Secondhand HP ZBook 15 systems like used here are often still in remarkably good condition due to their business grade build. They come with three storage device options (mSATA SSD, 9.5mm SATA drive bay, optical drive or caddy), a 95% sRGB gamut gamut wide-viewing angle FHD LCD or some get an even better Dreamcolor LCD, 2xUSB 3.0 + 2x USB 2.0 ports, a Thunderbolt 1 port & a contemporary backlit chiclet keyboard.
System specs (model inc screen size, CPU, iGPU, dGPU, operating system)
- Intel Core i7-4800MQ, 4-cores/8-threads, up to 3.7Ghz CPU
- 1920x1080 FHD LCD
- HD4600 iGPU, NVidia Quadro K610M dGPU
- 16GB DDR3-L RAM (4x4GB)
- Windows 10 Spring Creators Edition (1803)
eGPU hardware (eGPU enclosure, video card, any third-party TB3 cable, any custom mods)
- US$40 EXP GDC 8.x - expresscard version
- US$300 AMD Radeon RX580 8GB (XFX GTS 1366/2000)
- 220W Dell DA-2 PSU + ATX PSU (ATX PSU used for benchmarking below with stock VBIOS. To use the Dell DA-2 without hiccups, the VBIOS was modified with Polaris Bios Editor, decreasing TDC/TDP from 145W to 130W).
Hardware pictures (note: require 5+ posts for "attach files" button to appear. Or can link from say http://imgur.com )
Installation steps - Windows 10 (1803)
1. Install Win10
2. Attach eGPU but note. The ZBook will fail to boot if the eGPU is detected by the bios. The workaround is to either hotplug the eGPU after BIOS post or set the PTD delay switch on the EXP GDC and the powerdown/powerup the system to activate the PTD delay.
3. Install the AMD eGPU drivers, which will error 12.
4. Fix error 12 by firstly setting BIOS to hybrid graphics mode (should be default), so the iGPU and dGPU are active.
5. Continue to fix error 12 by installing eGPU Setup 1.35 & boot it. Ensure the eGPU is detected, then select:
- PCI compaction->ignore [dGPU]
- PCI compaction->Run->iGPU + eGPU
- Video cards->dGPU[off], hit F3 key
- Chainloader->Run
Thereafter boot via Setup 1.35->automated startup (default) whenever you need to use the eGPU.
6. To eGPU accelerate apps when run with just an internal LCD, set Win10's 1803 Graphics Settings GPU selector for your app to high performance as can be seen below.
Benchmarks (Include a CUDA-Z or AIDA64 bandwidth pic. Optional: Valley, 3dmark, noting if it's on internal/external LCD )
Windows 10 (1803)
NA - ignores eGPU. Runs using the iGPU |
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Comments (eg: how has the eGPU improved your workflow or gaming)
Here we demo an older, but capable workstation system paired with a low cost expresscard eGPU.
eGPU Setup 1.35 • eGPU Port Bandwidth Reference Table • Several builds
2015 15" Dell Precision 7510 M1000M + macOS 10.14 & Win10