Hello world!
Been reading this forum for quite a while, thinking of how to make my old Macbook into something that would handle games. Ideally I wanted to play Fallout 4 and wanted to do it on an internal screen. I also wanted as clean of an install as possible (no PSU's or extra boxes. no soldering etc) So here's what I did.
Components:
1) Akitio Thunder2
2) EVGA 750ti 02G-P4-3751-KR (the short non-OC version)
3) 90w 12v brick (still enroute)
Process:
1) Opened up the Akitio.
2) Removed internal fan
3) Put in the 750ti with room to spare
4) Closed the Akitio.
Then I stopped because I knew that the PSU that comes with the Akitio is too weak so I had to wait for a 90w brick that I ordered. But I really wanted to see if the whole thing would even be possible to set up in Windows/OS so I thought what the hell and plugged it in with the 60w PSU.
5)Just plugged it in normally and turned the Macbook on.
6) In OS X I used the automate-eGPU.sh script that's been lying around here on the forum. Don't forget to turn off the SIP before using it or it won't work.
7)After that the 750ti showed up in System Report but I don't have an extra screen to test it so I stopped there for OS X.
8)Booted into Windows 10 x64 (Boot Camp) with everything attached, installed the latest NVIDIA driver, rebooted - nothing. black screen after the OS selection. It probably wants an external screen.
9) But I found a way for it to work without the external monitor. First I unplug the Akitio. Then boot into Windows 10 normally using the iGPU. Whilst in Windows, plug the Akitio back in. Reboot via Windows's Start menu. Select Windows on OS select. BOOM! Boots into Windows WITH Akitio attached. Takes it a bit longer though for some reason.
10) After I got everything working I thought what the hell, I'll try benchmarking it. Worst case, it's gonna crash on me. I tested it with Unigine Heaven and 3dmark11. It held normally.
11) Then I thought what the hell I'll play some Fallout 4. So I did for about an hour and it worked admirably with the 60w PSU. Disclaimer: I understand the GPU was probably throttling heavily and it's not a healthy thing to do, but the 90w brick is on the way and I will be using that one when it arrives.
That's all folks, I'll try to keep updating this post.