Jump to content

US$199 FirmTek ThunderTek/PX (10Gbps-TB1)


Recommended Posts

Get a AKiTiO Thunder2 PCIe Box instead of the Sonnet. It costs less, includes a Thunderbolt cable, has a x16 slot already and can fit dual-width cards. A ASUS mini ITX GTX670 or MSI/ASUS mini ITX GTX760 will fit into the chassis. Only problem would be powering it. More details at http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/7205-us%24200-akitio-thunder2-pcie-box-7.html#post101464 .

I'm not really experienced with soldering components to fix the wattage problem, will I have to do the same if I get a itx Gtx 760 for the firmtake card, I couldn't find how much it's able to provide through pci-e.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No soldering would be required, just a powered riser. This is confirmed to be working. I have the same Macbook as you, and when I get my parts I will do some tests, as well as rig it to power from a DA-220. Parts list here.

This should work, and I will confirm if it does.

I already have a 6-pin connector to cannibalize to connect to the DA-220. (Jacobsson's post)

This is assuming the powered riser only uses the +12v and Ground from the Molex (which I believe it does)

However a generic power supply should do all of this without the need to mess around with wiring, just plug the molex plug into the powered riser and you're good to go. This is at the sacrifice of portability, a grave one indeed.

I may have missed something vital, so if Nando could fact-check this, it would benefit us both.

If this works out, it is a fairly easy cost-effective solution for TB2 eGPUs without the bulky ATX PSUs.

Cards should get more power-efficient with the smaller architectures, and so fall more into the healthy range of this 220w brick's supply.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
Alright guys, sorry for the delay... I have my setup working and almost all the bugs straightened out. I tested it buy running a Mining load on it all night (power supply test) I ran the Bioshock benchmark over and over and it's stable in those two tests.. So I'm pretty happy. I tried it both ways with Optimus Enabled and as just a third GPU and will post results of both this weekend with a 780Ti (as long as I don't break my freaking laptop AGAIN)

I'd like to use the Thundertek as an external graphics card enclosure. What issues did you run into?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Would this be the appropriate place to post help questions?

I'm attempting a set up almost identical to what is posted in this and a few other articles (using the thundertek board to drive an egpu)

upon on power up I'm immediately hearing a tone, which I think is coming from the thundertek board. At this point I'm powering off the system.

I've got a 650 W psu

an old tester card (GeForce 8800 GTX)

powered pcie cable

rMBP 15" early 2013 model (with dedicated graphics)

windows 8.1

thunderbolt cable plugged in

every thing is plugged into the same power bar, which I flipped off when I heard the tone.

Thanks for the help

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Would this be the appropriate place to post help questions?

I'm attempting a set up almost identical to what is posted in this and a few other articles (using the thundertek board to drive an egpu)

upon on power up I'm immediately hearing a tone, which I think is coming from the thundertek board. At this point I'm powering off the system.

I've got a 650 W psu

an old tester card (GeForce 8800 GTX)

powered pcie cable

rMBP 15" early 2013 model (with dedicated graphics)

windows 8.1

thunderbolt cable plugged in

every thing is plugged into the same power bar, which I flipped off when I heard the tone.

Thanks for the help

Install Bootcamp 5.x as described here to get a UEFI Win 8.1 installation. Bootcamp 4.x runs in MBR mode. MBR mode requiring a PCI Reset Delay circuit to prevent the Apple firmware powering off the system as described at http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/3062-%5Bguide%5D-2012-13-mbp-gtx660ti-hd7870%40x2-2-th05.html#post42483

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Install Bootcamp 5.x as described here to get a UEFI Win 8.1 installation. Bootcamp 4.x runs in MBR mode. MBR mode requiring a PCI Reset Delay circuit to prevent the Apple firmware powering off the system as described at http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/3062-%5Bguide%5D-2012-13-mbp-gtx660ti-hd7870%40x2-2-th05.html#post42483

After multiple re installs of windows 8.1 using both a usb stick and a DVD, it seems that windows 8.1 is simply refusing to recognize the thunderbolt at all.

Has anyone else had trouble using thunderbolt peripherals (drives or such) to their 8.1 BC install?

The default bootcamp drivers installed are the 5.1.5621 listed in the link above.

At least no more error tones from my electronics

oh, and no smoke or burning smells :)

Installed the NVIDIA drivers for the card off the NVIDIA website. (After powering up and plugging it in)

Edit: I think I got the main problem tracked down. I don't think its a problem related to the eGPU, but rather its the fact that for whatever reason, the newly installed Windows 8.1 on bootcamp will not recognize ANY Thunderbolt connections. Any ideas why Windows 8.1 with Bootcamp 5.x drivers installed isn't recognizing the TB on my rMBP?

Edit: technically not any, if the computer is rebooted with the TB drive connected, it will recognize on start up, but then will not release the TB Drive unless i shut down (and ejecting the "Thunderbolt" connection crashes the computer, go figure).

my main question for this post: could the the fact that the tester card I'm using is a GeForce 8800 GTX (ie from 2006/2007 and runs on pcie 1.1) be the problem, and is no longer supported? -- the idea was that if that worked, I'd put my 760 in.

