DIY eGPU experiences

[SimoxTav]

an 1.2opt is equal with what ? x4 1.1 ?
it could be good perf with a gtx680

Yeah ^_^ (not in every circumstance but often).

Assuming that:

GTX680 16x 2.0 = 100%
GTX580 16x 2.0 = ~74% (Source)
GTX680 4x 1.1 = 73%

PCI 1.1 4x =~ PCI 2.0 1x + Optimus Compression

Now using the internal screen, part of the bandwidth is used to render the image, so we can expect about 3/4 of the available bandwidth (@720p) so to me it means that the GTX680 can give the performance of a GTX 570 @16x 2.0.

I'm going to take the GTX 670 due its small form factor. The final result should be around the performance of a 560 Ti 448 @ 16x 2.0 on the internal screen @720p. On the external one should be between the 570 and the 580 IMHO.

[ufster]

hit a wall.. So ....I did end up getting code 12 error ,despite my T520 having the latest bios 1.36 (which was supposed to fix tolud issues)

specs of lenovo T520

i7 2860qm cpu
16gb (8gbx2) 1600mhz memory
NVS4200m + intel 3000
windows server 2008r2

I am using the latest PE4L 2.1b, with my new gtx680.

....

Any ideas would be helpful... thanks guys

Well, there are too many variables that are different between your egpu setup and mine, but still if you need help to resolve your issues, feel free to ask me for anything that will help you diagnose the problem. To be honest, it will most likely help me as much as it will help you, for I intend to upgrade real soon to a setup like yours.

I have a T520 (dgpu model) i5-2520M, 8GB, vidock 2 (found a cheap one on ebay) + 8800gt setup and windows 7. I used to get code 43 when dgpu was enabled (but that's to be expected I guess) and with it disabled, it's been very smooth sailing, almost plug and play. So forgive me if I'm missing an obvious thing, but unless the gpu/system memory size or whetever hardware difference between the adapters (vidock 2 - p4el) makes a drastic difference, operating system might be the real culprit. Perhaps a screenshot of the device manager from my setup might be of help to compare with yours.

Well, good luck.

[Fabi3n]

@simoxtav : why this choice ? results will be visible compare with your actual gtx560 ?

[Mech0z]

Do we have an indication of 670 price? Just think 660 is too far away (Q3 from what I heard) and might need something to play D3 properly

GeForce GTX 660 May-2012
GeForce GTX 660 Ti Sep-2012

If thats true then I think I will wait for the 660

[SimoxTav]

@simoxtav : why this choice ? results will be visible compare with your actual gtx560 ?

The choice is based on four major features:

A- Power Consumption: with 180W it consumes the same (or a bit less) than the GTX560

B- Size: The card is smaller than the GTX560 so it fits perfectly in my enclosure (and my next mini ITX solution )

C- Price: The GTX680 would be a beast but 500€ are out of budget. The GTX670 (that will be released on May 10th) should cost around 400€ and oc'd can match the 680. It's expensive but considering the results of the first preview/review seems a right price than the 680). Sadly, the 660 is too far away from the release
In my case I'm going to use the EVGA Step-Up program paying only the difference from what I paid for the GTX560 to the retail price of the GTX670 (so about 240€)

D- Performance: Considering that now the GTX560 delivers about 80% of the nominal power @16x, the gap should be relevant with a card that can deliver about 40% more power (consuming less).

The only problem is related to the reference design that has a vapor chamber in front of the PCB, instead to have it ON the PCB. I hope to find aftermarket heatsinks soon.

[Fabi3n]

The choice is based on four major features:

A- Power Consumption: with 180W it consumes the same (or a bit less) than the GTX560

B- Size: The card is smaller than the GTX560 so it fits perfectly in my enclosure (and my next mini ITX solution )

C- Price: The GTX680 would be a beast but 500€ are out of budget. The GTX670 (that will be released on May 10th) should cost around 400€ and oc'd can match the 680. It's expensive but considering the results of the first preview/review seems a right price than the 680). Sadly, the 660 is too far away from the release
In my case I'm going to use the EVGA Step-Up program paying only the difference from what I paid for the GTX560 to the retail price of the GTX670 (so about 240€)

D- Performance: Considering that now the GTX560 delivers about 80% of the nominal power @16x, the gap should be relevant with a card that can deliver about 40% more power (consuming less).

