V15 Nitro TB3 eGPU possible?

Haz100

good morning all,

 

after 3 months of struggling to get my thunderbolt 3 software updated , ive finally managed to get my Akitio Node working with my Vn7 592G .. im running a GTX 1060 msi 6GB through thunderbolt connected flawlessly 

 

 

 

as you can see above , it shows up in device manager etc .. all good ... only slight trouble is when you run the Node then you unplug it and restart etc .. somtimes the Thunderbolt controller isnt started and remains hidden and doesnt react to the node being plugged in and just doesnt start, it reqires a restart/reinstall of the thunderbolt software and it fires back up but i can live with it.....but if any one has a fix p-lease LMK. i can run AA games at 300 plus fps which is insane and im v happy .. also it does conflict with the gtx 960m so i just disable that so it purly runs on the GTX1060

 

anyone struggling to get there thunderbolt 3 NVM or pd firmware updated to 15 and 1.05 which you need for EGPU to work and the node to regonise it being plugged in see this link Download and read the read me doc and follow and you will be all upto date

 

MT

Krain11

Wow! Good to know that you got it to work!

 

Now that's a development. Nice to know that there's still hope for us. Hopefully they will fix the issues in the near future. 

Thanks for coming back!

sicily428

do you have a cuda-z test? how many fps in gaming sessions?

MasterchiefWell

Hello im sorry i know that this thread is abot egpu.. i need some active thread to get reply asap.

 

Can you give an answer about your experience with acer v nitro.

 

1. wanted to ask my acer v nitro 592 touch pad is making some noise when i tap/not clicking, like tek tek tek. It feels Like the touchpad there is space between the touchpad and the bottom touchpad. so it making sound.. The touchpad is normal to everyday use and very sensitive. just making some loose noise. Does this normal i need your experience with your laptop or maybe some acer technician answer.. Thanks..

Xar55

Hi, matches have been with my acer for a long time.
Please provide the driver link to Haz100 because the old one has expired.
Thanks

Andromedus

Quick update: The Akitio Node does work with the Acer VN7-792G series (the Aspire V17 Nitro Black).

It took me a while but I finally pulled the trigger and purchased one. Got it set up today with a GTX 1660 Super. I don't have it hooked up to an external monitor, it is running the internal 4k screen. And I must say the difference is astonishing.

Applications that ran at 25 fps before now run at 60-100+ with identical settings (both times at 4k resolution). I imagine you could squeeze more out of it if you attached an external monitor but with a 17 inch 4k panel built in, that's not something I'm planning to do.

Setup was basically plug n' play for something this niche. I had to reinstall the Nvidia drivers. You want to do this with the eGPU plugged in, but after the thunderolt 3 driver has detected it, so that Nvidia knows to install drivers for both the internal laptop card AND the eGPU (select fresh install, that's important).

I have found no reason to uninstall the built-in 960M; Nvidia seems to know to prioritize the more powerful eGPU automatically. When I unplug the eGPU, it re-prioritizes the 960M. Before you install the Nvidia drivers however you will want to install the latest TB3 drivers. You can get Acer's if you want. I got a newer driver here: https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GC-ALPINE-RIDGE-rev-10/support#support-dl-driver but your mileage may vary.

I will say that the TB3 port is a little finicky when it comes to actually detecting the cord when you plug it in. It seems that the best thing to do is plug it in, and THEN turn on the eGPU enclosure. For some reason this method gives it the best chance of being recognized.

On side note, is that in any application, for some reason, you want to select "exclusive full screen mode" (not borderless, or windowed). For FPS-intensive games, this gives a HUGE FPS boost (like 80%) over windowed mode. I have no idea why, someone smarter than me probably does (CPY

Andromedus

I know it's a little late coming but I did follow through on getting the Akitio Node. Today I received the Node as well as a GTX 1660 Super and I can confirm that they do work on the VN7-92G (Acer V17 Nitro Black).

The difference is astonishing. I'm using the internal 4k monitor, not an external monitor. My FPS in one intensive game went from 25 FPS (ultra setting, 4k) to 60-100+ (same settings, 4k).

I will note that for some reason you need to set the game to "exclusive full screen mode" NOT "windowed" or "borderless" or any of that. For some reason full screen increases my FPS by around 70%. I suspect it may be related to CPU bottlenecking but I can only speculate.

Set up was virtually plug n' play for something this niche. I will say that you should install the latest TB3 drivers first, then connect the TB3, and then, WHEN the device is recognized as plugged in, install the latest Nvidia drivers (clean install). For the TB3 drivers you can get Acer's latest, I got this one https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GC-ALPINE-RIDGE-rev-10/support#support-dl-driver but your mileage may vary. 

A notable detail is that I do NOT have to disable in internal GTX 960M. The drivers know to prioritize the GTX 1660 Super. When I unplug the eGPU, it goes back to prioritizing the 960M.

