Just saw this video, it seems the bottleneck would be kind of heavy with anything above a 1050ti.
I'm planning on using it with linux, so the equivalent AMD would be an RX560 I guess.
Anyone tried this build? I will be doing some tests when I get mine (it's already shipped but it won't be in my hands until January).
I'm dead set on going the E-key route as I'm planning on using the M-key for a NVME ssd that I already have.
2x should be enough for this kind of ssd (16GBps will amount to ~1500MB/s, which is pretty decent for my ocz rd400 sequential performance). I think samsung ssds might be more of a challenge? 2000MB/s+?
In don't know yet if 1x (8GBps) would be too limiting for a RX560 card. I hope it won't, being on the low end...
Anyway, if anyone has any info or tried a lattepanda alpha build please share!
edit: format and added a few links (I'm documenting this for future me)
edit2:
- Another quote showing E-key gpu is possible and viable with low-end cards:
edit3:
we're being quoted from this post in the official forum.
I'm not completely sure what ccs_hello means. Is he saying we should be able to use 4x M-key and 2x E-key at the same time (giving effectively 6x)?
Because from what I gather on the official intel specs for m3-7Y30, it says:
PCI Express Revision 3.0 PCI Express Configurations ‡ 1x4, 2x2, 1x2+2x1 and 4x1 Max # of PCI Express Lanes 10
To do: Create my signature with system and expected eGPU configuration information to give context to my posts. I have no builds.
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It really depends on what you're going to do with it.
A regular PCIE 1x slot on a desktop gets about 30% usage with a GT 1030 doing folding, and 50% under stress test (Gaming).
A regular GTX 1050 (non TI) will use up 100% of the bandwidth of a 1x slot, just folding or bitcoin mining.
Gaming performance is reduced in Windows.
This board, I'm not sure if the CPU can provide the PCIE bandwidth slot with the speed needed. It might throttle with a 1050 folding or mining, and will not be able to get the full 100% performance of the card.
A PCIE 2x slot could probably be maxed out with a 1050 to 1050 TI card under Windows.
Reports have been made that Linux uses less PCIE bandwidth than Windows, so it might run better under Linux.
That being said, does the regular LattePanda with CherryTrail not have a 1x slot as well?
Any news on experimenting if EGPUs work?
Bandwidth restrictions:
I might just allot the 1060 all 4 lanes and disable the E key. I could run any additional SATA SSDs through a USB 3 connection to the board. It would be fast enough for me and the 1060 would enjoy happy bandwidth. Many of the games today at 1080p are usually GPU bottlenecked (at least the ones I play) as I have paired a mid to high end card with an older pentium and have achieved good frame rates. Granted I don't game at 144HZ in 4k so a CPU bottleneck is not an issue. CryptoMining does not use more than a PCIe 1x Gen 2.
It does with the latest Nvidia RTX 2070 and 2080 cards, as well as with the 1070 and 1080 cards.
Folding and bitcoin need at least PCIE 4x slot with those; with a 2-20% performance drop on a PCIE 2x 2.0 slot.
A PCIE 1x 2.0 slot maxes out with a GTX 1050 card
To do: Create my signature with system and expected eGPU configuration information to give context to my posts. I have no builds.
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Here i installed a NVME SSD and a external graphics card (eGPU) on a Lattepanda Alpha 
Used M Key slot for SSD and E Key slot for eGPU,
Check Tutorial:
To do: Create my signature with system and expected eGPU configuration information to give context to my posts. I have no builds.
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@trickyaamir There exist M.2 length extensions that can increase the length of the EXP GDC's M.2 connector.
https://egpu.io/forums/which-gear-should-i-buy/thunderbolt-3-external-drive-slot-m-2-ngff-adapter/paged/2/#post-67817
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