Build A Low-Cost OCuLink GPU Dock on a Budget! (Easy DIY Guide)

[@jinsong6940]

It's a cheap eGPU setup for 100 bucks. If you have a 3d printer or a friend with one, it's basically eGPU solution for 1/3 or 1/4th the price. Decent idea and content.

[@mczaga]

3 d print for what?

[@gleavitt1]

@@mczaga to make an "enclosure" to pretty much contain everything, and make it look cleaner

[@vomytdaug]

I remember back in the day when cases were costly enough that I used to run an entire system on my “ desk “ without a case . Yes I used to get weird looks but I just look at it as that I was spearheading the open case platform design 😏

[@anderssorenson9998]

So not a cat/small human person I see.

[@Kaimifune]

I remember my big brother doing the same thing

[@zombiewolf007]

ETA PRIME, YOU LINKED TO AN OCULINK BOARD THAT ONLY SUPPORTS 32GBPS... (Data transfer rate up to 32 Gbps). Just figured that out after I ordered the part and spent 4 hours testing things and wondering why my system kept crashing. The CAPS doesnt mean I'm angry, I'm just trying to get other people's attention so they don't make the same mistake and purchase the item from the link that you posted. I just purchased the JMT brand PCIe 4.0 board and nvme that supports 64gbps and I'll report back if that works, wont be delivered for two more days. If you really are running the same board in your video here that you linked to on Amazon, then you were only testing oculink performance over 32gbps and it was likely slower than USB 4.0 40gpbs speeds, even though it said it was using 4x pci lanes. I still love you of course, ETA Prime.

[@radiantfairy4079]

Hi. Thanks for the heads up. Link to the JMT brand?

[@AmmarAhmed1]

Updates ?

[@zombiewolf007]

@AmmarAhmed1 I wrote a reply here two weeks ago and for whatever bad reason I guess KZbin didnt approve it, or maybe the channel owner prevented me from posting it, or it got flagged and removed... Ive seen it happen before where it looks like I posted a harmless comment and then I leave the video and come back later only to see my comments are gone, within 5 minutes sometimes. Anyways, here's the results, but Im keeping it shorter this time because I dont know if KZbin will waste more of my time and delete this for some reason. The JMT-branded Oculink boards on Amazon that specifically state they handle 64gbps in their product pages DO work at a true 64gbps and I did get more FPS using the 64gbps nvme and PCIe GPU boards that came in the JMT kit. Let me state that Im not affiliated with this JMT brand, nor are they the only seller that offers parts that claim to offer 64gbps performance. In fact, JMT has some ads that sell 32gbps cards, so the moral of the story is to look for 32gbps Oculink cards when buying. There are a lot of other brands out there, and sold on other sites, including Aliexpress, and Im sure they all work the same (again, as long as they explicitly state that they support 64gbps link speed). Most of these Oculink products look white-label too (manufactured by one or more companies and are all identical with just branding being changed). If a product ad states PCIe 4.0 without stating the link speed, then assume its only doing 32gbps. You definitely only want to purchase something that specifically advertises 64gbps link speeds and PCIe 4.0 (or 5.0 in the future depending on when you might be reading this comment, and perhaps faster than 64gbps some day). Im very happy with the results, however I opted to not leave my GPU exposed on my table since I have very active pets that roam around, and I went down the rabbit hole and ended up building a whole new PC around my new GPU so that my expensive PC parts are safe inside a computer case. This was a fun project though and the performance was great and very enjoyable, enough for me to game with a brand new RTX 4080 using this Oculink setup connected to my little Beelink SER7 Mini PC (had to use the primary NVME slot on the Beelink SER7 for the Oculink card as the 2nd nvme slot on the riser board couldnt handle the Oculink card) for two whole weeks, daily, without incident. Even using the 32gbps speed cards that ETA had linked to, things ran, but my system would crash sometimes and it was either the particular parts or it was the limited bandwidth maybe? It would run "ok" for a couple hours at-a-time though with 32gbps link. I saw at least a 10 to 20fps difference when I started using the 64gbps cards and had full system stability at that point, too. I hope this helps, and I hope this message remains posted here on KZbin and isnt taken down again. Good luck, everyone!

[@zombiewolf007]

plz see my reply new above. I had tried to post previously, but for some reason, my comment was taken down. I know you wrote 4 weeks ago, so maybe you already figured it out. Take care @@radiantfairy4079

[@brianmclain1955]

I did the same thing my board doesn't even work.😢 I'm using a RTX 2060.

