Jump to content

DIY eGPU Macbook experiences


oripash

Recommended Posts

Hello, I just built a eGPU system and was surprised to see images on my laptop screen.

I am using a late 2013 15" rMBP with Iris+750M, with a GTX 970 with Akitio thunder 2 adapter.

After manually install the driver on the "Microsoft basic display adapter" (only laptop screen works this time), I boot into Windows 10, both screen would light up. When I go into device manager, I can see both 750M and 970. But the 750M would fail and the system would switch 750M to using microsoft driver. When I use the laptop screen, I wouldn't be able to open the Nvidia control center, but I can on the external display.

From what I read on this forum, you won't be able to use the internal display on the 750M machine. When I run 3D mark, it does seem like I am using the eGPU. Can someone explains if it's normal to see the internal display works? Thank you!

You are able to use the internal display, but applications started on the internal display will only render on the 750m GPU. Only an external monitor can accelerate rendering on the eGPU.

I had the same issue with the display driver failing and reverting back to a Microsoft Basic Display adapter driver, but this is, I believe, because the multi-monitor setup is set to "Mirror" by default. I wasn't able to do mirroring of my displays on Windows 8.1, so I was surprised to see that "working" on Windows 10. But I think it cause the display driver crash, so I set the display mode to "Extend", and haven't had any problems since.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi, can someone help me? I have macbook pro 13" 2013 and in other the same config in post about macbook 11" 2013 (sonnet echo+ gf 570gt, etc.). And, of course, i had an error 12. I've installed eGPU setup and do all items step by step to remove this error (but i have an error with mbr2, after this i switched to mbr and got the same error, and after this i switched to boot... and all done). So, when i've booted to win7, there was appered new error in Device Manager "error 10", that i can't to use this device. What should i do?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi friends,

I am new to this forum and unexperienced with eGPUs, so I apologise in advance for any wierd/stupid questions I might ask.

Here is a list of what I'm running:

Computer: Macbook Pro Retina, from 2012

CPU: i7-3820QM @ 2.7-3.7 GHz

dGPU: Nvidia GT650M

RAM: 16 GB

OS: Windows 8.1, via Bootcamp

Thunderbolt connection: 2xThunderbolt v.1

As eGPU I chose MSI GTX 980 Gaming 4G together with AKiTiO Thunder2 PCIe Box.

And now, the reason I made this thread: I installed my eGPU today and encountered some software issues(?), more specifically a code 12 error that seems to be rather usual.

My question is if this has anything to do with my TOLUD being >3.25 GB? I tried using the guides posted on this forum to check my TOLUD, but my Device Manager seems to differ a bit from yours. I would be grateful is someone could take a look on my pictures and tell me my TOLUD value.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]15630[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]15631[/ATTACH]

Secondly, if what I described above is the cause of my problem, can I fix it using the DSDT override that has been described on this forum?

I found the

made by Kizwan. Can I follow his procedure thoroughly to get it to work on my setup?

Thank you,

A confused Red Onion

Can someone please help me troubleshoot this? I've payed a little too much for someting that currently doesn't work :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Your TOLUD isn't >= 3,25 GB. It's 8FA00000 which is rounded 2,25 GB. It's fine. You need to look for the first PCI Express Root Complex with 8 leading zeros and not Thunderbolt entries.

How are you powering your card? Everything connected correctly?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Your TOLUD isn't >= 3,25 GB. It's 8FA00000 which is rounded 2,25 GB. It's fine. You need to look for the first PCI Express Root Complex with 8 leading zeros and not Thunderbolt entries.

How are you powering your card? Everything connected correctly?

Alright thanks, I am glad to hear that :)

However now I have no idea what the trouble might be. Yeah I think I have everything connected correctly:

I am using a 500 W PSU that seems to power my Akitio box correctly (even tho I had to use power from 4 Pin Peripheral instead of the 6/8 pin PCI-E that was recommended, since my GPU takes up my 2x8 PCI-E slots). I have fan movement on both my PSU, GPU and Akitio box.

However I have to use a PCI-riser, since my GPU doesnt fit inside the case. The riser is also powered via a 4 Pin Molex.

When I plugged in my GPU the first time I had to manually download the drivers in order for my GTX 980 to show up (with a code 12 error). Seconds after that my mouse pad stopped working and the computer started making multiple, short beep-sounds every time I tried to use it. Rebooting computer didn't work.

