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DIY eGPU Macbook experiences


oripash

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TB1 is fine and will work, yes! OF course there will be a reduced overall performance, but that depends on the game.

Do you have a 13" MB? I think Star Citizen is really performance "hungry".

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@ozmartini: eGPUs in Windows 8.1 are just working beautiful. No idea why you are getting stressed about some bat files....?! ;)

Well I just have no idea what they are. I've never done any code or anything similar to that. In the guide I was looking at he says

"In notepad, create the file V:\config\pci.bat and paste the following into it. Note that this is the file that changes depending on your Macbook type. If you dont have a 2013 Macbook Air, a couple addresses might change."

Though this is a guide for Windows 7, not 8.

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TB1 is fine and will work, yes! OF course there will be a reduced overall performance, but that depends on the game.

Do you have a 13" MB? I think Star Citizen is really performance "hungry".

I have a 15 inch MBP w/ Retina Display, Early 2013.

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Hey guys,

I am completely new to this field – but I got hold of the Sonnet and the GT 750 Ti so I wanted to try it. (I read some experiences that this very configuration is easy plug and play.) As you might expect from a newbie, it did not work out so far. :(

Here's what I did:

1) I plugged the card into the Sonnet's 16x PCIe slot.

2) Connected Power and TB to the Macbook.

3) Connected my external display (tried both HDMI and DVI)

4) Turned on.

What happened:

Both screens stay black (I know the internal LCD won't work.).

The Sonnet spins up and then spins down. The graphics seem to start because its fans also spin up.

I tried a variety of things, plugging the graphics at different stages of the boot process:

start plugged – black screen

plug in during OS selection screen – system freeze

plug in right after selecting OS – system freeze

plug in any later – card is not recognized/used

In the MacOS System profiler I can see that a card is detected in the Sonnet – but it is not recognized as a graphics card.

I searched in the forum here but to be honest – I don't know how to proceed and which of the suggestions are valid in my case.

I would appreciate any help very much.

All the best

Simurgh

EDIT: it doesn't work both on MacOS or Windows (Bootcamp) and I have the NVIDIA drivers installed on Windows.

- turn on MB

- hold alt key

- wait for chime and boot selction

- switch on eGPU

- boot OS

Thank you for your suggestion, Dschijn – Unfortunately, this does not help. When I do this, I get stuck in the boot selection, i.e. I can move the mouse, change the selection but the MB does not respond to the return key any more. I also tried to press the return key and switch on the eGPU quickly but then I get a freeze as well.

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Well I just have no idea what they are. I've never done any code or anything similar to that. In the guide I was looking at he says

"In notepad, create the file V:\config\pci.bat and paste the following into it. Note that this is the file that changes depending on your Macbooktype. If you dont have a 2013 Macbook Air, a couple addresses might change."

Though this is a guide for Windows 7, not 8.

No nee to do that if you are using Windows 8.1.

Thank you for your suggestion, Dschijn – Unfortunately, this does not help. When I do this, I get stuck in the boot selection, i.e. I can move the mouse, change the selection but the MB does not respond to the return key any more. I also tried to press the return key and switch on the eGPU quickly but then I get a freeze as well.

Could share more about your setup?

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Could share more about your setup?

Of course,

Macbook Pro Retina 15-inch (2014)

2.8 GHz, GT750m Model

16 GB RAM

Running OS X 10.10.4 or Windows 8.1 (Bootcamped)

eGPU:

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 750Ti OC WindForce 2GB GDDR5 PCIe 2x DVI/2x HDMI

Sonnet Echo Express SE II Thunderbolt 2x Exp. Chassis für PCIe Cards

Simply plugged it into the x16 PCIe slot – the fans of the GPU turn on when I connect TB so far that seems to work.

I also tried to start a MBA 2013 with the card – and at least it boots (though not recognizing the card without drivers, of course). So I assume that it is either about TB2 or about the GT750m, right?

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So I assume that it is either about TB2 or about the GT750m, right?

I'll also confirm that TB1 ports do work, but I can't comment on the rest of your setup.

I've recently built out the Akitio+Zotac 970+Dell DA-2 setup and using this with a late 2012 27" iMac (3.4 i7, 680MX) and a base 2013 13" MBA. I followed the steps in this GUIDE and VIDEO (though I also used a Kext Utility to re-load them) and things are working in OS X 10.10.3 (I noticed you are working with 10.10.4). Have a look at the links I provided if you haven't seen them and try those steps. Found them very helpful.

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Can you check these guides:...
I'll also confirm that TB1 ports do work, but I can't comment on the rest of your setup.

I've recently built out the Akitio+Zotac 970+Dell DA-2 setup and using this with a late 2012 27" iMac (3.4 i7, 680MX) and a base 2013 13" MBA. I followed the steps in this GUIDE and VIDEO (though I also used a Kext Utility to re-load them) and things are working in OS X 10.10.3 (I noticed you are working with 10.10.4). Have a look at the links I provided if you haven't seen them and try those steps. Found them very helpful.

