I had planned to redo dGPU vs. eGPU using newer and more powerful graphics cards. Last time I did it was nearly two years ago using GTX 980 Ti and RX 580. Intel certified Thunderbolt 3 platform such as my X99 build was actually not reliable at all for TB3 eGPU usage. After two different X99 motherboards and different BIOS versions, I have not been able to get Thunderbolt 3 running consistently. Fortunately the GC-Titan-Ridge AIC allows Thunderbolt 3 connectivity on many platforms (unofficially). Therefore I'm using my AMD X399 build for this test. You can read more details on my Thunderbolt 3 + Ryzen Threadripper build.
System specs:
ASRock X399M/Ryzen Threadripper 1950x/Radeon VII/32GB RAM/1TB SSD/GC-Titan-Ridge AIC
eGPU hardware:
Mantiz Venus + Radeon VII + 2m Thunderbolt 3 cable
Hardware pictures:
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Installation steps:
There's no Thunderbolt header on the ASRock X399M motherboard so I shorted pin 3 & 5 on one end of the TB3 header cable. This forces the GC-Titan-Ridge to stay activated from a cold boot. Hot-plugging allows expansion ports to work but not the eGPU. A warm boot is required to get the eGPU going. Another crucial piece is Intel Thunderbolt Software version [17.4.77.400]. In AIDA64 other than bandwidth throughput, look at how closely matched the rest of the numbers are.
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Benchmarks:
In order to test the Radeon VII in eGPU mode, I used an RX Vega 56 as dGPU. Adrenalin driver version was 19.3.1.
Radeon VII dGPU | Radeon VII eGPU |
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dGPU Mode | eGPU External Monitor | eGPU Loopback |
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Comments:
Thunderbolt 3 has its limits. Computing tasks are the most appropriate use for TB3 eGPU technology. Gaming would depend on many factors. Of the four games I chose, three are not Thunderbolt 3 friendly. I will be testing the RTX 2080 Ti on this X399 next. Results would likely be similar in terms of dGPU vs. eGPU performance.
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2021 Gigabyte Z590i Vision D [11th,6C] + RTX 3060 Ti @ 32Gbps-TB4 (Gigabyte Gaming Box) + Win11 [build link]
I ran the RTX 2080 Ti in this X399 desktop yesterday. Nvidia driver version was 419.35.
RTX 2080 Ti dGPU | RTX 2080 Ti eGPU |
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LinkedIn | Youtube | Instagram
• external graphics card builds
• best laptops for external GPU
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2021 Gigabyte Z590i Vision D [11th,6C] + RTX 3060 Ti @ 32Gbps-TB4 (Gigabyte Gaming Box) + Win11 [build link]
@itsage, hi
sorry to bother you but do you have Adrenalin 19.3.1 drivers from Bootcampdrivers.com by any chance?
The website don't store them anymore, only the drivers from Nov 2019 and newer.........
Thanks!!!
iMac 27" 5K (late 2015) + Razer Core X + Asus Radeon 5700XT
2015 27" iMac 5K (R9 390) [6th,4C] + RX 5700 XT @ 16Gbps-TB2>TB3 (Razer Core X) + macOS 10.15.7 & Win10 [build link]
@nirvanich, I don't save these drivers unfortunately.
LinkedIn | Youtube | Instagram
• external graphics card builds
• best laptops for external GPU
• eGPU enclosure buyer's guide
2021 Gigabyte Z590i Vision D [11th,6C] + RTX 3060 Ti @ 32Gbps-TB4 (Gigabyte Gaming Box) + Win11 [build link]