Any idea what the problem might be? Feel free to ask if you need more info :)

Cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alright thanks, I am glad to hear that :)

However now I have no idea what the trouble might be. Yeah I think I have everything connected correctly:

I am using a 500 W PSU that seems to power my Akitio box correctly (even tho I had to use power from 4 Pin Peripheral instead of the 6/8 pin PCI-E that was recommended, since my GPU takes up my 2x8 PCI-E slots). I have fan movement on both my PSU, GPU and Akitio box.

However I have to use a PCI-riser, since my GPU doesnt fit inside the case. The riser is also powered via a 4 Pin Molex.

When I plugged in my GPU the first time I had to manually download the drivers in order for my GTX 980 to show up (with a code 12 error). Seconds after that my mouse pad stopped working and the computer started making multiple, short beep-sounds every time I tried to use it. Rebooting computer didn't work.

Any idea what the problem might be? Feel free to ask if you need more info :)

Cheers

Seems like you need Setup 1.x to do some stuff. Read over there, first post, "Windows Setup" -> http://forum.techinferno.com/implementation-guides-apple/10099-2012-15-macbook-pro-gtx970%4010gbps-tb1-akitio-thunder2-win7-osx10-10-3-%5Bbsohn%5D.html

Also consider bending open the Akitio case on the front or removing the PCB from the case so you can use the card without the riser. They're not recommended anymore.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seems like you need Setup 1.x to do some stuff. Read over there, first post, "Windows Setup" -> http://forum.techinferno.com/implementation-guides-apple/10099-2012-15-macbook-pro-gtx970%4010gbps-tb1-akitio-thunder2-win7-osx10-10-3-%5Bbsohn%5D.html

Also consider bending open the Akitio case on the front or removing the PCB from the case so you can use the card without the riser. They're not recommended anymore.

Alright thanks, I think I can manage that. However, I don't understand how I'm supposed to access the boot menu in order to run Setup 1.x. I thought I would need BIOS for that?

I am confused, Device manager tells me I'm running Master Boot Record (MBR) but I thought Macs were using UEFI?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alright thanks, I think I can manage that. However, I don't understand how I'm supposed to access the boot menu in order to run Setup 1.x. I thought I would need BIOS for that?

I am confused, Device manager tells me I'm running Master Boot Record (MBR) but I thought Macs were using UEFI?

You do know you can hold left ALT key after the boot chime so the boot menu appears?

Older Macs or bootcamp installations are MBR installations instead of GPT and therefore EFI.

So you having a MBR installation is perfect for Setup 1.x. Otherwise you would need to use a USB stick or reinstall with MBR.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[h=2]Hi Guys,

I super new to the who ePGU thing, but I've been reading these forums over and over, different builds and so forth. Eventually I found this thread,[/h][h=1]2012 13" Macbook Pro + GTX960@10Gbps-TB1 (AKiTiO Thunder2) + OSX10.10.2 [EdgyVenison][/h][h=2]which has the exact same Macbook as myself so I decided to go for it. I wanted to upgrade my Macbook to replace my PC as room in our unit is going to get small (baby room to replace our PC/storage/office room). I installed a 2TB HDD into the optical bay (for data) and a 240GB SSD into it which is running OSX 10.8.5 and BOOTCAMP (Win 7) fine. I have tried to install YOSEMITE but the install fails due to disk errors or some such. What I want to ask is can you guys help me or do I absolutely have to be running YOSEMITE and BOOTCAMP Win 8.1 for this to work?

I have built the eGPU into a Coolmaster 130 micro-atx case drilled screw holes and affixed the Aikito PCI board and 90 degree PCI riser and everthing is plugged in correctly. I'm using my Gigabyte GTX470 superoverclocked PIC-e card in the setup with a hard switch instead of the paperclip trick, it all seems to power up nicely (green and blue lights).

I can give full details as to where I'm at and what I've done but I'm not going any further unless i can get some help or I'm going to end up putting a mac shaped hole in the wall frown.png.pagespeed.ce.k7JIVwiiFa.png[/h]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You do know you can hold left ALT key after the boot chime so the boot menu appears?

Older Macs or bootcamp installations are MBR installations instead of GPT and therefore EFI.

So you having a MBR installation is perfect for Setup 1.x. Otherwise you would need to use a USB stick or reinstall with MBR.

Oh so that is the boot menu I'm supposed to access? I thought it was some sort of bootloader/BIOS were I had to press F8 (which doesn't seem to work on my computer).

