Novacustom laptops: eGPU compatibilty list

Per-Astra-Ad-Deum

Hi there,

this is intended to become a comprehensive list of compatible eGPU setups for the various Novacustom laptops.

If you own a Novacustom laptop and are using an eGPU with it, please share your experience!

I couldn't find a table-like function on this forum, so I'll just list each entry separately until a better solution is found.

If you're interested in kindly sharing your experience, please use this template:

Laptop: Please tell us which laptop you're using. Feel free to link to the product page!
Firmare: Please tell us which firmware you're currently running or have been running at the time of testing.
OS (and Kernel): Please provide your operating system. If using Linux, providing your current kernel might offer additional insights.
eGPU setup: Please tell us how your setup is connected to the laptop! Feel free to link to the product page!
Tested GPUs: Please tell us which GPUs you've been using with this setup.
Compatibility: Please tell us your experience with the eGPU. How was the setup, did you encounter any problems? Is the performance as expected?

V54 Series

V540TU with Minisforum OCuLink dock and DeLock M.2-to-OCuLink adapter

Laptop: Novacustom V540TU, Intel-only
Firmare: Dasharo coreboot v0.9.0
OS (and Kernel): Arch Linux 6.10
eGPU setup: OCuLink via Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock and Delock M.2 Key M to 1 x OCuLink SFF-8612 Converter, inserted into the V540TU's spare M.2 slot.
Tested GPUs: Intel Arc Alchemist A770 LE and ASUS AMD RX 480
Compatibility: Not compatible. Neither GPU nor the adapter is being detected.

V540TU with Minisforum OCuLink dock and Osmeta M.2-to-OCuLink adapter

Laptop: Novacustom V540TU, Intel-only
Firmare: Dasharo coreboot v0.9.0
OS (and Kernel): Arch Linux 6.10
eGPU setup: OCuLink via Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock and Osmeta M.2-to-OCuLink adapter, inserted into the V540TU's spare M.2 slot.
Tested GPUs: Intel Arc Alchemist A770 LE
Compatibility: compatible! GPU is properly detected.

V540TU with ADT-Link R43SG

Laptop: Novacustom V540TU, Intel-only
Firmare: Dasharo coreboot v0.9.0
OS (and Kernel): Arch Linux 6.10
eGPU setup: ADT-LINK R43SG connected to the V540TU's spare M.2 slot.
Tested GPUs: Intel Arc Alchemist A770 LE and ASUS AMD RX 480
Compatibility: Not compatible. While lspci -tvnn detects a second PCIe root, neither one of the GPUs is being detected.

Edit 24.11.2024:

I've been using a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition for the last couple of weeks with the Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock and Osmeta M.2-to-OCuLink adapter previously mentioned in this thread. So far this is working flawlessly, however the performance isn't that much higher than with the Intel Arc A770 LE. I assume this is due to a CPU bottleneck or a bandwidth bottleneck. Will test with a high-end GPU soon, see how that goes.

Per-Astra-Ad-Deum

Edit 15.09.2024:
a first working set-up has been found.
OCuLink via Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock and Osmeta M.2-to-OCuLink adapter does indeed work with an Intel Arc Alchemists A770 LE.
Since the Osmeta M.2-to-OCuLink adapter so far isn't being sold on western markets, you have to either use Superbuy or try a similar adapter on Aliexpress.

Edit 19.09.2024:

OCuLink via Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock and Osmeta M.2-to-OCuLink adapter on V540TU: ASUS AMD RX 480 does not work (stuck at boot logo)

Per-Astra-Ad-Deum

Edit 24.11.2024:

@novacustom : I can't edit the first post any longer, but I wish to add my recent findings to the list. Is it possible to grant me the necessary forum rights to edit my post?

novacustom

Per-Astra-Ad-Deum I have included the edit to your original post. 😄

Per-Astra-Ad-Deum

novacustom

Ughh, yeah, well, thanks for that. However I'd appreciate if I'd been allowed to edit the post myself, for once I'd really love to keep the layout consistent and I'd also like to add more cards/methods to the list in the near future.

