I just want to confirm before purchasing questions

[clippy]

I just want a performance comparison in terms of bandwidth and performance loss percentages so I can decide if I want to do my eGPU over thunderbolt or mPCIe

[Tech Inferno Fan]

I just want a performance comparison in terms of bandwidth and performance loss percentages so I can decide if I want to do my eGPU over thunderbolt or mPCIe

mPCIe2/EC2 is 4Gbps, TB1 is 10Gbps or more than double. How does this play out? Have a look at performance info at http://forum.techinferno.com/implementation-guides-apple/3062-2012-13-macbook-pro-gtx660ti-hd7870%408gbps-tb1-th05-win7-%5BTech Inferno Fan%5D.html#post42483 . There you have a 4Gbps (mPCIe2/EC2) vs 8Gbps (TB1) comparison. 8Gbps is pretty close to the 10Gbps TB1 spec.

Given the affordability of an AKiTiO Thunder2 Thunderbolt enclosure, it makes little sense to go for a mPCIe2 based solution. Particularly given that you'd need a pricey PE4C V3.0 to avoid Gen2 signal instability. Plus you can still gain up to 16Gbps-TB2 if upgrade your notebook to TB2 spec.

Only decision you might consider at this point is waiting a bit to see what 32Gbps-TB3 notebook + enclosures are released soon. That's 8 times the bandwidth of mPCIe2, giving desktop-level performance.

[clippy]

mPCIe2/EC2 is 4Gbps, TB1 is 10Gbps or more than double. How does this play out? Have a look at performance info at http://forum.techinferno.com/implementation-guides-apple/3062-2012-13-macbook-pro-gtx660ti-hd7870%408gbps-tb1-th05-win7-%5BTech Inferno Fan%5D.html#post42483 . There you have a 4Gbps (mPCIe2/EC2) vs 8Gbps (TB1) comparison. 8Gbps is pretty close to the 10Gbps TB1 spec.

Given the affordability of an AKiTiO Thunder2 Thunderbolt enclosure, it makes little sense to go for a mPCIe2 based solution. Particularly given that you'd need a pricey PE4C V3.0 to avoid Gen2 signal instability. Plus you can still gain up to 16Gbps-TB2 if upgrade your notebook to TB2 spec.

Only decision you might consider at this point is waiting a bit to see what 32Gbps-TB3 notebook + enclosures are released soon. That's 8 times the bandwidth of mPCIe2, giving desktop-level performance.

"Hey guys, I've been looking at a very large amount of PCI, PCI-e, mPCI-e, Thunderbolt, expresscard, etc. stuff lately for the Geforce GTX 960 eGPU I'm planning to build, and have a few questions. I have decided the GPU I want to use (found here), but have a few more questions, and I thought reaching out to you guys would be the best way to solve them.

I have two candidate systems that I could use for this setup,

1. ASUSROG G75VW (link)

2. ASUSN550JV (link)

The following determinations are what I have run into in terms of which computer to use.

1. Processor

ASUSN550JV- IntelHaswell Core i7-4700HQ@ Min-800 MHz Max-2400 MHz Turbo- 3400 MHz

ASUSROG G75VW- IntelIvy Bridge Core i7-3610QM@ Min 1200 MHz Max 2300 MHz Turbo- 3300 MHz

2. Ports

ASUSN550JV

PCIe Bus (gen 3.0)- mPCI-e v2 x1 (5.0 Gb/s) [port that the wireless adapter is currently in]

ASUSROG G75VW

PCIe Bus (gen 3.0)- mPCI-e v2 x1 (5.0 Gb/s) [port that the wireless adapter is currently in]

Thunderbolt (I think it is TB1, but I can't find out which TB it is using HWinfo64)

3. dGPU and iGPU

ASUSN550JV

iGPU- IntelHD Graphics 4600@ 600 MHz

dGPU- NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M over PCIe v3.0 X16@ (8Gb/s)

ASUSG75VW

iGPU- None

dGPU- GeForce GTX 670M over PCIe v2.0 x16 @ (5.0 Gb/s)

Given the the G75VW has thunder bolt but a slightly slower processor, no iGPU, better GPU and both have mPCIe, what I want to know is

1. For eGPU is Thunder bolt 1 or 2 faster than using a PE4C over mPCIe

2. Which setup would be faster (ASUSN550JV over mPCIe with better processor and iGPU, or ASUSROG G75VW over thunder bolt or mPCIe with better dGPU)

3. Where would the bottlenecks be

In conclusion, I want to get the most out of the systems and GTX 960, so I want to know which setup would be faster, and how much each would cost."

