Let's figure out how to convert internal MXM connector an external PCI-E x16 box

Seeing how the topic of external video cards for laptops is not taking any meaningful direction(amazingly) i decided to start a thread that talks about realistic solutions and hopefully attracts enough savvy people to get the ball rolling.
Below are descriptions of 2 major directions that are currently around as well as my personal proposal at the end.

ExpressCard or Mini PCI-E slot hacks:
Description: Attempt to utilize pci-e x1 speed(or possibly even x2 speed)slots for video performance boost.
Pros:
- Works on SOME laptops
- Sufficient performance boost for SOME people
- For SOME people it is the only option
These are the only pros.
Personally, the fact that this is the only thing that people came up with for the entire existence of dedicated laptop video cards is quiet sad.

ATI/AMD XGP or "Closer to the truth"
Description: External PCI-E x8-x16 connector/architecture standard from ATI that is going to take a yet unknown amount of time to get adopted by laptop manufacturers.
Cons:
- Uncertainty of mass adoption
- No option to use Desktop Video Cards (due to early stages of adoption)
These are the only cons.

I am fairly certain that laptop manufacturers used solutions similar to XGP for many years but strictly for internal use.

My proposal - something that can be done right now

Below are diagrams of two possible designs of a hack that could be an appropriate companion to XGP(until it takes off) ->
-> All-in-one version:

And, possibly, a more suitable version:

Finally, this is a render of what the above could look like in reality:

What you see is an adaptor board that takes an MXM slot and converts it into a desktop PCI-E x16 slot and a DVI input port as well as a drive bay type power supply sitting beside the video card.

MSI and ASUS have done this same conversion but in the other direction, namely, PCI-E x16 -> MXM instead of MXM -> PCI-E x16 as pictured above

The main components would be:

1. Type II blank MXM card
2. LVDS serializer that converts DVI to laptops LVDS (like any lcd monitor board)
3. PCI-E x16 bus extender cable/strip soldered to PCI-E wires on the MXM blank:
- molex version - http://ift.tt/2a4OJfs
- adexelec version(scroll down) - http://ift.tt/2a2ah8z - they can provide variable lenght
4. LVDS cable soldered to LVDS wires on the MXM blank that connects to LVDS serializer
5. PCI-E x16 slot
6. MXM Slot
7. Desktop video card
8. External video card power supply.

Unbeatable advantages over other solutions:
1. Full PCI-E x16 desktop grade video performance - big savings on laptop upgrades
2. DVI/HDMI input to display external content on laptop's LCD

Here are MXM's specs and pinouts:
http://ift.tt/1iiFtgf
http://ift.tt/2a2ah8N
Attached picture below highlights MXM's LVDS wires to be used by the "LVDS Serializer" from the diagram above. This serializer is pretty much the same as the convertor board in each and every LCD monitor around(some are capable of better resolution and color depth).

National Semiconductor, Texas Instruments and MAXIM are major serializer manufacturers that should have some idea of what to do as opposed to cracking open lcd monitors.

The main problem here is building a "dummy" MXM board that takes the required wires outside of the laptop chassis.
Villagetronic, Matrox, HWTools and a few others are the people who can accomplish this fairly easily. It is also quiet possible that some skilled individuals could knock something up themselves.

Let's hope this post brings more light into the elusive world of "external laptop video cards"

Commercial solution possibilities:
MX2 is a possible name of the product.
Some interesting news on the progress may surface in the coming months.
Stay tuned.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

Let's figure out how to convert internal MXM connector an external PCI-E x16 box