eGPU experiences [version 2.0]

[tondy]

And yes, the user capitankasar at NBR has a modded BIOS for the L502x wherein there is an option to set the primary video adapter; this may or may not actually disable the dGPU, but I'll find out once I flash the new BIOS.

I would personally try disabling dGPU via setup 1.x before flashing bios. You can run setup 1.x via usb for temporary testing until you've settled on a working setup. Since you bought the PE4H from HIT you should be getting setup 1.x for free included.

[Thi3rryzz]

Hi,

I have a question.

I am planning to make a EGPU setup.

I really like the case of the PE4H V3.2 but is it possible to use it with a PM3N?

Thats because my laptop only has a mPciE slot,

And if i use mPciE u can't use the usb port on the Pe4H right?

I am planning to Install the Optimus drivers (for a 1x.opt) with Intel HD Graphics ( integrated Graphics) and a Gtx 560ti OEM ( desktop card)

Is it possible?

Thanks

Specs:

I have a Packardbell Easynote Tm87

Cpu: I3 330m

Gpu: Intel HD graphics (arrandale)

Ram: 4gigs (2x2 gigs)

[Tech Inferno Fan]

Lucid Logix' Virtu MVP 2.0 available next month for $30

At last, AMD Sandy/Ivy Bridge iGPU + AMD eGPU users will be able to buy Lucid Logix Virtu MVP to gain an internal LCD mode for little extra $$.

See Lucid Virtu MVP 2.0 Coming Soon and Will Be Sold Directly to Consumers | PC Perspective

Given HD7xxx is mostly faster than the equivalent NVidia GTX6xxx card as demonstrated, the HD8xxx series released in the next couple of months will extend that lead further.

Hi,

I have a question.

I am planning to make a EGPU setup.

I really like the case of the PE4H V3.2 but is it possible to use it with a PM3N?

Thats because my laptop only has a mPciE slot,

And if i use mPciE u can't use the usb port on the Pe4H right?

I am planning to Install the Optimus drivers (for a 1x.opt) with Intel HD Graphics ( integrated Graphics) and a Gtx 560ti OEM ( desktop card)

Is it possible?

Thanks

Specs:

I have a Packardbell Easynote Tm87

Cpu: I3 330m

Gpu: Intel HD graphics (arrandale)

Ram: 4gigs (2x2 gigs)

Yes a mPCI-e based DIY eGPU is possible. The PE4L/PE4H + PM3N has a USB port BUT it will only work if your particular mPCIe port has the USB pins wired. Typically that would make it a WWAN+PCIe port. Dell often does that. HP hardly ever, not sure about PackardBell.

I just started to look into doing this to my laptop yesterday. I am sure glad i came across this forum. I just read for like 3hrs, probably to long, i only understand about 20% of it give or take. I was looking at that ViDock and really not wanting to spend that kind of money. So thank you Tech Inferno Fan and the rest of you, i've just seen his name on other forums as well is all. I'm looking forward to starting this. Not sure were to start tho. I have a Toshiba Satellite A505-s6005. i3, 8gb ram. Not sure about the chip set. i do have an express card slot tho. If anyone could point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated. Hope you all have a great night.

A505-S6005 specs tell us it's a Series-5 1st-gen i3 system with HD graphics. It has an expresscard slot. A PE4L-EC060A 2.1b being a good budget eGPU adapter for you that gives pci-e 2.0 capability should you upgrade to a Sandy/Ivy Bridge notebook down the track. A NVidia GTX4xxx/5xxx/6xxx card giving NVidia Optimus features and performance. A s/h GTX560/GTX560Ti a sweet spot for low cost and high performance.

perdon por mi ingles jejeje

the PE4L-PM060A could be compatible with my notebook?

​or what is best for my type of connection which is mPCIe??

my notebook is:

Lenovo IdeaPad V570

Core i5 2430M 2.4 GHz up to 3.0GHz

8GB DDR3 1333mhz ram

750gb HDD

intel HD 3000

my notebook has a mPCIe port, but will connect an eGPU compatible as gtx560ti?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]5706[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]5707[/ATTACH]

The Lenovo V570 has no expresscard slot. The only option for eGPU connectivity is via an accessible mPCIe slot with pci-e pins connected. Some systems have only 1 (wifi), others have more. You'd need to check. If you have more than one then recommend swapping the wifi card into it and seeing if it appears in Device manager to confirm the pci-e pins are connected. Some WWAN mPCIe ports just have USB pins connected.