I posted this in another thread, but I think it will get noticed here

So I checked the mpcie2 port on both laptops with HWINFO64 and it says they are 5.0GT/s or Gbps

My current conclusion is, because the mpcie is gen 2 and so is thunderbolt 1, I will use the PE4C v2.1 to 'fuse' mpcie (and if that bandwidth [5 Gb/s] is not enough, I will use the SONNET ECHO PRO to do TB to EC to the PE4C 2.1) for x2 pcie gen 2.0

Final questions are

1. is 5 GT/s is enough for my GTX 960 4gb VRAM card

2. will sending the mpcie and TB to EC outputs into the two HDMI ports on the PE4C work to utilize the bandwidth of both

3. Can I have a guide to setting up optimus over my iGPU and dGPU, and the 1.x (1.3?) setup file

So my options are to use the N550JV over one mpcie to PE4C and be able to use its better processor i7 4700HQ and iGPU and dGPU or to use the ROG G75VW over mpcie AND thunderbolt but have a weaker processor (Keep in mind I want to game in 1440p) no iGPU, but a better dGPU

Attached is links to the log for the HWINFO64 output for the ASUS G75VW and ASUS N550JV

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByNBomRpwsETaU8yTHlGMEZETTA ASUS G75VW Spec sheet, use w3 shcools tryit to see table format

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByNBomRpwsETNXRhLVE4bU10T3M ASUS N550JV

[Tech Inferno Fan]

@clippy, you can't 'fuse' two mPCIe2 ports together. Intel prevented that from the 2nd gen i-core systems onwards making it very difficult to do so. It requires modded BIOS and the right port numbers AND soldered eGPU cables to get reliable Gen2 compliance .

Short summary response for best eGPU performance: Get the best TB2 equipped notebook you can (Dell M3800, HP ZBook 15/17 G2, Lenovo W541, Asus G501, 2013+ Macbook Pro, 2015 Macbook Air, ) now or wait for a TB3 notebook as listed at http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/4109-egpu-candidate-system-list.html#post107725 .

[clippy]

mPCIe2/EC2 is 4Gbps, TB1 is 10Gbps or more than double. How does this play out? Have a look at performance info at http://forum.techinferno.com/implementation-guides-apple/3062-2012-13-macbook-pro-gtx660ti-hd7870%408gbps-tb1-th05-win7-%5BTech Inferno Fan%5D.html#post42483 . There you have a 4Gbps (mPCIe2/EC2) vs 8Gbps (TB1) comparison. 8Gbps is pretty close to the 10Gbps TB1 spec.

Given the affordability of an AKiTiO Thunder2 Thunderbolt enclosure, it makes little sense to go for a mPCIe2 based solution. Particularly given that you'd need a pricey PE4C V3.0 to avoid Gen2 signal instability. Plus you can still gain up to 16Gbps-TB2 if upgrade your notebook to TB2 spec.

Only decision you might consider at this point is waiting a bit to see what 32Gbps-TB3 notebook + enclosures are released soon. That's 8 times the bandwidth of mPCIe2, giving desktop-level performance.

Anyways, I was thinking maybe you could help me put some research into the possibility of using the MXM 3.0 in my laptop, HWINFO 64 says the 670m is running on x16 pcie gen 3.0 so then an MXM 3.0 to pcie x16 should work, right?

And I think you misunderstood me, the two laptops listed are the ones I have and would like to make modifications to, so maybe you could review them keeping in mind they are my only options and the pros and cons of both, including specs and ports.

You also said "upgrade your notebook to TB2 spec" how is this possible, are you proposing cpu upgrade? And it sounds like I should just go the AkiTio 2 Thunderbolt route even thought my TB equipped laptop is TB1, has a weaker processor, no iGPU but a better dGPU, an MXM 3.0 port, and is more costly.

Skype might be faster paced, more compacted system of chat, but the forum allows for others to see this, so if you want we can take this to skype chat. I can't PM you my username because I don't have five posts, but we'll do whatever works best for you.

