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US$189 AKiTiO Thunder2 PCIe Box (16Gbps-TB2)


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@Tech Inferno Fan

The Zotac GTX 970 205mm seems to be at the tightest fit in the akitio box.

Based on your pics at http://forum.techinferno.com/enclosures-adapters/7205-us%24200-akitio-thunder2-pcie-box-16gbps-tb2-38.html#post106482 , can you remove the metal shroud over the fans? Looks to be four screws holding it down to the heatsink assembly. That would take off about 10mm on the right side. Surely the card would fit into the AKiTiO Thunder2 then?

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Based on your pics at http://forum.techinferno.com/enclosures-adapters/7205-us%24200-akitio-thunder2-pcie-box-16gbps-tb2-38.html#post106482 , can you remove the metal shroud over the fans? Looks to be four screws holding it down to the heatsink assembly. That would take off about 10mm on the right side. Surely the card would fit into the AKiTiO Thunder2 then?

@Tech Inferno Fan @jacobsson Indeed it does! The shroud slides off easily after removing those 4 screws. You can see how the Akitio had to be bent slightly outward to accomodate the card with the shroud on, but it would have clearly fit comfortably without any alterations.

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@Tech Inferno Fan @jacobsson Indeed it does! The shroud slides off easily after removing those 4 screws. You can see how the Akitio had to be bent slightly outward to accomodate the card with the shroud on, but it would have clearly fit comfortably without any alterations.

Great that the Zotac GTX970 fits. Can we fit any better card? Maybe.

An alternative to the Zotac would be the Inno3D or ELSA GTX970 linked below. These have slightly higher factory overclocks than the Zotac and (maybe?) larger fans. The Inno3D and ELSA both appear to be the same card with a different top shroud . These alternative cards may have more availability in certain markets. Eg: Zotac GTX970 isn't available for local purchase in Australia but the Inno3D is.

205mm (8.07") 1228Mhz ELSA GTX970 (GD970-4GERX)

215mm (8.46") 1228Mhz Inno3D GTX970 HerculeZ X2 OC (N97V-1SDN-M5DSX) | could be shortened? | fan arrangement

I've studied the Inno3D GTX970 links above to determine how the heatsink and fans bolt together. I'm pretty confident those cards can be de-shrouded and fan mount moved slightly left, allowing it to fit the AKiTiO Thunder2 chassis.

It remains to be seen how their VBIOS settings differ for power target. Something that can be deduced by analysing their VBIOS using Keplar BIOS Tweaker. If set quite high then the card may see thermal throttling before hitting power limits.

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Hmm, I think this is the way to go. Has anyone made a fully enclosed solution with this product?

I'm pretty sure I'd overheat within minutes during load. Drilled holes for air will most certainly be needed, or simply just use the outer shell for transport protection, which is not a bad idea at all!

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That would be the way to go but unfortunately I put everything in the case and manually doing this would be too troublesome, so I guess I will skip it for now.

In some near future I will tru to make an on/off switch with the power cable between 2 boards to simulate pci reset delay, hopefully it will work.

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@Tech Inferno Fan @jacobsson Indeed it does! The shroud slides off easily after removing those 4 screws. You can see how the Akitio had to be bent slightly outward to accomodate the card with the shroud on, but it would have clearly fit comfortably without any alterations.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]12802[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]12803[/ATTACH]

We are very creative :) For my end, I did cut that part instead of bending it. Anyway, here's an update I got a GTX 750 Ti FTW 2GB (with 6 pin) and I was able to work it with OSX...... sorry not with Mavericks but with Yosemite (but I think it will also work, because in Yosemite I changed the following section of NVDAStartup.kext

  1. < key >NVDARequiredOS< / key >
  2. < string >13E28< / string >

and replace the string value with my OS System version. Benchmarks are low because OpenCl is not yet fully working with the nvidia beta drivers.

And by the way, I never encountered the freezing issue with AkiTio/Mavericks. So looks like the 970 or 980 looks promising!

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One question, does anyone know what will happen if I config the Akitio as follow:

- Use included PSU for Akitio board

- Have the yellow black cable between 2 akitio boards disconnected

- Power the VGA using riser with molex connected.

The idea is Akitio TB board is powered by PSU, so it can be powered on first before the PCI board be powered which simulate the PCI reset delay, but I don't know if it cause any problem with power short or anything like that.

Thanks,

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Given the choice, are you prepared to live with choppy gaming because of your desire to have a compact 4Gbps-EC2 solution? You have a 16Gbps-TB2 port that you want to significantly downgrade to run at 4Gbps (TB2-to-EC2) on a expresscard ViDock. There are many on here that would dearly love the reverse of the situation.. the ability to convert their 4Gbps Expresscard2 slot to a 16Gbps TB2 port. The 16Gbps TB2 port currently only exists on four machines: 2013+ 13/15" Macbook Pro and HP ZBook 15/17 Gen2 systems as shown: http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/4109-egpu-candidate-system-list.html#post57511

Intel not certifying Thunderbolt enclosures for eGPU use and may have even been putting roadblocks to prevent it since MSI GUS-II or Silverstone T004 TB enclosures designed for eGPU use were never released. It's no surprise then there are very few enclosures that are plug-n-play in the way that you want. The closest you'd get would be:

* 10Gbps-TB1 Sonnet Echo Expresscard Pro (150W) - discontinued. Need to hunt one down on say ebay.