Alright, I'll give it a shot, thank you for all your help :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, guys. I'm so tired to config my mac. At first, look at my hardware: MBPr 13" 2013, sonnet echo, PE4H v2.4a (and i've bought new mini HDMI cable to it), power supply at 550w and Gainward GF 570gtx GS. So, that's my problem: i've installed win7 ultimate x64 and use step-by-step guide from MBA 11" 2013 to configure my videocard. I've used DIY eGPU setup to remove error 12. So, I've booted to win 7 and... Got error 43. I've rebooted to DIY eGPU setup and Initialized my videocard, rebooted and... There was no videocard in Device Manager. OMG. Rebooted one more time and... Error 12. OMG. What should I do? Please, Help me. I've read thread about error 43, but I have no dGPU and I've tried to initialize my card.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey guys I am running into issues with my bootcamped windows 10.

When I turn on the laptop with the eGPU plugged in one of two things happen:

1. I hold alt and select windows the screen goes black and nothing happens

2. I hold alt go into windows and have no wifi connection (seriously thats the issue). It either says Wifi 2 disabled or it says the network driver is not working (the question mark next to it). The computer recognizes that the GeForce gtx 970 is plugged in.

Those two scenarios happen 66% and 33% of the time.

When I start the laptop with the eGPU taken out it loads normally and has wifi connection. When I plug in the eGPU after I am in windows the eGPU powers on and does this ticking thing where the fan does like half a spin then locks and the nVidia controller says it doesn't have any drivers and there is no eGPU.

I upgraded to Windows 10 because I thought the ISO was bad on windows 8... lo and behold I have the same issues occuring on Windows 10 just with no wifi when I can get it to boot into windows.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey guys I am running into issues with my bootcamped windows 10.

When I turn on the laptop with the eGPU plugged in one of two things happen:

1. I hold alt and select windows the screen goes black and nothing happens

2. I hold alt go into windows and have no wifi connection (seriously thats the issue). It either says Wifi 2 disabled or it says the network driver is not working (the question mark next to it). The computer recognizes that the GeForce gtx 970 is plugged in.

Those two scenarios happen 66% and 33% of the time.

When I start the laptop with the eGPU taken out it loads normally and has wifi connection. When I plug in the eGPU after I am in windows the eGPU powers on and does this ticking thing where the fan does like half a spin then locks and the nVidia controller says it doesn't have any drivers and there is no eGPU.

I upgraded to Windows 10 because I thought the ISO was bad on windows 8... lo and behold I have the same issues occuring on Windows 10 just with no wifi when I can get it to boot into windows.

#1.. lol at least you get a black screen mine right now is hanging immediately after I click on Windows 10.. Trying to figure that out as without the Thunderbolt connected it loads fine...

#2 - Haven't had that issue with WiFi but have you made sure that you have the correct driver for wifi loaded (Windows wont always find the correct driver automatically) bootcamp drivers are good for most Mac Computers (Broadcom) WiFi, find them in the bootcamp folder and install manually through the installer in the driver folder. If you have a really new Mac the driver in Bootcamp can be out of date.. if so open up system profiler in OSX and find out what brand model WiFi Firmware you have (i.e. my Macbook Pro 2012 is Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (7.15.166.24.3) then you might be able to find an updated driver for that firmware. It is strange though that WiFi works without the Thunderbolt connected.

Brion

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@JoshS0515: I've seen similar issues to you in Windows 10 and a 2015 13" MBP.

I never ran into your issue #1, but I did get frequent boot up hangs with Windows 10 (the circling dots at boot up just circles forever).

I also had the same issue as you in #2. The eGPU was recognized and usable with an external monitor, but the wifi adapter was not working properly. I saw in Device Manager that the Broadcom adapter did not boot properly. Disabling/Enabling it from within Device Manager did nothing.

I plan to just stick with Windows 8.1 until Apple explicitly supports Windows 10 with boot camp.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I plan to just stick with Windows 8.1 until Apple explicitly supports Windows 10 with boot camp.

Unfortunately that could take a LONG while as bootcamp is a back burner "unsupported" thing they do.. They offer it but provide no support for it. which also means that they can give up on it.. I would say the issue with the WiFi might be an issue in Win 10 and possibly not something that apple would have any control over as the Broadcom Driver and Thunderport Drivers are not designed by apple.. Apple Only really produces the drivers for their devices.