Recap:

Potential to discuss over skype

Possibility to expand desktop card over MXM 3.0

Get back to me on the reality of a GTX 960 bottlenecking over 5 GT/s and what the minimum bit rate is to ensure maximum performance with no bottlenecking

Confirm that turning 2 x1 lanes into an x2 lane would not work as I proposed

Anyhow, thank you VERY much for your help everywhere, in this community especially, and help with BPlus discounts. Appreciate it

[astafieff]

Hello!!!

I am starting my studies in EGPU, but like here in Brazil we are in great devaluation against the dollar, I thought I'd start with something cheaper. As already own graphics card and power supply, I thought of making some tests with the link adapter to later acquire better equipment.

Does the product would take at least a Geforce 9800GT?

The adapter is this:New PCI-E Express X1 To X16 Riser Card Extender Cable Ribbon Flexible, View pci-e riser card extender cable, Meitk Product Details from Shenzhen Meitk Technology Co., Ltd. on Alibaba.com

Yes, I know that it runs only in PCI 1.0

[Avenger]

Hi,

first off I want to say that i am quite impressed with many of the builds here! So much in fact, that I want to construct my own.

I am using a mid 2012 MBPR with the 650m.

1. Considering that it only uses TB1, does it even make sense to use an eGPU or should I wait for TB3? (No point in swapping the 2012 with a 2014/15 one I think..)

2. Could I somehow operate the eGPU with the internal display? (The obvious answer is probably no, but isn't there a way to EFI boot Windows, make the Intel HD visible, disable the 650m and switch between eGPU and Intel HD?)

3. EFI version of Windows - Which Windows would it be? 7,8 or 10? Assuming I can even manage to install any kind of Window via EFI, would it even fully work? I heard that for some sound doesn't work...

4. The 2014/2015 version of the MBPR with the Nvidia 750m or the AMD R9 370m boot to Windows not via Bootcamp, but via EFI, yet they don't support Optimus?

5. If Optimus is not going to be available on a MBPR with a dedicated gpu, the next Mac I buy would have to have an Intel Iris Pro at most, right?

I hope you guys can help me!

Thanks!

[Dschijn]

@Avenger:

1. Depends on the game and the GPU, I wouldn't invest into sth more powerful than a GTX 960/970

2. No, not in a (imho) practical way

3. Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 would be the easiest versions

4. No idea.. but bootcamp works on "every" Mac

5. Currently yes, but we don't know what TB3 will offer.

[Danielylup]

Hi guys, i planning to install an eGPU for my lenovo g480 (spec : i5-3210M proc, Nvidia 635m & inter HD4000 GPU, 8gb RAM) and i looked few devices such as PE4C and EXP GDC but still wondering are any of those compatible for my laptop? Or is there any eGPU device that available for my laptop? And i already searched through the forum and actually no one mentioned about this laptop. Hope you guys can help. Thanks!

[mind]

Hey Everyone,

I'd like to jump in this thread as well after I've spent the last week reading across this forum. I'm really excited to get started on my my eGPU project and would like get some advise before I go ahead.

My Systems:

iMac 27 (Mid 2011), 3.4 i7 quad-core, 32 GB RAM

Macbook Pro (Mid 2012), 2.5 i5, 8GB RAM

Mac Mini (Late 2012), 2.5 i5, 16GB RAM

eGPU Plan:

Akitio Thunder 2

GeForce GTX 970 Reference Design

Dell DA-2 (220W)

2xPCI-E 6 PIN to 1xPCI-E 8 PIN

I'm planning to use the eGPU mainly with my Mac Mini for Win10 Gaming or with my iMac for more power.

1. Is the Dell DA-2 sufficient enough with 220W or do I need a different PSU for the GTX 970?

2. Do I need any other cables,PSU bridge tool, extra power switch?

Thanks in advance,

Cheers from Germany

***Edit Sorry, I was planning to post this in the previous advise thread below

[Dschijn]

1. Yes, especially the 970 in Ref. design will not use too much power

2. You should add some cables to make a barrel plug to power the AKiTiO

If you want to be lazy, you can get this one: https://www.conrad.de/de/niedervolt-steckverbinder-stecker-gerade-55-mm-25-mm-conrad-dc-13m-1-st-735912.html?ref=searchDetail

If you can solder, this one: DC AKS 7525: DC-Kabel, 2 x 0,75 mm, Stecker gerade, 2,5mm bei reichelt elektronik

You can add a switch to power on/off the Dell DA-2 is you want, but the witch has to be soldered into the cabling!

