Morv

 @airbusa321 Try plugging the eGPU in/starting it when you're in the boot menu. What do you mean exactly with "splash screen"? Have you had a look at one of the implementation threads for a 13" 2015 MBPr?

You can't use HDMI - Thunderbolt cables(if there are any existant) and there are no adapters either. Thunderbolt needs verification on both sides of the connection and you can't get that with such cables. Forget about the EXP GDC and a Macbook with Thunderbolt. To use the linked Adapter you'd need to remove the bottom plate, which isn't smart to begin with, and you'd need to let it removed for the time you use the eGPU. Honestly you don't want this.

Get the Akitio Thunder2, pay once the higher price and have fun for a longer time.

9 hours ago, airbusa321 said:

 

Semi-related question: Though I am considering waiting for the GTX 1050, would it be a good idea to go with the Asus GTX 950? It does not require a 6 pin connector.

I ask because I heard that EVGA cards are somehow better with plug and play capabilities.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

There are only 2 models made by Asus that don't require the 6 pin connector. Keep in mind that the chip isn't designed to be powered solely by the PCIe slot and maybe they'd throttle when they exceed the 75W. Just a thought though, of course I don't know for sure.

Otherwise it's simply faster than the GTX 750 Ti, the GTX 950 exceeds the GTX 750 Ti by about 3000 points in 3DMark11.

Given the improvement from 750 Ti to 950 we may see around 12000 points in 3DMark11 which would be amazing given that it only needs up to 75W.

So I'd definitely wait or get a cheap card(used 750 for example) for the time until release which can then be sold again.

The EVGA thing was only about the use of the internal display which was easier with EVGA models due to internal bootup timings of the cards, when I'm remembering that correctly.

There are easy fixes though to make that happen with every card so that shouldn't be a matter at all.

3 hours ago, airbusa321 said:

Thanks so much for answering my questions! I just have a few more...

1) How stable is the eGPU setup?

2) When you say "pretty much, yeah", do you mean that after driver installation it's as simple as booting into Windows 10 Bootcamp and then plugging the eGPU in?

3) What would my options be for using a card with a 6 pin power connector (such as the GTX 1060)?

Thanks again.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

1. Stable. Why should it be unstable? The Akitio doesn't like AMD cards though, they tend to crash randomly, so you should stick with Nvidia cards. If you want to use the eGPU on your internal display you're bound to Nvidia anyway.

2. Usually you boot up, hold the ALT key for the boot menu to come up and then you turn on the eGPU which is plugged in already. Then you boot Windows. Same procedure as of first boot, because you can't install the drivers unless the card is connected.

3. Dell DA-2 or a usual ATX PSU both with a 2.5mm x 5.5mm barrel plug which you have to built yourself. See https://www.techinferno.com/index.php?/forums/topic/7377-220w-dell-da-2-ac-adapter-discussion/, especially post #2. You'd have to modify the enclosure though if you want to close the Akitio case or the wires because the PCIe power plugs usually block at the top and the card get hot when closed and throttles. Otherwise, if leaving it open is fine, you'd just have to find a card with max. length of around 20cm.

4 hours ago, airbusa321 said:

 

Hi all,

I am very interested in constructing an external GPU for my new 2015 13" rMBP and have been lurking on these forums nonstop for the past few days. Let's just say that my head is spinning from all this information.

I am on the edge of purchasing an Akitio Thunder2 but have many questions. These are as follows:

1) I am considering using a new EVGA GTX 750 TI (no PCIe power). How would the power supply work? Can I use it at full clock with the official Akitio 72w PSU or do I need something more (if so, kindly link to a reliable source)?

2) I am running Windows 10 Bootcamp in UEFI. Does this mean that I can just plug-and-play the GPU?

3) Could I use my internal display? How would I go about disabling the internal display and using an external display instead?

PS: I am planning on using Windows 10 for all of this.

Thank you all so much! Any help is greatly appreciated.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

1. No. You need a PSU that delivers more wattage as you need up to 75W(or even more if the card doesn't acknowledge the PCIe specification) + some wattage for the Akitio board itself. The Akitio comes with a 60W PSU, not a 72W. You may take one of these -> https://www.amazon.com/eFreesia-Adapter-Monitor-Compatible-Devices/dp/B00JFCVOYU/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1473593725&sr=8-5&keywords=120w+2.5mm

The important part is that you need 12V and a 2.5mm x 5.5mm plug. Everything 120W and higher should be fine for a setup like yours.

2. Pretty much, yes.

3. Yes, should work out of the box as far as I've read here(I'm on Windows 8.1 only). If it doesn't there are easy fixes. You don't need to disable the internal display itself, you simply disconnect it in Windows(I do it that way) if you don't want to use it and turn off the backlight before doing so.

Just as a hint: You may consider waiting for the GTX 1050 which is supposed to be without the need of a PCIe power plug again, in comparison to the GTX 950.

