DIY eGPU experiences

[Skiddy]

It is actually a GMA HD (or is it the same thing with different names?)

[User Retired 2]

Edit: The card IS NOT broken, I'm using a 400w PSU with a 12v rail that is only at 15amps. It needs 20amps to run properly. Everything is just fine, gonna buy a new PSU and report back here! Thanks sunneh!

GTS450 was found to require < 120W by techpowerup or 12V/10A so the problem may not be your PSU. I found I'd get blackouts and system freezes when my GTX470 was power starved. The only time I saw strange results like yours is when I overclocked my HD5750 beyond a point of stability. Worth underclocking the GTS450 to see if you've got a poor GF106 chip or VRAM. If so, then have identify a good reason to RMA the card.

I didn't have an HDMI cable attached from my 5870 to my monitor, only the VGA from my laptop to the monitor. That may be what is wrong.

EDIT:
My monitor doesn't have HDMI. Will DVi work?

I don't use DVI but figure it should work just as well.

I have a lenovo y460, and according to Everest port 4 is free, while port 3 is not listed (ports 1,2, and 5 are taken up). Is the missing port the expresscard slot? Is it supposed to show up if not in use?

Also, has anyone tried to run an external setup powered by one of these?
Newegg.com - ePOWER EP-450CD 450W ATX12V / EPS12V Modular Power Supply - Power Supplies

You'd be the first to do a Y460 implementation. Your expresscard slot will be port4. The Y460 schematic shows you have another mPCie slot in which case you might want to swap the wifi into it and see what, if any, port it appears in Everest as. If have accessible port1+2, 3+4 or 5+6 then could even do a x2 1.0 Optimus setup.

The PSU looks good. Cheap and compact. You'd also need to provide up to 75W to drive the pci-e slot. That is supplied to the PE4L/PE4H via the floppy molex plug. The PE4L/PE4H comes with a floppy molex to molex (male), so you'd need a molex(female)+molex(female) adapter to plug it into the male molex plug.

I have a HP 2540P, which is close to what you have. Do I understand correctly that a PE4L + an Nvidia GT4xx is the best solution for me, with possibly optimus? I read on the official vidock compatibility list that I will have to limit my RAM to only 2GB, though?

Yes a PE4L/PE4H + NVidia GTX4xx or GTS4xx would be the best solution. The 2540P's Intel HD graphics would unlock the Optimus enhancements: higher performance+internal LCD use. You'd have no 4GB issues either with latest drivers. Just suspend Win7, poweron the DIY ViDock, and resume.

[Skiddy]

Thanks for the prompt answer Nando!

I should try this by the end of October. I first need to check whether I can boot from a caddy'ed HDD on top of the original HDD (the latter being under administrative rights - work computer..hence me wanting 2 bootable OS-)

[User Retired 2]

Thanks for the prompt answer Nando!

I should try this by the end of October. I first need to check whether I can boot from a caddy'ed HDD on top of the original HDD (the latter being under administrative rights - work computer..hence me wanting 2 bootable OS-)

not DIY ViDock related

The 2510P/2530P/2540P bios allows boot from the optical drive, or caddied HDD. So you'll have a drive to do all your non-work activity stuff on. US$18 9.5mm ebay Fenvi caddies can do the job but you'd miss out on the extra USB port the HP caddy provides. The optical drive faceplate can be swapped over for a perfect apperance or if want to hotswap with the optical drive, then the ebay caddy's standard faceplate provides an underside gap, a nice latch on point for your fingertips.

[LegendaryKA8]

Okay... I've been poking around on the Vidock option for a little while, trying to figure out what might fit my needs the best. Here's the details for my usage profile. Apologies if this doesn't totally fit inside the DIY scope of the thread:

I need any external GPU setup to be able to be lugged around frequently. This for me excludes a DIY setup, as I do not want an exposed GPU card and power supply rattling around in my bag. I don't have the fabrication skills or tools at all to make a case for one, so I'm left with choosing a commercial Vidock option.

I'm looking at the Vidock4 Plus, as it seems to be able to take the most potent power supply. Since both of my notebooks have an Intel X4500(My T400 is switchable; any foreseeable problems with this?), I'd like to be able to use Optimus in order to display output to the notebook's internal display(ie: I don't want to use an external monitor).

It looks like the best available card to do this with is the GTX460. However, I'm looking at this thread here that seems to indicate the GTX460 is going to have power supply issues with the Vidock 4 Plus. Can anyone confirm this? And, if so, what would be the best route to rectify this? Is there an alternate video card I'd have to look at, sacrificing GPU power, or could I manage to find a replacement power supply for higher output?

[Soyaku]

Not sure if it makes a different, but I am using EVGA GTS 450. It was just what I was told in a support ticket. They also mentioned it would cause the effects that I've been experiencing. In whichever case, I have to test the card out on a different PSU. Hopefully it is the problem, if not, then I'll just RMA it.

Here's my card and some info on it: http://www.evga.com/products/moreinf...01G-P3-1458-TR

[User Retired 2]

I need any external GPU setup to be able to be lugged around frequently. This for me excludes a DIY setup, as I do not want an exposed GPU card and power supply rattling around in my bag. I don't have the fabrication skills or tools at all to make a case for one, so I'm left with choosing a commercial Vidock option.

Based on the Vidock3/4/4+ specification sheet, we see the dimensions of the AC adapter tells us the Vidock4 uses a 12V/150W adapter and the Vidock4+ uses a 12V/75W and a 12V/150W adapter. Given your requirement for maximum portability you'd want a Vidock4 and a GTS450 (< 120W). That would cost you US$400 total.

Same setup can be done for US$220 as a DIY setup. A small lunchbox could easily accomodate all the parts just requiring basic handyman tools such as a box cutter/coping saw, drill and doublesided tape to make a DIY enclosure. Add cutouts to access the HDMI port, mini HDMI connector and cloverleaf power jack + coolings vents. The DIY setup with the extra advantage of using a detachable and replacable mini HDMI cable to connect to the system. Could also add your own custom branding stickers to the enclosure The DIY enclosure could easily be done for $20, saving you US$160 to put towards a Sandy Bridge notebook.

[LegendaryKA8]

Interesting. However, is there a huge performance difference between the GTS450 and the GTX460 when used through this setup? I'd think that the limited bandwidth of the ExpressCard slot would make only a marginal performance difference, am I right?

[User Retired 2]

Interesting. However, is there a huge performance difference between the GTS450 and the GTX460 when used through this setup? I'd think that the limited bandwidth of the ExpressCard slot would make only a marginal performance difference, am I right?

If you had a x1 1.0 non-Optimus setup, then I'd say it really would not be worth going a GTX460 over a GTS450.

However, you can do x1 1.0 Optimus where we see a GTX460 can get 3dmarkvantage.gpu > 10k as shown on the first post. A GTS450 can only ever get a 8.5k score with a x16 2.0 link.

So if you can figure a way to make a portable GTX460 setup then it does offer up to 50% more performance than a GTS450. Your Optimus x1 1.0 setup will have bandwidth to use that extra performance.

[LegendaryKA8]

Interesting. And, does the ViDock4+ use the case as well as two power adapters(I'm assuming they're 'bricks' like notebooks have)? Would that setup have enough juice to drive the 460GTX? I could deal with a couple of notebook power adapters if need be; most of the use would be me moving around the house and an occasional trip out to a friend's house or LAN party. Even if I built the case myself and wanted to use a GTX460, would there be a way to avoid using a full desktop PSU?