eGPU, Mainboard upgrade, or?

A very specific issues I am trying to resolve:

Windows 11
11gen i7-11657G7
64 gig ram

Running Talespire on my Windows Framework laptop the 3D usage spikes to 100% on the internal GPU. If I try simultaneously running Discord video/audio call the audio and video on discord lags and cuts in and out - to the point of being unusable. I would like to be able to run both simultaneously. Looking for advice:

Option 1: eGPU (if so recommendations - lowest cost that will get the job done)
Option 2: Upgrade to the new 12th gen mainboard (which one?)
Option 3: Another option I haven’t considered.
Option 4: Suck it up and run Discord on my phone and Talespire on the Framework.

Another consideration - I am thinking of switching back to Linux so want something that will work with both environments.

Thanks.

Option 2 Won’t do anything for you, there was only a minor 100mhz boost to frequency. The iGPU otherwise remains the same.

EDIT: Looking at Talespire…I’m guessing it is poorly optimized. Not a ding against the devs, it looks like an indie outfit and it looks cool. I’m going to suggest it to a friend actually. eGPUs are expensive. I own one. Expect to invest $300 in the dock itself and however much you spend on the GPU. Your cheapest route is to just use Discord on your phone.

EDIT 2: Given the lack of Linux support for the game…that may turn into a buggy mess with proton or it may work adequately. An eGPU would work with Linux but support is better for AMD than NVIDIA and ReBAR doesn’t seem to exist so Intel is trash.

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I haven’t played Talespire - so I can’t say for sure if this will help, but here is some of my advice/ observations.

Does Discord actually use a lot of GPU? Would running Discord in your web browser (assuming you have that open during your gaming session) give you the same functionality? If so that might save you some performance.

Option 1: I bought the Lenovo Legion eGPU and use it on Arch Linux. It’s been pretty good for me, but expensive. I ended upgrading to an 6600 XT.

Looking at Talespire…I’m guessing it is poorly optimized. Not a ding against the devs, it looks like an indie outfit and it looks cool.

+1 here, the game may not run as well on Linux either - so I wouldn’t pump a lot of time/effort into one solution vs the other.

Take some time and test it out :slight_smile:

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If he is using video, it is likely GPU accelerated. I don’t know if audio is also GPU accelerated so he could try just audio as a potential resolution. I’m hesitant to suggest an eGPU given the expense.

I’m hesitant to suggest an eGPU given the expense.

Totally agree, and it can be a pain if they want to go down the Linux route.

Sorta off topic, and I know that PC gaming has it’s benefits with the right computer setup… But you have to love when your game isn’t running well and you can’t tell if it’s your computer or the game itself having issues… :thinking:

Thanks for the suggestions. I’ll cross the eGPU and the mainboard update off the list.

I’ve run Talespire on Linux before, and it was surprisingly stable. However, I don’t recall having the Discord lag issues but it has been a while and several additions to Talespire since I ran it in that configuration.

Running discord in the browser is interesting idea - I’ll give that a try first.

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FYI I have found the Discord flatpak to be surprisingly undemanding compared to eh package install (frequent crashes) and running through browsers also somewhat frequent crashes. The flatpak was low demand and very stable, this is on Fedora 37.