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

[Dschijn]

Where do the graphics card screws go? I’ve seen a number of pictures of the inside of the Akitio Thunder2, but I haven’t been able to locate the holes for the screws.

Huh? Ever installed a graphics card in a PC?

[jfraser]

Huh? Ever installed a graphics card in a PC?

No, I haven’t.

[Dschijn]

No, I haven’t.

[EvIl_DeViL]

Ok I joined the club! my akitio enclosure arrived yesterday! Now I'm trying to figure out if one of my two spare PSU would fit to power up everything. (enclosure + gpu)

I want to use a gigabyte gtx 970 (should be 170W Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 G1 Gaming review - Hardware Setup | Power Consumption) and power up the akitio with molex to barrel technique. (also molex to 6 pin & molex to 8 pin)

Here only 12v matters so back on my two PSUs: the first one is rated 12v 8a (96w) the second one 12v 16a (192w). If I'm doing my calculations right I couldn't use the first one, isn't it?

Talking about the second one: would 192w suffice to power up the enclosure and the gpu?

Thanks all!

[Dschijn]

I am pretty sure that both PSUs aren't going to work at ALL. And please don't combine them!

The Gigabyte G1 is one of the most power hungry GTX970 cards available. So you will need a decend PC PSU to power them. Make molex to 6-Pin or even 8-Pin isn't a good idea, because Molex ports aren't made to provide so much power. It can be done but isn't good.

With providing all the power just through Molex ports I am confused what kind of freaky old school PSU that is.

Better get a 500W 2nd hand PSU than using that other PSUs.

[EvIl_DeViL]

Thank you for the answer! hope you don't mind if I ask a little clarification about a couple of stuff.

1) Why molex to 6/8 pins would be bad? 16 AWG cables are rated 117A melting point (and here we are waaay below that) so I assume you were referring:

- the molex connector melting plastic.

- too few small caps on the PSU causing too high voltage drop on the 12v line. (I assume by your observation 8p and 6p should resist higher current drain peaks than molex line avoiding voltage drops)

- too much stress on the molex line causing overheating of the PSU.

Am I correct about all these three? there's something else?

Sorry but I'm an EE enthusiast and I catch every chance like this to learn something new ^^

2) Yes I have those two old (10+ years) I'm trying to recycle for this project. The first is 550W the second one is 300W. When you say to get a 500W PSU wouldn't the 12v line be lesser than my 550W's 18A?

many thanks!

[Dschijn]

Molex plugs aren't that good to provide such high loads, they were made for HDDs and optical drives… I wouldn't feel comfortable to power a 300W GPU with only Molex plugs.

Also most Molex are in line on one string…

Also old PSUs haven't been made to provide all their power on the 12V rail. So you should see the specs. Modern PSUs can handle 12V hardware much better.

[atheotsky]

is it ok for me to use Adapter 15V 8A or Adapter 18-20V, 4.7A with this box ?

[Dschijn]

No! Only 12V input.

[jfraser]

@Arclite @arclord

Wouldn't soldering be the easier/cheaper alternative in the end to have 220W (I read through some pages of proposed adapters and power bricks etc.)?

My earlier post

Yeah, but it’s preferable to keep the enclosure as original as possible. Especially since it costs $220.

- - - Updated - - -

Of course you can solder it the way you want it to… the barrel mod is just "non-destructive" for the AKiTiO.

Some people like to keep the hardware as original as possible (warrenty...).

By powering the AKiTiO you can provide up to 75W for the GPU.

Where did you find a barrel to molex adapter? Or did you have to make it yourself?

[Dschijn]

@jfraser: You have to do it yourself.

[Tech Inferno Fan]

Where did you find a barrel to molex adapter? Or did you have to make it yourself?

Something that has been done many times with the following threads in the Enclosures and Adapters section giving a practical explanation:

http://forum.techinferno.com/enclosures-adapters/10090-visual-guide-opening-akitio-thunder-2-pcie-box-powering-via-barrel-plug.html

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

[supsep]

To Canadians wanting to purchase the AKiTiO Thunder2, purchase is from here:Akitio Thunder2 PCIe Expansion Chassis AK-T2PC-TIA-AKTU B&H

The quote I got directly from AKiTiO was $189.99 USD + $50 shipping, which doesn't include duties/taxes = $240USD + taxes/duties

From bhphoto it comes up with $240 with FREE shipping and duties/taxes INCLUDED = $240 USD all in

I doubt anyone will see this but I am trying at least lol.