[supergrass]

Thank you very much. I will start with that. Gonna have to wait a couple weeks for the GPU tho, pay day and all. Can't say thanks enough. Have a great night.

[ermac318]

So it looks like I waited too long before moving ahead on the TH05 since it's gone now. I'll wait around for a bit to see if a new product comes along that will work - otherwise I'll look at going the PE4L route.

[Thi3rryzz]

Thanks Tech Inferno Fan but is it possible with the Pe4H 3.2 because it seems to me that the expresscard is solderd on the pe4H but i want the mPciE

One.

Can you tell me or give me the link of the pe4h V3.2 with the mPciE (Pm3n) card?

Thanks!

[Tech Inferno Fan]

Thanks Tech Inferno Fan but is it possible with the Pe4H 3.2 because it seems to me that the expresscard is solderd on the pe4H but i want the mPciE

One.

Can you tell me or give me the link of the pe4h V3.2 with the mPciE (Pm3n) card?

Thanks!

The PE4H V3.2 page mentions in the specifications area a PE4H-PMxxxA V3.2 for mPCIe but doesn't give a BUY link for it. So I'd suggest contact BPlus via email and ask to manually order one until they update their page.

[Thi3rryzz]

Thanks dude you are awesome!

I am going to contact them!

Thanks!

[sgogeta4]

Finally got all my parts together and my eGPU is up and running! Pretty much plug n play. Connected the PSU to the eGPU and plugged in expresscard into my W520. Windows 8 immediately found it and installed the appropriate drivers. Restarted then went into the BIOS and turned GPU to integrated but with Optimus detection. Loaded up and installed the latest nVidia drivers, restarted again and Optimus is running perfectly. Automatically switched to my GTX 650 Ti 2GB and played SC2 on Extreme settings (maxed out on my Quadro 2000M on Medium settings). Mind = blown. Will run benchmarks later. I'm actually going to be flying everyday in the next week, so maybe next weekend I'll update things. Thanks Tech Inferno Fan and everyone else (in the numerous posts I've read). It was a very simple project to do. Hopefully when I have some time, I'll experiment was an old Xbox 360 PSU and make a portable enclosure.

[Brian]

Quick question fellas: Is MBP 17" the best way to go for e-GPU since it has thunderbolt? I'm thinking of selling my M18x (its big and bulky and difficult to carry to work each day) and purchasing a nice slim MBP + bootcamp windows and e-GPU with 680 GTX to use daily for gaming. What will give me the best performance? I saw that TH05 is now discontinued so am I screwed with no choice but to fork out a lot of $$ for a higher end part?

We should get a "post your e-GPU setup picture" thread going, I'd love to see what everyone's setup looks like and how clean/mobile it is. Do you want to open it @Tech Inferno Fan ?

Edit: nevermind, seems Apple killed the 17" MBP Pro which I wasn't aware of (I never followed Apple much). There goes that idea.

[sgogeta4]

If you want Thunderbolt, look at Lenovo Edge S430 or T430s (not 100% sure if the latter has one though), Acer Aspire S5, or Asus G55. Personally, I wouldn't get a Mac if you're just going to Bootcamp to Windows. And yes, I own a Mac (MBP15 2010, which my dad now has).

[doom1337]

Okay i need your help nando please!!! i really need your help, ive searched everywhere and i dont know why it wont work.

Specs:

Lenovo x220t

16gb ram

320gb hdd

dedicated intel hd 3000

Nvidia Geforce GTX 660

and an external lcd

ive solved every error except the error 43, ive done everything. i bought setup and i ran it like u showed in the youtube video, and nothing works ive tried everything everyone on this thread and the old one has done, i just cant get rid of error 43. also how does my external lcd begin to show my desktop if its connected to my grahpics card? because atm its connected to my graphics card and the screen just remains black and off, also everything is connected fine etc. the setup works just fine it just wont get rid of error 43 and i need to fix this please!!!