[@holgerwikingsen713]

Man I love projects like these. Nicely done. We need moar

[@RobberClobber]

I love the idea of these mini's with a eGPU but my OCD could never with the cables mess. Thunderbolt 5 needs to be a thing already.

[@post-leftluddite]

3d Print or fab up your own case, or use a tiny ITX case

[@post-leftluddite]

Thunderbolt 5 SHOULD have just been a simple PCIe 5.0x4 link, so that I'd be 128Gbps, but instead it's only 80Gbps bidirectional, with some 120Gbps one way mode.....which stinks because now there will be a plethora of TB5 applications where customers have to read the fine print to make sure each specific laptop/motherboard/cable has the bandwidth they need....very similar to what it's like with USB 3.2 cables. It should have just been 128Gbps minimum

[@yasirrakhurrafat1142]

My on screen display used to be auite severe too. The.n , I got off screen.

[@rileyhance318]

Would probably only see full benefits on a gen 5 card. Since thunderbolt 5 would be 4 lanes of gen 5 putting a gen 4 gpu on it would see identical results as thunderbolt 4

[@theautomaticfiend]

​@@BobDevV I thought Intel rolled thunderbolt into the fast usb4?

[@brienh63]

Thank you soooo much for this video I was looking in your archive because I thought you already had a video like this!!!! Thanks again!!!

[@michaellagamon]

this is the exact setup i did a few months ago with my Minisforum UM870 XTX. only difference is my main server power supply that came from a previous setup using a slower adapter.

[@rnick3665]

Thanks for the info I've been looking in to getting on EGPU. As for an enclosure, why not just embrace the jank. Just poke vent holes into a $2 Tupperware container and screw it in there.

[@pedroramirez2215]

This is the content I signed up for

[@davidpower3102]

With the next graphics cards coming out in the coming months the second hand market will be great. I got myself a 6750 XT for really cheap. I’ve paired it with a similar eGPU dock. It’s connected to a mini-pc I use as a server and I stream games to my old MacBook that way.

[@stregaheart2300]

I been thinking about this for awhile. This is pretty rad.

[@anthonylipke7754]

I like this kind of power supply and want to see more solutions like this.

[@coratoraYT]

Thank you for this video I have a mini pc and this is perfect for it.

[@100man_slayer]

Im new to this stuff and thankful that there is a detailed video on how to set it up and its performance 😊

[@MacySpitfire]

I hope new legion go 2 will get occulink port! It will be awesome!

[@shadeogxgreen420]

Thank you ive already done this with minis forum 780m victus 32gb ram w 4060 lp 8gb vram through nvme pcie 4.0 and love it

[@arseniyshapurov]

Do you have any post/pics of this setup, how it's made?

[@shadeogxgreen420]

@@arseniyshapurov ya its in one of my shorts titled when the noob gets his PC but I might make a video on how to set up the build

[@daveb0t82]

Thats a cool little project and super easy

[@MobileDecay]

I just grabbed a Razer Core X Chroma on eBay for $270. to use with my Legion Go and an RX 6800. Not Oculink but it's crazy seeing a handheld maxing games at 1440p at over 100fps.

[@DuckyUmbra]

Whats yer perf loss over thunderbolt 4? Just curious

[@MobileDecay]

@@DuckyUmbra Quite a bit. Videos are showing the difference on KZbin. It depends on the game. However, you do leave a lot of performance on the table. Games still look and play amazing though.

[@LuminousSpace]

@@DuckyUmbra very huge loss, it get more noticeable in multiple monitor setup, i dont like usb4 at all

[@dame666999]

I heard and drivers play up a lot with Legion go, could you advise how to run an egpu on legion go like drivers etc as I am picking up a Razer core x with a amd 5700xt at the weekend. Any advice would be greatly appreciated

[@MobileDecay]

@dame666999 I honestly stopped using it for now. It was really cool, but it ruined my portable experience.

[@gingerfication3375]

Really cool, you’re such a bro making the videos for alternate gaming rigs.

[@rafcals]

Thanks for doing this video, i recently ordered the oculink kit..

[@easymoney480]

I'll be following your footsteps soon!

[@GAME-ON-333]

this is why i love this channel

[@ChibiTheEdgehog]

Just in time, I been looking at these. Just needed someone else to risk the explosions 1sts lol

[@Deadmare]

Thank you very much. I just ordered a minisforum um780xtx and was told to build my own egpu cause the already made ones are too costly. But I had no idea how till now. Thank you for the tutorial I'll be able to upgrade in the future now:-)

[@cloudycolacorp]

I hope one day egpus get more convenient, they seem to be slowly coming along

[@ajieobah]

I personally would like to soldered cable with switch on/off rather than multiple connector for long life term 👌 Its really nice to see if there r avaible in my country ❤️👍

[@kmjsuperfly1]

Imagine being able to dock a steam deck 2 to one of these setups? Oh the possibilities.

