I've got an Hp Spectre x360 mod# ac023dx, which has two Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports. I also recently picked up a Sonnet eGFX breakawaybox 350W with an RX 580 in it. The box worked perfectly fine for the person I picked it up from, but they used it on a mac. I'm having trouble getting it to be detected on my windows laptop though. Whenever I plug it in, it charges my laptop but it's not detected in the Thunderbolt software as a device, it detects maybe one out of 10-15 times I plug it in. My laptop is listed as being supported for the box on the Sonnet website. I think the problem lies in the version of Thunderbolt software I have installed, i have version 16.2.52.250 and the Sonnet website says I need version 16.3.61.275 for it to work. Only problem is I have no idea how to update it. On the HP website, the most recent available version on the drivers page for my laptop is 16.2.52.250 and I've tried contacting HP but you can't even talk to a service rep if your device is out of warranty. I've updated my BIOS to the latest revision. Also, my NVM firmware is version 9.00 which i read may be an issue also but I can't figure out how to update that either.
Does anybody know how the heck I can update the Thunderbolt software other than the HP drivers page? I really want this to work so that I can use it as an on-the-go gaming rig since I travel a good bit. At one point the RX580 was detected in device manager but it said "Windows has stopped this device from functioning" or something along those lines. I tried installing the AMD software when the RX580 was detected but just got an error code when I tried to open it.
I would appreciate any help on how to get this functioning. It's my first eGPU and I was very excited to be able to play some games on my laptop.
System: HP Spectre x360 ac023dx w/ i7-7500u, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD
eGPU: Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box 350 w/ Sapphire RX 580
@michael_mcmahan, Look into the BIOS first to see if there's and settings for Thunderbolt. If there's any, you can change the Security settings to [No Security]. You can also try downloading Intel Thunderbolt Software/Thunderbolt Control Center from Intel website. Take a look at this Thunderbolt software discussion.
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2020 14" MSI Prestige 14 EVO [11th,4C,G] + RTX 3080 @ 32Gbps-TB4 (AORUS Gaming Box) + Win10 2004 [build link]
@itsage, Thanks for the help. My box is now being recognized in the Intel Thunderbolt control center, which brings me one step closer. My RX580 inside of it is still not being powered up or recognized in device manager though. Any ideas on how to get that working?
EDIT: I've got the card to power on and be recognized in device manager, but now I'm getting error 12 which I've heard not good things about. Is there any fix to it?
System: HP Spectre x360 ac023dx w/ i7-7500u, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD
eGPU: Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box 350 w/ Sapphire RX 580
@itsage, do you know if the Windows 10 October 2020 update is more stable/reliable than other versions for eGPUs. Im currently at 1909 and it performs only acceptable (some games run well, others crash or show glitches). I tried to install it, but Windows Update does not show it. I also downloaded the update but it shows an error. Thanks!
To do: Create my signature with system and expected eGPU configuration information to give context to my posts. I have no builds.
.@lothar, If you have a Radeon RX eGPU, the graphics drivers are more of likely the culprit than Windows. I've found Radeon version 20.4.2 to work the best.
• external graphics card builds
• best laptops for external GPU
• eGPU enclosure buyer's guide
2020 14" MSI Prestige 14 EVO [11th,4C,G] + RTX 3080 @ 32Gbps-TB4 (AORUS Gaming Box) + Win10 2004 [build link]
@itsage, thanks for your reply. I a have an MSI Radeon RX 480 8 GB + Sonnet Breakaway Box 350. The thing is iam currently running without the Radeon drivers because everytime i run the AMD installer, it flickers the screen, goes to black, and never returns to normal. Running all this on a 2018 mac mini.
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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