[sgogeta4]

Ok first annoyances starting to pop up. Windows 8 seems to be a lot slower loading up and shutting down now. Also, occasionally when I restart, my external GPU doesn't load up properly. When I try to go to nVidia control panel, it gives me an error saying not currently using a display attached to an nVidia GPU.

[daver160]

Hi all,

Here are some screens in the modded BIOS for my laptop

Primary Display Selection: options are

IGD (guessing is Intel)

PEG

PCI

Auto

It appears that one can set the graphics to any of these, though IGD is default. Selecting PEG and PCI don't appear to make any difference, at least on a "software" level where Windows 7 is concerned. I haven't noticed any particular changes within Windows when using one of the non-IGD selections. (I've since returned it to IGD).

I am assuming here that "Primary Device Selection" really just means "what graphics device to boot from". This doesn't appear to disable anything. I will likely have to disable dGPU from Setup 1.x, as recommended from tondy, quoted below:

I would personally try disabling dGPU via setup 1.x before flashing bios. You can run setup 1.x via usb for temporary testing until you've settled on a working setup. Since you bought the PE4H from HIT you should be getting setup 1.x for free included.

Self-explanatory: "Max TOLUD". I forgot to take a photo of the these screens (borrowing an NBR user's here), but I can confirm in my Device Manager that my TOLUD is already 3GB (value is BFA00000 = C0000000 = 3GB) so should be plenty of room for eGPU.

Can't wait to sort out this PE4H/PE4L issue with HIT, and to finally get a chance to play with the eGPU.

[NGFlash]

Hello All,

I wanted to first extend my sincerest appreciation for this forum and the vast array of knowledge available for us to delve into this new and exciting opportunity in pairing discrete graphics cards with our laptops, a feat that not too long ago was not possible. (Thank You Nando4!)

I had a question for you all before I pull the trigger on the last portion of my set up and was hoping someone could guide me along the correct path.

My Current Rig consists of:

Dell U2211H External Monitor

Lenovo X220 (I5 Processor Sandy Bridge Processor)

8GB Ram

256Gb Crucial Sata III SSD

Peripherals Purchased:

Gigabyte GTX670 Windforce Edition Video Card

Seasonic x750 Power Supply

The only thing that I am missing is the piece to mount my video card on. After doing my research and being aware that only the PE4L offers express card 2.0 bandwidth of 5Gb I was just about to pull the trigger on it, despite my displeasure that it was only a PCI Express 1X slot and the Video Card I own is a gargantuan 3 fan behemoth.

This was all until I decided to check BPlus' website right before I pulled the trigger on the PE4L to find their new PE4H Version 3.2 that is not only a 16x slot, but also now supports express card 2.0 bandwidth!

I just wanted to go ahead and ensure that this information is correct and is the best option for my system at this time. If not, I would greatly appreciate being pointed in the right direction.

Once again thank you guys for all the information and keep up the good work!

-Flash

[Tech Inferno Fan]

Okay i need your help nando please!!! i really need your help, ive searched everywhere and i dont know why it wont work.

Specs:

Lenovo x220t

16gb ram

320gb hdd

dedicated intel hd 3000

Nvidia Geforce GTX 660

and an external lcd

ive solved every error except the error 43, ive done everything. i bought setup and i ran it like u showed in the youtube video, and nothing works ive tried everything everyone on this thread and the old one has done, i just cant get rid of error 43. also how does my external lcd begin to show my desktop if its connected to my grahpics card? because atm its connected to my graphics card and the screen just remains black and off, also everything is connected fine etc. the setup works just fine it just wont get rid of error 43 and i need to fix this please!!!

1. Use latest Lenovo x220T bios that sets a dynamic TOLUD when it detects the eGPU on bootup.

2. Ensure you set the PCI Reset Delay switch to 0s.

3. Ensure the eGPU is powered prior to powering on the X220T.

4. If still fails, use the Setup 1.1x Video cards->Initialize function. That's usually necessary if you hotplug-after-boot.

Quick question fellas: Is MBP 17" the best way to go for e-GPU since it has thunderbolt? I'm thinking of selling my M18x (its big and bulky and difficult to carry to work each day) and purchasing a nice slim MBP + bootcamp windows and e-GPU with 680 GTX to use daily for gaming. What will give me the best performance? I saw that TH05 is now discontinued so am I screwed with no choice but to fork out a lot of $$ for a higher end part?