[@LuminousSpace]

well, u dont need steamdeck to start rn, im really satisfied with gpd product as of now, used to own sd and ally

[@artmedinajr]

👏 absolutely bravo my man, bravo! Thank you so much you are an absolute genius!!

[@marcus11619]

Just got my 2019 MacBook Pro to connect to the one dock egpu via thunderbolt and rig ally via oculink. Rig ally with an oculink 3080 ti is great!

[@mczaga]

Interesting good ideas It needs a good case and passive cooling solutions.

[@_Manfat]

Love this. Nice work 👍

[@georgigeorgiev9931]

Actually, this Is awesome and very helpful!!! Thank you 🥰

[@andrewgarcia8907]

Been waiting for this! Thank you!

[@manurz1]

i love the idea of pico power suply but that thing even if its only 120w need a casinng

[@ezg8448]

No, because it's a switch mode power supply and not a traditional one used on PCs. They're plenty good for powering a GPU.

[@DeangusMcFife]

i cant wait to see someone 3D print an enclosure for the setup

[@post-leftluddite]

Probably just use a small itx case

[@eliezerortizlevante1122]

VESA mount as minimum.

[@robbazarchive]

With a acrylic base or similar it would be easy to make it into one unit, this stuff is really clever. In a pinch perhaps even turn it into a Nas.

[@someguy3186]

This is why I subscribed to this channel. Weird, janky setups that are normally only attempted by South Asians and Eastern Europeans with thick accents.

[@DCX1]

Very cool project! More videos like this please!

[@selimdagtekin3101]

It gave me an idea about converting my thunderbolt 3 Razer Core X to Oculink

[@Typecast-L]

That's a solid idea and would make for a nice upgrade. Give that bad boy a fresh breath of life.

[@jhonatanmauriciocalenoruiz8143]

Lol I have a set up like this... Instead I'm just using a 150w 12v DC power supply, the adapter had a 6pin energy output and I use a 6 pin to 8 pin power cable for my GPU. To avoid problems I just underlvolted my GPU, and set a 80% power limit, so my power supply can work with it without explosions.

[@cavummusictheory]

positive comments on eta prime video? looks like this is what gets you support lol. i have not much input to add but i do really like projects like this as i do them myself. i may do something like this at some point

[@hyhyhyGG101]

can I connect 4070 to it?

[@cavummusictheory]

@@hyhyhyGG101 i wouldnt be surprised if you could, as long as you have an x16 pcie slot and a way to connect it, i dont see why you couldn't hook up a 4090 to it. you might need a stronger psu though the more you increase the power of the graphics card

[@hyhyhyGG101]

@@cavummusictheory thanks, I'm looking for such a solution for my portable PC

[@MaxStevenson-ih5ji]

wow ive never seen a 'pico' psu like that, very nice. another option is sfx psus

[@sonofwright]

One can use multiple oculinks to setup a machine learning inference rig - 3x 16GB VRAM will run your own large language model assistant like Llama 3 70B. Like if your case has no space.

[@b71717]

Did you end up doing this? Been interested in building a small form factor inference rig for a while and am thinking about what the best setup might be (APU, mobile CPU with GPU over oculink, NVIDIA Jetson, etc…).

[@ggkanakestardom4370]

you should add another demonstration with a laptop setup where you use the m.2 slot available

[@bgates275]

I could see this making sense if you've got a low powered system and happen to have an extra gpu laying around.

[@hugojmaia]

I would recommend going with amd GPUs for something like this, having both nvidia and amd drivers installed on the system, particularly for the handhelds, it's asking for weird behavior on top of w/e gremlins the device may already have.

[@deechvogt1589]

Neat DIY project. How about hooking up an icy dock via occulink to a mini pc for swappable name drives?

[@soiltek2015]

Such a great video! Thank you so much!!

[@CrimeMaster-c3d]

I see some of the pico power supplies rated up to 300 watts. So maybe, just go with them so you could put a much more powerful GPU while keeping the footprint to a minimum.

[@ahmedpranto6669]

Please try the nvme to oculink connector

[@antondovydaitis2261]

Yes, please. Even though it won't work with my laptop, I would still like to see it.

