System Specifications
2019 Dell XPS 13 9380
13.3"Full HD IPS Display
Intel i7-8565U
Intel UHD Graphics 620
16GB Dual Channel RAM
Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1435
Acer VG271UP 27" 1440p 144Hz IPS Freesync Monitor + Loctek DLB110 Monitor Stand
PreSonus Eris 4.5 Studio Monitors
Cerwin-Vega XD8S SubWoofer
Schiit Audio Magni 3 Headphone Amplifier
BeyerDynamic DT990 Pro 250Ω Headphones
Orico 9528U3BK Dual 3.5" HDD Enclosure
2 x Toshiba DT01ACA300 3TB 3.5" HDD
eGPU Hardware
AMD RX Vega 64 Limited Edition @ 1632Mhz Core | 1000Mhz Memory | + 50% Power Limit | -200Mv UnderVolt (1000Mv @ State 7)
Razer Core X + AMD Adrenalin 19.5.2 Drivers + Latest Thunderbolt Software + Stock 50CM Thunderbolt 3 Cable
Installation
Installation was straight forward. Update Windows and Thunderbolt 3 Drivers > Plug in Razer Core X > Install AMD Adrenalin Drivers > Restart PC > Plug Into External monitor > Done.
Benchmarks
I am extremely happy with the performance of both the XPS 13 and the Vega 64. While the XPS 13 boosts very hard when initially under load, often rocketing virtually instantly to 4.5Ghz and 100'C, it will stabilize and sit at constant 3.00Ghz with an average temperature of under 70'C. This is a great improvement over the S730, which did not hit as high of a boost clock, and sat at approximately 2.00Ghz average CPU Core Clock with a very similar temperature.
The attached Unigine Heaven benchmark scored essentially the same as my overclocked 1070 eGPU setup did, but I believe this is because of Unigine only being a DX11 program. AMD Vega cards perform better in DX12 titles, as well as in higher resolution.
Comments
After a couple of issues with my Lenovo S730 eGPU setup across three different graphics cards, I decided to purchase a new laptop in the hope of establishing a 'perfect' eGPU setup, with the stability and performance of the desktops I used to own, and Dell seems to have done it. The XPS 13 works absolutely flawlessly, without any issues. Can happily leave the eGPU plugged in permanently, with no problems restarting, shutting down, booting up or using games and applications.
For reference, I re-pasted both the Dell XPS 13 9380 and the AMD RX Vega 64 with Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut, and also added a 1mm thick thermal pad to a portion of the XPS's heatsink, which creates a thermal pathway to the aluminum underside.
2020 14" Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 2 (MX450) [11th,4C,G] + GTX 1080 @ 32Gbps-TB4 (AORUS Gaming Box) + Win10 20H2
2018 Intel NUC8i5BEH [8th,4C,U] + GTX 1070 @ 32Gbps-TB3 (AORUS Gaming Box) + Win10 LTSC // modified 1947 Philips Model 100 Radio custom NUC case [build link]
Which Windows version are you running? We have an XPS 9380 too but we can't get it running for some reason: https://egpu.io/forums/thunderbolt-enclosures/code-12-om-xps-13-9380/
I'm on Windows 1903. If you have any ideas it would be greatly appreciated!
To do: Create my signature with system and expected eGPU configuration information to give context to my posts. I have no builds.
.Sorry for the late reply! It appears you found a fix for it which is great. I am running 1903.
The only problem I ever ran into with the XPS was if I did a hard shutdown or unplugged the eGPU, it would recognise it but not have enough resources to run it. I fixed this by using Device Manager to disable it, then shutting down the laptop with it plugged it, then turning it back on, re-enabling it which then prompted a restart, restarting it and it would work fine.
2020 14" Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 2 (MX450) [11th,4C,G] + GTX 1080 @ 32Gbps-TB4 (AORUS Gaming Box) + Win10 20H2
2018 Intel NUC8i5BEH [8th,4C,U] + GTX 1070 @ 32Gbps-TB3 (AORUS Gaming Box) + Win10 LTSC // modified 1947 Philips Model 100 Radio custom NUC case [build link]