We should get a "post your e-GPU setup picture" thread going, I'd love to see what everyone's setup looks like and how clean/mobile it is. Do you want to open it @Tech Inferno Fan ?

Edit: nevermind, seems Apple killed the 17" MBP Pro which I wasn't aware of (I never followed Apple much). There goes that idea.

15" MBP has a quad-core + Thunderbolt port + GT650M. Only issue is the iGPU can't be activated in Windows as yet. The ramnifactions of that being (1) the laptop gets pretty poort battery life when running Windows (2) cannot get the eGPU to render the image but display it to the internal LCD as both Optimus (NVidia) or Lucid Logix Virtu (AMD) to do that require an active iGPU.

Next in line would be a dual-core 13" Macbook Pro or Lenovo T430s/S430, both with Thunderbolt ports.

Lastly, you could consider expresscard 2.0 (5GT/s) systems. They get half the bandwidth of Thunderbolt (10Gbps) ones but something like a 12.5" HP 2570P/2560P or 13" Fujitsu T901, both with a socketted CPU so you can install a 45W i7-quad into them. Furthermore, a PE4L-EC060A costs $71 versus a TH05 $180. The TH05 was a bargain at that price. Now the cheapest Thunderbolt-to-pcie device is a OWC Helios at $349. The higher pricetag of Thunderbolt means expresscard eGPUs are certainly not dead in the water just yet. 2014 maybe.. that's when 20Gbps Thunderbolt arrives. Will need a new notebook + TB enclosure/adapter for that.

Ok first annoyances starting to pop up. Windows 8 seems to be a lot slower loading up and shutting down now. Also, occasionally when I restart, my external GPU doesn't load up properly. When I try to go to nVidia control panel, it gives me an error saying not currently using a display attached to an nVidia GPU.

Same problem has been reported on a 16GB Lenovo X230. The fix was to run it with 8GB. Strange one.

Hello All,

I wanted to first extend my sincerest appreciation for this forum and the vast array of knowledge available for us to delve into this new and exciting opportunity in pairing discrete graphics cards with our laptops, a feat that not too long ago was not possible. (Thank You Nando4!)

I had a question for you all before I pull the trigger on the last portion of my set up and was hoping someone could guide me along the correct path.

My Current Rig consists of:

Dell U2211H External Monitor

Lenovo X220 (I5 Processor Sandy Bridge Processor)

8GB Ram

256Gb Crucial Sata III SSD

Peripherals Purchased:

Gigabyte GTX670 Windforce Edition Video Card

Seasonic x750 Power Supply

The only thing that I am missing is the piece to mount my video card on. After doing my research and being aware that only the PE4L offers express card 2.0 bandwidth of 5Gb I was just about to pull the trigger on it, despite my displeasure that it was only a PCI Express 1X slot and the Video Card I own is a gargantuan 3 fan behemoth.

This was all until I decided to check BPlus' website right before I pulled the trigger on the PE4L to find their new PE4H Version 3.2 that is not only a 16x slot, but also now supports express card 2.0 bandwidth!

I just wanted to go ahead and ensure that this information is correct and is the best option for my system at this time. If not, I would greatly appreciate being pointed in the right direction.

Once again thank you guys for all the information and keep up the good work!

-Flash

Yes, X220 can run pci-e 2.0 from it's expresscard slot so you want a pci-e 2.0 capable adapter from BPlus. So select a product from the second list below:

pcie 1.1x capable

PE4L 1.5 or older

PE4H 2.4 or older

pce 2.0 capable

PE4L 2.1 or newer

PE4H 3.2 or newer

[NGFlash]

1. Use latest Lenovo x220T bios that sets a dynamic TOLUD when it detects the eGPU on bootup.

2. Ensure you set the PCI Reset Delay switch to 0s.

3. Ensure the eGPU is powered prior to powering on the X220T.

4. If still fails, use the Setup 1.1x Video cards->Initialize function. That's usually necessary if you hotplug-after-boot.

