DIY eGPU experiences

[wmjt22]

The Studio 14z uses the same chipset as a XPS 1340 (a NVidia MCP79). There are two example implementations of those on the first page so very likely your system shouldn't be problematic. The good news is this system doesn't have a crippled Intel x1 1.0 link so you'd get the equivalent of the faster x1E-tweaked performance with an ATiAMD card.

Excellent, thank you. I really appreciate the help. You have a great thread here and I'm sure I'm not alone in gratitude for all the help you have provided.

[isurge2005uk]

I've been playing around with eGPU setup and considering whether I can get optimus to work of my laptop.

I have currently got the current config working.
Win 7 64 bit
Lenovo T400
Intel Core 2 Duo T9900 3.06ghz
8gb RAM
iGPU Intel GMA 4500MHD\ dGPU ATI 3450 Hybrid[disabled]
eGPU Nvidia GTS450 1GB 1x1.1 (Expresscard Slot [pcie - p4])

I have have (just about) been able to get the the eGPU working on p5 as I have a lenovo advanced dock which enables access to this. However it is not completely stable and I'd love to be able to run optimus.

Hoever each time I try I am able to get all 4 display out puts working i.e. 2x eGPU 2xiGPU at once with the iGPU on the LCD however I've not been able to get the egPU to use the internal LCD or even get it to recognise it. any suggestions?

I'm guessing if I had an ati egpu I should be able to run x1e via port 5 but that doesn't really help me just now.

(btw thanks for all the hard work on this I've been following for a while and have been happily using my egpu system.)

update: I've posted aida64 image of dock based setup on g+ https://plus.google.com/u/0/105169706094453802950/posts

[w00tsite]

2. Use your AMD card but have 3GB or less of system RAM installed.

This seems to be the best option for me at this point. Are you positive that if I replace my 2 GB stick with a 3 GB stick that I would be able to run the card with my AMD card?

[DesZac]

TIPS: first place you can look for mPCIe port(s) is in the WLAN/HDD/RAM compartment.

I found a compartment that says m-pci on it, that means I can do this?

[User Retired 2]

I have have (just about) been able to get the the eGPU working on p5 as I have a lenovo advanced dock which enables access to this. However it is not completely stable and I'd love to be able to run optimus.

Hoever each time I try I am able to get all 4 display out puts working i.e. 2x eGPU 2xiGPU at once with the iGPU on the LCD however I've not been able to get the egPU to use the internal LCD or even get it to recognise it. any suggestions?

I'm guessing if I had an ati egpu I should be able to run x1e via port 5 but that doesn't really help me just now.

(btw thanks for all the hard work on this I've been following for a while and have been happily using my egpu system.)

update: I've posted aida64 image of dock based setup on g+ https://plus.google.com/u/0/105169706094453802950/posts

Optimus' internal LCD requires (1) Latest Intel 4500MHD driver and (2) The NVidia eGPU be visible on the pci-e bus *before* Win7 boots up. The second can be accomplished by either using Setup 1.x (vidwait) or by halting Win7 startup with the F8 key, powering on the eGPU and then connecting the mHDMI cable to the EC2C. Then you'd ensure there is nothing connected on the eGPU's output ports.

If you did have LCDs connected to the eGPU and started a game on there, but wanted it to run on the iGPU then then you'd just drag the window from the eGPU output to the iGPU output window. Outputting the eGPU output via the iGPU would of course see it run slower.

This seems to be the best option for me at this point. Are you positive that if I replace my 2 GB stick with a 3 GB stick that I would be able to run the card with my AMD card?

Presumably you have 2x2GB modules. Swapping one of them out for 1GB instead would set TOLUD=3GB. There would then be plenty of PCI space to host your eGPU.

[ganzonomy]

Nando, How would I go about an eGPU with this as the base?
Computer #1
Core 2 Duo P9700
8GB DDR3-1066
nVidia GTX 260m
ExpressCard Slot

Computer #2
i7-2670qm
16GB DDR3-1333
nVidia GTX 560m (1.5GB GDDR5 / 192-bit)
no ExpressCard Slot.


I want to have interoperability between both, and use MINIMUM a GTX 560 (i'd prefer a 560Ti) for the eGPU. I don't want to use an external monitor (ie: I basically want to have it hooked up so it displays through my laptops). Is there any way for this?

Jason
I know I have essentially an underclocked

[kizwan]

I've been playing around with eGPU setup and considering whether I can get optimus to work of my laptop.

