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eGPU experiences [version 2.0]


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I'm looking to build an eGPU for to learn CUDA and for some light gaming, and I have a few questions ...

1. How can I make sure my laptop is compatible? There's an expansion port for WWAN, which I don't use, but I'm not sure if it'd work. The hardware manual says "PCI Express Mini card for wireless WAN." It certainly looks like a mPCIe or mSATA port ... Right now, I have a 24 GB SSD cache in there.

2. I've been looking at the 750 Ti. This should work, right? And since this card doesn't connect to the PSU, could I just plug in a power adapter to the board? I have one from a family member's old Dell laptop, which I think should be compatible.

3. I'm confused by the adapters. From reading the thread, it seems like the PE4L is the correct one, but the connectors do not match, and I'm wondering if I'm missing something.

Thanks!

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I'm looking to build an eGPU for to learn CUDA and for some light gaming, and I have a few questions ...

1. How can I make sure my laptop is compatible? There's an expansion port for WWAN, which I don't use, but I'm not sure if it'd work. The hardware manual says "PCI Express Mini card for wireless WAN." It certainly looks like a mPCIe or mSATA port ... Right now, I have a 24 GB SSD cache in there.

2. I've been looking at the 750 Ti. This should work, right? And since this card doesn't connect to the PSU, could I just plug in a power adapter to the board? I have one from a family member's old Dell laptop, which I think should be compatible.

3. I'm confused by the adapters. From reading the thread, it seems like the PE4L is the correct one, but the connectors do not match, and I'm wondering if I'm missing something.

Thanks!

Hi Amard, welcome to the eGPU community!

I'll try to answer your questions as good as I can:

1. Your WLAN port is the often the only mPCIe-slot to use, which in that case requires you to use USB-based WLAN.

There some good WLAN-cards that can be used in WWAN-slot via its USB-lanes, like this one.

The WWAN port can sometimes have PCI-lanes too, rare I think! Test this by swapping your WLAN-card to WWAN slot, does it work?

2. This seems to an excellent card both performance- and consumption -wise, although no one seem to have tested it for eGPU yet, but I don't see that it should be any problems.

The GPU can be powered directly from the PCIe-slot of the PE4L. For this you need a 2.5*5.5mm 12v adapter of at least 70W (to be safe), look at the post I made one page back.

3. You should at least go for the PE4L PM100A (or longer):

PE4L-PMxxxA V2.1 The "PM" -version has the mPCIe-interface

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Hi Amard, welcome to the eGPU community!

I'll try to answer your questions as good as I can:

1. Your WLAN port is the often the only mPCIe-slot to use, which in that case requires you to use USB-based WLAN.

There some good WLAN-cards that can be used in WWAN-slot via its USB-lanes, like this one.

The WWAN port can sometimes have PCI-lanes too, rare I think! Test this by swapping your WLAN-card to WWAN slot, does it work?

2. This seems to an excellent card both performance- and consumption -wise, although no one seem to have tested it for eGPU yet, but I don't see that it should be any problems.

The GPU can be powered directly from the PCIe-slot of the PE4L. For this you need a 2.5*5.5mm 12v adapter of at least 70W (to be safe), look at the post I made one page back.

3. You should at least go for the PE4L PM100A (or longer):

PE4L-PMxxxA V2.1 The "PM" -version has the mPCIe-interface

Heh, that's actually a really simple test. Thanks for the help! It'd be a bummer if my laptop isn't compatible ... If not, I've been looking at updating my laptop with a used/refurb ThinkPad anyway, so we'll see ... I'll make sure to keep you guys updated on how it goes. I just went ahead and ordered the card since I'll need an NVidia card for CUDA, whether I build an eGPU or a desktop PC (plus, tax returns!).

I'm still a bit confused by the PE4L. I've built a few PCs, but I'm no hardware expert, so please bear with me ... Most graphics cards have a larger connector than the one on the PE4L. Does the card just connect at the front, and does it work normally that way?

EDIT: I just did a simple Google search. So it's a 1x connector rather than the usual 16x connector?

Thanks again for the help!