[radu]

Hi guys,

I'm preparing to build an eGPU using Akitio Thunder 2, Dell DA-2 and EVGA GeForce GTX 950 SC GAMING. The main idea was to be able to put everything in the closed Akitio as Dschijn did with this beautiful setup: 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

I got the Akitio and the DA-2 and I'm still waiting for the GPU right now, but I already have some issues. I hope someone will be able to give me hints. First of all, I tried to find a 5.5x2.5 barrel adapter, along with a 6pin pci express Y power splitter (I plan to insert the splitter into the DA-2, use one end for the GPU and cut the other end to connect the barrel). The only place I could find these was ebay, sending from China and Hong Kong. Right now I live in Martinique, by the way, so it's kind of hard to find suppliers that send components here and the local IT company doesn't even have the pci express adapter

Long story short, the GPU is at customs and should be here soon and the barrel and 6pin splitter are still at the other end of the world. I was thinking to try other means of powering, so I have a few options:

1. The EVGA card comes with a 2x molex to 6pin pcie power plug. I could cut the molex cables and stick the free end of the 12V and GND directly into the DA-2 plug (2x12V and 2XGND). The other 12V and GND could be used for the barrel plug (I will be forced to cut the original Akitio plug and connect the wires - unfortunately I can't solder )

2. Do the same for the video card 6 pin power, but use the internal 4 pin cable that connects the 2 Akitio boards to power the box instead of the barrel plug.

I was thinking to just cut the plastic cover at the middle of the cable and connect a 12V from the DA-2 to both the yellow cables (in a knot) and a GND to the black ones.

Is there a chance this could work?

Thanks.

[atheotsky]

i have found another adapter Dell 12V 18A , is it ok to use it ? can i plug it to the Akitio directly ?

[Dschijn]

@radu: It is much easier to use a 8-Pin PCIe cable and dtick the female side into the Dell DA-2 and rewire it.

@atheotsky: Can you link it? Sounds like the Da-2 with 220W. Mostly it depends on the plug and how you can use it.

[atheotsky]

sorry , a guy told me he has it, i think its DA-2 220W . i just found another one name 'Sunny Adapter 12V 10A' , is this one good ?

[Dschijn]

12V and 10A will be 120W, is that enough for your GPU + AKiTiO?

Also you have to check if the plug can be used our if you need to attach your own adapter.

[radu]

@radu: It is much easier to use a 8-Pin PCIe cable and dtick the female side into the Dell DA-2 and rewire it.

This is the plan for the long term, but since I need to wait a 30-40 days for the plugs and cables to arrive from China, I want to improvise in order to get it started.

Some day I will cut the case and glue half of an ATX 24 pin plug in order to be able to plug the DA-2 and a 4 pin to barrel self made adapter.

[atheotsky]

12V and 10A will be 120W, is that enough for your GPU + AKiTiO?

Also you have to check if the plug can be used our if you need to attach your own adapter.

i have msi gtx 750 ti , which consumes 60w. and akitio is the only thunder bolt device i have. i am wondering if akitio thunder 2 can handle 120w well out of box.

perhaps 12V 8A is a better option for this setup ?

[errin]

sorry , a guy told me he has it, i think its DA-2 220W . i just found another one name 'Sunny Adapter 12V 10A' , is this one good ?

I don't think it can provide enough power when full loaded.

[Dschijn]

@atheotsky: 120W shouldn't be a problem, but some people with new builds had problems with the 750Ti and 120W. We currently have no idea why…

120W are safe for the Thunder2 since it is just going to use as much as it needs and not all of the 120W all the time. Having more power is better for peak loads when the system is shortly requiring more power as in average.

[atheotsky]

@Dschijn: thanks alot for the information, can you describe those unknown problems ? what if i go for 8A or 9A instead

[EvIl_DeViL]

I'm going for the molex-barrel plug mod adapter. (but instead of molex I'll use the 12V lines from the ATX connector cause I got an adapter to avoid cutting PSU wires)

which one of those two barrels would fit better?

http://www.cui.com/product/resource/pp3-002bh.pdf

http://media.digikey.com/pdf/Data%20Sheets/Memory%20Protection%20PDFs/EP501-B_Dwg.pdf

AFAIK akitio shouldn't drain more than 60W so in both cases we should be ok. Can anyone confirm that? Am I risking fire with the one rated 12V 5A (60W)?

[Dschijn]

@atheotsky: To be save you should get 120W and not less! 90W might work as well, but you should get some more power for peak power draws.

@EvIl_DeViL: Both should be fine! 60W can be exceeded if the card draws up to 75W from the PCIe slot AND the AKiTiO draws up to 15-20W. So in worst case you will have to provide 95W through the barrel plug. Maybe even more, because some cards exceeded 75W on the slot and draw even more.