PC: Dell Precision 7510
eGPU enclosure: AKiTiO Node (via Thunderbolt 3)
External graphics card: GALAX GTX 1080 HOF
Dell's current TB3 firmware (NVM version: 16) does not seem to support eGPU. But with the recent AKiTiO Node firmware update flashed, the eGPU works as expected.
I didn't manage to have the builtin laptop display work with eGPU, possibly due to lack of support in TB3 firmware. It's good enough to me to use the eGPU with external displays.
Updated on 2017-02-28:
## Optimus
Most of the time I have Optimus disabled as it sometimes breaks my Arch Linux after a kernel / driver update.
With Optimus enabled and internal Nvidia graphics card disabled, it succeeded in rendering on the builtin display with the eGPU.
## CUDA benchmark
The Precision 7510's TB3 has got its full bandwidth courtesy of the April-6-2017 Node firmware update:
(The benchmark was performed with Optimus disabled)
## Unigine Heaven Benchmark
When Optimus is disabled and it renders to the external display:
When Optimus is enabled and it renders to the internal display:
(In both cases the internal Nvidia grapchis card was disabled, and the only grapchis card envolved in the benchmark was the eGPU)
Awesome stuff. Been wondering about the Dell Precision 3510, 7510 and 7710 myself. They should have a full x4 3.0 link.
Can I ask:
1. Check your BIOS to enable an Optimus feature. You need the Intel HD iGPU to appear in Device Manager for the eGPU-accelerated internal LCD mode to be possible. Alternatively, if the iGPU is present when bootup with eGPU switched off then consider powering/plugging after BIOS post.
Oh.. and could you post some pictures of your rig and eGPU enclosure?? Pretty please. Should look great... a quad-core high-end workstation tethered to a powerful eGPU.
eGPU Setup 1.35 • eGPU Port Bandwidth Reference Table
2015 15" Dell Precision 7510 (Q M1000M) [6th,4C,H] + GTX 1080 Ti @32Gbps-M.2 (ADT-Link R43SG) + Win10 1803 // compares M.2 vs TB3 performance inc unoptimized H-CPU BIOS [build link]
Can you run Unigine Heaven Benchmark with the same setting as on the picture!
Here is result of 1080 with stock clocks on PC:
I want to view the loss of PCIe vs. Thunderbolt 3 
MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Later 2013) 3.2GHz Quad Core Intel i7-4750HQ / 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3 / 256GB SSD + 1TB
✪ mini eGPU ● PCI Express vs. Thunderbolt ● Mac CAN game ● Gaming Laptops vs. MacBook Pro with eGPU
2012 13" MacBook Air [3rd,2C,U] + GTX 1060 @ 10Gbps-TB1 (AKiTiO Thunder2) + macOS 10.12 // external HDD Windows [build link]
Dying to hear the results of the benchmark or the GPU-z.
Thank you for taking the plunge, I bought my Dell 1510 for work and hoped I could hook up a eGPU for play.
To do: Create my signature with system and expected eGPU configuration information to give context to my posts. I have no builds.
.Hi @nando4, @enjoy, and @MarkDC
Thanks for the responses. I'm sorry for not having responded in time (been rather busy).
I have updated the original post to include further details. Kindly let me know if I need to add any other info.