* 16Gbps-TB2 Sonnet Echo Express III-D (up to 300W) - http://forum.techinferno.com/enclosures-adapters/7872-us%24979-sonnet-echo-express-iii-d-enclosure-16gbps-tb2.html#post107170

Neither of the above is ideal for your situation. The first is a downgraded 10Gbps-TB1 device and the second is overpriced and requires tweaking to uprate it from 150W to it's full 300W capacity.

The best device to hit the market that overcomes both these problems is the http://forum.techinferno.com/enclosures-adapters/7205-us%24200-akitio-thunder2-pcie-box-16gbps-tb2.html#post98210 . A 204mm Zotac GTX970 with deshrouded fan fits into it as shown by Sloveden here . However I'm monitoring progress there to see what power mods are needed.

The advantage of the AKiTiO is not only are you paying less than the ViDock solution but you would be seeing 4-times more bandwidth. That's very important if you want to game on the internal retina display via NVidia Optimus. Furthermore, @jacobsson looking to route through a 150-220W AC adapter to provide a compact enclosure + PSU to drive it all.

Vidock-specific questions can be asked at https://www.facebook.com/VillageViDock .

Thank you so much for this! I agree why downgrade? Only issue I see here is that I can't run my Thunderbolt display. So maybe sell it and buy a new one that supports more inputs. Right?

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Thank you so much for this! I agree why downgrade? Only issue I see here is that I can't run my Thunderbolt display. So maybe sell it and buy a new one that supports more inputs. Right?

Doesn't the Thunderbolt display work if you connect it to the second TB port on the system or daisy chain it from the 2nd TB port on the eGPU enclosure? When I say work, I mean the Intel HD graphics can run it?

If so, then there's an additional display. Only issue is going to be getting it to be accelerated. When NVidia Optimus activates it can provide acceleration to Intel HD driven displays however there is a bandwidth penalty in doing so. That's because display traffic needs to go back across the TB link to the system. If you did use it in this configuration you'd most certainly want the 16Gbps-TB2 link over the 4Gbps-EC2 one.

The higher performance solution is to attach a LCD directly onto the video card. Then the display traffic is shuttled straight out the video card's HDMI/DP connector with no bandwidth penalty.

FYI: Attaching the TB display to a eGPU's DP/mDP port will not work as discussed at mDP/Thunderbolt question. .

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So I look into run this setup:

- Macbook Pro (2014 - nVidia 750m)

- Akitio Thunder2 (Just use the cards and take everything out from the chassi until I find something that I can use)

- Powered Riser

- ELSA GTX 970 S.A.C. (GFX)

- Corsair RM450 (PSU)

- LG 34UM95-P (Monitor)

Any thoughts or should everything just work?

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So I look into run this setup:

- Macbook Pro (2014 - nVidia 750m)

- Akitio Thunder2 (Just use the cards and take everything out from the chassi until I find something that I can use)

- Powered Riser

- ELSA GTX 970 S.A.C. (GFX)

- Corsair RM450 (PSU)

- LG 34UM95-P (Monitor)

Any thoughts or should everything just work?

If you haven't purchase the Macbook already then get the Iris Pro 15" Macbook instead. Apple's firmware on the 750M model does not engage the Intel iGPU when you boot into Windows. Without the iGPU, NVidia Optimus will not drive the internal LCD.

Your shortlist looks good. Only additional item to buy or make a molex-to-barrel adapter. That's so you can power the AKiTiO TB board (DC jack) completely using your ATX PSU and so avoid ground loops.

The beauty of your shortlist is you can test to gauge stability and then try to remove the powered PCIe riser. If successful, then you can remove the ELSA GTX970 fan shroud and fit the card into the Thunder2 enclosure like done with a similarly sized Zotac GTX970 here.

Then again, if you are after the best possible performance and forfeit the ability to fit a GTX970 into the AKiTiO Thunder2 chassis, then consider getting a significantly larger MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G or Gigabyte GTX 970 Gaming G1 instead GTX 970 Comparison: STRIX vs MSI Gaming vs Gigabyte G1 . These have quite a bit higher power limits which will equate to higher stock boost performance and give considerable overclocking headroom if you wish to dabble there.

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If you haven't purchase the Macbook already then get the Iris Pro 15" Macbook instead. Apple's firmware on the 750M model does not engage the Intel iGPU when you boot into Windows. Without the iGPU, NVidia Optimus will not drive the internal LCD.

Your shortlist looks good. Only additional item to buy or make a molex-to-barrel adapter. That's so you can power the AKiTiO TB board (DC jack) completely using your ATX PSU and so avoid ground loops.

The beauty of your shortlist is you can test to gauge stability and then try to remove the powered PCIe riser. If successful, then you can remove the ELSA GTX970 fan shroud and fit the card into the Thunder2 enclosure like done with a similarly sized Zotac GTX970 here.

