite GTX 750 viaPE4C 1.2. After drivers was installed OS (W7) recognize eGpu but gives me "error 12: cannot allocate resource". I made DSDT override but i get BSOD and egpu still givinfg "error 12", any advice?

If you have a low enough TOLUD it may be possible to allocate the GTX750 into 32-bit PCI space using http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/2123-diy-egpu-setup-1-30-a.html#post27337 . You may find there are BIOS versions that have dynamic TOLUD specifically for eGPU use. Certainly Lenovo did make some adjustments to the X220 bios which I assume was carried to the T420 as well.

If no luck there, then you'd need a DSDT override to allow eGPU allocation into 36/64-bit PCI space. There was a recent report that compiling the DSDT using 'iasl -oa dsdt.aml' where -oa disables optimizations may fix BSODs on startup. This now being integrated into the instructions at

http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/7476-%5Bguide%5D-dsdt-override-fix-error-12-a.html#post102517 . Please try that.

If still getting a BSOD then there was a recent solution posted by artearte showing a successful DSDT override on a a Lenovo T430s at http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/7476-%5Bguide%5D-dsdt-override-fix-error-12-a.html#post105427

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Since Resolve 11 appear to be one of the few video editors using more GPU than CPU can be the right choice to use with my Lenovo x220 laptop with a eGPU.

Some doubts:

- I did have 8GB ram that's the minimum for Resolve and max to be used with eGPU. External GPU installation will use some of my RAM?

- Resolve is using 32bit color system, this will heavy hit the limited bandwidth of my expresscard connection with GPU, lowering too much total performance?

- max I can afford is HD 7950 boost, and Resolve need as much as GPU power one can have. Will work with my x220?

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I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but I have already invested a lot of time in getting this up an running, and I wanted to provide as much info as possible for troubleshooting.

So I have posted about my setup before. I am in the process of achieving an x4.1 link on my Dell e6500. So far, I have achieved an x2.1 link that seems stable, minus a few other issues. I have been unable to achieve an x4.1 link thus far as I don't have a reliable way to fit the bulky mHDMI connector in the half height mPCIe slot previously occupied by the wifi card (the bottom of my laptop, for reference). I have purchased a device I think will help me with this, located here. I will provide an update once I receive it. In the meantime, I was able to achieve an x2.1 link with two PM3Ns connected to the half height WLAN slot and former WWAN port, but it was not easily repeatable (loose half height connection). In no case was I able to detect the egpu when all four PCIe slots were occupied.

For the stable egpu configurations at x1.1 and x2.1, I have been piecing together some performance information. The stable x2.1 connection involves one express card connector connected to root port 4 and one PM3N connected to root port 3 (where the bluetooth card used to be).

To verify my pci express connections, I ran the following bandwidth checker I found on the evga forums.

I have noted that certain games (COD MW2 and Orcs Must Die 2), seem to trigger a BSOD citing nvlddmkm.sys as a cause. This error occurs in x1.1 and x2.1 modes, regardless if my card is overclocked or not. My card passes a 15 minute Furmark test, and my CPU has been tested stable for over 10 hours in Orthos. In addition, I have run a video memory tester, which also has returned no errors. In addition, I am able to complete all 3D mark testing as well. The only tests I had problems with were the DMC4 tests, which seemed to hang on my card (no BSOD, though).

Here are the eGPU video connections: eGPU DVI 1: Connected to 23inch Viewsonic monitor eGPU mHDMI: connected to 5 port hdmi switch with a 50 foot hdmi cable out of the room, and the switch is connected to a Casio XJ-a245v projector. Sound output is enabled for this reason.

Depending on whether I select the PC as an input at the switch, the egpu switches from single 1080p monitor to cloned 720p monitor mode. All testing was completed in single monitor mode, so I don't think the other monitor connection is causing my problems, but just stating that upfront.