The only way for you would be to use the mPCIe slot where your wifi card is put into. The bottom plate is fixed with 8 screws but the bottom plate doesn't seem to be thought to be removed by the user. You'd void your warranty and maybe wouldn't get the bottom plate fixed again. Also there may be trouble with the display as the device is a convertible.

So , summarized you should actually simply forget about using an eGPU with your notebook. If you'd like to use an eGPU sell your notebook and look for one that is suitable for one.

For this to work it would be necessary that any of the PCIe slots is actually connected with the Thunderbolt controller and I highly doubt that this is the case on any mainboard. These Thunderbolt ports are thought to connect something to the mainboard and not the other way around.

Also it's mainboard and expects a CPU and a running OS. The Thunderbolt ports need drivers to work and those won't be present in the BIOS/EFI.

So no, this is not going to work at all.

Just go for the Akitio, build a pseudo mainboard from some material(acrylic glass for example) and put the adapter on there. That way you can also use desktop cases.

13 minutes ago, benjaminlsr said:

 

I think we don't understand each other. You can send 220w to the Akitio barrel plug so they can be splitted between the casing and the GPU. To send watts to the GPU, you have to solder 3x GROUND and 3x 12V pins from the internal connector of the barrel plug to a PCIe connector.

 

This will allow you to use demanding GPU like Zotac 1060 and this is where a modded DELL DA-2 PSU (like I tried) will spare you few minutes of soldering.

Ok, then you're right, we didn't understand each other. I thought it was about PSUs that don't need soldering. Because you can use the usual DA-2 without any bit of soldering but the way you described is probably less fiddling for someone who knows what he's doing. In another post I saw someone soldering a cable from an 8 pin socket right to the GPU PCie sockets(see here). So you mean you could solder the cables coming from that 8 pin socket to the board internally and from there to the PCIe sockets or use plugs and by that you could use the full 220W.

I got that right now?

Probably just the justification for using something non-standard so people have to use their machines. Most machines with TB3 known to me don't have two TB3 ports but only one.

On 13.8.2016 at 6:17 PM, benjaminlsr said:

Like I said : It's only if you don't want to do soldering on the PSU (for any reason whatsoever).

You're right, to deliver the 100+W needed for the GPU using only the barrel plug to deliver power, you have to solder your PCIe pins from the barrel plug (like displayed).

And like I said, a modded DA-2 is then completely unnecessary. Get a usual 120W power brick with 5.5mm x 2.5mm connector and you're fine, no soldering needed too for exemplary 18€. You'd only pay additional bucks for something you don't need and can't use anyway if you buy that modded DA-2. The usual DA-2 costs about 20€ and you don't need to solder anything if you want to use it with PCIe power plugs, it's been shown several times.

6 hours ago, benjaminlsr said:

If you're willing to proceed as follow (and don't want to do soldering on the PSU), you can order an already professionally modded DELL DA-2 (43$) from : http://ultrabook-battery.net/

While it might sounds a bit expensive, the job is done properly !

You don't get PCIe power plugs(6 or 8 pin) out of this modded DA-2 without using any adapters and extra wires so there's not really a point in using this at this price. The usual DA-2 + some PCIe power plug splitters and the barrel mod isn't any more complicated.

Also using only the barrel plug with the Akitio only provides you with 75W anyway so there's no win and the DA-2 is way overpowered. There are 120W PSU with the correct barrel plug that are sufficient for slot powered graphics cards.

On 5.8.2016 at 9:04 PM, UncleGravity said:

Did it a few times.  Still nothing.  Do you think it has to do with the OS?  I'm using Windows 8.1.  I'll try upgrading to Windows 10 and see what happens.

 

I'm also using this bootcamp partition for Parallels so they have their drivers installed.  Not sure if that would mess anything up.

Don't install the mobile drivers but the usual desktop drivers for the GTX 970. Every desktop card works as an eGPU but you need the correct desktop driver. The mobile driver for the GTX 980 works for the desktop GTX 980 solely because it's actually the exact same chip in both versions only with lower clocks for the mobile version.

PCIe devices connected via Thunderbolt are only running with their max. PCIe specifications compatible bandwidth. That's why with TB2 you "only" use 16 Gbps(PCIe x4 2.0) of the 20 Gbps the TB2 connection can provide. With TB3 it's 32 Gbps of 40 Gbps because of the same reason(PCIe x4 3.0). Your values are fine.

6 hours ago, jay.cella said:

I have bootcamped Windows 10 though! I forgot to specify that, sorry!

Well then, what type of Macbook do you own? 13", 15"? Which year? With dGPU or without(Intel only), especially this is important to help you. You need to provide better and basic information to receive help.

5 hours ago, jay.cella said:

Hey everyone! I'm really new to all this, so I got the Akitio thunder2 with the 950 gtx, but I can't get it to work on the Retina display, external display no problem! 

