DIY eGPU experiences

**fulloffeel** · 9th April 2011, 02:59 PM

well, here it is.
i got it to work

1. I had to use better power supply. (with 2GB RAM)
2. Use Vidock 1.x for Memory fix (with 4GB RAM)

however, upon restart, sometiems it shows error 43. (about 50% chance)
i haven't been able to figure out why.

i will update once i figure it out.

**Moerf** · 9th April 2011, 07:12 PM

Hello,
First of all: Thank you all so very much for all the work and effort you put into your DIY external graphics solutions!
It was a great pleasure to read all the exciting information over the last year and a bit And then it was an even greater pleasure to realize such a setup myself recently.

First I'm going to show you some scores and some pictures and describe my current setup.
Then I'd like to ask a few questions, as I am not 100% satisfied with the solution right now and would ask for some help.
Here go the numbers:
My rig is a Dell Inspiron 1520, with 3 Gb of RAM and Windows 7 32 Bit and a Core 2 Duo P8300 with 2.4 GHz and 6 MB L2 Cache, a GeForce 8600mGT is built in.
This Dell has 1 PCI-E 1x Expresscard Slot and 3 fully connected mini PCI-E 1x card connectors. I am running a 2x setup with the PE4H, 1 EC2C and 1 PM3N and a passively (so very, very silent

) cooled GeForce GTS 450.
More on that after the scores.

[UPDATE] see here

Originally Posted by Moerf

I really did forget to disable the HDMI-sound and did that now. I also updated my graphic cards' drivers to the latest version that may be the cause for the large bum in the 3D Mark Vantage scores...

for updated benchmark figures after deactivating HDMI audio [/UPDATE]

3D Mark 06
PCI E 1x = 4687
PCI E 2x = 7205 (+54%)
http://s7.directupload.net/images/110410/tpm8uk55.png

3D Mark Vantage Gpu Score
PCI E 1x = 4544
PCI E 2x = 5630 (+24%)

3D Mark Vantage CPU Score
PCI E 1x = 4159
PCI E 2x = 4269 (+2,6%)

3D Mark Vantage Overall Score
PCI E 1x = 4441
PCI E 2x = 5214 (+17%)
http://s1.directupload.net/images/110410/gcjvzlxx.png

RE 5 DX9
PCI E 1x = 37.4 http://s1.directupload.net/images/110410/6v23w7kl.jpg
PCI E 2x = 45.5 (+22%) http://s7.directupload.net/images/110410/fndqxo96.jpg

DMC DX10
PCI E 1x = 58.2 http://s7.directupload.net/images/110410/vx6p2ad6.jpg
PCI E 2x = 69.1 (+19%) Directupload.net - Dvyp7lnyn.jpg

Everest 1x http://s7.directupload.net/images/110410/pou5ozkb.png
Everest 2x http://s7.directupload.net/images/110410/swzs8l8j.png

Okay now more info on the setup as promised.
As I already mentioned I am using the 2x setup. This works very well as the EC2C is connected to port #4 and one of the free WWAN/WPAN slots is at port #3. I just moved the WLAN card from port #2 to port #1 as port #2 "disappears" after initiating the x2 setup. The WLAN card does not have any problems with that.
First I tried around a little bit and found that my Toshiba AC 120W adapter did not work as I thought and so I am using an ATX power supply now. I did not have time to further investigate this so far.
After that my video card was detected. I started up and could install all the drivers without any problems.
To enable PCIE 2x I activated the 2x mode. Then my graphics card was gone. So I rebooted back to the DIY ViDock setup and there it appeared again. But now port #4 was back again. I needed to deactivate it and then I could chainload to Win 7. Please refer to the attached pictures of the process.

Update: I forgot to add some pictures.
DIY setup @ 1x before reboot http://s1.directupload.net/images/110410/v83sidi9.jpg
DIY setup @ 1x, enable 2x http://s1.directupload.net/images/110410/igx7xuuq.jpg
DIY setup @ 1x, enable 2x, wait for refresh http://s1.directupload.net/images/110410/34edzypp.jpg
DIY setup @ 2x before reboot http://s1.directupload.net/images/110410/fvuaeob6.jpg
DIY setup @ 2x after reboot http://s7.directupload.net/images/110410/z4hlvyvv.jpg
DIY setup @ 2x after reboot: port 4 disable http://s1.directupload.net/images/110410/b6lj69ae.jpg
DIY setup @ 2x after reboot and port4 disable http://s7.directupload.net/images/110410/m3tgh8ft.jpg
Picture from external setup http://s1.directupload.net/images/110410/qqkcwqbs.jpg
Picture from mPCIe cable http://s7.directupload.net/images/110410/a3vky54l.jpg