[@shriharideshpande1980]

​@@antondovydaitis2261 hey im new to this... why do you think it wont work with your device?? does you laptop not have an m.2 port?

[@antondovydaitis2261]

@@shriharideshpande1980 It has one M2 PCIE 4, which is the boot device, and an additional M2 PCIE 3, which I understand won't work with this.

[@AmmarAhmed1]

​@@antondovydaitis2261wouldn't it run with pcie3 speed?

[@antondovydaitis2261]

@@AmmarAhmed1 As I understand, PCIE 3 would not be fast enough.

[@al-elchannel5898]

Bro please do on laptop on next videos😅

[@thomaskerr2477]

very nice video ,.....was wondering if you could put together very portable form factor for good VR games or cheapest lightest pcvr games ,like using steam and other pc vr places ...........as i am thinking to buy laptop or pc but want as portable as can be

[@hkazazi]

LOVE IT ♥

[@user-hr5di5fg8b]

Would be nice to see this egpu hooked up to a cheaper Intel or AMD CPU with out a good igpu since the PC should be cheaper.

[@aaronalquiza9680]

i wish this video came out a couple of months ago. lol

[@rohanchooramun7288]

Please try out the new Adt-Link R43UH pcie 4.0 with a much stronger gpu. Including all the software process as well.

[@Merrlin]

Dang I really want one of these oculink setups so I can use any GPU i want for when I travel but my TSA might have a problem with me bringing that through the airport

[@d.r.a-13]

So cool - Love the DIY approach! Nooby question: would this work with a laptop? I'm wondering what to do with the HDMI output coming out of the GPU. Would I just forego it all together and the laptop would send the signal to its screen or would I have to plug the hdmi into the laptop? Or would I have to use an external monitor? 😂🙈

[@TonyRush21]

You saved my life bro. Can I use a 16GB GPU on this build?

[@TheMasterwitcher]

Id love to see how ud slap a m.2 to oculink on a legion go xD once thunderbolt 5 is a thing, ill get something with that. Until then ill use the legion go and geforce now together. Unnecessarily complicated with those cables imo

[@1kronikle]

Can you do an updated video for running a RTX 4090 at full potential with your DIY oculink implemented. Some of this stuff is going over my head.

[@spector1525]

awesome!

[@marcwijtenburg1906]

Could you test this with the N-one ultra laptop. It should have a spare m.2 header, that combo is very interesting to me!

[@lacklustre222]

THIS 🙌

[@lugented]

I could see super tiny sff with gpu priority a thing

[@sigma682]

I have two M.2 slots so if I could run a female oculink port from the M.2, and mount it to the laptop chassis this would be awesome.

[@fwiler]

I still think an under 5l build is better. The actual space this takes up would be more if you include multiple power supplies plus cables, plus space to keep mini pc and graphics card separate. An all in one is far more portable, easier, and clean looking.

[@joelv4495]

agreed. My ideal system would be a Minisforum MS-01, just make it a little taller so it could support 2 slot GPUs.

[@Eireeth]

I think it's not a good idea to max out the 120w psu, i would recommend a bigger one, atleast with 12 amp, or undervolt the graphicscard.

[@mrdali67]

Would be nice to show this with a suitable casing. If you where to take this around with you, not very smart to have electronics exposed to greasy finger and maybe liquid or metal things that could short stuff.

[@casualgamer366]

Good job!!!!

[@Gigi-zy1kx]

thats cool

[@megan_alnico]

Here's the thing about frame gen. Why do we want more frames in our games? It's because frame rate is a stand-in for latency. At 120 frames per second I have twice as many opportunities to react as 60 frames per second. And four times as many opportunities to react than at 30 frames per second. Synthetic frames don't give me the opportunity to react, hence they are of significantly less value than true frames. Does it look better? I mean yeah in a way it does but it's not functionally better.

[@Razzy_III]

Depends on the game. Yeah for a competitive FPS or fighting game it’s meh. But for more spectacle and single player stuff where you’re not really winning or losing based on a few milliseconds just watching smoother animations is like half the fun.

[@novantha1]

🤔 4x 4060TI 16GB ~= 1/2 the price of 1 A6000 48GB. You'd lose so much performance on the PCIe bandwidth, so I'm not sure what you would use it for, but on the other hand, for half the price, it might be worth it, lol. Plus I think there are some consumer motherboards that support 4 NVMe slots out of the box nowadays. Food for thought.