So I wonder if you have the ability to Hardboot Windows to your computer (not going through the Bootcamp Loader if it will work or not. I am probably going to try that shortly with my issue by pulling the HD and installing the Win10 only SSD I have to see if I can get everything working.

Brion

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just noticed something which may pertain to the WiFi Issue.. I am not sure if you are using DIY GPU Set-up 1.2 or 1.3 but I noticed that with DIY Set-up 1.2 in the information dialog on the right side there are two Broadcom Drivers listed when you set-up the GPU.. It is possible that with windows 10 you might have to run a new compaction.. Just a thought It Might not have anything to do with anything but I noticed them explicitly listed.

Brion

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK Windows 10.. I finally got everything working on my system.. all works including WiFi.. I have a Mackbook Pro Mid 2012 and used Set-up 1.2 and just did a simple PCI compaction (with the PCI.bat edit for the a: and b: to 0a: and 0b:).. Everything Is great now.. My Win 10 Installation is running currently off of an External USB3 SSD drive which was a headache in itself to get squared away but now that I have it running the boot procedure and the issues with booting are no different than using my internal Drive set-up for Windows 7.

Brion Sohn

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey All,

I still have issues with loading at times but I figured out a few of my issues.

For the Wifi issue I booted in and installed the Windows 8.1 bootcamp broadcom controller driver and all worked fine. If it will reset when I shut off the computer I am unsure. I still have to reset the clock every time it comes out of hibernation though so thats why I suspect I may have to do the driver every time.

For the issues I was having with the fan spinning I feel really dumb. I assigned all the programs I wanted to run off the eGPU and none of them did. The reason being the external monitor was plugged into the laptop and not the eGPU. When I plug it into the eGPU the screen turns off and only the laptop LCD works. All I had to do was disable the integrated graphics card and all was well but it does some times just drop to less than 25% use and dropping frame rate dramatically for about 3 seconds.

As for the black screen I set the mac to boot directly into Windows instead of mac so I don't have to use the alt key upon reboot. I still have some issues but the windows error I get on the repair screen is the computer didn't restart correctly so I figured booting directly to it may help. It does. I went from getting the black screen and repair 66% of the time to less than 10%.

By no means am I an expert at any of this but I thought I would share the things that have helped me so far.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey All,

I still have issues with loading at times but I figured out a few of my issues.

For the Wifi issue I booted in and installed the Windows 8.1 bootcamp broadcom controller driver and all worked fine. If it will reset when I shut off the computer I am unsure. I still have to reset the clock every time it comes out of hibernation though so thats why I suspect I may have to do the driver every time.

For the issues I was having with the fan spinning I feel really dumb. I assigned all the programs I wanted to run off the eGPU and none of them did. The reason being the external monitor was plugged into the laptop and not the eGPU. When I plug it into the eGPU the screen turns off and only the laptop LCD works. All I had to do was disable the integrated graphics card and all was well but it does some times just drop to less than 25% use and dropping frame rate dramatically for about 3 seconds.

As for the black screen I set the mac to boot directly into Windows instead of mac so I don't have to use the alt key upon reboot. I still have some issues but the windows error I get on the repair screen is the computer didn't restart correctly so I figured booting directly to it may help. It does. I went from getting the black screen and repair 66% of the time to less than 10%.

By no means am I an expert at any of this but I thought I would share the things that have helped me so far.

Mine always has had the clock issue, Had it with Win7 as well as Win10 it think that is just a windows quirk with the mac and has little to nothing to do with the eGPU. If you want to use the Option loader you might want to make sure windows is always starting in Normal mode, For Win10 when you click on normal it turns back to selective with the top box with a black square and the middle box x'd and the bottom box the use original boot greyed out once you get this set use the boot screen to make boot changes permanent. This is what allowed me to boot through the Option Menu.

Brion

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So guys Gatsby told me that the eGPU works for the rMBP mid 2015 with M370X for Windows 10 without any Software guides, too. U just have to plug in the Akitio before u start into Windows then disabling the M370X and then u can install the drivers for the for example GTX 970 (GJ Windows 10). After a restart the eGPU works fine and with less crashes than on Windows 8.1!!!:Banane17:

So the second case was the eGPU working on OS X (just for 10.10.3 or above) for the mentioned Macbook. Here u just install the newest NVIDIA Web Drivers or u use the tool from the Bison-Box which u can download here. http://bizon-pc.com/a/bizonbox_mac.zip then start the start.command file.

