trollinteemo

1st MSI builds some awsome thunderbolt laptops (ws60). Also this isnt meant to be the "gold standard" of all egpus. What would make this so amazing is that compared to almost any other thunderbolt egpu setup i can provide the full speed of thunderbolt 2 within a form factor that is comparable to the MSI GUS II (which will never come out) and with the full support for the power requirements of most if not all gpus. Theoretically I could have an option to inlcude a pe4l or pe4h along with my power board compnents and enclosure (since im planning on using the suggested idea of selling it as a kit) instead of the thunderbolt pcie adapter, however because of the nature of how the board would work it would require production of a completely new set of boards along with modification of the enclosure. After I release the specs and images from the thunderbolt product, if anyone wants to adapt it for the pe4l then I would be glad to include it on the site and share profits.

Ok so im home again, I'm probably going to buy my hardware within a few days. (for the PCIe model) after that is done the rest should be trivial. The MXM parts are sourced and I can actually produce it for a price lower than advertised (we will see once i get my pcie hardware if it will be lower than the first price or the second).

Yes however they dont work natively on linux or osx

Hey I wouldnt try either of those guides, they are extremely overcomplicated for the technology that is currently available. I suggest buying an nividia gpu that does not have the maxwell chipset, and the akitio enclosure from BH. I could try to help you get it working both on osx and windows. (msg me for details)

OK so just an update since im away, im working on the smaller board design in eagle, right now i have created packages for all of my components and ive been doing more of the software work on my phone. unfortunately only a droid 4

that looks a lot like my original prototype before i built my custom board and made a case. the major issue with making it smaller is meeting gpu power requirements

Thats actually a quite brilliant marketing idea. BTW just some updates here, ive done a bunch of testing on a macbook pro 2013 and have gotten it to fully recognise and work on an external monitor through hotplugging, yet the internal monitor does not function off the egpu until after a reboot. I could integrate a function where it asks to reboot yet I think it might be more stable just on the external monitor as I still dont know what happens if you unplug it while its running the internal monitor (i have probably tried it but I am blanking on the result). - - - Updated - - - Thats actually a quite brilliant marketing idea. BTW just some updates here, ive done a bunch of testing on a macbook pro 2013 and have gotten it to fully recognise and work on an external monitor through hotplugging, yet the internal monitor does not function off the egpu until after a reboot. I could integrate a function where it asks to reboot yet I think it might be more stable just on the external monitor as I still dont know what happens if you unplug it while its running the internal monitor (i have probably tried it but I am blanking on the result).

You have a fair point, I was thinking about that sort of model if I were to do kickstarter. My only note about that is that many people would likely want it pre soldered, a while back there was a way to extremely cheaply solder your own expresscard egpu yet as I understand, it got very little following. - - - Updated - - - Now that I think about it, I could probably pitch my idea to the Modbook team since they are used to dealing with manufacturing and assembly with already completed products. This would be an amazing addition to their already really awsome product and it isnt really offered anywhere else. - - - Updated - - - I would probably have to make and sell a few first though.

To awnser your first question, currently this is just a side project for me. I can easily reproduce the board i am using in my egpu setup (as i use a custom pcb with a built in female > female pcie riser as well as some other nifty functions) in a smaller format, the only downside is I have to solder everything manually. Granted very few of the components are surface mount (mainly power management stuff) but the time to prep and actually assemble the boards definitely takes a chunk out of my schedule. As for your psu question, I am planning on using an external power supply that supports up to 280w along with power management and stepping included on the custom board. I chose this as opposed to the da-2 for the pcie model as it would functionally support nearly any gpu under max - medhigh load (even the 290x2 as I understand). Your solution definitely makes more sense than mine for the MXM model. However, when I integrate different psus the serious problem of the power management board arises where I would have to separate the module from the main board (either through perforation or on a separate board). At hobby pcb prices that would functionally negate the cost effectiveness of the other psu. Frankly it just wouldnt make sense (sorry). On to your edit, personally im not sure I understand your logic. Mentioning support for hackintosh adds windows support? Not entirely sure what that means, also why would making it an osx addon make intel not care? They make shit tons of money off of thunderbolt product licenses (i would guess primarily apple unless they get some genesis deal). But yeah, I almost have my osx install package working that gives tons of options based on chipset, os, etc. I might even add support to add extra kexts for your own card and have it patch it on the fly. (would have to look at the current unofficial kexts to see if the majority would work) As for windows I am adapting a few command line programs using freedos and the like to convert an existing windows installation to UEFI while preserving data. (as BIOS windows needs egpu setup 1x, or most of them at least). Personally I try to give equal support to everyone. Not sure about existing thunderbolt drivers in linux though, will have to look into that then this would be the only easy setup universal egpu. - - - Updated - - - Oh, forgot to say just as a side note, my current enclosure is 3d printed but in the future i might try to use aluminum or acrylic to make it look better. Only downside is higher costs. - - - Updated - - - And im not sure how realistic crowdfunding/kickstarter will be. I dont really have much experience with manufacturing and although Apple seems to be fine with companies like Modbook using their products, not sure how happy intel would be considering the recent happenings with the th05, msi gus ii, and silverstone egpu.