Sooo ... if it's possible to grant me those "edit-indefinitely" rights, please do so!

jchin47

I can confirm that the AMD Radeon 6700XT inside an Akitio Node Titan does connect to the thunderbolt port on the V56 laptop. The eGpu appears in System Info as a second Graphics Card unit titled "Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Navi 22 [Radeon RX 6700/6700 XT/6750 XT / 6800M/6850M XT." However, any time my computer actually tries to use the thing (i.e., opening a game), the whole thing crashes. I tried running eGpu switcher on Manjaro and bricked the desktop environment. So if anyone happens to know a way I can fix it (or an alternate Linux distro that works out of the box), please let me know!

Per-Astra-Ad-Deum

New addition:

Laptop: Novacustom V540TU, Intel-only
Firmare: Dasharo coreboot v0.9.0
OS (and Kernel): Fedora Silverblue/Universalblue 6.13
eGPU setup: OCuLink via Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock and Osmeta M.2-to-OCuLink adapter, inserted into the V540TU's spare M.2 slot.
Tested GPUs: Intel Arc Battlemage B580 LE
Compatibility: compatible! GPU is properly detected.

Per-Astra-Ad-Deum

New addition:

Laptop: Novacustom V540TU, Intel-only
Firmare: Dasharo coreboot v0.9.0
OS (and Kernel): Fedora Silverblue/Universalblue 6.14
eGPU setup: OCuLink via Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock and Osmeta M.2-to-OCuLink adapter, inserted into the V540TU's spare M.2 slot.
Tested GPUs: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition
Compatibility: compatible! GPU is properly detected.

Per-Astra-Ad-Deum

Also, with a newly-build custom image I was able to enable ReBAR. The custom image is currently suffering from a nasty power-draw-issue, but otherwise works fine. The most interesting discovery with that new version is however that AMD GPUs are now being detected flawlessly.

So far I've tested an ASUS RX 480 and a Sapphire RX 5700XT. More GPUs are coming soon.

jchin47

Per-Astra-Ad-Deum Oh! I hadn't realize there was an issue. Could this possibly be why my AMD Radeon 6700XT is unusable on any OS? I don't suppose you have a link to a procedure on how you fixed this?

Per-Astra-Ad-Deum

jchin47

Since I can't edit the first post any longer (come on, @wesselsnaak!) I'd prefer to keep this thread purely for reports on successful eGPU settings. If you need support, please join us on Matrix!

Per-Astra-Ad-Deum

Three new additions, all AMD:

Laptop: Novacustom V540TU, Intel-only
Firmare: Dasharo coreboot v1.0.0-rc3
OS (and Kernel): Fedora Silverblue/Universalblue 6.14
eGPU setup: OCuLink via Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock and Osmeta M.2-to-OCuLink adapter, inserted into the V540TU's spare M.2 slot.
Tested GPUs: ASUS DUAL RX 480 OC 8 GB
Compatibility: compatible! GPU is properly detected.

Laptop: Novacustom V540TU, Intel-only
Firmare: Dasharo coreboot v1.0.0-rc3
OS (and Kernel): Fedora Silverblue/Universalblue 6.14
eGPU setup: OCuLink via Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock and Osmeta M.2-to-OCuLink adapter, inserted into the V540TU's spare M.2 slot.
Tested GPUs: SAPPHIRE NITRO+ RX 5700 XT 8G GDDR6
Compatibility: compatible! GPU is properly detected.

Laptop: Novacustom V540TU, Intel-only
Firmare: Dasharo coreboot v1.0.0-rc3
OS (and Kernel): Fedora Silverblue/Universalblue 6.14
eGPU setup: OCuLink via Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock and Osmeta M.2-to-OCuLink adapter, inserted into the V540TU's spare M.2 slot.
Tested GPUs: XFX Speedster MERC 319 RX 6950 XT 16GB GDDR6
Compatibility: compatible! GPU is properly detected.

Per-Astra-Ad-Deum

To include NVIDIA's 2000-Series I've tested a GeForce RTX 2060 Super. As expected, it is working just fine.