Thanks for the tests, so 43% perfromance drop if you using Internal Display with Thundebolt 2 (16Gbps):
1080 8GB in Desktop PC (PCIe slot 126Gbps)
1080 8GB in eGPU with Thunderbolt 2 (16Gbps) Internal Display:
For Example i Have 50% performance drop when i use Thunderbolt 1 (10Gbps)
1060 6GB in Desktop PC (PCIe slot 126Gbps)
EVGA 1060 6GB in eGPU Thunderbolt 1 (10Gbps) Internal Display:-50% performance drop
1080 In Thunderbolt 3 (32Gbps) eGPU for example we have 33% perormance drop on Internal Display:
Internal Display: 2182 / External Display: 2411 / Laptop with 1080 with PCIe (126Gbps) : 3178
- 33% performance drop on Internal Display with eGPU with Thunderbolt3
So from all test i saw online:
- - Thunderbolt 1 and Thunderbolt 2 and Thundebolt 3 all have the same 20-30% performance drop on External Display
- - Thunderbolt 1 have 50% perfromance drop on Internal Display
- - Thunderbolt 2 have 43% perfromance drop on Internal Display
- - Thunderbolt 3 have 33% perfromance drop on Internal Display
MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Later 2013) 3.2GHz Quad Core Intel i7-4750HQ / 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3 / 256GB SSD + 1TB
✪ mini eGPU ● PCI Express vs. Thunderbolt ● Mac CAN game ● Gaming Laptops vs. MacBook Pro with eGPU
2012 13" MacBook Air [3rd,2C,U] + GTX 1060 @ 10Gbps-TB1 (AKiTiO Thunder2) + macOS 10.12 // external HDD Windows [build link]
Hey everybody! Im new here. I just got a 3510 (6700hq 32gb and 512ssd) a couple months ago in the hope that it may be compatible with an E-GPU, and I can get rid of my desktop. So Just to make sure I understand:
Are games playable? It seems that they could be if one had a GTX 970 or rx480 8gb. Would I be correct in saying: Games should be pretty playable ~40 fps @1080p with some "older" AAA titles (like battlefield 4, crysis 3 or Witcher 3(no hairworks)) on high-to-ultra settings? (Granted external monitor would provide slightly better performance than internal laptop lcd).
I know there are quite a few variables there, but I just want to see what I'd approximately, and potentially, be looking at.
I don't play much, but I would like the option to play. I am not trying to play the newest, greatest, top of the line games. Just wondering if something mid range would be acceptable for my needs.
Thanks y'all!
God bless,
Poblopuablo
To do: Create my signature with system and expected eGPU configuration information to give context to my posts. I have no builds.
.The m3510 just received a bios update on the 14th of march. I don't have an egpu, but I'd love to know if that has fixed anything. (I know this post is about the 7510, but if they got it working for one, they might get it working for the big brother soon!!)
To do: Create my signature with system and expected eGPU configuration information to give context to my posts. I have no builds.
.
Hey there! I recently got my new Dell Precision 7510 and I'm very happy with it. I'm also planning to get an egpu although I'm not yet sure which to get. I really would like to double it as a Docking Station so some USB Ports and an Ethernet Jack would be nice. Since I ordered mine I've read a lot of forum threads and did some research.
When i read about the XPS 15s TB Controller isn't connected with 4x Pcie3 I was worried about the 7510. But, like some other posts I can confirm that the Controller is conected with 4x Pcie3 as I can tell from hwinfo64. Since it worries me a bit, I would like to find out why there are these strange numbers about the host-to-device bandwidth in the configurations here.
Since I have no egpu Box at hand currently I have to rely on your information.
I also noticed that the "new" 7520 was release a few days ago and the Dell Support Page provides a Intel Thunderbolt 3 Firmware Update which is NVM 12 while the 7510s is NVM 16.
The latest NVM Version I could find as an Update is 21 (Dell XPS 15). But the latest Intel Thunderbolt 3 compatible NUC is still on Version 18 which is quite confusing!
There are going on a few strange things with these Thunderbolt 3 Firmware Updates across the Industry. Are there so many different controllers around? I can only think of 5 different from Intel???
To do: Create my signature with system and expected eGPU configuration information to give context to my posts. I have no builds.
.@starrify, there is a 6-April-2017 AKiTiO Node firmware that corrects the poor CUDA-Z host-to-device performance:
I've subsequently upgraded this post and entry in the implementations table from 16Gbps-TB3 -> 32Gbps-TB3, placing you near the top of the leaderboard.
eGPU Setup 1.35 • eGPU Port Bandwidth Reference Table
2015 15" Dell Precision 7510 (Q M1000M) [6th,4C,H] + GTX 1080 Ti @32Gbps-M.2 (ADT-Link R43SG) + Win10 1803 // compares M.2 vs TB3 performance inc unoptimized H-CPU BIOS [build link]