T420 & eGPU

[goforGUSTO]

Hello everyone! First post ^^ I want to buy a T420 and install an eGPU on it. Been reading around everywhere today on the process and I think I'm starting to barely grasp it.

My problem is... i've been reading material on egpu from 6+ months ago. Ive got no idea which hwtool parts or graphics card to buy. I have LOTS of questions that i hope i can get answered but i don't know if im in the right section.

Should i be posting here? Could someone direct me to the correct place to ask my questions? Does anyone want to personally help :]?

[fatpolomanjr]

The main thread you want to visit is in the NBR Gaming and Software forum: DiY eGPU Experiences. For a T420, I would imagine it works the same as setting up an X220/T. The guide I used to actually get it up and running was in the above thread, posted by Xav, here.

If I were in your shoes I would purchase a PE4L 2.1b available at hwtools to get Expresscard 2.0 bandwidth and an Nvidia GTX 560 or 560 Ti to use Optimus. There is the new generation of Nvidia cards, 6xx, but I think I read that the 560 is more cost efficient (try to get one for <=$150 if possible...I saw someone in the NBR Buy/Sell/Trade forum selling a 560 for $115!). Cost is actually why I settled for a GTX 460, along with optimus.

The implementations you want to learn about are x1.2Opt, which has twice the bandwidth as x1.1Opt like in my signature. Although benchmarks sometimes don't show that dramatic of an improvement all of the time, in actual gaming apparently x1.2Opt is definitely worth it.

[sklsy]

Pe4l2.1 +560ti you can get most of the games running in ultra.
This is based on my current implementation ( five year old Dell plus old version of pe4l and gtx460 can deal with most games in high)
Please update the thread after you got them. I'm planning to get them too..thanks

[600X]

I don't how the prices look like where you live but in Germany, a GTX560Ti costs DOUBLE the amount of a GTX550Ti. That's why I settled for the second option. I can run all Games on max. Graphics with hardly any lag (only occurs in big fights etc.). All i did was hook up my eGPU and install the Optimus Drivers.

[stevenplanet]

The main thread you want to visit is in the NBR Gaming and Software forum: DiY eGPU Experiences. For a T420, I would imagine it works the same as setting up an X220/T. The guide I used to actually get it up and running was in the above thread, posted by Xav, here.

If I were in your shoes I would purchase a PE4L 2.1b available at hwtools to get Expresscard 2.0 bandwidth and an Nvidia GTX 560 or 560 Ti to use Optimus. There is the new generation of Nvidia cards, 6xx, but I think I read that the 560 is more cost efficient (try to get one for <=$150 if possible...I saw someone in the NBR Buy/Sell/Trade forum selling a 560 for $115!). Cost is actually why I settled for a GTX 460, along with optimus.

The implementations you want to learn about are x1.2Opt, which has twice the bandwidth as x1.1Opt like in my signature. Although benchmarks sometimes don't show that dramatic of an improvement all of the time, in actual gaming apparently x1.2Opt is definitely worth it.

Very Good Information! But I was just wondering should I get the Pe4H or the Pe4l? The pe4l looks like it only has a 4x slot....don't you need a 16x slot to plug in the gtx 560 ti? I have a T420 as well. Thanks!

[stevenplanet]

Hello everyone! First post ^^ I want to buy a T420 and install an eGPU on it. Been reading around everywhere today on the process and I think I'm starting to barely grasp it.

My problem is... i've been reading material on egpu from 6+ months ago. Ive got no idea which hwtool parts or graphics card to buy. I have LOTS of questions that i hope i can get answered but i don't know if im in the right section.

Should i be posting here? Could someone direct me to the correct place to ask my questions? Does anyone want to personally help :]?

Hey there! You seem to have the same setup as me....can I ask you what you ended up buying? I have the T420 already purchased...It has the Intel i5, 4 GBs of RAM and FIRMWARE 1.23......isnt their like a TOLUD error or something so I have to downgrade to 1.15? Sorry I have lots of questions haha

[Hearst]

Hey there! You seem to have the same setup as me....can I ask you what you ended up buying? I have the T420 already purchased...It has the Intel i5, 4 GBs of RAM and FIRMWARE 1.23......isnt their like a TOLUD error or something so I have to downgrade to 1.15? Sorry I have lots of questions haha

You don't need to downgrade to 1.15, the memory allocation resource issue has been fixed since version 1.35 so update to the latest BIOS which is currently version 1.39.

[fatpolomanjr]

Very Good Information! But I was just wondering should I get the Pe4H or the Pe4l? The pe4l looks like it only has a 4x slot....don't you need a 16x slot to plug in the gtx 560 ti? I have a T420 as well. Thanks!

From what I can tell about pics of the GTX 560 Ti, the PE4L plugs into one of the ends of the x16 slot. Is that what x4 looks like? I'm kind of new to PCIe x1-x16 stuff. This is true for my GTX 460 and the PE4L that I fried (using incorrect jumper settings). The PE4L fits just right. PE4H is nice because of its strong base, but if you get a PE4L v2.1b then you will get the expresscard 2.0 bandwidth, which is probably the better choice.

I actually plan on upgrading to PE4L 2.1 after a while.

[stevenplanet]

From what I can tell about pics of the GTX 560 Ti, the PE4L plugs into one of the ends of the x16 slot. Is that what x4 looks like? I'm kind of new to PCIe x1-x16 stuff. This is true for my GTX 460 and the PE4L that I fried (using incorrect jumper settings). The PE4L fits just right. PE4H is nice because of its strong base, but if you get a PE4L v2.1b then you will get the expresscard 2.0 bandwidth, which is probably the better choice.

I actually plan on upgrading to PE4L 2.1 after a while.

Thanks for the quick reply! So I guess I'm settling on the PE4L 2.1b but I can't seem to find where to purchase it from.....Sorry I'm so noob with all this stuff haha. I've built computers before but this egpu stuff is a completely new world to me...

EDIT: I found it but for some reason I couldnt find 2.1b.....only found 2.1a

http://www.hwtools.net/adapter/PE4L-EC000A.html

Is that the right URL?

[fatpolomanjr]

Thanks for the quick reply! So I guess I'm settling on the PE4L 2.1b but I can't seem to find where to purchase it from.....Sorry I'm so noob with all this stuff haha. I've built computers before but this egpu stuff is a completely new world to me...

EDIT: I found it but for some reason I couldnt find 2.1b.....only found 2.1a

PE4L ( PCIe Adapter ver2.1 )

Is that the right URL?

That is the right URL, and according to this post if you order 2.1a you will get the 2.1b which is the new stock.

Just a few tips: watch those jumper settings carefully or you might fry your PE4L like I did. There are other physical switches on the PE4L besides the jumpers, SW1 and SW2. Make sure the settings are consistent with Xav's post. His post is the guide.