2017 13" Eve V [7th,2C,Y] + RTX 2060 @ 16Gbps-TB3 (Razer Core X) + Win10 1909  

System specs

• Eve V 13" (Only version to date)
• Intel Core i7-7Y75 @ 1.30GHz - 3.6GHz
• 16 GB RAM
• Intel 615 integrated graphics
• Windows 10 1909 (build 18363.836)

eGPU hardware

• Razer Core X
• Using included 1ft Thunderbolt cable
• Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2060 OC Graphics Card
• Displaying to Acer H277HU 27" 2560x1440 60Hz

Installation steps

Pretty simple:

1. Installed GPU card in Razer Core X
2. Plugged in monitor via Display Port (using cable included with monitor)
3. Plugged in Razer Core X to power
4. Attached V to Core X via included Thunderbolt cable
5. Reboot V
6. Set Windows to only display to external monitor
7. Install nVidia RTX drivers

The one misstep I made was trying to start with Gigabyte's drivers -- haven't used a discrete GPU in 20 years, so having different chip and card manufacturers is kind of different for me -- things started working as expected with nVidia's drivers.

Benchmarks

Comments

• Have not been able to get the setup working with hotswaping / plug-and-play: always have to reboot when switching between docked and portable configurations. That then becomes difficult because I use bitlocker (as everyone should, or something like it), which trips its hardware change detection so I either have to disable protection for the reboot or type in the crazy long recovery key.
• Setup is surprisingly quiet -- I was really worried about this as I got out of building my own computers 20 years ago in part because even they sounded like jet engines and you couldn't actually enjoy using them -- now I only hear the fan after I turn the game off and it is cooling down.
• The RTX might have been a bit overkill given the TB3 bandwidth, which is why I went with the entry-level RTX -- wanted to have the Turing architecture available to play with.
• Business case for this was virtual backgrounds in Zoom -- thought the iGPU was the limiting factor for me (let's face it, the 615 is pretty limiting), but it turns out the 4 hyperthreads on the i7 don't meet the 4 core requirement (yes, I know the difference -- I didn't think Zoom would know the difference).
• The non-business case is strategy / building games like Cities Skylines, which definitely work much, much better. Fallout 4 also runs much better.
• The best part is honestly being able to use my external monitor reliably again -- never had much luck with USB-C Alternate Display Port to HDMI adapters -- tried a bunch and they're all pretty flaky -- general desktop performance (browsing, spreadsheets, etc.) also feels snappier.