Thank you – that brought an important step further, at least on the Macbook Air. (The rMBP is needed for some calculation stuff at the moment.) So I managed to install the drivers and manipulate the kext-files on the MBA. When I boot with the eGPU it is recognized as NVIDIA CHIP MODEL under OS X 10.10.4 which seems to be a good sign to me. However, I cannot get any signal from the GPU, so all DVI and HDMI slots won't give me any signal on my external display. From the benchmarks and the iStats it also seems to me that the eGPU is not accessed at all.

Any ideas on that? :/

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@Simurgh5: Please test if you have Cuda: CUDA-Z

And if this benchmark can adress the card: LuxMark - LuxRender Wiki

If yes, you might have the 2014 MBPr Problem of display output in OSX.

If not... you might have missed a step in implementing the eGPu correctly. Maybe this guide helps? http://forum.techinferno.com/mac-os-x-discussion/10135-egpu-under-osx-pdf.html

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Hey guys.

Getting real close to starting my build when it occurred to me... Can I even run on my internal display?!

What is required run on my internal display of my mac? If it is possible.

Retina Macbook Pro Mid 2012 15" GT650M.

I have ordered almost all my parts but I am still a bit clueless as to the software side of things. In fact I don't really know what to do at all once I have it built.

Do I need to change some settings for Windows? I read about some startup settings like EFI. My Windows was installed through Bootcamp (Win 8.1). I don't care if I have to re-install windows or something to get it working.

I'm kinda in need of a software guide. First eGPU project! :confused:

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And you definitely are using the driver for 10.10.4? See HERE for drivers list.

Yep, I used this driver and I followed each and every step of the guide but still cannot boot on the MBPr - when I plug in during boot (at whatever time) the system freezes.

Basically, I only need it to work in Windows 8.1.

Do you think it's worth trying the DIY Setup 1.20 which is suggested in some guides? My other idea was to install a UEFI Windows on an external hard Drive. What worries me is that I cannot even proceed when I plug in during OS selection- so how would any of my ideas deal with that?

- - - Updated - - -

@Simurgh5: Please test if you have Cuda: CUDA-Z

And if this benchmark can adress the card: LuxMark - LuxRender Wiki

If yes, you might have the 2014 MBPr Problem of display output in OSX.

If not... you might have missed a step in implementing the eGPu correctly. Maybe this guide helps? http://forum.techinferno.com/mac-os-x-discussion/10135-egpu-under-osx-pdf.html

The CUDA is detected and detects the driver. However, apart from this one boot I was never able to reach the OS with the plugged eGPU again.

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I'm just going to mention, once again, that my GTX 970 + AKiTiO + 2011 Mac Mini + Windows works absolutely beautifully *BUT* only works at all if I switch the eGPU on at exactly the right moment. I have to power on the Mac, then the eGPU about 1 second later. If it's too early or too late then I get a black screen instead of Windows booting. Waiting for the Mac startup chime is far too late in my case.

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I could solve it at least for the 13"-MBA (2013) under OS X 10.10.3 – First, I implemented a Gigabyte 750 Ti Windforce. Obviously, this does not work. After I switched to the KFA2 GTX 750 Ti and it runs perfectly and stable after using this goalque's wonderful script:

http://forum.techinferno.com/mac-os-x-discussion/10289-script-enabling-nvidia-egpu-screen-output-os-x.html

With the MBPr, I am still not able to boot, but I'll try to figure that out.

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@Simurgh5: Did you try to install the script without the eGPU attached and than reboot with the eGPU connected and turned on? Is it a 750Ti without additional power? How do you power the AKiTiO?

It's in a Sonett EE SE II. I found reports that this works without additional power supply.

Yes, the eGPU was unplugged during installation.

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Since you can run that setup on a MBA… guess there is a problem with the dedicated gpu 750m and the eGPU.

That was my reasoning as well – when I plug the eGPU any time during boot up, the MBPr will freeze. (No matter if Windows or MacOS). Only if I plug in so late that it doesn't detect the eGPU, I can boot into any OS.

SOLVED! I decrypted my hard drive and now it works like a charm – I just have to plug in the eGPU right after the Apple Logo and it is recognized under OS X. Testing Windows in the next step... :-)

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I got a rMBP15 2015mid with AMD m370x. is it possible to connect it to GTX980Ti by AkiTiO Thunderbolt2 to PCIe BOX. And is there anybody tried to run the eGPU on WindowsToGo Thunderbolt based external SSD(I always used the USB external SSD to play games)

sorry for my poor English

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Hi, unfortunately we have no informations if 15" 2015 MBs will work. But in theory it should…

A 980Ti is an option, but you will need a powerful PSU to power it. An external drive shouldn't be a problem, but you should use them on seperate ports on the MB.

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