The only thing that's a little finicky is connecting. It seems to be most reliable when the eGPU is plugged in first, turned on. This is when it is most likely to recognize that something was plugged in.

Cheers.

Andromedus

I know it's a little late coming but I did follow through on getting the Akitio Node. Today I received the Node as well as a GTX 1660 Super and I can confirm that they do work on the VN7-92G (Acer V17 Nitro Black).

The difference is astonishing. I'm using the internal 4k monitor, not an external monitor. My FPS in one intensive game went from 25 FPS (ultra setting, 4k) to 60-100+ (same settings, 4k).

I will note that for some reason you need to set the game to "exclusive full screen mode" NOT "windowed" or "borderless" or any of that. For some reason full screen increases my FPS by around 70%. I suspect it may be related to CPU bottlenecking but I can only speculate.

Set up was virtually plug n' play for something this niche. I will say that you should install the latest TB3 drivers first, then connect the TB3, and then, WHEN the device is recognized as plugged in, install the latest Nvidia drivers (clean install). For the TB3 drivers you can get Acer's latest, I got a newer one over at Gigabyte but your mileage may vary. 

A notable detail is that I do NOT have to disable in internal GTX 960M. The drivers know to prioritize the GTX 1660 Super. When I unplug the eGPU, it goes back to prioritizing the 960M.

The only thing that's a little finicky is connecting. It seems to be most reliable when the eGPU is plugged in first, turned on. This is when it is most likely to recognize that something was plugged in.

Cheers.

Andromedus

I know it's a little late coming but I did follow through on getting the Akitio Node. Today I received the Node as well as a GTX 1660 Super and I can confirm that they do work on the VN7-92G (Acer V17 Nitro Black).

The difference is astonishing. I'm using the internal 4k monitor, not an external monitor. My FPS in one intensive game went from 25 FPS (ultra setting, 4k) to 60-100+ (same settings, 4k).

I will note that for some reason you need to set the game to "exclusive full screen mode" NOT "windowed" or "borderless" or any of that. For some reason full screen increases my FPS by around 70%. I suspect it may be related to CPU bottlenecking but I can only speculate.

Set up was virtually plug n' play for something this niche. I will say that you should install the latest TB3 drivers first, then connect the TB3, and then, WHEN the device is recognized as plugged in, install the latest Nvidia drivers (clean install). For the TB3 drivers you can get Acer's latest, I got a newer one over at Gigabyte but your mileage may vary. 

A notable detail is that I do NOT have to disable in internal GTX 960M. The drivers know to prioritize the GTX 1660 Super. When I unplug the eGPU, it goes back to prioritizing the 960M.

The only thing that's a little finicky is connecting. It seems to be most reliable when the eGPU is plugged in first, turned on. This is when it is most likely to recognize that something was plugged in.

Cheers.

Andromedus

Quick update: The Akitio Node does work with the Acer VN7-792G series (the Aspire V17 Nitro Black).

It took me a while but I finally pulled the trigger and purchased one. Got it set up today with a GTX 1660 Super. I don't have it hooked up to an external monitor, it is running the internal 4k screen. And I must say the difference is astonishing.

Applications that ran at 25 fps before now run at 60-100+ with identical settings (both times at 4k resolution). I imagine you could squeeze more out of it if you attached an external monitor but with a 17 inch 4k panel built in, that's not something I'm planning to do.

Setup was basically plug n' play for something this niche. I had to reinstall the Nvidia drivers. You want to do this with the eGPU plugged in, but after the thunderolt 3 driver has detected it, so that Nvidea knows to install drivers for both the internal laptop card AND the eGPU (select fresh install, that's important).

I have found no reason to uninstall the built-in 960M; Nvidia seems to know to prioritize the more powerful eGPU automatically. When I unplug the eGPU, it re-prioritizes the 960M. Before you install the Nvidia drivers however you will want to install the latest TB3 drivers. You can get Acer's if you want. I got a newer driver here: https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GC-ALPINE-RIDGE-rev-10/support#support-dl-driver but your mileage may vary.

I will say that the TB3 port is a little finicky when it comes to actually detecting the cord when you plug it in. It seems that the best thing to do is plug it in, and THEN turn on the eGPU enclosure. For some reason this method gives it the best chance of being recognized.

On side note, is that in any application, for some reason, you want to select "exclusive full screen mode" (not borderless, or windowed). For FPS-intensive games, this gives a HUGE FPS boost (like 80%) over windowed mode. I have no idea why, someone smarter than me probably does (CPU bottleneck maybe). But you want to go exclusive full screen to get the most out of it.

Cheers!

Andromedus

I know it's a little late coming but I did follow through on getting the Akitio Node. Today I received the Node as well as a GTX 1660 Super and I can confirm that they do work on the VN7-92G (Acer V17 Nitro Black).