Laptop: Novacustom V540TU, Intel-only
Firmare: Dasharo coreboot v1.0.0-rc3
OS (and Kernel): Fedora Silverblue/Universalblue 6.15.9
eGPU setup: OCuLink via Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock and Osmeta M.2-to-OCuLink adapter, inserted into the V540TU's spare M.2 slot.
Tested GPUs: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER
Compatibility: compatible! GPU is properly detected.

Per-Astra-Ad-Deum

New addition:

Laptop: Novacustom V540TU, Intel-only
Firmare: Dasharo coreboot v1.0.0-rc3
OS (and Kernel): Fedora Silverblue/Universalblue 6.15.9
eGPU setup: OCuLink via Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock and Osmeta M.2-to-OCuLink adapter, inserted into the V540TU's spare M.2 slot.
Tested GPUs: AMX Radeon R9 Fury X
Compatibility: compatible! GPU is properly detected.

Per-Astra-Ad-Deum

New addition:

Laptop: Novacustom V540TU, Intel-only
Firmare: Dasharo coreboot v1.0.0-rc3
OS (and Kernel): Fedora Silverblue/Universalblue 6.15.9
eGPU setup: OCuLink via Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock and Osmeta M.2-to-OCuLink adapter, inserted into the V540TU's spare M.2 slot.
Tested GPUs: AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX
Compatibility: compatible! GPU is properly detected.

This marks the end of my testing for now.

So far, the following GPUs have been tested:

AMD:

R9 Fury X
RX 480 8GB
RX 5700XT
RX 6950XT
RX 7900XTX

Intel:

Arc A770
Arc B580

NVIDIA:
RTX 2060 Super
RTX 3060 Ti
RTX 3080 Ti

Per-Astra-Ad-Deum

Update:

I've updated the firmware for my V54 notebook to version 1.0.0.

I'm pleased to announce that AMD GPUs work just fine with that version. With the previous version, 0.9.0., there was an issue where notebooks wouldn't boot with an AMD eGPU connected. That is the reason for me using a modified 1.0.0.-rc3 firmware for all my previous testings with AMD GPUs.

That is no longer necessary. Default version seems to work just fine.

novacustom

Per-Astra-Ad-Deum Amazing! 😃

gnumarius

@Per-Astra-Ad-Deum, one question. How do you get the OCuLink adapter connector out of the laptop case? Do you have to drill a hole on it? Or am I missing something?

Per-Astra-Ad-Deum

gnumarius

Check it out: https://novacustom.com/forum/d/254-oculink-port-on-the-case-possible/3

gnumarius

Per-Astra-Ad-Deum

Why did you output the port on the bottom of the laptop? It's because of the dock you use or because it's the only way possible?

It's posible to use the eGPU for the rendering of the integrated display or that is only linked to the iGPU? In that case how do you connect an external display? From the laptop display output port or from the eGPU otuput port?

This whole idea of having an eGPU seems much better than having an internal dGPU that completly hinders the battery life and weight of the laptop + dGPUs (internal) are very expensive for what they bring.

Per-Astra-Ad-Deum

gnumarius Why did you output the port on the bottom of the laptop? It's because of the dock you use or because it's the only way possible?

I didn't do any routing, if you look closely you can see that the port is exactly where the adapter sits on the board. Is should in theory be possible to use on of the other adapters referenced in that post and therefore have the port sit on the sides maybe, but I haven't tried that yet. Since my notebook is sitting on a stand and the OCulink port doesn't touch the bottom even if the notebook lies flat, I'm content with the current solution.

gnumarius It's posible to use the eGPU for the rendering of the integrated display or that is only linked to the iGPU? In that case how do you connect an external display? From the laptop display output port or from the eGPU otuput port?

On Linux, you can use DRI_PRIME to make use of whatever GPU you have on your device and output that wherever you want. For example, I have my monitor connected to the notebook and can make use of my eGPU just fine. The eGPU will render everything, the frames are being copied to the iGPUs buffer and then displayed on my monitor. The same would work for the internal display.

gnumarius This whole idea of having an eGPU seems much better than having an internal dGPU that completly hinders the battery life and weight of the laptop + dGPUs (internal) are very expensive for what they bring.

Yes, of course, it is! 😁