In addition, I am running a Corsair CX430 power supply connected to a Kill A Watt power meter. In normal, idle use, the eGPU seems to use around 50 watts. When 3D mark 06, RE5 var, or similar demanding 3D application is being used, the power consumption at the outlet jumps to 110 watts. When furmark is running, the power consumption jumps to a whopping 210 watts. My PSU is rated to handle these power demands with ease, though it could maybe be causing something. The fact that it doesn't crash even during extended furmark sessions tells me the PSU is not the problem here.

I am currently running the driver verifier included in windows 7 to ferret out any driver incompatibilities. For what its worth, COD MW2 is much more stable than Orcs Must Die 2, but I would like to play both of those games.

I have also included some pics of my setup. Here is one, another, another, and another.

Without further ado, here are my current test results.
DELL E6500 eGPU TESTING AT DIFFERENT PCIe Link Speeds
OS: Windows 7 Professional x64
CPU: Intel x9100 C0 Stepping 3.458 GHz at 1.285 Vcore
CPU COOLING: DELL Precision M4400 Copper Heatpipe Cooler Installed in e6500
RAM: 4.0GB DDR2 800 MHz, DSDT Override Enabled
eGPU: Galaxy GTX460 768 MB
eGPU Clocks: Core Clock 800 MHz, Memory Clock 1000 Mhz
TEST TYPE x1.1 PCIe Link Result x2.1 PCIe Link Result
PCIe Speed Test Computer to Card Bandwidth 163 MB/s 327 MB/s
PCIe Speed Test Card to Computer Bandwidth 197 MB/s 291 MB/s
PCIe Speed Test Bidirectional Bandwidth 177 MB/s 308 MB/s
3D Mark 06 5447 3D Marks 9198 3D Marks
3D Mark 06 SM 2.0 Score 2156 4000
3D Mark 06 SM.0 Score 1992 3640
3D Mark 06 CPU Score 3054 3042
RE5 DX9 Variable 75.0 FPS 88.0 FPS
RE5 DX9 Fixed 37.7 FPS 44.5 fps
3D Mark Vantage P7283 P8911
3D Mark Vantage Graphics 7574 10155
3D Mark Vantage CPU 6531 6516
RE5 DX10 Variable 71.8 FPS 93.5 FPS
RE5 DX10 Fixed 40.4 FPS 48.5 FPS
3d Mark 11 P2495 P2904
3D Mark 11 Graphics 2393 2980
3D Mark 11 Physics 2697 2695
Uniengine Heaven 4.0 390 594
Uniengine Heaven 4.0 Avg FPS 15.5 FPS 23.6 FPS
Uniengine Heaven 4.0 Max FPS 52.0 FPS 43.9 FPS
Uniengine Heaven 4.0 Min FPS 10.0 FPS 12.8 FPS
Guild Wars FPS 87.0 FPS 131 FPS
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Since Resolve 11 appear to be one of the few video editors using more GPU than CPU can be the right choice to use with my Lenovo x220 laptop with a eGPU.

Some doubts:

- I did have 8GB ram that's the minimum for Resolve and max to be used with eGPU. External GPU installation will use some of my RAM?

- Resolve is using 32bit color system, this will heavy hit the limited bandwidth of my expresscard connection with GPU, lowering too much total performance?

- max I can afford is HD 7950 boost, and Resolve need as much as GPU power one can have. Will work with my x220?

Probably the new NVIDIA GTX 980 can suffice your need bro, it such a powerful GPU that peaks at 190 Watt full load only...

But then again the pcie/expresscard bandwidth issue might bottleneck its performance,

Heck I got the same card as yours but I can really see its bottlenecked by my lappy's mini pcie speeds..

Otherwise, I don't mind cause I can run and enjoy games at ultra settings like a dream.

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If the video card now appears OK in Device Manager with no error 12, then it's correctly allocated. Your IRQL failure followed a BSOD when the video card is under load points to a power issue. Check power, even swapping your PSU out with another if necessary to see if that helps the issue. If you still suspect your DSDT override is somewhat responsible, then test with 2GB of RAM eliminating the need for the DSDT override.

