andwheat Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 Hello forums of techinferno, I currently have a 13' 2015 macbook pro and have allways wanted a egpu to make it much more powerful. Every were I have searched people use mainly the AKiTiO Thunder2 box for connecting the gpu, this also brings many problems like the board not having enough power to supply to the card. And i am not into the idea of soldering the mains I have seen workarounds like the 'PCI-E 6-Pin to DC Barrel Plug' b but throwing on to the already 200 price tag seems like a lot… not to mention the thunder box not being big enough for some computers. So my question is what about the EXP GDC Beast? There is a mac version, however it requires opening my mac. as some one who also uses it as a laptop i do not like that idea a whole lot. Well i know that the exp gdc connects via a hdmi cord 'as strange as it sounds' to a number of things like Expresscard and mini pci-e, Yes i know there is a expresscard to thunderbolt adaptor but can i take it a step further and go strait from thunderbolt to hdmi? these are my main questions 1 does any one have experence with the exp gdc, and 2 can I go strait from hdmi to thunderbolt 2. The reasons that I like the exp gdc is a it can be powered strait of a power supply and it is cheap roughly $50 USD which is a great value. Exp gcd Mac version http://www.banggood.com/MAC-Version-V8_0-EXP-GDC-Beast-Laptop-External-Independent-Video-Card-Dock-p-1011221.html PCI-E 6-Pin to DC Barrel Plug https://www.amazon.com/PCI-E-6-Pin-2-1mm-Barrel-Gridseed/dp/B00K0XR4LU Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airbusa321 Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 Hi there,I am also a fan of eGPUs and am in the process of building one with the Akitio and either a GTX 750 Ti or a GTX 1050. In your case, there are probably adapters for Thunderbolt to HDMI, but they are unpractical. Thunderbolt has a speed of 20 Gb/s and HDMI is much slower, so the data transfer speed to and from the card will be slow. I would recommend getting an Akitio and a low power card without a pin connection requirement. You can buy a better external PSU (around 120w) and use that to power a card directly via the PCIe slot.That is what I am planning on doing.Regards,JoshSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andwheat Posted September 11, 2016 Author Share Posted September 11, 2016 Thanks Josh, I Do think I might go down the route of just getting a lower powered card but then I question How does the exp gdc work in the first place with mac off hdmi, do they just expect slower speeds over hdmi? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airbusa321 Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 I am not sure as I haven't explored the EXP GDC. It looks much more complicated and that in the end, you will not have a very pretty setup. Just off the top of my head, using HDMI doesn't make sense since it is slower than Thunderbolt 2 (about 18 Gbps) and is not a very common option when concerning Thunderbolt accessories.The component itself looks more like it belongs in a desktop computer in need of an extra PCIe slot (though I am not sure since I have not explored it).IMO, the Akitio provides a much better solution in terms of looks, speed, practicality, and everyday use. Compared to other eGPU peripherals, it is a great deal.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morv Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 (edited) You can't use HDMI - Thunderbolt cables(if there are any existant) and there are no adapters either. Thunderbolt needs verification on both sides of the connection and you can't get that with such cables. Forget about the EXP GDC and a Macbook with Thunderbolt. To use the linked Adapter you'd need to remove the bottom plate, which isn't smart to begin with, and you'd need to let it removed for the time you use the eGPU. Honestly you don't want this. Get the Akitio Thunder2, pay once the higher price and have fun for a longer time. Edited September 12, 2016 by Morv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.