The only problem is related to the reference design that has a vapor chamber in front of the PCB, instead to have it ON the PCB. I hope to find aftermarket heatsinks soon.

OK thanks for explain !!

[will9895]

[TPU] Ivy Bridge PCI-Express Scaling with HD 7970 and GTX 680

Btw is there still no one that have tried AMD cards with pcie2.0 ?

I will be very soon, I'm just waiting on a molex to 6-pin adapter. My laptop is an i7 x220 tablet and I picked up 2 HD4890s for a very good price. I was thinking I'd probably sell the two and pick up a cheap optimus compatible card, but for the moment i'll be giving these two a go. It is my first eGPU build though so it might take me a while to solve any issues

I've got a cheap 300w power supply which i believe is single rail running at 12v 15A. The power draw under load had been recorded to be 120W, but I was wondering what would break if anything did due to overload- I am right in assuming it would just be the PSU? or does this risk damage to the card/ PE4L?

[warmongering]

has anyone made an unmounting program yet, when ran it switches back to intel hd graphics and allows you to dismount the graphics card ie unplug expresscard 34 while HOT?

[Jayax87]

Hi Friendly Forum Folks!

I've tried doing a search through the forums but no one seems to have tried building an eGPU for the fujitsu SH761 yet. I must confess that even after having done quite a lot of reading there are some bits of this that continue to elude me, so i was hoping some kind soul would help me clarify my planned setup:

My current Fujitsu Lifebook SH761 specs:

- Sandy Bridge i5-2520M processor
- 8GB DDR3 RAM
- GT520M 1GB (800Mhz Engine Clock, 740Mhz Memory)
- EC 1.0, @ x1 1.0 PCIe

Planned eGPU:
- PE4H 2.4 from BPlus Tech with EC2C (my EC port is a x1 1.0)
- GTX560 OC 1GB GDDR5
(PALIT GTX 560 OC and 2GB Review by VR-Zone.com)
- ASX PSU

Aims and Problems:
1. my main motivation for this would be to run games on a larger resolution (1920 x 1080) with decent (need not be tip-top) graphics and fps.. my current 520M that came with the laptop lags terribly whenever i go above its native resolution of (1366 x 768), and it can't be overclocked much. Diablo 3 beta and starcraft 2 can barely run above the minimum settings at the higher resolution =/

2. i'm not sure if getting the GTX560 OC 1GB GDDR5 will be worthwhile, because i'm not sure if the x1 1.0 EC will be a significant bottleneck. Would i be better off with my native GT520M card?

Thanks in advance to any kind souls who can help me with this! (:
- Jayax

[User Retired 2]

has anyone made an unmounting program yet, when ran it switches back to intel hd graphics and allows you to dismount the graphics card ie unplug expresscard 34 while HOT?

*some* system's bios sets expresscard slot config registers such that the eject devices systemtray icon will show the eGPU making unplugging very easy. Your 2760P, like my 2560P, won't have that set.

The method to use there use is to disable the eGPU in Device Manager, then unplug. devcon can be used to automated it into a single click of a shortcut on your desktop.

My current Fujitsu Lifebook SH761 specs:

Planned eGPU:
- PE4H 2.4 from BPlus Tech with EC2C (my EC port is a x1 1.0)

2. i'm not sure if getting the GTX560 OC 1GB GDDR5 will be worthwhile, because i'm not sure if the x1 1.0 EC will be a significant bottleneck. Would i be better off with my native GT520M card?

There's a Fujitsu AH531 implementation on the first page that has similar specs (ie: iGPU+GT520M dGPU+eGPU). You should also be getting a PE4L 2.1b instead of the PE4H 2.4 to gain the doubling of bandwidth your Series-6 chipset can provide, ie: x1.2Opt.

A GTX560 has the same cores with slightly upped clocks as a GTX460-1GB. The latter usually available for low prices on the s/h market. So it only makes sense then to jump up to a GTX560Ti (384 cores) or get a s/h GTX460-1GB (336 cores) overclock edition. A s/h GTX460 is the highest bang-per-buck card for eGPU implementations.