This time, I tested it with 2GB ram and no DSDT override, but I am still unable to get the gpu to do anything. It reports no errors in the device manager, but I am unable to switch to its display or open the nvidia control panel. When I hotplug after the bios screen appears, the os boots but after the windows 8 symbol and the loading circle disappear, it just leaves me with a blank screen for at least 15 minutes, after which I forced it to shut down. Please help, I am at a loss as to what to do.

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Probably the new NVIDIA GTX 980 can suffice your need bro, it such a powerful GPU that peaks at 190 Watt full load only...

But then again the pcie/expresscard bandwidth issue might bottleneck its performance,

Heck I got the same card as yours but I can really see its bottlenecked by my lappy's mini pcie speeds..

Otherwise, I don't mind cause I can run and enjoy games at ultra settings like a dream.

Thanks for the response.

In your setup you noticed a decrease of free RAM after the eGPU activation, vs the only iGPU?

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Having budget for a 980 I will build instead a full editing PC...

in your setup you noticed a decrease of free RAM after the eGPU activation, vs the only iGPU?

Ah yes you are correct at 500 bucks one can build a pc...I'm sorry I don't quite get your question but if you are just referring to my RAM (i use 4GBx2=8GB) its still the same RAM usage in using an eGPU vs dGPU, did not notice any decrease but if you are talking about 3GB VRAM of the 7950, I don't know how to monitor the usage of VRAM during gaming and photo/video editing.

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

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Hi guys.

SELLING

I have a small Thundertek PX (Thunderbolt1 @10Mbps) which I want to sell, shipping should be very cheap since it's small.

It doesn't need the DC-adapter since It can be fed by a regular powered riser and it works great!

I've made a small custom enclosure for it too, see images:

vtI1Krp.jpg

UjtdcJK.jpg?3

PM me if you are interested, don't want to Hijack this thread =)

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Ah yes you are correct at 500 bucks one can build a pc...I'm sorry I don't quite get your question but if you are just referring to my RAM (i use 4GBx2=8GB) its still the same RAM usage in using an eGPU vs dGPU, did not notice any decrease but if you are talking about 3GB VRAM of the 7950, I don't know how to monitor the usage of VRAM during gaming and photo/video editing.

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

500 bucks aren't enough for a video editing PC, but with a GTX980 the total eGPU solution cost became not so price/performance convenient respect a say $1300 PC with a less powerful GPU but much more balanced in term of CPU, ram, HDD etc

Returning to ram thanks that's was exactly the kind of info I was searching for: I need all the possible ram for Resolve, so I need all my 8gb.

Some more questions please:

- what PSU did you use to power your 7950 boost?

- did you perform some benchmark to understand what's your performance vs a "standard" installation?

- do you need some special trick to make work the GPU or nothing special?

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Sorry my eGPU write up is long overdue..I will make it soon once I will find the time

Answers to your questions;

1. I purchased an EXP GDC V6 with that Dell DA-2 adapter rated at 220 Watts.

2. Benchies will soon be on my overdue write up..I don't have a desktop PC by the way.

3. Basically my setup's just plug and play thank goodness (Lenovo G500 budget notebook). Attached the eGPU via mini PCIe, power on the Dell DA-2 adapter, turn on the laptop and that's it!

You didn't have power adapter overheating or lower performances? You need to be at limit with power since standard 7950 draw 190w.

Will be interesting to have your 3Dmark6 test for comparison.

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Looks like the GTX 970 requires some different memory address space to the 770, not working under win 8.1 UEFI or windows 7 BIOS mode

<strike>And it seems that my Setup 1.x link has expired, can Nando send me a new link so I can get this card working? I can provide proof of Donation if you need via PM @Nando</strike> <--- supplied

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You didn't have power adapter overheating or lower performances? You need to be at limit with power since standard 7950 draw 190w.

Will be interesting to have your 3Dmark6 test for comparison.

In fairness to the EXP GDC V6 and the DA-2 adapter that works with it, it seems fine enough I guess, everything is stable and I don't want to overclock this as of the moment, from time to time whenever I am gaming I try to touch and hold the dell adapter and it seems to have normal performance temps.