I believe I have found a way to produce thunderbolt 2 eGPUs for around $250 - $260 which means that the full price (including parts and labour would be around $350 + shipping. This price is based on an assumption I have made and will probably confirm (or deny) some time within the next two months, this is why I have also stated the tenative backup price of $480 in case my plan does not work as it should. Currently this is what I have. - A prototype that is similar to the form factor of this except with base dimensions of 5"x5" - Mostly functional software support on Windows 8, Windows 8.1, OSX Mavericks, and OSX Yosemite (OSX is limited by the gpu drivers written for it, which means that the external enclosure will only work on the select AMD & NVIDIA cards that are compatible, look on hackintosh sites for lists of cards and if you find one that is not included by default in osx send me the kext and I might be able to adapt it to work with TB)\ The Plan. - Hot Plugging/Unplugging (NOT DEFINITE! Would be Windows only) - Form factor similar to the MSI GUS II (I solved the power supply issue) with posibilites for a longer model for full length cards (GUS would only support half length) - MXM model for external laptop GPU - SLI and Crossfire model (with full power requirement support) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ok, I have redesigned my production model. I will be making thunderbolt eGPU initially and will have the board design and component placement subsidized through crowd funding (not kickstarter), this will lower the overall cost for the board for the end product. After the initial production of the Thunderbolt eGPU I will start another crowdfunding campaign to create boards for the product selected in the poll above (yes I have figued out how to make USB 3.0 and M.w egpus). Note that the crowdfunding campaign for this may never happen depending on the adoption and funding from the thunderbolt egpu. After the production of both egpus, I will work on getting my MXM SLI egpu made (i have most of the board made in eagle), this will allow users to put either one or two mxm gpus in the form factor of a desktop gpu).

just to check, have you done the kext edits for the nvidia card?

Did some game testing and it worked marvelously. It managed my 3x 1080p 25" monitors plus the internal 3k display with no problem running watchdogs on bootcamp and LoL on mac. Not sure how to test full tb bandwith tho.

My big issue with their gaming line is that either A) they overheat like hell or they have no thunderbolt in their thin form factor laptops I was also looking at the GS70 but it has an overheating problem and no thunderbolt (although i have pretty good soldering skills so im confident that I could use the hdmi as an output for a pe4m, or the Aorus x3 plus which is pretty awsome and has amazing cooling but yet again no thunderbolt. Thunderbolt usually wouldnt have a requirement but i need a test bed for my thunderbolt stuff since my bro and his laptop are going back to college and since gaming is big for me gpus are pretty much the standard on power and future proofness (honestly as gpu ram grows bigger and unified ram gets completely adopted I could probably deal with just upgrading gpu until my processor gets too old. Awnsering the question about the MBP i got it working minutes after posting, I just needed to use a powered pcie as I had assumed before the standard slot had enough but apparently not. Im currently writing some scripts in an installer package that will enable full compatability for all osx supported nvidia and amd gpus (just look around on hackintosh forums to find out which ones work). I would be done already but im trying to make it so when apple updates the kexts im not downgrading them by just putting mine in, that means a lot more script work with multiple Vi and nano search functions.