/Update

Okay now to the downsides of my setup:
1st: I could not get PCI compaction to work properly (tried 32 and 36 bit compaction at the GTS 450). I had to turn off at least the internal LAN network controller and RICOH card reader hub to get the card working. Any suggestions what else I could try maybe? Does not really bother me at the moment but surely when the next LAN party will happen ^^.
2nd: I lose the PCIE 2x setup every time I go to Standby or Hibernate. That really bugs me a lot as I have to repeat the aforementioned steps at least once a day if I do not want to waste energy and keep my setup on 24/7.
And also there is about an 80% chance, that I cannot get back from standby, as the whole system freezes. Hibernate works all the time though.
Luckily my system does not really make noise at least as the passively cooled GTS450 really is an amazing thing! My roommates 4570 is a real jet engine in comparison ^^
Is there any way to alter the port setup from Windows 7 ? Or does anyone of you has an idea how I could
a) automate the startup that he does the necessary steps on its own (1. enable 2x, 2. reboot, 3. disable port #4, 4. start win7)?
b) Go into the DIY menu _before_ return from hibernation (I would like to avoid shutdown, even though I have a SSD HDD which makes booting very, very fast luckily.)?

I tried to achieve b) now for the whole day and I am really frustrated at the moment. I simply cannot figure out how to correctly initialize GRUB, or GRUB2 with the DIY-image-file so I could try to hibernate, then load the DIY-Setup, do all the stuff, reboot again, deactivate port 4 and chainload Windows 7.
I did try for example to boot a Ubuntu Live CD and install GRUB2. But I could not convince it to even boot up the menu … I think it could have been a problem that the Windows 7 hidden boot partition uses a "Boot"-directory, while GRUB2 wants to use "boot" but is not case sensitive (!!!!!) at least if I use "find".
Then I used a trick and installed Androidx86 which enabled at least a GRUB environment for me to use. But there I just could not get the DIY-Img to boot. I tried to mount it with "kernel /memdisk.bin" and "initrd /DIY/DIY.img" which did not work at all as well….
Luckily GRUB2, GRUB and GRUB4DOS don't share the same features, options ore commands *sigh*…

(((

Thanks again (especially nando4) and I would be glad to answer any questions or try some new things

**User Retired 2** · 10th April 2011, 12:56 AM

Originally Posted by Moerf

/Update

Okay now to the downsides of my setup:
... I would be glad to answer any questions or try some new things

Congratulations on your x2 setup. I am a little surprised by how low your RE5 result is. Consider there's a T7300@2.2+GTS450 RE5=57.0 result on the first page. Did you disable HDMI audio during your benchmarking? Could you re-test and update your benchmarks if not.

Firstly, your dissatifaction with initialising the x2 mode as it is now. You can automate your process by using the 'automated startup via startup.bat' Setup 1.x bootitem, creating a 2-pass method. Edit your \config\startup.bat to contain the contents below.

Code:

:: Create a 2-pass startup.bat that checks if do_second.txt exists.
:: if do_second.txt exists then do_second. If not then do_first.

if exist %DRV%:\do_second.txt goto do_second

:do_first
  echo [first-run] Pls re-run Setup 1.x to do second-run after the reboot ...
  echo ===========
  echo.
  :: Create file so next run will "do_second" part
  echo do_second > %DRV%:\do_second.txt

  :: Enable x2 on port3 and then reboot
  :: Setup 1.0e8 or earlier uses 'restart' to do a reboot
  :: Setup 1.0e9+ uses 'reboot' command to do a reboot
  call iport x2 3
  restart
  :: restart means this line of code never gets executed

:do_second
  echo [second-run] Pls select Win7 bootitem upon completion . . .
  echo ============
  echo.
  :: Delete do_second.txt so next run will do_first
  del %DRV%:\do_second.txt

  :: Disable port4 which bios has enabled after reboot
  call iport off 4

  :: Confirm GTX460 is connected
  call waitvid 60 10de:0e22

  :: Load PCI dump if hotplugging the GTX460 and need it 'configured'
  :: call pcicap -d 10de:0e22

  :: Perform last PCI compaction as done via Setup menus
  call pci.bat

  :: Chainload to Win7 bootloader menu
  call grub4dos w7

Now your workaround of requiring the reboot to see your GTS450 after setting x2 mode might be solvable. Try unplugging lane1 mini HDMI on PE4H and only plugging it in with the GTS450 running after setting up your x2 link, even try using setting x1E mode instead. x1E is the same as x2 but doesn't do the PCI Hot reset. If that doesn't fix it then the problem is the CLKRUN signal is being set by the PM3N even when nothing is connected. A PM3N 1.2 scheduled for later this month will have a 0/7/15s delay to setup your ports prior to starting CLKRUN which will hopefully remove the need for the reboot. I have asked hwtools to only set CLKRUN when the mini HDMI cable is connected but they probably won't implement that.

