dmilin

Haven't tried that yet. I just installed rEFInd and tried turning on the eGPU while at that menu after enabling Mac EFI mode in the settings. Out of the 2 times I've tried to boot so far, it's worked successfully both times which is a better success rate than I usually have. By the way, from what I've seen on this forum, you will likely have problems trying to run using your internal display in Optimus if you use Windows 10. Just a heads up.

Honestly, the boot process doesn't seem to matter. I've tried to find a pattern that works, or a pattern that doesn't work, but it seems random. The one thing I have found that does cause an issue, is the thunderbolt port in use. For example, if I install the drivers with my thunderbolt cord in the port closest to the power cord, and the other end in the higher port on the Akitio enclosure, I'll get a boot issue if I have it connected any other way. The specific ports in use don't matter, just that they are the same as driver installation. My process is: 1. I will assume no drivers are installed yet. I start with the computer off and the eGPU off. I plug the thunderbolt cord into the mac (any port, but remember which port) and the other end into the eGPU. 2. I power up the eGPU and then turn on the mac maybe 2 seconds later. I select the BootCamp disk and it boots up (sometimes). Device manager should recognize it, but you can't use it. If it fails to boot by restarting, endless loading wheel, or says something about loading device helper (don't remember exact wording), you need to turn off the eGPU by switching off the PSU, and turn off your Mac by holding the power button. Just keep trying this until it boots. 3. Once it finally boots, install the newest nVidia driver for the GTX 970 in Windows 8.1 in 64 bit mode. Hopefully this should go fine. If the installer says something about not recognizing a compatible GPU, go back to step 1 and try again. This sometimes takes patience to get to work. 4. After it finally installs, reboot your computer and use the same boot process I described in steps 1-2. This works for me. Hopefully it will work for you. It's worth noting that I installed Windows through the standard BootCamp install process. I didn't do that weird UEFI install or whatever it's called.

@tusctodd I have the exact same setup as you and when I went to install, I realized that it would only let me install the Razer version on Windows 10. I have Windows 8.1. What are you using? If you are on 10, did you find a way to make Optimus work?

I have an Akitio setup with an nVidia GTX 970 with a 2015 15" without the dedicated GPU and mine works fine with my setup on Windows 8.1. It doesn't always boot correctly though, and usually takes at least 5 minutes of boot attempts to get it to start up correctly.

I'm not sure about Steam Link, but I know I've gotten Moonlight to work without a problem (other than lag spikes).

Thanks for the links. They were very informative. The Akitio seems like it is the best way to go. From what I saw though, I was a bit confused on 2 things. First, is there any way that I could run the 750 Ti in the Akitio without a PSU and if so, how is this done? Second, if a PSU is necessary, what is the cheapest way to do it and what other parts are necessary?

I'm new to the eGPU community and am still learning the terminology so please forgive me for any mistakes. I have an early 2011 15" Macbook Pro and it's gotten to the point that I'm going to either need to update it, or buy a new computer. Since I need a mac, but they cost a lot, I'm thinking that updating looks a lot better. Unfortunately, the internal graphics card isn't removable. This is not too much of an issue for me because the only time I need a more powerful graphics card is when I am in "Desktop Mode". Then, I have everything plugged in and am running in BootCamp so an eGPU seems perfect for someone in my situation. There are a few things that I am looking for in my GPU: Need: -Less than $650 -Will work with my computer in Windows 7 -Can play most games at 1080p on at least medium with some high settings -Can use internal screen Would Be Nice: -Less than $500 -Hotpluggable -Works on OS X Yosemite -Doesn't require a complicated boot process Below is the current setup that I have in mind. As I said before, I am a beginner and am new to eGPU's. I am unfamiliar with what some of the parts are and what their purpose is, so I would appreciate it if someone would offer me some dummied down advice on how I could get this working. -Akitio Thunder2 PCIe Box Amazon.com: Akitio Thunder2 PCIe Box: Computers & Accessories -EVGA GeForce GTX 750Ti Amazon.com: EVGA GeForce GTX 750Ti Superclock w/G-SYNC Support 2GB GDDR5 128bit, Dual-Link DVI-I, HDMI, DP 1.2 Graphics Card -12V 10A Power Supply Amazon.com: 12 Volt Power Supply - 10 Amp Standard (12V 10A DC) Adapter: Electronics -Thunderbolt Cable (Comes with Akitio Thunder2 PCIe Box) -Powered Riser (Not sure what these are but they seemed to be mentioned a lot so I thought I needed one. Help?) I think I'm on the right path, but I don't want to spend the money until I am confident that I know what I'm getting. I also am unsure if an eGPU is even feasible with Thunderbolt 1 instead of Thunderbolt 2, since my mac only has a single Thunderbolt 1 port. Any help that is offered would be greatly appreciated.