arclord

Are you using Win8.1 with UEFI?

Here you go:

Here are the framerates for Bioshock Infinite (1280 x 720, DirectX11 default settings) Average FPS Min FPS Max FPS 64.83 7.83 135.63 Have been busy with work so I apologize for taking such a long time with the benchmarks.- - - Updated - - - Sure, will do the Unigine Heaven Benchmark and also Cinebench soon when I have the time.

The GPU score for 3DMark11 is similar to those in the HD7870 reviews so it isn't too bad. Thanks! By the way, what resolution should I use for the game benchmarking utilities?

I think this is the fastest GPU that fits the 25W power requirement: http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gt-730/specifications The GT 730 (Kelper core) with GDDR5 is the one to get. However, it is a mid to low end card.

The i3-3217U is probably the limiting factor since it is dual-core and has a maximum speed of 1.8 Ghz. Here is the 3DMark11 score: http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/<wbr>8749410 This test was done with the final setup in the Elite 130 casing. Essentially, there are 3 cables connected to the setup. The power cable to the ATX power supply, the Thunderbolt cable to the TB board and the HDMI cable to the HD7870. I don't have the games you listed. Will try Bioshock Infinite and RE5 benchmarking utilities soon.

Thanks, will give it a try once I have time. - - - Updated - - - Here are the 3DMark and 3DMark06 with the last ribbon cable removed from the PCIe riser: http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/<wbr>4083085 http://www.3dmark.com/3dm06/<wbr>17657202 The scores are quite similar. Which gaming tests should I run?

Thanks for the suggestion. Will remove the last ribbon cable of the PCIe riser.

Here is a short guide on setting up the HD7870 for the Intel NUC DC3217BY (with Thunderbolt 1) using the AKiTiO Thunder2 PCIe Box. Hardware: • Intel NUC DC3217BY with Thunderbolt 1 + Win8.1/64 (EFI) • Crucial M500 480GB mSATA • 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 ram (old ram from my laptop) • AKiTiO Thunder2 PCIe Box + Thunderbolt cable • Seasonic X 760W • Powercolor Radeon HD7870 • PCIe 16x riser extender with power molex • SWEX (ATX power supply on switch) As mentioned in other guides, the AKiTiO 60W power supply is not required as power is supplied via the molex on the PCIe 16x riser extender to the Thunder2. If power is provided by the AKiTiO power supply instead of the molex, the HD7870 is unstable (not detected by Win 8.1 at times). This might be due to the HD7870 drawing more power from the PCIe slot than what the AKiTiO power supply can provide. Software: The M500 was partitioned using GPT. Installed Win 8 and upgraded to Win 8.1 without any major issues. Thunder2 was detected by Win8.1 after connecting to the NUC. Detection of the HD7870 required a reboot and Catalyst drivers was installed after that. Both Catalyst 14.4 WHQL and 14.7 RC3 drivers work for the HD7870. Benchmarks: 3DMark (with and without HD7870) 3DMark 06 Other graphics cards tested: Powercolor R9 290X (using PCIe 16x riser extender) – 290X detected by Win8.1 and Catalyst drivers installed. However, artifacts appear on the desktop screen after a few minutes and Win8.1 crashes. EVGA GTX 750Ti SC (using PCIe 16x riser extender) – 750Ti detected by Win8.1 and GeForce drivers installed. However, Win8.1 hangs after a reboot. PNY GT 730 (inserted directly into the Thunder2) – 730 detected by Win8.1 and GeForce drivers installed. However, Win8.1 reports error 12. Tried the DSDT override but error 12 still remains. By the way, this card uses 25W power only and has 1GB GDDR5 ram. I am currently migrating the Thunder2 PCIe + TB boards to the Cooler Master Elite 130 mITX casing.Here are the 3DMark scores with the last ribbon cable removed from the PCIe riser:http://www.3dmark.com/3dm06/17657202http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/8749410http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/4083085Here is the 3DMark11 score:http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/8749410This test was done with the final setup in the Elite 130 casing. Essentially, there are 3 cables connected to the setup. The power cable to the ATX power supply, the Thunderbolt cable to the TB board and the HDMI cable to the HD7870.