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Heh, that's actually a really simple test. Thanks for the help! It'd be a bummer if my laptop isn't compatible ... If not, I've been looking at updating my laptop with a used/refurb ThinkPad anyway, so we'll see ... I'll make sure to keep you guys updated on how it goes. I just went ahead and ordered the card since I'll need an NVidia card for CUDA, whether I build an eGPU or a desktop PC (plus, tax returns!).

I'm still a bit confused by the PE4L. I've built a few PCs, but I'm no hardware expert, so please bear with me ... Most graphics cards have a larger connector than the one on the PE4L. Does the card just connect at the front, and does it work normally that way?

EDIT: I just did a simple Google search. So it's a 1x connector rather than the usual 16x connector?

Thanks again for the help!

So did you test the WWAN slot, did the wifi work?

If it did work there is a very good chance you can use WWAN slot for eGPU and keep the original WLAN card.

You are referring to a full size 16x slot (like one in a desktop), the PE4L only host a 1x slot, therefore bplus/hwtools choose to have it as short as possible. I don't agree with that design at all since they could have kept the slot full size in order to hold the GPU more steady (even though its only 1x functional).

Also since you're thinking about upgrading your system you should consider the elitebook 2570p, small and as powerful as you want it to be,

check it out at the 2570P owners lounge!

EDIT: I saw that you found the answer already =)

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In Setup 1.30 highlight PCI compaction->Run compact, then hit F1. Over 20 different compaction configurations will be presented. Worth through them one by one until you have a completely successful compaction without a hang afterwards where you can chainload and see the eGPU without error 12.

If you have an older version of Setup 1.x then obtain Setup 1.30 as it has corrected serious bugs with PCI compaction.

Woot, working perfectly.

Tried the only 36bit option avaliable for PCI compaction, choose only to compact egpu. And there it is. A 3DM11 link to proof AMD Radeon R9 270X video card benchmark result - Intel Core i5-3210M Processor,Acer VA50_HC_CR

My setup:

Acer V3-571 (Intel HD only) + PE4H mpcie + Radeon 270X

Thanks Tech Inferno Fan

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So did you test the WWAN slot, did the wifi work?

If it did work there is a very good chance you can use WWAN slot for eGPU and keep the original WLAN card.

You are referring to a full size 16x slot (like one in a desktop), the PE4L only host a 1x slot, therefore bplus/hwtools choose to have it as short as possible. I don't agree with that design at all since they could have kept the slot full size in order to hold the GPU more steady (even though its only 1x functional).

Also since you're thinking about upgrading your system you should consider the elitebook 2570p, small and as powerful as you want it to be,

check it out at the 2570P owners lounge!

EDIT: I saw that you found the answer already =)

Just got back from work ... Anyway, the WLAN card is connected via mPCIe, but it's a really tight fit. I can disconnect it but it's not going anywhere without opening up the laptop a bit more. I tried disconnecting that and putting another mPCIe WLAN card in the other slot, but it's not recognized. I'll have to look into it a bit more tomorrow.

If it doesn't work, is there a WLAN card I could get for the other slot (where WWAN would normally go)? Then that would free up the mPCIe slot for the PE4L.

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Just got back from work ... Anyway, the WLAN card is connected via mPCIe, but it's a really tight fit. I can disconnect it but it's not going anywhere without opening up the laptop a bit more. I tried disconnecting that and putting another mPCIe WLAN card in the other slot, but it's not recognized. I'll have to look into it a bit more tomorrow.

If it doesn't work, is there a WLAN card I could get for the other slot (where WWAN would normally go)? Then that would free up the mPCIe slot for the PE4L.

Hmm that sounds a bit strange, usually the WLAN-card is an easy part to "upgrade", just like HDD and memory modules.

Yes, there is a usb-based mPCIe card that I linked earlier that should be able to work in the WWAN slot. I tried this on my Lenovo e530 and it worked really good.

Here is a link to the one I tested. This would mean that you could free up your WLAN-slot for the PE4L.

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It's been a long time since I made a post in this thread.

Anyway, I'm requesting from @Tech Inferno Fan or @kizwan to help me on something.

Remember a year back when I asked how to make AMD CPU and AMD eGPU work together? Well I'm bringing this back now. The story is that I'm giving my Lenovo Thinkpad to my brother after I buy Fujitsu Lifebook AH532, and my other brother has Dell Inspiron, the one that's on my signature. Would you help me on this on? I'll be very appreciated.