Be aware that the Ref 970 will not fit into the AKiTiO so you could consider getting a ITX case to put it into.

Sth to read:

http://forum.techinferno.com/apple-egpu-discussion/10061-basic-egpu-hardware-guide-macs.html

http://forum.techinferno.com/enclosures-adapters/9426-220w-dell-da-2-ac-adapter-discussion.html

http://forum.techinferno.com/enclosures-adapters/8317-%5Bguide%5D-making-molex-barrel-adapter.html

http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/8675-egpu-cases.html

[Dschijn]

@mind your post got moved here!

[Anathema666]

I bought a MSI GT 72 - 6QD Notebook. It has the new M.2 PCI-E 3.0 x4 slot with 32GB/s. (the picture is from a desktop mainboard)

Any adapters out there to use it? Anyone already tried it?

[Tech Inferno Fan]

I bought a MSI GT 72 - 6QD Notebook. It has the new M.2 PCI-E 3.0 x4 slot with 32GB/s. [ATTACH=CONFIG]16415[/ATTACH] (the picture is from a desktop mainboard)

Any adapters out there to use it? Anyone already tried it?

None as yet and likely the PCIe3 8Ghz signal will be problematic without use of specialist cables and Redriver chips.

If wanting to eGPU at x4 3.0 suggest get a TB3 equipped notebook. A comprehensive list being maintained by zacsaturday at http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/10147-intel-unveils-thunderbolt-3-0-mentions-external-graphics-skylake-q4-2015-a-9.html#post147483

[Anathema666]

It also has a SuperPort connection, which is a rebranded TB3. So its seems like waiting for TB3 devices/boxes is the only way for now,

[mind]

Thanks @Dschijn, I'm aware that the GTX970 won't fit the AkiTio. I want to setup the eGPU first and then make a case after. I'm going to order everything next week, let's see. For the case I was actually planning on doing some custom work. You may know the Mac Pro replica. I want to try the same 'bin' for the eGPU

[Dschijn]

@mind: Awesome! I made the MacPro Replica famous, so I know it very well.

If you need help soldering the cables, I can help you (I am also in germany).

[mind]

Awesome, I didn't know! Well I ordered everything except the GPU because it's currently not available, so I'll keep you up to date when I get everything. But if I find a good solution for the cables, the AkiTio will fit nicely into the 'Mac Pro'

***Update: Apparently the Reference GTX 970 won't be available soon, so I'm looking for another GPU. I might even go for the 980 since EVGA has a decent price. Do I need to have a different PSU for these 2 cards or is the Dell DA-2 capable enough?

EVGA GeForce GTX 970 FTW+ ACX 2.0+ (€400)

or

EVGA GeForce GTX 980 SuperClocked ACX 2.0 (€530)

[milkydude12]

Hi

I have a mid 2014 macbook pro with 260 (ish) SSD, i was wondering if I could build a Egpu for it, currently i already have a 750 watt psu and a Titan Black at the ready, however i am clueless as to what to get next :/ Can someone please help me?

Also as a side note, im going to run it on my mac in windows.

Thanks

[Tech Inferno Fan]

Awesome, I didn't know! Well I ordered everything except the GPU because it's currently not available, so I'll keep you up to date when I get everything. But if I find a good solution for the cables, the AkiTio will fit nicely into the 'Mac Pro'

***Update: Apparently the Reference GTX 970 won't be available soon, so I'm looking for another GPU. I might even go for the 980 since EVGA has a decent price. Do I need to have a different PSU for these 2 cards or is the Dell DA-2 capable enough?

EVGA GeForce GTX 970 FTW+ ACX 2.0+ (€400)

or

EVGA GeForce GTX 980 SuperClocked ACX 2.0 (€530)

A 220W Dell DA-2 can often run a GTX970 depending on how high the TDP BIOS settings are. Superclocked GTX980 will exceed it's limits.