The standby issue with ports being reset back to x1 is something I've seen. Some systems maintain the ports in x2 mode. Dell systems do not. The simple and recommended solution is to restart via DIY ViDock Setup 1.x. It would otherwise require an 'iport' equivalent command in Windows to be made which can be done by using r-w everything to do the mem and PCI writes and devcon to disable/enable windows devices.

Some implementation improvements you could consider:

Change to do a x2 setup using p1+2. Port3 and port4 then remain as x1 ports so could use port3 for your wifi and port4 (expresscard) for other things. Advantage with that port setup is you could enable x2E mode (x4 using p1+2+3+4 - only first two lanes) to get another 15-30% performance. You would however need another PM3N to do that.
Do a x4 setup. Yes.. you are one of only two systems identified with a port layout capable of doing it. That would net you another 15-30% performance over x2E. You'd need another 3xPM3Ns and 2 mini HDMI cables.
if doing a x2E or x4 setup then your wifi would be knocked out. Appears the Inspiron 1520 port3 has USB pins connected so could get a US$15 USB mPCIE-based wifi adapter to use in that slot OR just use an external USB dongle.
do a dual-IDA (DI) CPU overclock to get your T8300-2.4 to 2.6-DI . Could go one step further and do a TME-unlock PLL pinmod (see Inspiron 1525) to get your T8300-2.4/2.6-DI to 3.2/3.4-DI or beyond. At that level you'd be seeing i5 equivalent performance. Other than the CPU performance improvement, the TME-unlock will allow you to do a pci-e overclock as well. I found a 25% pci-e overclock gave up to 20% more FPS with my GTX460 setup.
Get a $100/$130 GTX460-1GB with 336 cores. Your x2/x2E/x4 link widths giving a GTX460 some breathing space to show it's +50% performance advantage over a GTS450.

**tpro** · 10th April 2011, 04:47 AM

Originally Posted by beq_bb

Nando thank you for the replies... And i wanna ask one last question :P
You said that i should install xp drivers right?
So it means install 64bit xp drivers on 64bi win7?
Or i should install xp OS
Because i'm trying to install 64bit xp driver on win7 but it's not working. /sorry that i'm asking this dumb questions. I'm a total newbie

/
And again thank you for your solutions and replies

Did you try to disable some mpcie devices? (for reallocation)

By the way thanks. i'm using VPCEB12FD. Waiting for your benchmarking with 2 GB ram.

**KipCoo** · 10th April 2011, 05:54 AM

Anybody have results with newer laptops with the sandy bridge processors. I really think that a 2720qm laptop would be ideal since the processor won't bottleneck the graphics card.

**5584_user** · 10th April 2011, 07:21 AM

Nevermind. Thank you.

**tpro** · 10th April 2011, 09:05 AM

Originally Posted by KipCoo

Anybody have results with newer laptops with the sandy bridge processors. I really think that a 2720qm laptop would be ideal since the processor won't bottleneck the graphics card.

Here you go : http://forum.notebookreview.com/gami...ml#post7344955

EDIT: Does the w/ means with? Sorry for posting if this was wrong.

**ghost2k10** · 10th April 2011, 10:56 AM

Hi Guys, i got sony vaio vpc-s11v9e and i want buy PE4H-EC2C ver2.4 Package , but with cable 1m. does it matter how long that cable it its?
and what Gpu i should buy? thx.

**5584_user** · 10th April 2011, 11:47 AM

Hi guys/gals,

Is it possible to me to run x2? Screenshot below:

Southbridge Intel 82801GHM (ICH7-M/U)
Vista 32-bit with 4gb ram

I'm wiling to lose my wifi feature.

Thanks for any advice

**Moerf** · 10th April 2011, 01:17 PM

Hello Nando4,
Thank you so much for your inputs.
Are you working in this field or are you "just" an enthusiast? I mean it looks like you spend a looot of time helping us people out and you really know what you are doing