Honsta

From what I have been reading is Memory does nothing to the speed at which a card runs.. so the 2GB and the 4GB will run the same but what it allows for is much more space for higher resolutions.. a three monitor setup would require frames of 5760 x 1080 as a normal 1080 would require frames of 1920 x 1080. So basically the added memory allows for buffering of the larger frames without slowdown as the buffer is refreshed. I have read that in a tri-monitor sort of set-up you really want a card with more memory to sustain framerate at the higher resolution.. This would also apply if you were wanting to run 4K resolutions.

The difference for me is that the 960 4GB as shown would fit in the case like I want but to upgrade to running a 970 4GB with the added speed and $120.00 more I might not be able to get it to fit in case as I have heard that the Gigabyte and Asus cards are too wide to fit.

Also for cooling my plan is to mill a circle in the side of the Akitio as mentioned by Dschijn matching the fan placement with a grill over it and then possibly even milling some holes in the top of the case to allow for more heat extraction. I have a CNC at work so it does make it a little easier to do.

Brion Sohn

Consider this build by Phantron: http://forum.techinferno.com/implementation-guides-apple/8882-2014-13-macbook-pro-gtx970%4016gbps-tb2-akitio-thunder2-handle-win8-1-%5Bphantron.html

He used a GTX 970 4GB from Zotac and was able to fit it completely inside the Thunder2. Hope that helps with your hunt!

Hmmmm That basically looks like what I want to accomplish as well.. Is this the 2GB card or the 4GB .. Im thinking the 4GB version of this card might be a good compromise given that I want to run 3 monitors and was looking at the 970 4GB but it isn't that much faster for the cost from what I read and the 4GB should better handle the 3 Screen Setup.

Were there any major issues other than so far the over heating issue which I suspected would happen if I could fit the card all inside.. I do notice that the DVI ports are going to be hard to use though it fits because of the proximity to the case.

Brion Sohn

Hi bsohn,

I'm also in the process of making this build. Just got the GPU and PSU in the mail today, still waiting on the Thunder2...

I've googled GTX 960 2gb vs 4gb and also saw some comparisons on youtube. For gaming at least, it looks like the 4gb model doesn't have as much of a substantial improvement as you'd think. I'd check it out for yourself though, I'm not sure how a 3 monitor set up uses resources differently than a single graphics intensive screen.

@elfxmilhouse Awesome build! Good to see that the EVGA card fits snuggly. What do you think you'll do about the cooling? I'm trying to stay on a budget so I might just use it with the case open and only close it to transport it for the meantime, until I can find a way to cut open the side and probably install a fan or a mesh screen for more airflow.

Some have done this, but there is risk in doing so. AKiTiO supplies a 60W AC adapter. If you consider 10W for the TB board, that then leaves 50W for the PCIe slot. The PCIe slot is rated to draw up to 75W. Though when you study the measured results at Nvidia GeForce GTX Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Results you see the Motherboard 12V and 3.3V (slot draw) to add up to 50W or less for two of the three GTX980 cards tested.

Thanks Tech Inferno Fan. I might be somewhat confused. Does this mean the GPU draws power through the PCIe slot and also through the 6/8pin plug from the PSU?

My probably incorrect understanding is that:

GPU is powered through the 6/8pin PSU plug, Thunder2 is powered through barrel adapter.

With a molex->barrel, the PSU powers the GPU through the 6/8 pin, and powers the Thunder2 through the barrel. Am I missing something? And what does using a Molex->Barrel adapter change in regards to the 75W maximum?

I plan to make a Molex to barrel adapter but could I power the Thunder2 with the power cord it comes with, then my GPU with a separate PSU, hypothetically?

The EVGA GTX 960 should be indeed fine as I am owning a Gigabyte GTX 960 OC which is by far the only model which doesn't fit into the Thunder2. Still the part of which is too much is really really short and measures only few mm.

All the other models which fit into the Thunder2 by length are also thin or small enough.