- installed the bootcamp 5.x (using the prescribed process)

powered stuff up, plugged it in, video card makes plenty of noise (gpu fan), but nothing is showing up in the device manager.

Attempting a restart with the gpu plugged in gets me the grey screen (mac boot up) and I don't get to the boot drive choice screen.

(Waiting a few minutes...)

- held power button and restarted again, holding alt, get to the boot drive choices.

Now it's hanging there (made progress maybe?)

(waiting a few minutes...)

- so powered the machine off again, and unplugged the TB to gpu

turned off the power bar going to the egpu stuff

turned on mac, get to boot drive screen, selected the windows partition and started it,

and then turned on the gpu and plugged TB back in

stuff (noisy gpu) spooling up, thundertek lights back on.

Under device manager, monitors ( as shown I the linked document above) I do not see the second PhP monitor,

at this point I'll just give it a few minutes (as it does not seem to be harming anything) and see if the computer is just being slow

I have clicked the scan for new hardware button a few times now, if that makes any difference in this case

should note that shutting down (not restarting) the windows boot camp seems to power down the gpu rig.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have yet to get the windows 8.1 up and running, but the mac side was surprisingly easy to get set up.

thanks goes to floppah and his post

http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/6088-native-thunderbolt-egpu-osx-win8-1-a.html

Now running the 760 GTX card:

still working on the windows thunderbolt problem, but for now I might as well see how good world of tanks runs in parallels 10.

Ran a 3d mark text in parallels, and while my younger brother (with similar/comparable hardware) got a 24,000, parallels got a measly 8,700.

if there was a way to pass the thunderbolt directly to parallels so windows drives the gpu directly (as opposed to thru the mac), that could be cool. Unfortunately according to the parallels website, only thunderbolt "storage" devices can be passed directly to the guest OS.

windows will not recognize the the gpu as having been plugged in, and restarting the system gets it hung up on the choosing start up disk screen (seems to freeze as soon as windows OS is selected)

edit: still gets stuck if I open boot camp control panel and choose restart in bootcamp (ie i don't hold alt on boot up)

anyone know how to get past this. From all the posts I've read, windows 8.1 with bootcamp 5.1 installed is supposed to be almost plug and play

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've just invested a ThunderTekPX and an Nvidia 750ti to be used with my 2012 mac mini. I know the 750ti drivers don't exist for osx yet but at least the card type is now listed in the current nvidia drivers.

I bought the card because it's small and only 60w. I bought one with an additional six pin power connector even though any PCIe slot should be able to deliver 75w (I think the Firmtek psu only goes up to 34w which is naughty).

So I don't have to use a powered PCIe x4 to x16 ribbon cable can I connect the 750ti directly to the enclosure (I don't mind opening the end of the x4 slot), then plug in my 60w molex power brick into the six pin connector on the gfx card.

Would the 750ti card try to take 60w from the FirmTek PCIe slot before attempting to draw power from the six pin connector or would it be safe for the FirmTek's psu and draw as much power needed from the six pin header?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Install Bootcamp 5.x as described here to get a UEFI Win 8.1 installation. Bootcamp 4.x runs in MBR mode. MBR mode requiring a PCI Reset Delay circuit to prevent the Apple firmware powering off the system as described at http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/3062-%5Bguide%5D-2012-13-mbp-gtx660ti-hd7870%40x2-2-th05.html#post42483

i have now tried these instructions multiple (12 fresh installs using usb or DVD installs) times over this week to no avail.

Any attempt to use a cd to make a efi windows does not work.

do you know any work around to get a windows system working, or should I just look at setting up the PCI Reset Delay circuit?

Edit 09-20-2014

I have "successfully" made win 8.1 install on my mac in EFI mode, and the ThunderTek eGPU 760 will now show up in the device manager.

* This was accomplished after I created a WinInstall USB drive using Bootcamp, then searched thru it for the offending Graphics card driver ( igdkmd64.sys ) and deleted it. After this windows was able to successfully install with out crashing.

* Bootcamp will consistently go blank screen when it installs the NVIDIA drivers. If you remove these from the bootcamp folder (not the best solution) then at least Bootcamp doesn't crash it.

However. windows seems like it wants to be helpful, and something is installing drivers for the Basic Display Adapter (the integrated graphics) and then you get the blue screen of death with message reading

"SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED (IGDKMD64.SYS)"

I assume something is trying to be helpful and install the default drivers for the integrated graphics which then promptly crash to blue screen.

-- I need some way to permanently silence the integrated graphics. after that I'm home free.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 10 months later...

I accidentally got a 16x to 16x powered riser and the Thundertek has a 4x slot.

I don't want to damage the actual PIC-E slot on the Thundertek (mostly because of warranty reasons) so my question is:

If i cut down the riser to the size of the thundertek, will the riser still work?

Disregard this post. It works flawlessly!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.