DIY eGPU experiences

[Kuro-D]

@moogleassassin

Im not gonna comment on the vidock, here there is more focus on the DIY solution.

To answer some questions.. The updated drivers includes optimus capability out of the gate. The better nvidia card, the better.. The gtx670 is awesome. The expresscard slot does not get hot at all. x1.2opt is what we want right now, It basically requires a series 6/7 intel chipset, with intergrated graphics, and a expresscard x1 adaptor device (like the pe4l) that is 2.0 compliant + a newer nvidia card.

Personally I think you should get a gtx670 + PE4L 2.1b + mod a xbox360 203w psu to have the 2x 6pin molex + floppy connector. (i modded one, its fairly easy, portable, look good.)

[moogleassassin]

tbh I'm open to the idea of not going down the ViDock route, the only reason I was looking at that was because it:

a) comes in a case
b) includes the PSU
c) and most importantly.... I'm lazy

for argument sake do you mean this xbox PSU? - Amazon.com: AC Power Supply for Microsoft XBOX 360: Video Games

Even if I buy the 2.1, get an xbox 360 PSU.... I still need an enclosure for the graphics card. It needs to be as small as possible as I'm a consultant and every so often I'll need to carry it around with me to hotels and such.

I've looked on the 1st page at the list of enclosures, but they all seem either vapourware or fugly :P

EDIT - At this point I would be happy to pay the $$ for the ViDock just for the half decent looking enclosure and integrated power supply (actually... can anyone confirm it is integrated?). I suppose the important question at this point is whether the ViDock use 2.1b? I guess that is a question for the Village people :P

[Kuro-D]

I see your point, and without some work, your are not gonna get that professional look you'd want from a DIY solution without some work. A commercial version like the v dock might be better for you, just for the aesthetics (just remember not to ask here for support on that hardware specifically, it will likely be ignored)

[moogleassassin]

Well I can understand that, after all its not specifically a DIY solution but it is an eGPU solution that still requires a reasonable amount of knowledge to sort out.

Assuming I go ahead with it, I'll contribute my experiences and maybe it will help someone else in my position. If people want to ignore it then that's fine as well

back on topic - is anyone able to answer my above questions (post 10333) about the 1.0, 1.2Opt and the meanings? I'm still a little unclear.

Cheers

[LoneNF]

Afternoon all,
6) Continuing on from that last question, I am confused on the PCIe 1.0 and the PCIe 2.0. According to the Page 1 listing the Intel Series 6 and Series 7 chipsets both have PCIe 2.0 (5GT/s) and the PCIe 2.0 corresponds to x1.2Opt for additional bandwidth - again - is this related to the ExpressCard slot speed? How can I check?

Cheers

Yes it is related.
PCIe 2.0 means normally, that you have ExpressCard v2.0 also.
So, if you see for some laptop in the table in the first post x1.2Opt, these laptops have ExpressCard v2.0
Check? In the specifications of the laptop...
I think, the X230 will have ExpressCard v2.0, if it still will have ExpressCard slot. I read some people talking about future PCIe 3.0 in some laptops...

[tamirt7138]

I've linked your intro and my reply to BPlus as something they could perhaps integrate your technology with their hardware. Though you could come up with your own wireless PE4L 2.1b equivalent hardware since it's simple enough.

As for the software configuration side (error 12, anti-whitelisting, etc) happy to discuss Setup 1.x offline if you wish. Just get your post count to over 5 so PM will work.

we have been running wireless GPUs for a while, used to work nicely in XP, broke completely on Vista and back again on Win7, but now, with newer machines we can't get over code 12...I tried to get system memory down to 2G, but still got code 12, we also see that with specific GPU, the notebook won't even boot from cold

we do have an additional complexity since in our case the GPU is behind a PCIe switch

what I had in mind is to get your help to set it up and show a prototype of thin client running high end game, all wire-free...I think this would be nice addition to this great thread

so, to use PM, I need posts>5?

[kizwan]

so, to use PM, I need posts>5?

Yes, you need to have at least 5 post to be able to use PM system. You already have 3 posts, 2 more. Next reply, please post the list of GPU you have tried. And for another post, post your new computer specification. There you go, 5 posts. Then you just need to wait script/crontab running at the midnight (to allow you to use PM). After that you can PM nando.

[MonWin]

Hey
First i've to say, your are one of the best forum i ever read.

With your help i build my one e-gpu solution and I'm testing it in this moment.

Now a little question, how can i see that optimus is enabled?

Is optimus automaticly enbaled if i use nvidia drivers?

[moogleassassin]

Hi Monwin,

I think one of the easiest ways to test to see Optimus is enabled is to:

1) Open the Nvidia Control Panel
2) Select "3D Settings"->"Manage 3D Settings"
3) Look at the "preferred graphics processor" drop down and see if both the integrated and discrete graphics are listed and selectable for specific applications.

Cheers

[600X]

I've got a question:

Let's say I don't want to connect my eGPU via ExpressCard. Can I use a different Adapter instead, like a mini HDMI to Displayport or mini HDMI to HDMI?