Framework 13 DIY eGPU Build

Framework Laptop 13 Linux
1

Which Linux distro are you using?

Cachy OS

Which release version?

24.12

Which kernel are you using?

6.17.9-2-cachyos

Which BIOS version are you using?

3.04

Which Framework Laptop 13 model are you using?

AMD Ryzen™ AI 300 Series

Hey y’all, as a lurker in the community I just wanted to share my successful egpu setup for my Framework 13.

This is my current setup:

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GPU: PNY 2021 GeForce RTX 3090 (Renewed)
PSU: be quiet! Pure Power 13 M 1000W
eGPU enclosure: RIITOP 40Gpbs eGPU Enclosure USB4.0

The setup was very straightforward. All cables are included by PSU and eGPU. The PSU is overkill, but it was Black Friday, so it was close to 50% off. :sweat_smile:

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image1231×1647 379 KB

Note:
The thunderbolt cable must go to the USB-C port on either the top left or top right. See [SOLVED] Framework AI 300 USB-C Bandwidth? - #3 by Jesse_Darnley

On installing drivers and other dependencies:

# Update system
sudo pacman -Syu

# Install NVIDIA open drivers
sudo pacman -S nvidia-open-dkms nvidia-utils lib32-nvidia-utils

# Install Thunderbolt management tool
sudo pacman -S bolt

Then configuring kernel parameters, appending to the end of options: pcie_aspm=off nvidia.NVreg_OpenRmEnableUnsupportedGpus=1:

sudo nano /boot/loader/entries/linux-cachyos.conf

Which looks like:

 sudo cat /boot/loader/entries/linux-cachyos.conf

title Linux Cachyos
options root=UUID=<redacted> rw rootflags=subvol=/@ zswap.enabled=0 nowatchdog splash pcie_aspm=off nvidia.NVreg_OpenRmEnableUnsupportedGpus=1
linux /vmlinuz-linux-cachyos
initrd /initramfs-linux-cachyos.img

After a reboot and connecting my thunderbolt cable, I had to manually rescan my PCIe connections:

echo 1 | sudo tee /sys/bus/pci/rescan

Happy to say that it now works and I have a nice 24GB to play around with in local AI.

The only disappointment I found was that power is not supplied through the TB4 cable.

Hope this helps someone out as I was running on hopes and dreams coming into this build. Happy Thanksgiving! :turkey:

1 Like
eGPU crashes Laptop
2

Do games actually work for you ? When I try to play games my laptop crashes

3

I haven’t tested games, but I have been able to use llama.cpp and pytorch for development. As a side note, I actually removed the two flags pcie_aspm=off and the nvidia.NVreg_OpenRmEnableUnsupportedGpus=1. The two seemed to mess with the display on startup. What usually works for me is first powering on fw13, then connecting the egpu. After a few seconds, nvidia-smi picks it up. It’s just a bit finicky because I need to directly power off the fw13.