DIY eGPU experiences

[elicash80]

I sell my PE4H 2.0a if someone is interested. But i'm located in Europe.

I am very interested if I can get it shipped to the US + the price for less than retail. My email is le_221@hotmail.com

[Khenglish]

Sorry that this thread seems like endless questions by noobs, but here are mine. Believe I have tried to figure this out, but have come up with a couple of different answers. I have intel HD with a 5 series chipset.

AIDA64 comes up with this PCI-E configuration

PCI-E 2.0 x1 port #1 In Use @ x1 (Realtek RTL8139/810x Fast Ethernet Adapter)
PCI-E 2.0 x1 port #2 In Use @ x1 (Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6250 AGN)
PCI-E 2.0 x1 port #3 Empty
PCI-E 2.0 x1 port #4 Empty
PCI-E 2.0 x1 port #5 In Use @ x1

1. Does this mean I can do a 3x4 and that my PCIe is 2.0 so potentially we are looking at x2 2.0? If this is not right what can I do - also this means I need the PE4H right?

2. If for some reason I can only a x1 1.0 configuration, is there a performance advantage of the PE4H 2.0 over the PE4L 1.5?

3. Is there such thing as x2 optimus or is it only for 1.0.

4. I would like to go with a better value Radeon card, but if I need Nvidia or it would give me much better performance for some reason please let me know. Once again I have intel HD graphics.

You technically have pci-e 2.0, but it can only run the 2.5gt/s rate. Only the 6 series 2.0 slots can do 5.0gt/s.

It doesn't matter if the expresscard is port 3 or 4 for x2. All it means is you switch the cables.

x1 optimus beats pure x2 in most cases, but loses to it in others. You can only do pure x2 with an Nvidia card. ATI cards have an odd problem where they must be set to x4 to see full x2 performance. You can only set x4 for an x2 link if the card is using ports 1 and 2. IMO go with optimus, unless you play WOW a lot, which is the only game I found x2 to have a significant advantage over x1 optimus.

You cannot do x2 optimus, but should be able to do x1 optimus. There is no performance difference when running x1 between the PE4L and PE4H, but many people prefer the PE4H anyway for the full size PCI-E slot.

[Mjolner]

OK I ordered the PE4H from harmonic inversion last thursday and I still have not received it and my order status reads "confirmed." I emailed their support and have gotten no response. It says it is in stock on their site, so I don't understand why it wouldn't have shipped yet since they claim to ship the next day.

[elicash80]

You technically have pci-e 2.0, but it can only run the 2.5gt/s rate. Only the 6 series 2.0 slots can do 5.0gt/s.

It doesn't matter if the expresscard is port 3 or 4 for x2. All it means is you switch the cables.

x1 optimus beats pure x2 in most cases, but loses to it in others. You can only do pure x2 with an Nvidia card. ATI cards have an odd problem where they must be set to x4 to see full x2 performance. You can only set x4 for an x2 link if the card is using ports 1 and 2. IMO go with optimus, unless you play WOW a lot, which is the only game I found x2 to have a significant advantage over x1 optimus.

You cannot do x2 optimus, but should be able to do x1 optimus. There is no performance difference when running x1 between the PE4L and PE4H, but many people prefer the PE4H anyway for the full size PCI-E slot.

Thank you so much. Ordering the PE4L to save a little money as it seems that even if I do the PE4H, I will not gain any performance and I do not play WOW.

My goal is a 40$ PE4L off ebay (hopefully they will accept my offer), a PSU from a my local computer recycling center and Nvidia off of ebay as well.

PS3 quality games on my portable for *hypothetically* $100 - We shall see.

[kimchoo]

Will need help from nando to take a look at your DIAG file. I the meantime, please try "FAQ #2: even after successful compaction I still get a error12 in windows"@DIY eGPU experiences

BTW, look like the WLAN port you're using for eGPU right now is whitelisted. Did you tried using the other mini-PCIe port (yellow circle)?

yeah, i did try to use the port u circled in that pic, but the egpu cant be detected even using power off and resume egpu method . ok mate, would try the solution u suggested . would report back to u when tried it . thanks mate

[serialk11r]

Okay today I took a break from homework, and soldered the wires on. It was rather difficult since the terminals they give clearly were not meant for soldering, and are spaced way too close. After a bit of struggling I got the wires soldered reasonably well (the joints are pretty bad, but there's not much I can do about it). Here are 2 pictures of my setup (sorry taken with my phone), the USB hub is to tell me if the power supply is working correctly...it's been having issues staying on with a very very light load.


I am experiencing an issue however, I get "This device cannot start. (Code 10)" under "Standard VGA Adapter". When I try to install the nVidia drivers they cannot detect the video card. Any help? I also apologize for the excessive image size.

[serialk11r]

Alright, I set it to Generation 1 instead of Automatic (PCI-e link speed) and it still has Error 10 D: Help?
EDIT: here is what it looks like in device manager...I'm not sure what the HD audio controller is doing there.


In a google search I found that some other guy with a GT240 had this issue on this thread as well, but no one responded publicly. I wonder if this is a GT240 issue...I have a GTX460 coming in the mail in about a week to see if that's the case.

[kimchoo]

yeah, i did try to use the port u circled in that pic, but the egpu cant be detected even using power off and resume egpu method . ok mate, would try the solution u suggested . would report back to u when tried it . thanks mate

OMG thank you mate , followed ur instructions and method , my egpu is miracally working now . thanks mate . but the performance is not quite satisfy ya , may be due to the bottleneck effect by my ultra low voltage intel cpu. anyway, so happy to have it working , thank you once again

[pappu6600]

Posting a screenshot of back of notebook:-



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

AIDA64 reported PCIe ports 1 & 2. To confirm this ports are physically available, you'll need to open the memory+WLAN compartment. Just flip your notebook, you should see the removable cover. Open it.

How to check mini-PCIe ports? What is x2? Sorry for not knowing technical term.

Now, you need to check the available mini-PCIe ports to confirm whether x2 is possible or not.

Is everything ok? If yes which kit should I buy? PE4H+EC2C V2 on ebay looks cheaper should I go for it?

Thanks.

[User Retired 2]

OMG thank you mate , followed ur instructions and method , my egpu is miracally working now . thanks mate . but the performance is not quite satisfy ya , may be due to the bottleneck effect by my ultra low voltage intel cpu. anyway, so happy to have it working , thank you once again

You can alter the TDP/TDC values on the i5-xxxUM CPU using Throttlestop, effectively engaging turbo boost permanently. The m11xR2 folks do that and see 35% better performance. Doing that plus ensuring you've used the modded Optimus driver should result in 3dmark06 > 11k and give overall quite good performance. If Optimus isn't engaging then the 3dmark06 result will be ~5k.

How to check mini-PCIe ports? What is x2? Sorry for not knowing technical term.

Vostro 1510 schematic shows port1=mPCIe and port2=expresscard. So you could do a x1E link using port1 (ATiAMD) or a x2 link using port1+2. It's based on the 965PM chipset so can't do a x1.Opt link.

Before investing in the eGPU hardware consider if you want to do a system upgrade to one with 4500MHD, Intel HD or HD3000 so can run a simpler x1.Opt eGPU instead. Core2Duo systems with a 4500MHD iGPU go for very little $$ these days. Even Sandy Bridge systems can be had for a little over US$400 (Fujitsu AH531, Lenovo E520/E420, HP Probook 4530s, Dell Vostro 3550/3450) which when coupled even with a basic GTS450/GTX460 will outperform any eGPU setup you could do on the Vostro 1510 by quite a margin.