15" MBP has a quad-core + Thunderbolt port + GT650M. Only issue is the iGPU can't be activated in Windows as yet. The ramnifactions of that being (1) the laptop gets pretty poort battery life when running Windows (2) cannot get the eGPU to render the image but display it to the internal LCD as both Optimus (NVidia) or Lucid Logix Virtu (AMD) to do that require an active iGPU.

Next in line would be a dual-core 13" Macbook Pro or Lenovo T430s/S430, both with Thunderbolt ports.

Lastly, you could consider expresscard 2.0 (5GT/s) systems. They get half the bandwidth of Thunderbolt (10Gbps) ones but something like a 12.5" HP 2570P/2560P or 13" Fujitsu T901, both with a socketted CPU so you can install a 45W i7-quad into them. Furthermore, a PE4L-EC060A costs $71 versus a TH05 $180. The TH05 was a bargain at that price. Now the cheapest Thunderbolt-to-pcie device is a OWC Helios at $349. The higher pricetag of Thunderbolt means expresscard eGPUs are certainly not dead in the water just yet. 2014 maybe.. that's when 20Gbps Thunderbolt arrives. Will need a new notebook + TB enclosure/adapter for that.

Same problem has been reported on a 16GB Lenovo X230. The fix was to run it with 8GB. Strange one.

Yes, X220 can run pci-e 2.0 from it's expresscard slot so you want a pci-e 2.0 capable adapter from BPlus. So select a product from the second list below:

pcie 1.1x capable

PE4L 1.5 or older

PE4H 2.4 or older

pce 2.0 capable

PE4L 2.1 or newer

PE4H 3.2 or newer

Nando4, you are a Boss! Thanks bud

[damir001]

Hi,

I got this configuration working last nigh

1. OS:

- Win7 64bit, DNA-AMD GFX 12.7B.0 - x64

2. System

- HP6930p, CPU P8400 2,26 GHz, PE4H ver2.4 with EC2C

3. RAM

- 3GB

4. eGPU used

- HD 7770 Sapphire

5. PSU specification (especially the +12V max current)

- 550W, LC POWER Silent Series, ATX V2.2

DSDT method faield but Setup 1.x worked, needed 256MB free as mentioned.

3dmark results

Cheers.

D

Tech Inferno Fan >> damir001 successfully engaged x1E mode and provided RE5 and 3dmark06 benchmarks here.

[Tech Inferno Fan]

Hi,

I got this configuration working last nigh

1. OS:

- Win7 64bit, DNA-AMD GFX 12.7B.0 - x64

2. System

- HP6930p, CPU P8400 2,26 GHz, PE4H ver2.4 with EC2C

3. RAM

- 3GB

4. eGPU used

- HD 7770 Sapphire

5. PSU specification (especially the +12V max current)

- 550W, LC POWER Silent Series, ATX V2.2

DSDT method faield but Setup 1.x worked, needed 256MB free as mentioned.

3dmark results

Cheers.

D

Thank you for posting your results.

Now your system probably has port3 as the expresscard slot making a great candidate to test if the x1E tweak still applies to the HD7xxx series. The way to test is do a run of PCISpeedTestV0.2 using x1 mode. Then reboot, apply Setup 1.1x's PCIe ports->Link Width.x2 or x1E to your port3 and redo the test.

Is there any performance difference between x1 and x1E mode? Previously we identified the x1E mode (running port1 or 3 in x2 mode but with only 1 lane) gave 15-30% better performance than x1. If they perform the same now then AMD have corrected a x1 link handshaking issue with that series which will mean the

First steps -> 2. Which video card do you recommend for best performance on my system? will be updated favoring AMD cards.

[kloper]

thanks to nando i'm now fully egu compatible w/ Optimus+Internal LCD (intel hd 4000 igpu) on my 13" Retina Apple Macbook Pro. I got it working in Windows 7 Bootcamp BIOS + Setup 1.X (with patched pci.bat and startup.bat files as per http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/2367-macbook-pro-retina-15-gtx-560-ti-%40-th05-11.html#post36670), though i think Windows 8 is possible too. I have a GTX570 running at x2.2 (TH05, SW1=6.9s). Will do a writeup and get some pix soon! wooohooooo!

