Is there any thunderbolt eGPU solution available

[__-_-_-__]

If it's x4 2.0, then I've read a report somewhere that x4 2.0 gives 95% of a x16 2.0 link's performance. So we are looking at very close to full desktop video performance..

It's not that linear. we even have pci-e 3.0 x16 around because pci-e 2.0 x8 is already bottleneck for high-end sli cf setups. in the future it will be worse. just imagine making a egpu and being happy about it because you have let's say, 70% of the performance using a pci-e 2.0 x1 and then upgrading to a last generation high-end card like the new ATI just around the corner and jut having 50% of the performance... not good.
95% would be in perfect conditions where you would use it in a motherboard without any messy cables and with good drivers that really work without anykind of issue.
The best analisys I've found was this one: AMD Radeon HD 5870 PCI-Express Scaling Review - Page 25/26 | techPowerUp
you could add it to your tomshardware analysis since it's outdated and very biased.

Anyway these numbers are great. It shows a 2.0 x1 solution is hugely bottleneck. There's no 2.0 x2 data because there are no x2 slots. But according to some calculations most cards have a bandwidth of about 12-15Gbit/s from there the performance will drop a lot.
pci-e 2.0 x1 4 Gbit/s
pci-e 2.0 x2 8 Gbit/s
pci-e 2.0 x4 16 Gbit/s

imo this is the way to go. Problem is how to implement it since new sandy notebooks only have 1 or 2 mini pci-e slots and no expresscard.
Do you known any recent notebook with 3 or 4 mini pci-e slots?

Then there is possibility of this coming down the pike, albeit not terribly soon...

PCI Express cables could take us to 32Gbps speeds by 2013 -- Engadget

we already have those cables. The spec has been around since 2007. No one implements it. Just like mxm cards that have like a decade and just 0.1% of the notebooks have it. and you can't buy an mxm card anywhere like you buy a desktop one.
The spec is so developed that you can even right now buy the cables. There are already companies who produce them.
It's always the same problem. no notebook manufacturer will ever adopt this solutions. It's always better for them for you to pay a full price for a new notebook then for just buying a new graphic card, external or not.

And this thunderbolt thing could help a bit but currently right now we still don't have anykind of solution. thunderbolt delivers great bandwidth up to 20Gbit/s bidirectional. That would do the trick. But not even new desktops have it. Maybe with ivybridge that will change that

https://www.computerworld.com/s/arti...rSpeed_USB_3.0

[xfiregrunt]

Aren't MBPs also 2k$ laptops(if you consider the 15inch ones). The reason i mentioned the Z was cause it will have eGPU support from sony itself and will be able to run it on its own display, so chances are if we use these Sonnet expansion chassis with it there will be some way to get the eGPU to work with the laptop display, and i dont think it would be possible with the MBP.

Sony's eGPU is weaker then the built in MBP 15 GPU.

[EpicBlob]

It's not that linear. we even have pci-e 3.0 x16 around because pci-e 2.0 x8 is already bottleneck for high-end sli cf setups. in the future it will be worse. just imagine making a egpu and being happy about it because you have let's say, 70% of the performance using a pci-e 2.0 x1 and then upgrading to a last generation high-end card like the new ATI just around the corner and jut having 50% of the performance... not good.
95% would be in perfect conditions where you would use it in a motherboard without any messy cables and with good drivers that really work without anykind of issue.
The best analisys I've found was this one: AMD Radeon HD 5870 PCI-Express Scaling Review - Page 25/26 | techPowerUp
you could add it to your tomshardware analysis since it's outdated and very biased.

Anyway these numbers are great. It shows a 2.0 x1 solution is hugely bottleneck. There's no 2.0 x2 data because there are no x2 slots. But according to some calculations most cards have a bandwidth of about 12-15Gbit/s from there the performance will drop a lot.
pci-e 2.0 x1 4 Gbit/s
pci-e 2.0 x2 8 Gbit/s
pci-e 2.0 x4 16 Gbit/s

imo this is the way to go. Problem is how to implement it since new sandy notebooks only have 1 or 2 mini pci-e slots and no expresscard.
Do you known any recent notebook with 3 or 4 mini pci-e slots?


we already have those cables. The spec has been around since 2007. No one implements it. Just like mxm cards that have like a decade and just 0.1% of the notebooks have it. and you can't buy an mxm card anywhere like you buy a desktop one.
The spec is so developed that you can even right now buy the cables. There are already companies who produce them.
It's always the same problem. no notebook manufacturer will ever adopt this solutions. It's always better for them for you to pay a full price for a new notebook then for just buying a new graphic card, external or not.

And this thunderbolt thing could help a bit but currently right now we still don't have anykind of solution. thunderbolt delivers great bandwidth up to 20Gbit/s bidirectional. That would do the trick. But not even new desktops have it. Maybe with ivybridge that will change that

https://www.computerworld.com/s/arti...rSpeed_USB_3.0

Say what you will but the new 2011 iMacs include thunderbolt ports (yes they aren't full blown desktops, but hey its Apple )

[Devenox]

I wouldn't expect much from eGPU's
AMD/Nvidia were already looking for a solution,
but it seems quite hard to learn the OS that the eGPU is the main GPU.

Also thunderbolt has limitations, don't expect a GTX580 or 7970 as an eGPU,
it will be more like a 6670 or 6770 (desktop)
Remember that not only the card have to be included but also an external PSU and cooling

[User Retired 2]

I wouldn't expect much from eGPU's
AMD/Nvidia were already looking for a solution,
but it seems quite hard to learn the OS that the eGPU is the main GPU.

Also thunderbolt has limitations, don't expect a GTX580 or 7970 as an eGPU,
it will be more like a 6670 or 6770 (desktop)
Remember that not only the card have to be included but also an external PSU and cooling

I beg to differ. x4 2.0 pci-e link will give the dream of ~95% performance of a full x16 2.0 link in real world games. Only limitations being:

1. The Thunderbolt enclosure should use the full 20Gbps channel rather than 2x10Gbps and should be affordable. The MSI GUS II (max 150W) has had a rumored pricetag of $150.

2. there is sufficient power to run the video card of your choice (2). If want a GTX580 then will need a hefty 12V/304W rail on your PSU to drive it at full load

3. whether the notebook manufacturer wires the displayport back into the LCD via a mux, ala dedicated graphics. If not then can revert to using Optimus' frame buffer method to copy the display traffic back to the iGPU via the pci-e link but there is a bandwidth penalty for that.

4. Driver support. Win7 appears to have no issues but MacOS does as discussed.

[testo06]

Hi, nothing new about Thunderbolt eGPU (except MSI Gus as i want a gtx 680 which is, I guess, too big for that enclosure) ?

[DarkSiren]

I remember reading through this forum last year and wondering if Thunderbolt eGPU solution would mature but it seems noone has found a way to capitalize on the martket yet.

Maybe Razor can create the ultimate LAN laptop by engineering there own eGPU and put a destop GTX 680 thunderbolted to a 17' laptop.

[Lieto]

i will jump on with few completely noob questions:
1. Is it possible that in the year or two my 2011 mbp 15 will be enjoying some nvidia over9000GTX via thunderbolt and playing metro 2066 maxed out?
2. When is it likely to happen?
3. Is this going to be like — you buy some special adapter and insert desktop gpu and connect via TB or more likely like "whenever nvidia pleases to create egpu specifically for tb will get that without much options?

ty

[teeth_03]

We are probably waiting on some no name company from china to make this, isnt that what started the current eGPU craze?

[DarkSiren]

Sony should just try to stream the graphics bandwidth of a gtx 590 into there Vaio Z.