Will probably wait for the Broadwell Macbook Pro then since I don't need a laptop urgently. Sure, I will post a guide for the Intel TB NUC soon.

From the back of the Thunder2 to the fan at the front - 18 cm From the back of the Thunder2 the front (pass the fan) - 20 cm

I got the AKiTiO Thunder2 to work with the Intel Thunderblot NUC and HD 7870. A molex powered PCIe riser is required though. Do you think it is worth waiting for the Broadwell Macbook Pro next year or get the Haswell Macbook Pro now? Thanks for providing us with a wealth of information on the various eGPU setups!

I am planning to move to another Thunderbolt platform since I couldn't get the Thunderbolt NUC to work with my Nvidia graphics cards. Have successfully migrated the Thunder2 PCIe + TB boards to the Cooler Master Elite 130. I am currently supplying power to the Thunder2 PCIe + TB boards and HD 7870 using an external ATX power supply. Will install the ATX power supply into the Elite 130 once I finish with cable management. The Elite 130 is a nice mITX casing for the Thunder2 since it can take graphics cards up to 13.5 inches.

Thank for the suggestion Arclite. Unfortunately, HDPLEX 250W requires 16V-24V input. My power adapter provides 12V. - - - Updated - - - I already have item 1 (120W power supply) and 2 (+/- adapter for 5.5 x 2.5 mm barrel plug) so I am thinking of ways to make use of them. I don't have item 3 (PCIe cable) but can get it easily. If I get one with 3 yellow and 3 black wires, is it safe to connect all 3 yellow cables to the positive point and all 3 black cables to the negative point on the adapter?

With regards to graphics cards that require additional power from a PCIe 6-pin plug, is it possible to supply the 12V power using the following: I am hoping to make use of a 12V/10A (120W) power adapter to supply power to graphics cards instead of using an ATX power supply. The Thunder2 PCIe Box will be powered using the default 60W power adapter. No PCIe riser extender will be used. Is this setup feasible?

Thanks for testing. Do the GTX780 Ti and R9 290X exhibit the same instability issues?

Did you manage to get the GTX780 Ti and R9 290X to work with your W540 using the Sonnet Echo Express III-D?

This is the one that I am using. It only has one 12V wire so I guess it supports up to 5A (60W)?

This is the safest solution right? If we allow the TB board to draw power from the powered PCIe riser plugged into the PCIe x16 slot of the PCIe board, the molex supplying the power could potentially be overloaded with the 75W power required by the graphics card + power required by the TB board? Conversely, if we allow the PCIe board to draw the 75W power from the x4 connector via the TB card, the TB card could potentially be overloaded as well? - - - Updated - - - I think those were mostly R9 290 and 290X cards. My Powercolor HD 7870 runs stably but my R9 290X causes Windows to crash after a few minutes.

The more I look at the TB board, the more it resembles a PCIe x4 TB card like the one from MSI. https://thunderbolttechnology.net/product/msi-thunderbolt-plus

Building on Arclite's idea of a female-female PCIe 4x to x16 powered riser, can we connect 2 of the following PCIe x16 powered risers together using only the female portions? The cables are detachable. We will have a female-female PCIe x16 to x16 powered riser - one for the TB board (if it is a functional PCIe 4x card) and the other for the graphics card.

By the way, what version of the Geforce drivers are you using for your Gigabyte 750 Ti? Thanks for doing all the voltage tests on the Thunder2 PCIe Box. It would be great to know if it does indeed have a 25W limit.

Just read up on the HD 7000 series and the R9 series card. The main difference is the R9 series cards has Boost Clock while the HD 7000 series don't. Both the R9-270X and HD 7870 are based on the same GCN chip (Pitcairn GPU). Maybe the Boost Clock is the cause of the instability.

Tried the R9 290X and have similar results. Windows crashes after a few minutes. The HD 7870 works perfectly though. Kind of strange since both are based on the GCN architecture.

Thanks! 3DMark scores are kind of low but not unexpected given how slow the i3-3217U is.