ASRock Deskmini A300 + ADT-Link R43SG M.2 to PCIE adapter + SAPPHIRE Radeon PULSE RX 5500 XT 4GB eGPU build - Part 1
Time has finally come! See the main steps of my long-awaited A300 eGPU build below ?
M.2 adapter arrived (dusty little Deskmini waiting for a minor surgery):
Cable has to go through here (what and where to cut?
![:\](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7 "Unsure :\")
):
Not much clearance when assembled but should be enough (fortunately cut-out only needed for the ribbon cable, not the adapter part):
I/O shield cut (lower right edge completely removed):
(
Note: Bending metal failed
Very thin material, broke off at last phase while grinding edges. I guess it simply does not worth the effort, still leaves sharp edges on the sides that can damage the ribbon cable.)
Adapter easily connected to rear M.2 slot (clever & flat solution from ADT-Link, fits perfectly under the motherboard):
OK, not so fast!
Problems:
(Note: Cable has no flex to the sides at all, so it does not align with the new hole on my i/o shield. My bad, always measure twice before cutting
More dremeling needed. Also cable has to be protected against that metal VGA port mounting teeth thing. 4 layers of duct tape solves this though)
I/O shield cut-out is ok now (with tiny DIY plastic cosmetic & protecting plate glued to the metal), GPU succesfully connected:
All set! The eGPU is hidden behind my desk with all the power bricks, cables etc. (placed on a matching DIY shelf):
Closer look (with the Dell PSU brick attached):
And that's it! Hardware setup is no big deal if you know what to cut and how much to cut... and now you do
(To Be Continued... - Part 2 coming in a separate post with GPU operation/testing - Spoiler: It works!)