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Hmm that sounds a bit strange, usually the WLAN-card is an easy part to "upgrade", just like HDD and memory modules.

Yes, there is a usb-based mPCIe card that I linked earlier that should be able to work in the WWAN slot. I tried this on my Lenovo e530 and it worked really good.

Here is a link to the one I tested. This would mean that you could free up your WLAN-slot for the PE4L.

I can disconnect it and pull it out, it's just that it's really wedged in there. And thanks, I'll probably get the full-sized one as the real mPCIe slot is half-sized and the USB-based one is a full sized.

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I can disconnect it and pull it out, it's just that it's really wedged in there. And thanks, I'll probably get the full-sized one as the real mPCIe slot is half-sized and the USB-based one is a full sized.

I took me a while to find one for that cheap price that had USB-interface only. If you don't find any you can extend the proposed one with this: http://m.ebay.com/itm/390701209524?nav=SEARCH

Skickas från min iPhone via Tapatalk

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Looking again at the FirmTek TT/PX enclosure, I'm concerned about having enough power to drive a video card. It looks like that enclosure doesn't have room for a PSU. Isn't one of the advantages of an eGPU that you can have additional power available for high-end GPUs?

Still fobbing around in the dark here...

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Woot, working perfectly.

Tried the only 36bit option avaliable for PCI compaction, choose only to compact egpu. And there it is. A 3DM11 link to proof AMD Radeon R9 270X video card benchmark result - Intel Core i5-3210M Processor,Acer VA50_HC_CR

My setup:

Acer V3-571 (Intel HD only) + PE4H mpcie + Radeon 270X

Thanks Tech Inferno Fan

Oh well, it WAS working perfectly until my first shutdown/reboot.

At same time, I removed the drivers to try another version, rebooted, did the automated setup and now I'm receiving error 10, it doesn't matter if I boot with or without the setup now. Before at least the vga was recognized despite BSOD and this is happening with my old vga too (error 10).

The setup itself seems to recognize everything and do all the process without errors or lockups.

Didn't made any hardware change or software (despite the driver).

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Looking again at the FirmTek TT/PX enclosure, I'm concerned about having enough power to drive a video card. It looks like that enclosure doesn't have room for a PSU. Isn't one of the advantages of an eGPU that you can have additional power available for high-end GPUs?

Still fobbing around in the dark here...

Here is the solution - bypass the FirmTek for PCI power:

PCI E PCI E Express Riser Cable 16X TO 16X With Molex Connector Powered | eBay

There are better ones around so check through ebay for your area.

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I took me a while to find one for that cheap price that had USB-interface only. If you don't find any you can extend the proposed one with this: WiFi Mini PCI E Express Half Size to Full Extender Bracket Extension Screws New | eBay

Skickas från min iPhone via Tapatalk

Thanks. Actually, I have another WLAN card I'm going to test out once I'm out from work. If that doesn't work, I'm taking apart my computer to remove the WLAN card already in there and finally getting around to testing that in the other slot.

EDIT: Okay, so it turns out Lenovo whitelists WLAN cards in the BIOS, and I can't use anything but a Lenovo-branded card ... Ugh, so it looks like I either have to buy another laptop or build a PC (I'd rather not take up a USB port with a wifi adapter as I only have two and using a hub isn't ideal as I'm often on the go). In other news, the GTX 750 Ti arrived today ...

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amarD said:

EDIT: Okay, so it turns out Lenovo whitelists WLAN cards in the BIOS, and I can't use anything but a Lenovo-branded card ... Ugh, so it looks like I either have to buy another laptop or build a PC (I'd rather not take up a USB port with a wifi adapter as I only have two and using a hub isn't ideal as I'm often on the go). In other news, the GTX 750 Ti arrived today ...

You may want to search if a custom bios with removed whitelisting is available. https://www.techinferno.com/index.php?/forums/forum/55-lenovo/

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Very interesting:

I was surprised to see this in their benchmarks. We really need to see what Thunderbolt 2.0 can do to these numbers.

