DIY eGPU experiences

[jamesbond007]

Here is the diag files you requested
Diag.rar.
I have an intel motherboard. it is a pm45 ichm9. Also i was wondering how to i go about using the new method of chainloading that you mentioned earlier. Do i have to edit the grub4dos or remove it? i am not familiar with the grub application so i a unsure how to do what you mention earlier. Thanks anyway for all the help you have provided so far. You have been extremely helpful.

[wilse]

Originally Posted by nando4

Great feedback. If you're not going to buy another PM3N to do a x2 link using port1+port2, can you attach the PM3N you already have to port1, ensuring nothing is physically connected to port2, switch port1 into x2 mode and do x1E benchmarks? I found x1E gives 15-30% better benchmarks. Though games like NFS Shift's performance is far better at x1E than than those 15-30% benchmarks would indicate. I'm assume your port1 doesn't need any PCI relocation, exactly like your port4 has functioned so far. So only need the following. Can even remove the iport scan lines since they are just for visual inspection.

iport scan
iport x2 1
iport scan
grub4dos w7

Sure, I'll add in x1E benchmarks if I can get it working this weekend, no problem!

A couple quick feedbacks on the new DIYVidock Setup:

-When running "devcon" on Win 7 64-bit, you have to make sure to use the cmd.exe in C:\Windows\SysWOW64 if you want to use the 64-bit version of devcon. Even on Win 7 64-bit, typing "cmd" from the run/start menu gives the 32-bit version of cmd.exe, and the 64-bit version of devcon won't work.

-My monitor takes a bit to, um, "wake up," on a reboot - would you consider making the timer for menu selection a bit longer in the next version? 5 seconds goes by pretty quick!

Again, great release and thanks much! Really cool to read through and see all that has been accomplished by a couple dedicated individuals.

[nando4]

Originally Posted by wilse

-When running "devcon" on Win 7 64-bit, you have to make sure to use the cmd.exe in C:\Windows\SysWOW64 if you want to use the 64-bit version of devcon. Even on Win 7 64-bit, typing "cmd" from the run/start menu gives the 32-bit version of cmd.exe, and the 64-bit version of devcon won't work.

-My monitor takes a bit to, um, "wake up," on a reboot - would you consider making the timer for menu selection a bit longer in the next version? 5 seconds goes by pretty quick!

Just edit \config.sys and change the line "menudefault=RUN,5" where the 5 is 5 seconds to whatever delay time you like, eg: 10 for 10 seconds.

Great feedback on the 64-bit version of cmd. Thank you! I didn't even know that was an issue since i run Win7/32. Documentation has been updated.

Originally Posted by jamesbond007

Here is the diag files you requested
Diag.rar.
I have an intel motherboard. it is a pm45 ichm9. Also i was wondering how to i go about using the new method of chainloading that you mentioned earlier. Do i have to edit the grub4dos or remove it? i am not familiar with the grub application so i a unsure how to do what you mention earlier. Thanks anyway for all the help you have provided so far. You have been extremely helpful.

OK - I've created a package you can use to overwrite the beta grub with the previous grub. See NOTE - BETA grub version here. If this older grub version presents problems still then it's a matter of working through the \core\menu.w7 contents until can get grub4dos to chainload on your system. 'help grub4dos' will bring up the full and lengthy grub4dos documentation to help you. Change 'debug 0' in \core\menu.w7 to 'debug 9' will give more debug messages.

Your system's 9800M GTS occupies 2x256MB (Cxxx.Dxxx windows). Compact can only free up 128MB with 4GB installed using 32-bit compaction. Nvidia allows 64-bit allocation so just need to move the 9800M to 64-bit space to create room for your attached HD5850 (1002 6899) in 32-bit space. Do that, with your HD5850 attached by running one of the following, then can just chainload your os with 'grub4dos w7'.

compact import \core\devcon.txt force32 1002 6899
compact pciend 310000000 import \core\devcon.txt force32 1002 6899

Once successful, just add 'makebatch \core\pci.bat' to end of the correct commandline to get a setpci-based output file. So then can just do 'call \core\pci.bat' to setup your PCI configuration without needing to do any further runs of compact with the HD5850 attached.

[SRG01]

Originally Posted by nando4

My opinion is that a Intel x1 1.0 link gets seriously bottlenecked when rendering multiple textures simultaneously. Benchmarks may show a HD5770 is faster than a HD5670 but both will crawl in heavy texture games. An Intel x1E link is noticably better and would be worth a HD57x0 or better investment. A x2 link providing more breathing space yet again. Hoping we get some x1E/x2 HD58xx benchmarks posted to show just how much better a HD58xx is over a HD57xx.

If your port2 is an expresscard slot then can do a x2 link by combining with your wifi port1. Only way to confirm if the expresscard is port2 is to plug a pci-e expresscard (not USB) e-sata or USB 3.0 into, or DIY ViDock, and see what it come up as in Everest.

Can use the DIY ViDock Setup v1.0b to see if you have a free 256MB window to host an ATI card in < 4GB space. "free@xxxxxx(yyyMiB)" shown on the menu (which I didn't capture in the screenshot - need to do that again) will inform you how much PCI space is free atm. Selecting any of the compaction methods will then change that number. You want yyy to say 256MiB or more. 3GB won't be a problem (that's 4x256MB windows available for devices which should provide at least 1x256MB to be free). It's only if you have 4GB or more that you'd need to confirm a 256MB window is free, or can be made free, by performing PCI compaction.

If I understand you correctly, are you saying that my current configuration is set for PCI and not PCI-e? Or are you referring to something different when you say x1E?

