Hi eGPU fans,
here is my setup:
MacBook Pro 15" Retina late 2013 with Nvidia GT 750m
Windows 10 genuine and native on an external and exclusive USB3-SSD, no Bootcamp (I think)
Akitio Thunder 2
Zotac Geforce GTX 1060 mini (brandnew) with external HDMI display (TV set or projector)
DELL DA-20 power supply with self-made connector
On the hardware side, everything looks well. As soon as the box is connected to the MacBook, its LEDs light up and both fans start running. On fan of the Akitio, the other one of the graphics card. So, power supply should be good.
But: Powering up the MacBook with everything already connected and running isn't always successful. But when it is, after booting Mac OS X, I can see the Akitio in the system info, section Thunderbolt. No sign of the Zotac.
When booting Windows 10, it gets stuck while still rotating balls on the black screen.
I can plug it in later on. If I do it rather early, the boot gets stuck, too. If I do it later, booting succeeds, but there is not visible sign of the Geforce, especially not in the device manager. I tried uninstalling, updating and reinstalling the Nvidia driver. But the Zotac does not show up. And the HDMI display hasn't shown anything, so far.
What I haven't tried, but will, in this order:
physically reinstall the PCIe card
Make the Intel graphics show up in Windows
Use DIY eGPU Setup
Any more hints?
No, but I guess you figured that out, already. Because: PCIe cards may draw up to 75W from the PCIe slot itself. A 6PIN-connector is limited to another 75W, while an 8-PIN-connector provides up to 150W. The 970 may consume much more than 150W.