squinks 61 Posted July 29, 2014 7-Jan-2015 Tech Inferno Fan>> originally it was thought that this configuration would provide 32Gbps of performance. Unfortunately that is not the case due to the Thunderbolt chip being hosted off a x4 2.0 bus, limiting performance to 16Gbps as noted.I'm excited to unveil the first ever (to my knowledge) eGPU SLI configuration. 2x 780 Ti's + 2x Sonnet SEL's running on a 2013 MacBook Pro. This was thought to be impossible, in fact Nando and I were certain it was a lost cause, but I was determined to prove otherwise. Thousands of dollars and months later, it happened.There are a number of factors that went into making this possible. The combination of hardware is the most important. The other key ingredients include software and a particular boot process that until discovered almost put an end to the whole project. As much as I would enjoy keeping this information to myself, I will happily disclose everything I know for any other lunatics out there that want to create the ultimate eGPU solution.Configuration:2013 13" MacBook Pro (15" preferred) *Iris-only graphics required!2x EVGA 780 Ti (Any matching EVGA GTX cards should work)2x Sonnet SELCorsair RM450 PSU w/2x 8pin to 8+6pinWindows 8.1External display (Optimus is not an option with SLI)*Secret step for SLI (revealed below)*Secret boot process (revealed below) – Performance Results – 3DMark 11SLI Graphics score: 22095 linkSingle 780Ti score: 125763DMark - Fire StrikeSLI Graphics score: 19395 linkSingle 780Ti score: 104103DMark06*Older benchmarks would not run with both GPUsGamesAlmost every game experienced CPU bottleneck on the 13" MBPThe above benchmarks provided static rendering and thus realistic SLI results*Please do not request benchmarks on specific games, I do nothave a 15" Iris-only MBP to give you a legitimate GPU-centric result,however, just like the benchmarks, I'm confident the results would be impressiveCUDA-Z Bandwidth (TB Device 1 and 2)Host to Device: ~1250 MiB/sDevice to Host: ~1360 MiB/sDevice to Device: ~135 GiB/s– The Secret Sauce –1. HyperSLI 1.0 (installation is simple, adds a boot option)2. Boot process:- Shutdown (not a restart)- Unplug TB cables- Wait 10 seconds- Plug in TB cable #1- Wait 10 seconds- Boot Mac and hold alt- Wait 5-10 seconds- Plug in TB cable #2- Select Windows and choose HyperSLI boot option- Should work! Open Nvidia Control Panel and enable SLI– Limitations –- CPU. 15" w/maximum quad-core CPU will provide the best SLI performance- Games that require more CPU will experience capped FPS quickly- GPUs in SLI crunch massive amounts of data @32Gbps and low-spec CPUs will not keep up- MBPs w/Iris-only graphics is required. MBP w/discrete GPU + 2 eGPUs will not boot or will result in a Code 12- External display required- Optimus is not an option. Believe me, I tried 16 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sskillz 55 Posted July 31, 2014 Nice work, But that physics score :|Are you gonna get a 15" or stick with this? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squinks 61 Posted July 31, 2014 Nice work, But that physics score :|Are you gonna get a 15" or stick with this?I have a 15" MBP but not an Iris-only. The project was merely to prove what was thought to be impossible. The 13" MBP is what it is. Most importantly, doors have been opened for the future of eGPU. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sachin10 17 Posted July 31, 2014 Nice! Do you use a fixed 90 degree riser card PCIe x8 to x16? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squinks 61 Posted August 9, 2014 Nice! Do you use a fixed 90 degree riser card PCIe x8 to x16?I just used standard risers. A tight fit when the cards are upright but options were limited. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jcagara08 53 Posted August 9, 2014 Wow such priceless setup and effort buddy!Perhaps a video would make this project more desirable of the people who does not know yet such setup can and could exist!Just a dream to me... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
entzoe 48 Posted March 29, 2016 Hi @squinks have you tried to daisy chain the two enclosure and just use one TB cable to your MBP? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dschijn 329 Posted March 29, 2016 @entzoe Don't want to hijack squinks thread, but I daisy chained a GTX970 and GTX980Ti with two AKiTiOs in OSX. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
entzoe 48 Posted March 29, 2016 And SLI works in OSX? Rendering only or including games? Thanks! Very nice development.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dschijn 329 Posted March 29, 2016 No SLI tested, only tested to use 8 displays and rendering on that two GPUs. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
