Here is a build guide for a small form factor PC with an integrated TB3 port but the ability to operate autonomously with Ryzen Vega 11 integrated graphics. I needed a small PC as a backup to use if my MacBook had to go in for repairs, and to dedicate to time consuming tasks like wiping/cloning drives. I figured it would be fun to see if it can share one of my egpu setups.
System specs:
Inwin Chopin case
Ryzen 5 3400G CPU
Asrock X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3 motherboard
16GB DDR4 3200
1TB Samsung 970 EVO nvme SSD
Egpu Hardware:
Razer Core v2 + Sapphire Radeon VII + 2m Thunderbolt 3 cable
Installation Steps:
The fine print on Asrock's product page for this motherboard claims that egpu graphics enclosures are not supported. I wanted to put this to the test. The TB3 software installed is the [17.4.77.400] packeage from Asrock's support page. I tried both my Core v2/Radeon VII and Core X Chroma/RTX 2080 FE egpu's and neither worked out of the box. Upon hotplug, both enclosures triggered the Thunderbolt security requester, I selected Always connect. However, the Radeon VII would be yellow banged in the device manager with Error 12, and the RTX 2080 would initially show up in the device manager with no error but subsequently produce Error 43. I had installed the Adrenalin 2020 drivers to test out the onboard Vega 11 igpu, and the most recent nvidia drivers from nvidia.com (441.87 I believe).
I went into the device manager and noticed there was no "Large Memory" entry. I presumed this was making resource allocation impossible for the Radeon drivers. I tried replacing the 1909 build pci.sys with the 1903 Build 30 one but this did not change anything and Windows replaced it upon the next reboot.
I delved into the BIOS settings, and despite being unfamiliar with the intricacies of the Ryzen settings there, I eventually discovered the secret to enabling Large Memory allocation. On the final page of the UEFI, there was a setting related to Legacy CSM support, and a greyed out option to Enable above 4G decoding. I disabled Legacy CSM support, and enabled above 4G decoding. Upon reboot, in the device manage, was a "Large Memory entry"
Hotplugging or cold booting with the Radeon VII still didn't work, but after a DDU uninstall of the AMD drivers and a reinstall, cold boot does work. If I hotplug the egpu, I still get an error 12, but if the Core v2 is plugged in at boot time, the Radeon VII and the USB peripherals attached to the Core v2 work fine. Hot unplugging also works, and if re-plugged after removal, the Radeon VII is detected and works, but the USB peripherals (and the Asmedia USB controllers they are attached to) are yellow banged and do not. No changes with the RTX 2080, I am guessing it does not cohabitate nicely with the Ryzen Vega 11 igpu.
Benchmarks:
(All run on external display connected directly to egpu)
https://www.3dmark.com/spy/10170266
https://www.3dmark.com/fs/21529081
Comments:
Performance results above, aside from the bandwidth test, are noticeably lower than what I got with the same egpu on my previous 2018 Macbook Pro 13. Graphics Scores in Fire Strike are 11 percent lower, and Time Spy Graphics scores are 8 percent lower. There seems to be some additional inefficiency involved in the Asrock AMD-Compatible TB3 implementation. I probably wouldn't recommend it for a primary machine, but as a small, easily transportable mini-pc which I would only use for gaming as a fallback, it serves it's purpose.
2019 16 Macbook Pro + Core v2 + Radeon VII MacOS 10.15.1
Core X Chroma + RTX 2080 Windows 10 1909
@ningauble77 Thank you for sharing this nice build! The Inwin Chopin case is a very compact unit and I had planned to do the same build. AIDA64 test looks excellent but too bad about other tests.
I finally built up my SFFPC with the same mobo over the weekend... OH BOY! You were totally right (didn't doubt you, but wasn't confident I'd manage the same) looping the GPU through the TB3 port works a treat with the 5K Ultrafine displays. I've been playing PUBG today on really good settings and getting great FPS (100 odd). Struggling to Hack it atm and not sure if I will bother, kinda depends on what GPU I get next...
but 4K, right?
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
Can this work with Ryzen that do not have iGPU? The motheboard has a PCI slot, but would it need to be plugged in to boot the computer?
Pending: Add my system information and expected eGPU configuration to my signature to give context to my posts
Can this work with Ryzen that do not have iGPU? The motheboard has a PCI slot, but would it need to be plugged in to boot the computer?
Yes, in fact given its high price I would say most people using this board would be doing so in a larger case with a discrete video card and using the tb3 port for either storage/audio/thunderbolt monitor. It is likely that using a higher end Ryzen that nvidia egpu would work (there are videos on youtube of people doing so).
2019 16 Macbook Pro + Core v2 + Radeon VII MacOS 10.15.1
Core X Chroma + RTX 2080 Windows 10 1909
yep, 4K rather than 5, but to be honest I'm not sure I notice the difference (maybe in text based applications, but defo not gaming).
Speakers, USB ports, Brightness and I assume (haven't checked) camera all work perfectly Wirth no connection issues (like the V1 Core has). I'm going to try and get macOS installed on it and then maybe write a build guide and compare it to an eGPU solution. I will prob focus on the fact most people outside of here would recommend a PC over an eGPU citing cost, while never really comparing apples to apples, for example someone looking at a Mac mini + eGPU isn't going to be buying a PC in a massive plastic tower with RGB lighting, they'll be looking at one of the premium SFFPC cases (as I did) which cost the same as an eGPU enclosure.
@ningauble77, so you could have a capture card in the pcie slot and use the thunderbolt egpu for your video card? or the other way round? 🙂
its one way to have more pcie slots on an itx case 🙂
Pending: Add my system information and expected eGPU configuration to my signature to give context to my posts