So, a silly question, but I'd like to be sure. I ordered the Razer Core X egpu case for my 3090, I'd like to connect it via TB4 to my Alienware x17 R1. I heard some laptops don't have eGPU support even despite having Thunderbolt 4. Does my laptop support eGpus?
So, I found the solution. If your Alienware laptop refuses to work properly with an eGPU, follow this steps:
1) Re-install drivers from DELL website
2) Increase your laptop's virtual memory to 2-3x total VRAM size of BOTH of your GPU's (in my case 16GB+24GB x 3). You can do this by clicking on My Computer -> Advanced System Setting -> Performance
3) Plug the eGPU. If the laptop's internal GPU driver crashes, just launch the driver installer AGAIN.
4) Reboot Alienware laptop, both GPU's should be operational, with eGPU plug-and-play functionality.
I'm fine with this, I just wanted to make sure the egpu option isn't "blocked" or something - I read some intel laptops with Thunderbolt 4 ports don't support egpu's for whatever reason. Let's hope the Razer Core will work, I will also post updates, so perhaps this thread will be of use to somebody else.
Problem is, the SECOND I plug it in via Thunderbolt4, the laptop starts routing video signal through the external GPU. I don't really have a problem with that, but...
Once I plug it OUT, laptop does not come back to it's internal RTX3080. Instead, it drops to the intel integrated GPU, and stays there. Rebooting does nothing. Enabling/Disabling Optimus in BIOS does nothing. The only way is to reinstall the mobile 3080 driver. I have to do it EVERY TIME i plug out the eGPU from Thunderbolt.
Any ideas how to solve it? Can I force Windows to stop routing video signal through external GPU and use it as compute-only, or at least force the laptop to re-load the 3080 driver once it's unplugged?
BlackRose_777
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Posted May 11th, 2022 22:00
So, I found the solution. If your Alienware laptop refuses to work properly with an eGPU, follow this steps:
1) Re-install drivers from DELL website
2) Increase your laptop's virtual memory to 2-3x total VRAM size of BOTH of your GPU's (in my case 16GB+24GB x 3). You can do this by clicking on My Computer -> Advanced System Setting -> Performance
3) Plug the eGPU. If the laptop's internal GPU driver crashes, just launch the driver installer AGAIN.
4) Reboot Alienware laptop, both GPU's should be operational, with eGPU plug-and-play functionality.