The difference is astonishing. I'm using the internal 4k monitor, not an external monitor. My FPS in one intensive game went from 25 FPS (ultra setting, 4k) to 60-100+ (same settings, 4k).

I will note that for some reason you need to set the game to "exclusive full screen mode" NOT "windowed" or "borderless" or any of that. For some reason full screen increases my FPS by around 70%. I suspect it may be related to CPU bottlenecking but I can only speculate.

Set up was virtually plug n' play for something this niche. I will say that you should install the latest TB3 drivers first, then connect the TB3, and then, WHEN the device is recognized as plugged in, install the latest Nvidia drivers (clean install). For the TB3 drivers you can get Acer's latest, I got this one https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GC-ALPINE-RIDGE-rev-10/support#support-dl-driver but your mileage may vary. 

A notable detail is that I do NOT have to disable in internal GTX 960M. The drivers know to prioritize the GTX 1660 Super. When I unplug the eGPU, it goes back to prioritizing the 960M.

The only thing that's a little finicky is connecting. It seems to be most reliable when the eGPU is plugged in first, turned on. This is when it is most likely to recognize that something was plugged in.

Cheers.

Andromedus

I know it's a little late coming but I did follow through on getting the Akitio Node. Today I received the Node as well as a GTX 1660 Super and I can confirm that they do work on the VN7-92G (Acer V17 Nitro Black).

The difference is astonishing. I'm using the internal 4k monitor, not an external monitor. My FPS in one intensive game went from 25 FPS (ultra setting, 4k) to 60-100+ (same settings, 4k).

I will note that for some reason you need to set the game to "exclusive full screen mode" NOT "windowed" or "borderless" or any of that. For some reason full screen increases my FPS by around 70%. I suspect it may be related to CPU bottlenecking but I can only speculate.

Set up was virtually plug n' play for something this niche. I will say that you should install the latest TB3 drivers first, then connect the TB3, and then, WHEN the device is recognized as plugged in, install the latest Nvidia drivers (clean install). For the TB3 drivers you can get Acer's latest, I got this one https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GC-ALPINE-RIDGE-rev-10/support#support-dl-driver but your mileage may vary. 

A notable detail is that I do NOT have to disable in internal GTX 960M. The drivers know to prioritize the GTX 1660 Super. When I unplug the eGPU, it goes back to prioritizing the 960M.

The only thing that's a little finicky is connecting. It seems to be most reliable when the eGPU is plugged in first, turned on. This is when it is most likely to recognize that something was plugged in.

Cheers.

Andromedus

Well I see that my post made it through. My apologies on spamming the thread. I couldn't figure out why it wasn't posting before so I simply kept trying a few times. If a moderator would like to delete the duplicates and keep just one of the above posts, that would clean up the thread. (I don't see an option for me to delete them...)

Andromedus

Another thing to note: when connecting the Akitio node, I have to plug it in, then turn it on, then off, unplug it, plug it in, and turn it on. Then it is detected. Sometimes I have to perform this ritual twice for the eGPU to be detected. I don't know if this is a driver issue, an Akitio firmware issue (I did update to the latest) or what exactly. It's a minor inconvenience only though. Unplugging is seamless. I've tried various drivers but most of them actually break the functionality, I've found that the Gigabyte driver here provides the best stability: https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GC-ALPINE-RIDGE-rev-10/support#support-dl-driver

I'll also note that the TB3 software still says "External GPUs Supported: No." This apparently is a meaningless message. Also note that the GTX 1660 Super is NOT listed as a supported GPU on the Akitio website (at the time of this posting), however Akitio themselves mention that their list isn't exhaustive, so I tried it anyways and it works. It's a budget card, but the node isn't that expensive either if you catch a sale, so a budget full size card with the node can get you a lot of performance at a great price if you choose wisely on your card.

Finally, for the 4k screen on this laptop: My original screen was slightly damaged so I replaced it with an identical 4k panel. It's a very, very easy procedure. However, anyone looking to do this for gaming may want to consider switching to a 120hz panel. I have found no reason why a 120hz panel would not work, so long as it is a 40 pin connector with similar screw holes (they appear to be fairly standard). I found a 3k model (better than 1080p, not quite 4k) with a 120hz refresh rate that poses a very interesting upgrade option for this laptop for gaming when paired with an eGPU. Here is a link to the model: http://www.panelook.com/B173QTN01.0_AUO_17.3_LCM_overview_30300.html (currently you can find it on Amazon for around $120). Personally I'm going to wait for a UHD 120hz screen to come out, and upgrade the GPU again at that time, probably in another 2-3 years.

I'll be sure to necro this thread again when I do

Tyaisurm

@Andromedus What firmware version were you running with your TB3 controller? I can install any newer version of the TB3 driver, but firmware version updates all fail and newer NVM than 15 are not provided by Acer.