I will try to find a pci-e expresscard to test...

[jamesbond007]

tried the grub files that created. and it worked perfectly now. I tried running the x2 config and then chainloading it does it successfully. The problem is still in the resources allocation though. I tried both the recommended command you gave but the first one say no resource allocated while the second did say there was 512mb allocation for less than 4 gb but when i chainload it it hangs during windows loading screen. Would it be easier if i installed a 64bit os instead. Also i tried disabling the 9800m gts but it still hangs. Any suggestion as what would the next step would be. Thanks

editing: I also notice that even with 2gb of ram if i shut down my pc and then on it again and boot the card it say i don't have enough resources. Only after i restart after that will it work

[ruhtraeel]

Hooray, I won the 5870 for $366 including shipping.

[jamesbond007]

congratulations. enjoy you improved performance.

[nando4]

Originally Posted by jamesbond007

tried the grub files that created. and it worked perfectly now. I tried running the x2 config and then chainloading it does it successfully. The problem is still in the resources allocation though. I tried both the recommended command you gave but the first one say no resource allocated while the second did say there was 512mb allocation for less than 4 gb but when i chainload it it hangs during windows loading screen. Would it be easier if i installed a 64bit os instead. Also i tried disabling the 9800m gts but it still hangs. Any suggestion as what would the next step would be. Thanks

Does that mean you have a HD5850 setup running at x2 using 2GB only?

Yes. Win7/64 is recommended since we are doing 64-bit NVidia allocation. Win7/32 might work, but I'm not sure if the NVidia driver is PAE compatible (Intel 45000MHD driver is).

So With your 9800M, you can only have a 128MB window after compaction in 32-bit space. So have two options:

1. (32-bit compaction - 'compact pciend 100000000') Try to get the 9800M to use only a 256MB window. For some reason it's using 512mb. Is it a SLI config? If so, can you remove one of the 9800M units to liberate 256MB?

2. (64-bit compaction - 'compact pciend 310000000'). Need to relocate your 9800M to 64-bit. Unfortunately when use compact with this commandline it can move other devices to 64-bit, which may cause your hang. So need to use 'force32 ' to force any of those other devices to 32-bit space.

It would be a matter of trial and error to get a working solution. Ensure you use 'import \core\devcon.txt' for all compact commands as well to ensure freeze-free operation.

[jamesbond007]

yes i have tried both a 5770 and a 5850 with x2 on 2gb and they work perfectly except for the for the problem i mention above. It is not sli. its a single card.
just to confirm. The process is i boot the diy vidock boot usb.
i select option 3 which is the dos prompt
Then i type
compact pciend 310000000 import \core\devcon.txt force32 1002 6899
then once it is done i chainload.
I tried the 32bit compaction and i still got the no resource allocated mesage. With the 64 bit one i got the massage "largest empty pci range <4gib @c0000000 size 512.00mb" Then when i chainload as i mention earlier it hangs. Maybe i will try and see with a 64bit os. look llike i have to reformat my pc later to install the os.

[nando4]

Originally Posted by jamesbond007

editing: I also notice that even with 2gb of ram if i shut down my pc and then on it again and boot the card it say i don't have enough resources. Only after i restart after that will it work

Means the pci-e configuration space isn't being reset properly. Might need a run of compact to do it for you, even with 2GB installed. ie: 'compact pciend 10000000 import \core\devcon.txt'

Originally Posted by jamesbond007

yes i have tried both a 5770 and a 5850 with x2 on 2gb and they work perfectly except for the for the problem i mention above. It is not sli. its a single card.
just to confirm. The process is i boot the diy vidock bo
Then i typeot usb.
i select option 3 which is the dos prompt
compact pciend 310000000 import \core\devcon.txt force32 1002 6899
then once it is done i chainload.
I tried the 32bit compaction and i still got the no resource allocated mesage. With the 64 bit one i got the massage "largest empty pci range <4gib @c0000000 size 512.00mb" Then when i chainload as i mention earlier it hangs. Maybe i will try and see with a 64bit os. look llike i have to reformat my pc later to install the os.

The diags you posted were without the HD5850/HD5770 attached. Can you run 'diag' again with either attached and post?

Whoah! Can't wait to get some benchmarks.

Yes.. could try 64-bit allocation, allocating 9800M to 64-bit space and HD5770/HD5850 to 32-bit space with Win7/64. Try each of the following, then use 'grub4dos w7'.

compact import \core\devcon.txt force32 1002 6899 force32 1002 68b8
compact import \core\devcon.txt force32 1002 6899 force32 1002 68b8 prohibit F0000000 10000000

You want compact to return "1 solution found". 0 solutions means it couldn't allocate all the pci-e devices, with the HD5770/HD5850 missing out.

Otherwise to get 32-bit compaction going would need to shrink the 9800M's 512MB window to 256MB (from C000-DFFF to be just C000-CFFF) to free up a 256MB window to accomodate your HD5770/HD5850. Not sure why the 9800M has been set to use a 512MB window to begin with. Try both compact lines, whichever works. The one with pciend F4000000 does not relocate system devices.

:: 256MB Window for 9800M GS
setpci -s 0:1.0 24.l=cfffc000
:: perform PCI compaction but don't change 9800M's allocation
compact pciend 100000000 import \core\devcon.txt preserve 10de 0628
compact pciend F4000000 import \core\devcon.txt preserve 10de 0628

* Note: preserve above may still not allocate the HD5770/HD5850 if it still wants a 512MB BAR. Hmm.. trying to figure what the 9800M needs to set it to have only a 256MB BAR defined.