Hello everyone, i am on forum for a time, but this is my first eGPU setup i have learned so much things on this forums. Especial thanks for @nando4 for created solutions and @Joevt for he build that inspired that idea. I have build my setup with cheaper budget and perform pretty well. Currently im running on internal accelerated mode, but in the future i'll buy a external monitor, but even on internal screen im having a good performance that are satisfying me, i can run all my games on 60+ fps with high or ultra preset on 1080p.
I have spend about U$73 on Orico TCM2T3-G40 Thunderbolt 3 40Gbps adapter (that came with 50cm TB3 cable)
U$3 on M.2 mining riser adapter
U$20 on Seasonic 300w 80+ gold psu
And i found a used RTX 2070 Gainward for a resonable price on my country
The adapter total cost is about U$96,00
System specs
- Core i7-6700HQ
- 16GB DDR4 2133MHZ HyperX Impact
- 970 Evo Plus NVMe M.2 SSD 500GB
- UHD (3840x2160)
eGPU hardware
- Orico TCM2T3-G40 Thunderbolt 3
- 50CM TBT3 Cable
- M.2 x4 Mining Riser Modded
- Seasonic SSP-300TGS Modded to 6+2 pin PCIe
- RTX 2070 Gainward 8GB
Hardware pictures
I have soldered the 12v and Gnd pins of the floppy connector, directly to the M.2 Riser, because the original floppy connector that came with it made it difficult to fit the GPU.
Actually i have added a Molex connector from the M.2 Riser to PSU.
Modded psu, added an 8 pin 6 + 2 pcie connector that I bought from an evga modular psu. It also removes the frame from the GPU I / O shield to improve the fit of the GPU to the adapter.
So, finally, I made a 24-pin adapter to connect the psu. Added a little performance print from Metro Exodus.
Installation steps
Was easy for me..I just plugged everthing and turned on the laptop, and instantly windows installed drivers. Done!
After this, i have followed the Nando4 instructions to disable the dedicated gpu via PCI Host directly on Device Manager, performed a DDU operation to unnistall all old drivers from the 960m and rebooted, then installed the newer drivers for 2070.
Litterally Plug and Play..
Benchmarks
Until now, i can run all my favorite games on decent graphics preset and framerate on Internal Display..
- Far Cry 4 - Ultra 1080p 60+ FPS
- Metro exodus - High 1080p 60+ FPS
- Battlefield 1 - High 1080p 85+ FPS or Ultra 1080p 60+ FPS
- Paladins - Maximum 1080p 120+ FPS
Comments
Actually am having problems with dying light performance, that drop down from 80 fps to 40 - 50 or even less, i dont know if are because of bandwidth or Internal Loopback mode. Im trying to solve until i buying a external display.
thunderbolt 3 eGPU on my laptop, performed better than i expected. I am so satisfied with the performance. My setup still without a case, but am providing one soon..
For final, sorry for my english, and thanks everyone on this forum, i love he!
The Seasonic is an interesting power supply. It's TFX12V form factor but shorter by 35mm. Meanwell RPS-300 (with or without enclosure) and Flex ATX power supplies are smaller.
The title of the post says R43SL but it looks like you used a different M.2 to PCIe x4 adapter. Which one did you choose?
Maybe an angled floppy drive connector or smaller floppy drive power plug would fit (but your direct solder is even lower profile):
https://egpu.io/forums/which-gear-should-i-buy/thunderbolt-3-external-drive-slot-m-2-ngff-adapter/paged/3/#post-66115
https://www.te.com/usa-en/product-172142-4.html
https://www.te.com/usa-en/product-171826-4.html
Can you show how the GPU fits with the Orico + M.2 to PCIe x4 adapter? Like one of these:
https://egpu.io/forums/which-gear-should-i-buy/thunderbolt-3-external-drive-slot-m-2-ngff-adapter/paged/5/#post-66727
https://egpu.io/forums/which-gear-should-i-buy/thunderbolt-3-external-drive-slot-m-2-ngff-adapter/paged/6/#post-67817
https://egpu.io/forums/which-gear-should-i-buy/thunderbolt-3-external-drive-slot-m-2-ngff-adapter/paged/6/#post-68188
Mac mini (2018), Mac Pro (Early 2008), MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015), GA-Z170X-Gaming 7, Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 580 8GB GDDR5, Sonnet Echo Express III-D, Trebleet Thunderbolt 3 to NVMe M.2 case
@joevt, Yes, tonight i will post a photo of how i connected all.. And i have bought a simple mining m2 riser, i have to cut the back of connector to fit the full x16 gpu connector, cuz its came blocked to only x4 devices.
@joevt, This is how my M2 riser is plugged into the orico TB3 adapter. I have removed the GPU bezel to fit perfectly with the thunderbolt 3 cable connected to the adapter.
About the PSU power on plug, i will change he to an SWITCH on/off more forward, and put a connector on the wires of PSU TO M2 riser i will not leave he directly soldered permanently. The tape on the M2 riser, is for protect the solder contacs of pcie link and soldered wires.