Yes I will do benchies soon so standby :36_002:

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In fairness to the EXP GDC V6 and the DA-2 adapter that works with it, it seems fine enough I guess, everything is stable and I don't want to overclock this as of the moment, from time to time whenever I am gaming I try to touch and hold the dell adapter and it seems to have normal performance temps.

Yes I will do benchies soon so standby :36_002:

Some more questions next I will be ready to buy my set I think :)

- What vendor card do you have your 7950 boost: Sapphire, MSI, XFX, Club3D, HIS, Asus, VTX3D, Powercolor, AMD .....

- Any special reason you bought EXP GDC V6 and not PE4C?

- Where did you buy and what parts?

- Did you bought also the enclosure?

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Some more questions next I will be ready to buy my set I think :)

- What vendor card do you have your 7950 boost: Sapphire, MSI, XFX, Club3D, HIS, Asus, VTX3D, Powercolor, AMD .....

- Any special reason you bought EXP GDC V6 and not PE4C?

- Where did you buy and what parts?

- Did you bought also the enclosure?

- Found this forum this year, I was following this topic years ago at NBR forums.

- Excited to see the community still alive and kicking here at Tech Inferno!

eGPU crowds left hanging in NBR Forums corrupt and evil philosophies over there..

- Interested to finally make my own DIY eGPU.

Now my answers to your questions;

- I won it on eBay at best offer of $110 including shipping, that's it.

- At the time of "The Decision", PE4C V2.0 sales were put on hold due to some tech issues hence I opted for the EXP GDC V6 since this was a 4 year long overdue project to me.

- Bought it via Yoybuy - the EXP GDC V6 with Dell DA-2 adapter (Instructions in the OP, read them alright?), eBay for the GPU.

- I am yet to decide on the enclosure, IMHO it is needed since stability is one issue with big GPUs.

TLDR: Buy it already! Jezus its dirt cheap man! and it works with Lenovo laptops don't worry!

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.......

- I won it on eBay at best offer of $110 including shipping, that's it.

- At the time of "The Decision", PE4C V2.0 sales were put on hold due to some tech issues hence I opted for the EXP GDC V6 since this was a 4 year long overdue project to me.

- Bought it via Yoybuy - the EXP GDC V6 with Dell DA-2 adapter (Instructions in the OP, read them alright?), eBay for the GPU.

- I am yet to decide on the enclosure, IMHO it is needed since stability is one issue with big GPUs.

Just bought a Sapphire 7950 boost Dual-X :joyous: - unfortunatelly here I find it for $199 not less !

Now will look to order the other parts, I've just asked some questions on the dedicated thread: Youbuy or Aliexpress? Why V6 and not V7?

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Just bought a Sapphire 7950 boost Dual-X :joyous: - unfortunatelly here I find it for $199 not less !

Now will look to order the other parts, I've just asked some questions on the dedicated thread: Youbuy or Aliexpress? Why V6 and not V7?

Mate for particular answers you got to stick with the proper thread, please go here;

EXP GDC VX Discussion

http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/6643-exp-gdc-v6-discussion.html

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I've just ordered a Sapphire 7950 Boost to be used as eGPU.

I want now to order the EC connection kit, choosing among PE4C and EXP GDC.

I was to choose for EXP GDC due to the availability of the whole package, with also an enclosure. I have anyway difficulties finding the PCIe splitter.

PE4C is coming with 8pin-->2x8pin Y splitter that's exactly what I need.

If the base is't stable I can make without enclosure, my last concern is: the 7950 Boost does have a TDP of 225w, the AC adapter sold with PE4C can make it?

Appear that Dell DC-2 sold with EXP GDC can work with this GPU http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/6643-exp-gdc-v6-discussion-30.html#post102981, want to be sure the same is for PE4C.

Also I'm in continental Europe, can I change the power plug provided with the AC adapter?

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Yes, it's the normal cable which you need for computers, too.

Gesendet von meinem Nexus 5 mit Tapatalk

Ok received some info from Bplus:

- can manage to supply 225w

- compatible with European 220v 50hz specs

- provided with USA power plug, needed an adapter for EU

Last question: the Power Y line ends with 2x(6+2)pin male or just 8pin?

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