[doom1337]

@Tech Inferno Fan thanks for all that, i will try it and keep you updated.

Edit: did all of that, none of it worked. 1 question. do i have to use modded drivers or can i just download the regular drivers and leave them as it is, because im not trying to use internal display. and error 43 just wont go away

[naturbo2000]

We should get a "post your e-GPU setup picture" thread going, I'd love to see what everyone's setup looks like and how clean/mobile it is. Do you want to open it @Tech Inferno Fan ?

We should, especially as I went to very little effort to make my system tidy :-) (T420 with an external 560ti448 in a CoolerMaster Eilte 120).

The missus really doesn't mind my gaming PC now that it's not housed in a TJ09.

Setup is clean and the laptop itself is mobile, but I might aim somewhere else if I wanted the whole system for LAN parties etc. (though even then Optimus would mean there's no need to take a monitor).

I'll make sure I take a piccy real soon.

[sgogeta4]

Same problem has been reported on a 16GB Lenovo X230. The fix was to run it with 8GB. Strange one.

I'll try that on the weekend. And I thought it was a Win 8 problem. I guess it's Lenovo?

[Smorejohn]

I'm running a Sony Vaio vgn-fw139e intel core 2 duo 2.26

Built in ATI radeon mobility 3400 with a gtx550ti eGPU sucessfully running @x1

Only boots with 2gb of ram unfortunately. Trying to get 3gb working at the moment I also have a 4gb stick I want to try once I get this compaction issue working.

So ive tried the DSDT override and don't understand how to implement it into my registry without errors. Stuck with Bsod when using setup 1.x for compaction. I have a tolud of 3.0gb and only 128mb of valid pci space. When I run the 36bit compaction on the eGPU (ignore dgpu) I can get it to read 256mb of valid pci space. It doesn't work using 32bit or 32bitA compaction though. When I run the startup.bat/ chainload MBR or win7 it successfully boots but with Bsod. I can hear windows startup sounds just stuck with no display.

Heres what my startup.bat looks like.

call vidwait 60 10de:11c6

call vidwait -d 10de:11c6

call pci

call grub4dos MBR or win7 (both give me bsod)

I'm kinda lost using this program any advice on getting my setup to accept more ram? My comp runs like trash with only 2gb.

[Tech Inferno Fan]

@Tech Inferno Fan thanks for all that, i will try it and keep you updated.

Edit: did all of that, none of it worked. 1 question. do i have to use modded drivers or can i just download the regular drivers and leave them as it is, because im not trying to use internal display. and error 43 just wont go away

The modded driver page highlights in RED that they are no longer necessary. The standard desktop driver has Optimus support.

One other thing is to try with 8GB instead of 16GB. For whatever reason 16GB is problematic on Lenovo systems.

Finally, what eGPU hardware are you using and how have you got the board switches set?

I'm running a Sony Vaio vgn-fw139e intel core 2 duo 2.26

Built in ATI radeon mobility 3400 with a gtx550ti eGPU sucessfully running @x1

Only boots with 2gb of ram unfortunately. Trying to get 3gb working at the moment I also have a 4gb stick I want to try once I get this compaction issue working.

So ive tried the DSDT override and don't understand how to implement it into my registry without errors. Stuck with Bsod when using setup 1.x for compaction. I have a tolud of 3.0gb and only 128mb of valid pci space. When I run the 36bit compaction on the eGPU (ignore dgpu) I can get it to read 256mb of valid pci space. It doesn't work using 32bit or 32bitA compaction though. When I run the startup.bat/ chainload MBR or win7 it successfully boots but with Bsod. I can hear windows startup sounds just stuck with no display.

Heres what my startup.bat looks like.

call vidwait 60 10de:11c6

call vidwait -d 10de:11c6

call pci

call grub4dos MBR or win7 (both give me bsod)

I'm kinda lost using this program any advice on getting my setup to accept more ram? My comp runs like trash with only 2gb.

Where do I get support for Villagetronic products?

As previously advised here:

Villagetronic support is here. You paid a premium for that product so are entitled to the vendor support with it. If you get nowhere there then may I suggest seeking a refund via their return policy, Paypal buyer protection or visa insurance to purchase a PE4L-2.1b instead.