btw getting the new WS60 when it comes out cant wait for wrecking graphics and the ability to connect an egpu easily

Ok guys so I have a problem that I have tried everything I can think of or find on the internet to fix. I have had the Akitio Thunderbolt box for about a week and im trying to get either my hd 7950, my 9600gt or, a gt640 working alongside the internal graphics. I have tried shelltoe's guide here as well as many similar ones to get it running. Every time I am left with loaded kexts yet no eGPU in either displays/graphics or in the thunderbolt (in the thunderbolt category of system profile it shows the akitio but says its pcie slot is empty. Also on the same macbook pro on Win8 UEFI most of the cards show up but with an unknown error. Id love some help with this, others have seen some success and id like to have this working soon considering ive spent a while working on this. Thanks - Trollinteemo

Wow this is insane, I posted on a thread with something neat I found (which I can't even use since the only thunderbolt product I have access to is my bros MacBook Pro) while on vacation and it grew into this, I honestly thought that it would have been shoved off as common knowledge since it's been out for a while. I'm considering building a full aluminum or acrylic enclosure with built in psu and flash memory for egpu chain load as a gift for my brother to bring to college. I've gotten the price point to a little over $300 and it's specs should support most Gpus except Titan z. If you guys are interested id be willing to show pics when it's done and even sell a few for people who don't have the soldering, software, or cad experience to build it themselves.

