SUCCESS!.. external DIY (do it yourself) GPU rig runs octane

[suhail_spa]

EDIT: PLEASE REFER TO PAGE 3 (5th post) FOR BENCHMARKS AND RIG PHOTOS, OTHER INFO..
Refer to Last Post on Page 3 for experiences with the rig...




http://www.villageinstruments.com/tiki- ... age=ViDock

the vdock4 plus can support upto 225W power (good enough for a GTX 570..??),and seems preferable for laptops with PCIexpress slots..
and price also seems almost ok...279USD (+25USD worldwide shipping)

has anyone used it for octane?

[suhail_spa]

i think power might be a problem..
it can support max 225W as per spec sheet..
as per nvidia, max graphics card power for:

GTX 480= 250W
GTX 570= 219W (owing to new thermal design..)
GTX 580= 244W

but does anyone know more or have actually tested this product?

[bepeg4d]

interesting, maybe with 460 or 560?

ciao beppe

[suhail_spa]

GTX 460= under 160W
GTX 560Ti= 170W
it theoretically could work..
but will it actually fit? you need to unscrew the case of vidock and put the graphics card in the PCI slot inside.. and what about the heat issues?
otherwise..it seems ok for laptop users though..

has anyone used it?

[suhail_spa]

btw..i have asked the vidock support if can supprt cuda 3.2
and if will work with these cards..

[suhail_spa]

here is the reply from Vidock team.
i think its a good solution for laptops
anyone has any suggestions please do let me know

Response from Vidock:
"The ViDock 4 Plus can support a GTX460, GTX470, and the GTX560 TI or GTX570 IF they stay within the powers specifications that Nvidia has set. You will need to check the cards' specific manufacturer for full power requirement details.

http://www.geforce.com/#/Hardware/GPUs/ ... ifications
http://www.geforce.com/#/Hardware/GPUs/ ... ifications

If you look, all 4 of the cards I listed above are actually below the 225Watt ViDock 4 Plus powersupply however you need to check any card specifically before you buy it. The ViDock should support Cuda fine, and we ship worldwide.

Best Regards,
Jim Atchue

We hope this response has sufficiently answered your questions. If not, please do not send another email. Instead, reply to this email or login to your account for a complete archive of all your support requests and responses."

[suhail_spa]

well..continuing this post further..
i asked whether i would be able to use my onboard graphics card of my laptop- simultaneously with external GPU & vidock4pro..
following is the response from Vidock support:

"A customer support staff member has replied to your support request, #574428 with the following response:

....
Yes, you should be able to use the onboard card simultaneously.

If you have any other questions, please let me know.

Best Regards,
Your Village Tronic Support Ninja Team, Michael

We hope this response has sufficiently answered your questions. If not, please do not send another email. Instead, reply to this email or login to your account for a complete archive of all your support requests and responses.

http://support.villagetronic.com/view.php?
...."

[suhail_spa]

since no one in the community seems to have used vidock before (i think so..)..i decided to carry it forward for a while..
i asked vidock support: whether vidock4plus will work without an external monitor (as i had doubts it won't, after reading some reviews- mostly on gaming forums)...this was the answer:

A customer support staff member has replied to your support request, #574428 with the following response:

......
All ViDocks need to connect to the External display, the Video can not be sent back to the internal display of the laptop. Our ViDock products provide a way of adding a PCIe graphics card to a laptop. But you also can use your laptop's display with the onboard card in the same time.

If you have any other questions, please let me know.Thank you

Best Regards,
Your Village Tronic Support Ninja Team, Michael

We hope this response has sufficiently answered your questions. If not, please do not send another email. Instead, reply to this email or login to your account for a complete archive of all your support requests and responses.

http://support.villagetronic.com/view.php?.....


in short- it needs an external monitor to display..though the laptop monitor can also be used and there is a work-around on some forums- but with some loss in performance..and i couldnt get surety that this will work for octane the way i expect....
hence, plans to buy it on hold temporarily...
if anybody knows more- please share

[suhail_spa]

now this gets interesting...
a DIY (do it yourself) GPU Expander...

http://forum.notebookreview.com/gaming- ... ost5324240

theoretically, you need:
- expresscard or mPCIe to pci-e adapter
- graphics card of ur choice
- power supply- enough to support the graphics card
- external monitor- though there is a workaround to use laptop monitor also: using nvidia optimus driver- with some loss in performance

Cost: "US$65-shipped PE4L with HD5770+120W=$200, GTS450+120W=$200, TX460+430W=$200, GT430+72W=$130, HD5670+72W=$140. Add $66 (hwtools) or $62 (HIT) for a x2 capable kit using a PE4H."

interesting imo

[Daniel79]

This product is only for laptop or not?
Is possible to apply this solution to expander my workstation that have a motherboard whit only one pci-e slot?