Waiting anxiously for the promised Thunderbolt 2 products to start showing up. I've been holding out on setting up a expresscard solution on my W520 as I've found the Quadro 2000m to be sufficient for medium-low settings at 1080p and flys if I lower the resolution. I was hoping that TB solutions would be available by now so I could set it up. Hopefully the next few months will bring good news.

It's been a long time since I made a post in this thread.

Anyway, I'm requesting from @Tech Inferno Fan or @kizwan to help me on something.

Remember a year back when I asked how to make AMD CPU and AMD eGPU work together? Well I'm bringing this back now. The story is that I'm giving my Lenovo Thinkpad to my brother after I buy Fujitsu Lifebook AH532, and my other brother has Dell Inspiron, the one that's on my signature. Would you help me on this on? I'll be very appreciated.

Looking forward to seeing you succeed with this. AMD already have the ability to crossfire between APU and dGPU, and if there could be a way to make this work with external gpu's, it would be hopefully lead to better performance at lower prices. Do you have the AMD dockport in mind when thinking of AMD egpu?

AnandTech Portal | AMD

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Looking forward to seeing you succeed with this. AMD already have the ability to crossfire between APU and dGPU, and if there could be a way to make this work with external gpu's, it would be hopefully lead to better performance at lower prices. Do you have the AMD dockport in mind when thinking of AMD egpu?

AnandTech Portal | AMD

Well, it's not exactly an APU, but it's a 2008 mobile processor. It's a difficult task without the help of experts like @Tech Inferno Fan and @kizwan. I hope I can do this.

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Oh well, it WAS working perfectly until my first shutdown/reboot.

At same time, I removed the drivers to try another version, rebooted, did the automated setup and now I'm receiving error 10, it doesn't matter if I boot with or without the setup now. Before at least the vga was recognized despite BSOD and this is happening with my old vga too (error 10).

The setup itself seems to recognize everything and do all the process without errors or lockups.

Didn't made any hardware change or software (despite the driver).

Well again... It's working, it was just an driver issue, the another driver didn't installed. Simply reinstalled the working driver and there it is.

Stayed nights thiking and even bought a new cable (the B version). At least I got rid of that awful cable.

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Small, not-overly-exciting infos.

I tried an eGPU implementation with:

Alienware m14x R1 (2760QM)

PE4L-PM060A

GTX 660Ti

Didn't use Setup 1.x since I installed via UEFI and such. I shows up in device manager, but has error 43 even after driver install + reboot. I found that a little odd. I would disable the dGPU in the BIOS, but I'm running @svl7 's unlocked BIOS so there is a lot of scary looking options that I'd rather not touch ;D....

If you want me to pursue this to completion and run tests, let me know. I'll be getting my R2 parts in today/Monday. So can test it on a m14xR2 soon (with 3820QM).

Also, an eGPU implementation on this unit is horrible. You have to remove the battery and have it dangle out the side, and then the mPCIe cable comes out the front of the laptop. It's not very fun having cables spew all over you lol....

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Hmm. After a lot of issues now I have a good thing!

Just for experiments and now I have the B version cable I tried to run 1.2, without much faith, since with the old cable I got BSOD. But for my surprise, it worked! I usually run 3Dmark 03 and 11, and both worked and increased their scores.

Here a screenshot, had to leave Diablo 3 on background so the 1.2 goes on. (Sorry about the size)

post-13365-14494997344243_thumb.png

And the AMD Radeon R9 270X video card benchmark result - Intel Core i5-3210M Processor,Acer VA50_HC_CR

Got 500 points over the 1.1

Cheers.

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Thanks. Actually, I have another WLAN card I'm going to test out once I'm out from work. If that doesn't work, I'm taking apart my computer to remove the WLAN card already in there and finally getting around to testing that in the other slot.

EDIT: Okay, so it turns out Lenovo whitelists WLAN cards in the BIOS, and I can't use anything but a Lenovo-branded card ... Ugh, so it looks like I either have to buy another laptop or build a PC (I'd rather not take up a USB port with a wifi adapter as I only have two and using a hub isn't ideal as I'm often on the go). In other news, the GTX 750 Ti arrived today ...

I can't remember if I needed to flash my bios (thinkpad E530) to use the card I suggested earlier, where do you live I could post it to you by mail if you want to test it?

What system do you have?

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