A KFA2 GTX970 is a factory overclocked card that also happens to fit into the stock AKITiO chassis AND is just below the limits of a Dell DA-2. See example implementations below making it one of the best candidates for a All-In-One (AIO) solution:

http://forum.techinferno.com/implementation-guides-apple/10087-2014-13-mbp-gtx970%4016gbps-tb2-akitio-thunder2-win8-1-osx10-10-3-%5Bba10s118%5D.html#post134501

http://forum.techinferno.com/implementation-guides-apple/10099-2012-15-macbook-pro-gtx970%4010gbps-tb1-akitio-thunder2-win10-7-osx10-10-%5Bbsohn%5D.html#post134675

http://forum.techinferno.com/implementation-guides-apple/9821-2014-15-mbp-iris-gtx970%4016gbps-tb2-akitio-thunder2-win8-1-osx10-10-%5Bdschijn-2%5D.html#post131966

Hi

I have a mid 2014 macbook pro with 260 (ish) SSD, i was wondering if I could build a Egpu for it, currently i already have a 750 watt psu and a Titan Black at the ready, however i am clueless as to what to get next :/ Can someone please help me?

Also as a side note, im going to run it on my mac in windows.

Thanks

Please take a moment to read the stickied guide made specifically to help in your situation: http://forum.techinferno.com/apple-egpu-discussion/10061-basic-egpu-hardware-guide-macs.html

[mind]

I've been doing some reading on the Dell DA-2. The official output is at 220W while it seems to deliver between 220-240W as @Tech Inferno Fan mentioned in the Dell DA-2 thread.

AkiTio 2: 10W

EVGA GTX 970 ftw: 201W

EVGA GTX 980 ftw: 216W

So in theory I should be fine even with the 980 ftw without any custom OC or am I missing something? I'm very new to this and no expert at all. Worst case I'll have to get another PSU.

[Dschijn]

A reference GTX980 could really work! But EVGA is overclocking them as well. Maybe you have to lower the power target and clock speed a bit.

BUT in genereal is the temperature already limiting the card, by which the card starts to throttle and lowers clock speed -> power consumption.

It could be worth a try, especially if you consider my GTX970 running stable at almost 1500MHz (pretty high OC for such a small card).

[mind]

Long story short, I'm getting a different PSU I really like the EVGA ftw series, and I'm considering the 980 for the upcoming Oculus next year. By measurements the AkiTio2 and PSU should fit in the custom mac pro bin. Let's see, sounds like a good fall project to me.

I guess a 500W PSU should be more than enough for GPU+AkiTio+additional fan.

[KingArtik]

mind you think the 980 is going to be good for oculus? im upgrading soon

[Gmonkey]

Hello everyone,

I was thinking to build a small gaming pc (Intel Skylake ITX size) because I wanted to carry it with me in my hand luggage when I travel by plane. But the size of the cases, the bad air flow, price and maybe problems in airport customs changed my mind. And also because I have a Macbook Pro in perfect conditions that works great in everything except for gaming.

Now I decided to invert my money in update my Macbook and build a eGPU. I think this will be the best option because I am not a game fanatic, I will play in 720p and for me 25-30fps it's ok.

I have:

• Macbook Pro 15" (Late 2011) + i7 2.2GHz + 4GB + HD 500GB 5400rpm + Intel HD Graphics 3000 / AMD Radeon HD 6750M
  
• Akitio Thunder2 PCIe Box
  
• EVGA Geforce GTX960 FTW - Note: I think a GTX970 and smaller (my GTX960 has 256mm length) will be better but I bought this card thinking to build the gaming pc that I said before).
  

I want to buy:

• Update RAM: Corsair 16GB
  
• Update SSD 1: Sandisk Extreme Pro 480GB - Note: This SSD is for my OSX.
  
• Update SSD 2: Samsung 850 Evo 120GB - Note: This SSD is for my Windows and games installation.
  
• Akitio PSU: Corsair CX 500W
  

Questions:

1. I read here that a 430W PSU is not enough to supply the power to the graphic card, then I decided to go with 500W. Although I am not sure because when I bought this card was because it is really good for overclocking. Is this PSU enough for a overclocking in a GTX960?
   
2. My graphic card is too big for the Akitio Box. I saw that I can use the card with the Akitio opened. Maybe this question is stupid but is it dangerous to work with the PSU and all this components outside the box? I am afraid to touch something by mistake and burn the card or the Akitio because of the statics.
   

And that's all for now, thank for read my first post and for your help!