I have currently got the current config working.
Win 7 64 bit
Lenovo T400
Intel Core 2 Duo T9900 3.06ghz
8gb RAM
iGPU Intel GMA 4500MHD\ dGPU ATI 3450 Hybrid[disabled]
eGPU Nvidia GTS450 1GB 1x1.1 (Expresscard Slot [pcie - p4])

I have have (just about) been able to get the the eGPU working on p5 as I have a lenovo advanced dock which enables access to this. However it is not completely stable and I'd love to be able to run optimus.

Hoever each time I try I am able to get all 4 display out puts working i.e. 2x eGPU 2xiGPU at once with the iGPU on the LCD however I've not been able to get the egPU to use the internal LCD or even get it to recognise it. any suggestions?

Spoiler :

I'm guessing if I had an ati egpu I should be able to run x1e via port 5 but that doesn't really help me just now.

(btw thanks for all the hard work on this I've been following for a while and have been happily using my egpu system.)

update: I've posted aida64 image of dock based setup on g+ https://plus.google.com/u/0/105169706094453802950/posts

Can you select between Intel GMA 4500MHD & Nvidia GTS450 in Nvidia control panel?


Nvidia Optimus only engaged on internal LCD if eGPU is connected before windows loading.

I found a compartment that says m-pci on it, that means I can do this?

What you need is mini-PCIe (mPCIe), not mini-PCI. Please take a picture & post it here. Another task you can do is check in AIDA64 (Motherboard \ Chipset \ South Bridge), to find out what is the PCIe port number for the WIFI card. Then, if there is another mPCIe port available, move the WIFI card to that port & check in AIDA64 for the PCIe port number where the WIFI card is appeared now.

[kizwan]

Nando, How would I go about an eGPU with this as the base?
Computer #1
Core 2 Duo P9700
8GB DDR3-1066
nVidia GTX 260m
ExpressCard Slot

Computer #2
i7-2670qm
16GB DDR3-1333
nVidia GTX 560m (1.5GB GDDR5 / 192-bit)
no ExpressCard Slot.


I want to have interoperability between both, and use MINIMUM a GTX 560 (i'd prefer a 560Ti) for the eGPU. I don't want to use an external monitor (ie: I basically want to have it hooked up so it displays through my laptops). Is there any way for this?

Jason
I know I have essentially an underclocked

x1.Opt only possible if your notebook have Intel GMA 4500MHD or Intel HD Graphics or Intel HD 3000 iGPU. Opt=Optimus is required to get acceleration on internal LCD & it also provide PCIe data compression which boost performance over PCIe x1 link. x1.Opt ~= x2. In fact, x1.Opt on some games are better than x2 link setup. If your notebook doesn't have any of the iGPU, you will not get acceleration on internal LCD. You can run games on internal LCD but only in windowed mode & you still need external monitor.

[Slagatron Prime]

Nando - Like others have stated, thank you for the 1.2 optimus benches. My HP 6460b has the same processor as the HP you used and I'm picking up the same Twin Frozr 560, so minus the SSD my setup should be very similar. I will post Skyrim and BF3 benches when I finally get everything together.

Question - The update from Bplus mentions the PE4H but not the PE4L, which is what I'd prefer to use since I won't need more than one link. I saw in their previous update that they expected to make both the PE4H v 3.0 and the PE4L 2.0, so I assume both should be expected sometime January as is referenced in the latest message, not just the 4H right? I've been tempted by the modded PE3A as it doesn't look too hard to do, but it wouldn't allow me to keep my power plugged in for the laptop and I'd like to keep my hands attached to my arms and in non-cooked fashion, which a 560ti's fans and 170 degree cooling pipes wouldn't necessarily allow. So I think I'll wait

[ganzonomy]

x1.Opt only possible if your notebook have Intel GMA 4500MHD or Intel HD Graphics or Intel HD 3000 iGPU. Opt=Optimus is required to get acceleration on internal LCD & it also provide PCIe data compression which boost performance over PCIe x1 link. x1.Opt ~= x2. In fact, x1.Opt on some games are better than x2 link setup. If your notebook doesn't have any of the iGPU, you will not get acceleration on internal LCD. You can run games on internal LCD but only in windowed mode & you still need external monitor.

neither rig has optimus. What i mean is i want to be able to unplug from rig A, plug into rig B (and vice versa) and have fun!