Downsidebloom Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 Hey there!I'm considering buying Sonnet Express SEL + GTX 670 do try out this eGpu thing.Here's the components I've decided to buy. I'm using a 15 rMBP with iris pro (no dedicated gpu)1. Sonnet Express SEL2. EVGA GTX 6703. Modular PSU with around 400-500W?4. 8x to 16x PCi-E riserIs there anything I'm missing here?From the threads I've read, I should be able to use the integrated display on the mac, but can anyone confirm this?And if it does work, how does it compare to the desktop EVGA GTX 670? 60-70%? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tech Inferno Fan Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 squinks' guide is the definitive one to follow for your 2013 15" MBP GPU implementation: http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/6918-updated-2013-13-15-macbook-pro-thunderbolt-2-egpu-plug-play-optimus.html#post94929The hardware you've listed would work according to squinks. However, you may contemplate a variation that may provide a both a neater and more cost effective solution. That being:- use a AKiTiO Thunder2 PCIe box instead of the Sonnet Express SEL. It costs less, includes the Thunderbolt cable worth US$29 for free, AND has a dual-width x16 slot already.- along with the AKiTiO, use a mini-ITX ASUS GTX670 or ASUS/MSI GTX760 card. They are dual-width but quite short. The AKiTiO is 9.17in long. My ASUS mini-ITX GTX670 is 7.4in long which means it will be a direct fit. You will still need at least a 150W external PSU (12V/13A or better) to provide 8-pin PCIe connector power which any basic ATX PSU will be able to provide.Only dilemma you may have is providing the max 75W to power the slot. The AKiTiO is supplied with a 12V/5A AC adapter (60W), but then says "PCIe (x16) slot provides a maximum of 25W". I am not sure how much power the mini ITX GTX670/760 draws from the slot nor is that referenced anywhere. Maybe take a chance to see if the 12V/5A adapter is enough? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnrc Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 I stayed away from the Akito because its connection speed is limited to 5Gbps compared to the SEL at 16Gbps. Is this wrong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tech Inferno Fan Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 I stayed away from the Akito because its connection speed is limited to 5Gbps compared to the SEL at 16Gbps. Is this wrong?Yes, you have misinterpreted something. AKiTiO's Thunder2 PCIe Box product specs say:Interface/Ports: 1x internal PCIe (x16) slot with 4 lane PCI Express interface (x4 2.0)Data transfer: Thunderbolt™ 2 interface up to 20GbpsRemarks: The maximum real world performance of this Thunderbolt 2 device is 1375MB/s.eGPU user testing with CUDA-Z finding host-to-device transfer rates as being:x4 2.0 = 1250 MiB/s (1)x2 2.0 = 700 MiB/s (2)x1 2.0 = 350 MiB/s (2)(1) from http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/7326-sli-success-2x-780ti-2x-sonnet-sel-macbook-pro-%4032gbps-tb2-2x-16gbps.html(2) from http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/3062-%5Bguide%5D-2012-13-mbp-gtx660ti-hd7870%40x2-2-th05.html#post42483 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnrc Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 I got this from the initial post here on tech inferno as well as from their website:FeaturesTwo Thunderbolt™ 2 ports for speeds of up to 20Gb/s1 PCIe (x16) slot supporting half-length, full-height cards4 lane PCI Express 2.0 compliant interface at 5.0GbpsI just ordered an SEL so I'm wondering if I should cancel for the Akitio! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnrc Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Ah, I see my error... it's 4 lanes at 5 Gbps each.... so 20Gbps! I'm switching to this guy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tech Inferno Fan Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Ah, I see my error... it's 4 lanes at 5 Gbps each.... so 20Gbps! I'm switching to this guy!Good choice. The AKiTiO is (imho) a better enclosure that defies usual marketting logic by costing *less* than the Sonnet Echo SEL. Maybe AKiTiO are looking to take some of Sonnet's market share by selling at a far lower price? I've just posted some more commentary about what I can tell of the AKiTiO's internal power distribution at http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/7205-us%24200-akitio-thunder2-pcie-box-7.html#post101464 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downsidebloom Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 I've decided to go for the Express SEL, since I can get it for 240$.But last question, is this future proof? Will I be able to use high end cards without any issues ? And how does it compare to the desktop version, when I use the internal screen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbomb2k Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 So to avoid issues with draw from the slot itself, you would want an SEL? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tech Inferno Fan Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 So to avoid issues with draw from the slot itself, you would want an SEL?AKiTiO has no slot power draw issues when using a PCIe riser as recently noted: http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/7205-us%24200-akitio-thunder2-pcie-box-10.html#post102364The Sonnet SEL costs more and has a less desirable feature set for eGPU use than the AKiTiO Thunder2 PCIe box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordromanov01 Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 What cables are needed for this configuration? I understand that it would be just one thunderbolt cable to connect the MacBook to the Sonnet SEL (I can't find the AKiTiO in the UK) when using an external screen, but if I wanted to use Optimus to use internal screen, would another cable be needed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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