So I guess there are not any issues with the mid 2015 rMBP anymore enjoy.

post-37081-14495000629268_thumb.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@eGPUfan: The script for OS X is not in any way written by the BizonBox guy(s). It's written by goalque from this forum -> http://forum.techinferno.com/mac-os-x-discussion/10289-script-automating-installation-egpu-os-x-inc-display-output-new-post.html

At least he hasn't removed the legal stuff about the license...

Anyway, if you're interested in the newest version, have a look at the link.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@eGPUfan: The script for OS X is not in any way written by the BizonBox guy(s). It's written by goalque from this forum -> http://forum.techinferno.com/mac-os-x-discussion/10289-script-automating-installation-egpu-os-x-inc-display-output-new-post.html

At least he hasn't removed the legal stuff about the license...

Anyway, if you're interested in the newest version, have a look at the link.

They haven’t told me anything, not a surprise. The MIT license allows commercial use if my copyright notice is included. Those regular expressions are like a signature ;)

For me they are a piece of cake if Nvidia changes the web site some day. Let BizonBox guys scratch their head when the script suddenly stops working.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They haven’t told me anything, not a surprise. The MIT license allows commercial use if my copyright notice is included. Those regular expressions are like a signature ;)

For me they are a piece of cake if Nvidia changes the web site some day. Let BizonBox guys scratch their head when the script suddenly stops working.

Ye, sure they haven't. Rip off stays rip off. Their mentality makes me sick. If you use something that yourself wouldn't be able to do or you simply don't want it to do why insisting on looking like professional business and hide the real authors instead of packing a note with it telling you whom to thank. It is or at least was the same with the Akitio, meanwhile they are mentioning that they use the Akitio as the base...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey, I am struggling to get my setup to work and was hoping that someone here could give me some help.

I have the following setup:

- 2012 MBP with Windows 8.1 UEFI

- Sonnet Echo Express

- Asus GTX 770

- Corsair VS Series 650

The GTX 770 is in the PCIe slot of the Sonnet and powered by one 8-pin and one 6-pin connector from the PSU.

I used the paperclip trick to turn on the PSU and my display is connected via a VGA to DVI adapter to the graphics card (it only has VGA unfortunately).

I installed the latest drivers and the setup at least said that they were successfully installed.

The card is detected correctly as a GTX 770, however I am getting an error 43 "Windows has stopped this device because it has reported problems". Fans of the PSU and card are spinning, but the external display stays black.

I already tried several different boot sequences. So far no success with any of them though.

Also I figured the VGA connection might be an issue, so I tried a TV with HDMI, but no luck.

From what I've learned so far Error 43 could also mean that something is wrong with the card itself. I really hope that is not the case though.

Any suggestions what I could have done wrong?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello! I decided to make an eGPU based on Akitio Thunder 2 for MacBook and I had a few questions. I hope there is a person who can help me. Here are the elements of my system:

- Macbook pro (retina 15-inch, mid 2014)

- Benq 3201PT secondary display

- Akitio Thuder 2

- Nvidia GTX970

- PSU Crosair CX500M

- PCI-Express PCI-E 8X to 16X Riser

- Paperclip

This video helped me to make Yosemite to see my eGPU

Now my nvidia GTX970 is displayed in the system information. But I’m not sure that everything is done correctly. I am interested in the use of an external graphics card only with Yosemite so I connect an additional monitor to the macbook. When I connect the monitor (via HDMI or Displayport) directly to the GTX970, my monitor says “No signal”. Under the characteristics of my GTX970 in the information about the system, I do not see any information about the additional display (under intel iris – the information about two monitors at once). And when I go to the section About this mac, and then move on to the Monitor tab, I see under the two monitors (built-in monitor and additional monitor) the information that they are using a video adapter Intel iris (internal). Does it mean that the system does not use the power of my eGPU GTX970? My Akitio is connected to the mac and mac is connected to a second monitor (thunderbolt – displayport). When I launched Unigine Heaven on my secondary monitor with default setting I receive maximum frame rate of 25 fps. Here is a link to a photo of my hardware configuration and kext files that I have changed through the application text wrangler. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ulo34t8itmk1w8u/AAAOEiptFOOAS8KMXjSPXT8na?dl=0

A link to the video of commercial project is based on the box Akitio

On 14:11 visible information about additional monitor. There we see that the monitor is under eGPU

What did I do wrong?

In advance thank you for your reply.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.