Summary of successful eGPU implementations using the AKiTiO Thunder2 PCIe Box 2014 15" Macbook Pro IrisPro + GTX780@16Gbps-TB2 (AKiTiO Thunder2, UEFI, goalque) 2014 15" Macbook Pro IrisPro + GTX760@16Gbps-TB2 (AKiTiO Thunder2 + powered PCIe riser, UEFI, Call) 2013 11" Macbook Air + GTX670@10Gbps-TB1 (AKiTiO Thunder2 + powered PCIe riser) + Win8.1 2012 Mac Mini + GTX770@10Gps-TB1 (AKiTiO Thunder2 + powered PCIe riser, UEFI, entzoe) 2011 Mac Mini + GTX780@10Gbps-TB1 (AKiTiO Thunder2, UEFI, goalque) <span style="background-color:yellow">NOTE: there is 25W slot power limitation in this product, rather than PCIe's 75W spec. That restricts hardware plug'n'play only to certain video cards - *some* with one or two 6P/8P PCIe power connectors. Workarounds to this limit? (1) use without enclosure introducing a powered PCIe riser (here-x16 or here-x4) or (2) solder 12V/GND power nto the internal PCIe board (here.</span> <h1>AKiTiO Thunder2 PCIe Box</h1>Price? (inc Thunderbolt cable): US$225 bhphotovideo-US* , US$270 Amazon-US* * had an introductory US$200 price, maybe again?? <div id="product_image"> <!-- Begin magiczoomplus --> <div class="MagicToolboxContainer" style="max-width: 390px"> <a title="" style="margin: auto; -moz-user-select: none; position: relative; display: inline-block; text-decoration: none; outline: 0px none; overflow: hidden; width: auto; height: auto;" class="MagicZoomPlus" id="MagicZoomPlusImage185" href="http://www.akitio.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/AKiTiO_Thunder2__535164d72095f.jpg" rel="zoom-width:312;zoom-height:264;zoom-distance:0;loading-msg:Loading ...;show-title:false;hint:false;selectors-change:click;"><img style="opacity: 1; visibility: visible;" itemprop="image" src="http://www.akitio.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/resized/magictoolbox_cache/c9870ad6629eeac0d043eb471f523256/1/8/185/thumb390x500/290072440/AKiTiO_Thunder2__535164d72095f.jpg" alt=""><div style="z-index: 10; 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margin-right: 1px; display: inline-block; float: left; outline: 0px none;" title="AKiTiO Thunder2 PCIe Box" href="http://www.akitio.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/akitio-thunder2-pcie-box-size.jpg" rel="zoom-id: MagicZoomPlusImage185;caption-source: a:title;zoom-width:312;zoom-height:264;zoom-distance:0;loading-msg:Loading ...;show-title:false;hint:false;selectors-change:click;" rev="http://www.akitio.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/resized/magictoolbox_cache/c9870ad6629eeac0d043eb471f523256/1/8/185/thumb390x500/335868090/akitio-thunder2-pcie-box-size.jpg"><img src="http://www.akitio.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/resized/magictoolbox_cache/c9870ad6629eeac0d043eb471f523256/1/8/185/selector91x60/335868090/akitio-thunder2-pcie-box-size.jpg" alt="AKiTiO Thunder2 PCIe Box"></a> <a class="MagicThumb-swap" id="mt-898871082191" style="margin-bottom: 1px; margin-right: 1px; display: inline-block; float: left; outline: 0px none;" title="AKiTiO Thunder2 PCIe Box" href="http://www.akitio.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/akitio-thunder2-pcie-box-rear.jpg" rel="zoom-id: MagicZoomPlusImage185;caption-source: a:title;zoom-width:312;zoom-height:264;zoom-distance:0;loading-msg:Loading ...;show-title:false;hint:false;selectors-change:click;" rev="http://www.akitio.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/resized/magictoolbox_cache/c9870ad6629eeac0d043eb471f523256/1/8/185/thumb390x500/2766087066/akitio-thunder2-pcie-box-rear.jpg"><img src="http://www.akitio.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/resized/magictoolbox_cache/c9870ad6629eeac0d043eb471f523256/1/8/185/selector91x60/2766087066/akitio-thunder2-pcie-box-rear.jpg" alt="AKiTiO Thunder2 PCIe Box"></a> <a class="MagicThumb-swap" id="mt-395025392921" style="margin-bottom: 1px; margin-right: 1px; display: inline-block; float: left; outline: 0px none;" title="AKiTiO Thunder2 PCIe Box" href="http://www.akitio.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/akitio-thunder2-pcie-box-front.jpg" rel="zoom-id: MagicZoomPlusImage185;caption-source: a:title;zoom-width:312;zoom-height:264;zoom-distance:0;loading-msg:Loading ...;show-title:false;hint:false;selectors-change:click;" rev="http://www.akitio.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/resized/magictoolbox_cache/c9870ad6629eeac0d043eb471f523256/1/8/185/thumb390x500/3224671949/akitio-thunder2-pcie-box-front.jpg"><img src="http://www.akitio.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/resized/magictoolbox_cache/c9870ad6629eeac0d043eb471f523256/1/8/185/selector91x60/3224671949/akitio-thunder2-pcie-box-front.jpg" alt="AKiTiO Thunder2 PCIe Box"></a> </div> <div> </div> </div> <!-- End magiczoomplus --> <br><br> <h2><a href="javascript:void(null);" name="advtab">Overview</a></h2><div class="tabs_prod_desc2"><h4 class="product_name">AKiTiO Thunder2 PCIe Expansion Box</h4> <p>The portable Thunderbolt™ 2 PCIe expansion box provides an additional PCIe slot for systems that do not support or have enough available space for expansion cards. The external Thunderbolt 2 connection allows you to daisy-chain up to 5 additional Thunderbolt devices, making this the ideal plug and play companion especially when you have to take your system with you. Replacing the card is a simple matter of removing three hand tightening screws, so no tools are required.</p> <h6>Features</h6> <ul> <li>Two Thunderbolt™ 2 ports for lightning fast speeds of up to 20Gb/s</li> <li>1 PCIe (x16) slot supporting half-length, full-height, double-width cards</li> <li>4 lane PCI Express 2.0 compliant interface at 5.0Gbps</li> <li>Removable back panel for double-width cards</li> <li>Daisy-chain up to 6 Thunderbolt™ devices</li> <li>Durable and rugged aluminum casing</li> <li>No tools required for installation</li>

hey, Do you guys know if the thundertek enclosure uses thunderbolt 2 or 1? On their website it says it uses dual channel 10gb/s which i thought was introduced in TB2 but im not entirely sure. (Im expanding my own rig and if it only uses TB1 it would be better for me to buy an echo express sel and build a new enclosure for it) Thanks