Then again, if you are after the best possible performance and forfeit the ability to fit a GTX970 into the AKiTiO Thunder2 chassis, then consider getting a significantly larger MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G or Gigabyte GTX 970 Gaming G1 instead GTX 970 Comparison: STRIX vs MSI Gaming vs Gigabyte G1 . These have quite a bit higher power limits which will equate to higher stock boost performance and give considerable overclocking headroom if you wish to dabble there.

I already have the Macbook so I think that I will just run the Macbook on the internal GFX or even close the computer (34" is enough :) )

Good info with the Molex to barrel adapter so I can use it in the case. Thinking of buy a SST-FT03B-Mini USB 3.0 Mini ITX PC Case with a 300W Silverstone ST30SF Strider SFX, 80Plus Bronze PSU so I can just take everything and place it in one case. Also with the riser: is this right? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Powered-PCI-E-16X-to-16X-Adapter-Riser-Extension-Cable-Molex-Power-Connector-/191113158263?pt=UK_Computing_Other_Computing_Networking&hash=item2c7f3b5e77

Looking on the GFX cards. So 970 is better than the 780 right?

Appreciate all your help buddy!

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I already have the Macbook so I think that I will just run the Macbook on the internal GFX or even close the computer (34" is enough :) )

Good info with the Molex to barrel adapter so I can use it in the case. Thinking of buy a SST-FT03B-Mini USB 3.0 Mini ITX PC Case with a 300W Silverstone ST30SF Strider SFX, 80Plus Bronze PSU so I can just take everything and place it in one case. Also with the riser: is this right? Powered PCI-E 16X to 16X Adapter Riser Extension Cable Molex Power Connector | eBay

Looking on the GFX cards. So 970 is better than the 780 right?

Appreciate all your help buddy!

I like the Sintech powered PCIe riser/extenders. They use a detachable and flexible FPC cable allowing a lot of wiggle room if fitting into a tight chassis. The last cable can also be completely detached since it's servicing lanes x8-x16 which a x4 TB1/TB2 link does not use. Sintech PCI-e express 16X Riser Extender -1x -15cm -15cms | eBay

Yes, GTX970 is more powerful that GTX780: ASUS Strix GTX 970 OC 4 GB Review | techPowerUp

In overclocked form, a GTX970 is more powerful than even a GTX780Ti: ASUS Strix GTX 970 OC 4 GB Review | techPowerUp

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I like the Sintech powered PCIe riser/extenders. They use a detachable and flexible FPC cable allowing a lot of wiggle room if fitting into a tight chassis. The last cable can also be completely detached since it's servicing lanes x8-x16 which a x4 TB1/TB2 link does not use. Sintech PCI-e express 16X Riser Extender -1x -15cm -15cms | eBay

Yes, GTX970 is more powerful that GTX780: ASUS Strix GTX 970 OC 4 GB Review | techPowerUp

In overclocked form, a GTX970 is more powerful than even a GTX780Ti: ASUS Strix GTX 970 OC 4 GB Review | techPowerUp

Great input buddy!. Then I've a config. I will update in this thread when I have all the stuff and hopefully up and running :)

- AKiTiO Thunder2 PCIe Box (16Gbps-TB2)

- Silverstone FT03B-Mini

- 300W Silverstone ST30SF

- MSI GTX 970 GAMING 4GB

- Sintech PCI-e express 16X Riser Extender Card +10/30cm FPC Cable+molex

- 4 Pin Peripheral 12v to DC plug

- LG 34UM95-P

And everything will be connected through a Macbook Pro Retina (GT 750M) that I will use the internal graphics card for the internal screen and OS X and Windows 8.1 with the external via the Thunderbolt eGPU.

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@Tech Inferno Fan @jacobsson Indeed it does! The shroud slides off easily after removing those 4 screws. You can see how the Akitio had to be bent slightly outward to accomodate the card with the shroud on, but it would have clearly fit comfortably without any alterations.

Are you able to use that without a powered riser? How does the Zotac card work compared to the recommended EVGA cards regarding optimus?

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Great input buddy!. Then I've a config.

- Silverstone FT03B-Mini

- 300W Silverstone ST30SF

- MSI GTX 970 GAMING 4GB

This graphics card is too long for the Silverstone Fortress FT03-MINI. The maximum length is 10". I want to build almost the same configuration (see this page) but with a EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked (04G-P4-1972-KR - 2x6 pin) because:

* It is short enough: 9.5” = 241,3 mm

* It is designed to blow the hot air out of the case (and this is recommended for this kind of case, although a dual cooler design might also work because there isn't heat from the processor in the case)

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Would this work?

If I got a powered pcie x16 riser and attached it to a 120w hp laptop charger? Am i able to directly attach a molex cable to one?

If the charger is rated 19V you'll destroy your graphics card and more! If it's rated 12V you can use it.

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Hey guys!

I've just ordered:

New Macbook Pro 15 with the Iris Pro

AKiTiO Thunder2 PCIe Box

PCIe 16x to 16x Powered Riser (Molex connector)

Asus Strix GTX 970 (4GB)

Corsair RM550

Is there anything I'm missing besides a case? I'll look into a case later on once I got everything working :)

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