[@antondovydaitis2261]

Thank you! If I understand, to use this in a laptop without an occulink, I would have to use the M2 PCIE 4 slot, but as this is the boot device, that won't work. A second M2 PCIE 3 won't be sufficient. Even if it did, I would have to slip the connector and maybe some kind of thin ribbon out of the laptop case. So not practical for my Gigabyte G5 GD, alas! Guess it's back to building my own gaming PC.

[@alirax4058]

Thank you so much

[@myworkspaceTM]

eGPU with Oculink support & thunderbolt 4 compatible m.2 slot for extra storage, USB ports, 2 DP-1.4 & 2-HDMI port, LAN, a card reader slot powered by AMD 7600M XT is already available in market

[@ancaxtx647]

ROG ally with this is awesome. make egpu can cheap

[@vis-exile]

Do you have a video tutorial on cutting and soldering the psu cables properly? 🙏

[@rick_222]

Shouldn't have to do any of that.

[@vis-exile]

@@rick_222 i may need to since some of my cables are causing my case to bulge on the side panels.

[@zildeandespa681]

Try searching, customize PSU power cables. I also wanted to know how to solder it but I can't vid a reference, so I jst bought some online.

[@El.Duder-ino]

Full external PCIE GPU/accelerator connection not bottlenecking any GPU either through USB/TB/Occulink should become a standard in the future for every mobile or mini PC. It's a missed opportunity PC manufacturers and chip makers like AMD don't see what pairing even a mobile CPU with the dedicated PCIE GPU can offer to most PC users.

[@bubentech6108]

This riser not needed picoPSU. 24pin, but only 12v line used, other contacts is empty.Use direct connection for power supply.

[@Goober0527]

What if I wanted to build one for thunderbolt 4 for the legion go?

[@frixxme5828]

Can you show demonstration for laptop with thunderbolt 4?

[@bubentech6108]

Hey, man! Try to remove picoPSU from the scheme! I searched through the descriptions of this device on various sites + collected high-resolution photos. Apparently, out of the 24 pin connector, it only needs 12v. The 3.3V line is converted from 12V using a step-down mosfet and a pair of capacitors directly on the riser. Please try a regular 24 pin adapter -> 6 or 8 pin gpu.

[@dimitriid]

I wish some of this e-gpu boards would just make it mitx sized instead or adapt to mitx: I know its much smaller than what it needs to for mitx but if I'm already using an SFX PSU I could just use a mini itx case so it's still DIY but not just a mess of cables and unprotected GPU on my desk.

[@forty2retro]

Nice

[@steffenpruin]

Are you planning on making a tutorial to install a OCuLink on a framework 16 extension bay?

[@ogdan1173]

Hi. OcuLink can run on linux? Does exist an adapter from mini pcie (laptop) to oculink to make plug and play setup?

[@TonyRush21]

How would I connect an ATX Power Supply to this build. Can yu do a video on that?

[@roshlew6994]

Missed a few steps.. Shows adding feet bushing, but misses how the power brick is connected or the oculink connection to the board .

[@luisrrr3290]

Se vé muy interesante, algo economic en comparacion a un gabinete de PC con todos los componentes.

[@l.sal2]

Can we have a video for laptop (thunderbolt 3)

[@Russiangamerpro2021]

Can you use that set up on the Lenovo Legion go because I want to see how much performance can you go? By using 4060 because I want to see how much performance can a boost.

[@edulak1]

Hi, Can you please make a video review about the new Bazzite OS like steam OS distro

[@matthewbutler4650]

Can you make a video making an egpu with a 4080 or 4090?

[@anthonylipke7754]

Now I'm curious if you've used an oculink to m.2 connection for file transfer?

[@zenmaster24]

can you test this with linux installed on the mini pc?

[@hosam7609]

Why is the gem 10 oculink port not in the back? That causes a huge mess

[@Gigi-zy1kx]

That 4060

[@Beauty.and.FashionPhotographer]

can you do a video for a eGPU buy with a true full thunderbolt 4 (not a thunderbolt 3/4!) for a mac, but which is running windows via bootcamp, this for a Nvidia 3090ti or a 4070 or even a RTX 4090 in order to run Stable Diffusion Auto1111 , Comfyui or even to make LLMs ( LLMs would ned multiple RTX 4090 cards)? i think no one has ever done a video for mac users ....

[@shadeogxgreen420]

Whats the mini pc link my guy i need it for friends tryna buy this

[@z-trip5457]

Amy way to plug this setup in a laptop?

[@jasonnussbaum1457]

@@z-trip5457 nvme m.2 slot adapter

[@4pwp]

Can i plug it in the wifi slot ​@@jasonnussbaum1457