With the described Dell DA-2 mod I'll possibly try another GTX 960 together with the Dell PSU. This is still by far the most comfortable solution.

Thanks! I'll probably go ahead an order the EVGA card, fingers crossed!

What is the Dell DA-2 mod?

@Honsta: Why not getting a small GTX 970 if you want performance?

Using only the internal 60mm fan of AKiTiO will definitely be NOT enough to cool you card! Imho: If you want to close the case, you need to modify it to provide some/better cooling.

Also be aware that small ITX cards are too wide to fit into the AKiTiO!

Good cards might be Zotac and Galay/KFA2 with their GTX 960/970 cards. The Galax/KFA2 card is 180mm "short":

Thanks for the input.

I'm aiming to base my build off benchallenger's build here:

http://forum.techinferno.com/implementation-guides-apple/9074-2014-13-mbp-gtx970%4016gbps-tb2-akitio-thunder2-tb-display-win8-1-%5Bbenchallenger.html

or Phantron's build here:

http://forum.techinferno.com/implementation-guides-apple/8882-2014-13-macbook-pro-gtx970%4016gbps-tb2-akitio-thunder2-handle-win8-1-%5Bphantron.html

They were both able to close up their cases all the way. I do plan on adding some fans like him to increase cooling efficiency.

So as far as the "width" problem goes, does this mean, for example, this EVGA card wouldn't fit due to the part I highlighted in red?

Can someone post the internal measurements in 3 dimensions of the internal Thunder2 case with the outside case on?...

Hi everyone,

I'm getting ready to purchase parts for my build, which I am hoping to fit completely inside the Thunder2 enclosure with the outside black case included.

I've decided to get a GTX 960, and EVGA, ASUS, and Gigabyte all have ITX cards which will definitely fit, but the ASUS Strix GTX 960 is more powerful and I'd prefer to use that instead. The ASUS website states that its length is 21.52cm (215.2mm), and I've seen the other post about the AKiTiO enclosure being 217mm in length. Do you guys think I could fit the Strix card inside the enclosure completely? And does anyone know if the 217mm measurement includes the Thunder2 fan or not? Ideally I'd like to be able to close the entire box back up.

Thanks for the input,

Honsta

I've been learning a lot from this community and am getting ready to finally put together an eGPU setup for myself!

My goals for my build are:

Budget friendly

Clean/Compact

Portable

I plan to post an implementation guide eventually once I have completed it but I have a few uncertainties and I'm hoping to get some feedback from the community before I purchase everything.

Proposed hardware:

AKiTiO Thunder2

EVGA GeForce GTX 960 Superclocked

Corsair CX430M (Modular, for cleanliness)

Plan to power the Thunder2 with a Molex to Barrel cable

I chose the EVGA GeForce GTX 960 Superclocked, as opposed to the SuperSC models because the Superclocked model is smaller and can definitely fit completely inside the Thunder2 enclosure. Also, the GTX 960 is fantastic value.

My biggest problem currently is that I'm also considering the ASUS Strix GTX 960, which has better cooling by not being an ITX card and has higher clock speeds. I'd like to get this better performance if I can fit it inside the enclosure.

On the ASUS website, it states that the card is 21.52cm (215.2mm) in length. I've seen the post about the internal space of the Thunder2 being 217mm, meaning this card would potentially leave 1.8mm. I've seen posts of the ZOTAC (GTX970?) card fitting inside this enclosure by removing the shroud and was wondering if anyone thought I'd also be able to do this. Keep in mind that I'm hoping to close up the entire enclosure after installing the card, which means I'd like to slide the whole setup back into the larger Thunder2 case.

So basically, my questions are:

1. Could I fit the ASUS Strix card into the Thunder2 enclosure and close it all back up? Does the internal 217mm measurement include the AKiTiO fan or would I have to remove that too?

2. Am I missing anything important to my setup / any other advice?

Thanks in advance!