 

Can an someone give me step by step help to do the internal display? Pleaseeeeee

Nobody can give you step by step help because you can't use your eGPU for anything other than rendering and that stuff on your internal display in OS X. It's only possible in Windows. You will have to stick with the external display.

This ammo box case is damn cool, I think I'm gonna rebuild that  They're also pretty cheap on eBay but they are like the best thing for an eGPU regarding form factor. Awesome work!

1 hour ago, Dschijn said:

 

In theory, seems good. But I am not feeling well, when thinking about so much power going through that barrel plug.

There won't be 220W flowing through the barrel plug when the slot only draws 75W(+whatever the TB board needs) or am I wrong here? I don't see a problem.

@benjaminlsr Why do you want to use the Dell DA-2 if you only want to power the Akitio through barrel plug? You usually use the DA-2 if you want a compact PSU that can deliver power to some additional PCIe power plugs. If you're just using a graphics card that doesn't need additional PCIe power plugs, then search for a 120W PSU that already has a barrel plug given.

3 hours ago, Atom said:

Ok guys this is what it now looks like, I have glued the brown wires as I understand I do not need them? Then I twisted the two yellows together and placed them in the positive slot and i twisted the black wires together and placed them into the negative slot? Will this work for powering the akitio?

Yup. But honestly I wouldn't twist the brown cables together and glue them, just isolate them seperately. I've simply used some duct tape once. 

@Dschijn It works for me.

2 hours ago, Atom said:

 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UK-Seller-Twin-Molex-Power-to-6-Pin-PCIE-PCI-E-Graphics-Card-Power-Cable-/162094829149?hash=item25bd9ace5d:g:eusAAOSwBLlVTIhy

Would buying this and taking all the wires out of the 6 pin and placing the required wires in a solderless 2.5 x 5.5mm solderless plug work? 

Yup. 2 black, 2 yellow, that's fine. Twist black and yellow cables and you're good to go.

Yup, can only agree. Having my GTX 970 in the case(open though, still didn't drill any holes) for about a year and 3 months and I'm playing every day.

On 26.6.2016 at 0:37 PM, burrlin said:

 

I have also heard this many times now but nobody can give me a reason why. I am having problems with stability with my eGPU, constant crashes now while eGPU is running and using Cinema 4D or rendering with Octane. Basically if the eGPU is on, I am working very nervously. I can't pin point if my problem is my eGPU hardware or conflict with my iMac. I am at a point where I am thinking about abandoning this DIY eGPU and just going with a Bizon box. I just can't get any straight answer around the forum here, and every time someone redirects me to the "right topic" on another forum for trouble shooting I run into broken links and dead ends. I'm also not a gamer, so that doesn't help me either.

The riser is the problem, if you read that it is and already got told it in the automate-eGPU thread, why are you not simply solving the problem?

And hell, don't buy a freaking overprized Bizon box.

All you need is one of these things: https://www.amazon.de/adaptare-93525-DC-Hohlstecker-zweipoliger-Terminal-Block/dp/B01H5C29C2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1467030067&sr=8-2&keywords=terminalblock+2.5mm

Then cut off the Molex cable of the riser near the glue, strip a bit of the hull at the end of the cables, twist the cables if there are more than one per black and yellow. Then put the yellow one into "+" and the black one into "-" and fix them by screwing. That's all.

Had a riser in use at the beginning and yes it was the problem. I'm using this molex cable for a few weeks again now since my Dell DA-2 died. Still works fine.

Ask again if something isn't clear enough.

No, you can't do that. A Thunderbolt connection transfers a PCIe connection and those are bound to one host. You'd need to buy everything twice if you want to use it simultaneously, obviously.

SIP needs to stay disabled.

https://www.techinferno.com/index.php?/forums/topic/7989-script-automating-the-installation-of-egpu-on-os-x-inc-display-output/&do=findComment&comment=133301

21 hours ago, Nikolas said:

Do you guys think that we would be able to DIY eGPU with Thunderbolt 3 connection? The upcoming system like Razer blade core and Asus ROG xg2 just looks expensive (u can literally make a decent gaming pc for 500 dollar) beating one of the main reason we want to use eGPU. In theory, is it as simple as buying an adapter from thunderbolt 3 to hdmi? (to connect to exp gdc for example)

No. Thunderbolt needs hand-shaking parts on each side of the connection, unless you have those you're not going to build up a connection. Also HDMI wouldn't be able to provide the bandwidth TB3 delivers, not even fully TB2.

The only hope would be Bplus producing a cheap adapter but there's nothing known about such things.

13 hours ago, gharimanto said:

Intel NUC run with razer core. Hmm. Seems legit

Yes, that's pretty much legit. Skull Canyon has got a quadcore i7 6770HQ and up to 32GB of RAM, so yes it's pretty much capable of running anything available together with the eGPU.