External Laptop GPU?

[kickinindian]

so ive been looking up how to build one as i know its possible.

my laptop specs are
HP Dv7
i5 m430
500Gb HDD
8GB DDR3 Ram
and the weak point the Nvidia G105m

so with all the other stuff besides the GPU being pretty good for ahwile im thinking if i can have an external GPU as i only really game on my PC at home so i can just have it plugged in on my desk it would be pretty sweet!

so has anyone ever done this? i know my way around a computer pretty well but i dont have much Experience on the hardware side of things.

some info i have also found on google http://www.techradar.com/news/comput...adaptor-915616

http://forum.notebookreview.com/e-gpu-external-graphics-discussion/418851-diy-egpu-experiences.html

im thinking of running ether the Nvidia 660ti of the 650ti just depends on how much money i have when im ready to buy:nice:

[Wschnitz]

Hmm, laptop i5s are kinda restrictive. You might hit a wall there too.

[ninjaotter]

I've run one of these. Just remember, the weak link in the external GPU setup is the bandwidth of the link itself, so you run into a bottleneck that limits what GPUs you can actually utilize. I think a 650ti would probably be just about right.

[E-Z]

Interested also

[kickinindian]

Ninjaotter how did you set yours up? what was the % of loss from making it external?

also i know this is needed but i do have an expresscard port in my Laptop

[ninjaotter]

Ninjaotter how did you set yours up? what was the % of loss from making it external?

also i know this is needed but i do have an expresscard port in my Laptop

Its not a set percentage. There is only so much data the expresscard bus can handle, and most video cards max it out and easily exceed it. If you were to stick a GTX690 in there, it the card wouldn't be nearly fully utilized. Stick to low to mid range cards and you should be just fine. I've got two of them, one populated with a 560ti, and one with a 580. The 580 maxes things out I believe. I used those cards because I had them laying around after I upgraded my main rig. Its been a while since I built these, so I'll have to research my documentation about.

Not quite sure what the last part of your message is asking for. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have.

[kickinindian]

just wanted to make sure you knew that i had an expresscard slot and also for anyone elses info who wanted to try this.

so for new just coming out games (simcity, RomeII, i also play planetside 2) what would you recommend for this set-up? just new to all this GPU stuff lol

[nrubenstein]

just wanted to make sure you knew that i had an expresscard slot and also for anyone elses info who wanted to try this.

so for new just coming out games (simcity, RomeII, i also play planetside 2) what would you recommend for this set-up? just new to all this GPU stuff lol

I would recommend buying a cheap desktop for gaming. Or a better laptop. Kludging an external graphics card onto a laptop is going to cost a lot for the limited performance it gains you.

[kickinindian]

I would recommend buying a cheap desktop for gaming. Or a better laptop. Kludging an external graphics card onto a laptop is going to cost a lot for the limited performance it gains you.

thats too easy!!! if i can get the kit for like $100 and a GPU for <$150 thats cheaper than buying a cheapo Desktop

[Kruzen]

There is an external setup that can do this over thunderbolt

[ninjaotter]

just wanted to make sure you knew that i had an expresscard slot and also for anyone elses info who wanted to try this.

so for new just coming out games (simcity, RomeII, i also play planetside 2) what would you recommend for this set-up? just new to all this GPU stuff lol

If Expresscard is the fastest bus you've got, that's the best option. No idea what the graphics requirements of those games are, but you can certainly gain a little bit of performance with an external setup. Remember, the first guys that did this were looking to add additional monitors, not for a huge performance boost.

I'd guess a 650ti or 660ti would probably work well without breaking the bank. I've got a 560ti that I'm looking at selling, if you're interested.

I would recommend buying a cheap desktop for gaming. Or a better laptop. Kludging an external graphics card onto a laptop is going to cost a lot for the limited performance it gains you.

Indeed. This option can get stupid expensive once you start playing with casings and power supplies and all that jazz. A newish desktop is the way to go for gaming. Admittedly, you can build a hell of a gaming PC for under $1000 these days. I know some friends that have built $600 to $800 rigs to fulfill their gaming needs. However, for $300 or $400, he can get a pretty decent bump in gaming and graphics performance.

...that's assuming that he's got an extra monitor laying around. Or if he's planning on using his TV. OP, what are you using as a display?

thats too easy!!! if i can get the kit for like $100 and a GPU for <$150 thats cheaper than buying a cheapo Desktop

If you can swing a new desktop, do it. If not, this will give you a fighting chance.

There is an external setup that can do this over thunderbolt

That would be the way to go, but I doubt he has the interface required. I've got one that works over dual USB 3 as well. When I upgrade, I'll be grabbing the thunderbolt setup.

[nrubenstein]

thats too easy!!! if i can get the kit for like $100 and a GPU for <$150 thats cheaper than buying a cheapo Desktop

But a lot worse, and never going to deliver anything better than barely adequate performance. If that.

[ninjaotter]

But a lot worse, and never going to deliver anything better than barely adequate performance. If that.

I think you seriously underestimate how well these systems work. From my limited research from just the last few minutes, you can get full performance out of a 560ti. That's no slouch, especially compared to most laptop graphics systems.

Using a Thunderbolt based rig gets you about 95% of a full x16 2.0 lane. Not that the OP has that option, but it still means these systems are legitimate pieces of hardware.

[kickinindian]

at the moment while our living room is being redone after a fire but after im thinking of picking up ahttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824228033or something around that size or if i get too ancy see whats a best buy or something.

but i just want to do something different than just build a cheapo Desktop rig thats pretty easy to do. this seems kinda fun to do

[ninjaotter]

Different to be different is fine, but remember you'll almost assuredly enjoy the desktop more, and get more out of it. If you want help building a gaming PC for your budget, I'd be happy to spend some time on Newegg for you.