remypham

Hi all, Back with another question. Working with a mid-2012 MBPr, Akitio, GTX 970. The 970 is recognized now in the DIY eGPU Setup 1.30 software, and is also recognized in the Device Manager, along with the dGPU (650M). However, it shows error code 12. I have been doing a lot of reading and found that, from my understanding, the way my entire drive is formatted (MBR) does not allow for EFI/UEFI boot of Windows 10. It is currently in BIOS mode, as the entire drive must be GPT for EFI to be installed. My question is how would I resolve this issue if I want to stay in BIOS mode? I read that I must do a DSDT override, but that looks very complicated and I don't remember having seen someone having to do that on a Macbook. Additionally, I have found guides that show how to convert the entire disk to GPT from MBR without data loss, but I am hesitant to do that on the Windows side for fear that it would mess up something on the OSX side. If anyone could shed any light on this I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks, Remy

@orkus Thanks! As an update, it is now being recognized by the eGPU Setup software and the Display Manager, now with error code 35.

Hi guys, **UPDATE** I booted into the DIY eGPU setup again, and somehow the eGPU was finally recognized. However, I then tried to do the 36 bit compaction, and now when I turn on the laptop with the eGPU plugged in and on, I get just a black screen (is this the infamous BSOD?). Simultaneously, the fans run at full speed (on the 970). Now it is again unrecognized by the DIY eGPU Setup 1.3 software. Any ideas on how to backtrack this? Whenever I try PCI compaction again it just stops at some point; sometimes in the middle, sometimes at the end, even giving me the "Press Enter to go to the Menu" prompt, but not actually doing so upon pressing Enter. **** I have finally got my whole setup running, but the software side of things is killing me. I have my EVGA GTX 970 plugged into the PCI port of my Akitio Thunder2 board, with my Corsair CX430 PSU powering the board and the 970 (details below in Notes). All seems to go well on the hardware side, as the green LED turns on on the Thunder2 board, as does the PSU fan when I turn on the PSU. Additionally, the blue LED on the Thunder2 turns on when I plug the board into my MPBr via Thunderbolt. However, I cannot find a way to get it to appear in the Device Manager. In the GeForce Experience app, it says I have 353.62 drivers installed, and wants me to install the 368.81 drivers (probably for the only GPU it does recognize, the build in 650M). Questions: Is power via only a 6pin to the 970 enough to power it? It seems to be working fine (fans are twitching FWIW), but it also has an 8pin (currently unused). What is the exact process to go through with the 1.3 setup software? I got it mounted, but online instructions were too setup-specific and confusing at times. Other notes: Running Windows 10 via BIOS (not EFI/UEFI or whatever) Power to the 970 is provided as follows: 8 pin port: occupied by a 6+2 pin directly from PSU 6 pin port: occupied by two 4 pin to 6 pin converter, with provided converter that came with 970 Thanks, Remy

I'm in a similar boat. I have a GTX970 plugged into the Akitio Thunder2 board. The blue light turns on when plugged into Thunderbolt, but I don't get any recognition from the Device Manager. I've installed the drivers as well. I tried fiddling with the Setup software (1.3), but it too can't recognize the eGPU, and calls for PCI compaction, but I'm not sure exactly what to do from that point.

@JohnyB33 awesome, thanks! So after I plug the 4pin to the barrel adapter, and the barrel into the PCIe board, would the last step be to directly plug in the 6pin and 8pin from the PSU to the 970? Would all of my power needs be satisfied at that point?

Hi @HiroCool, thanks for your reply. I am aware that the board receives power via a barrel plug. My question is how exactly I would convert one of the power cables coming from the 430 PSU to a barrel plug.

Hi all, First off, I would like to thank this community for having inspired me and helped me get to this point in my DIY eGPU project. Currently, I have all of the main components; namely, a Macbook Pro Retina (mid-2012) with the NVIDIA 650M, a EVGA GTX 970 graphics card, Akitio Thunder2, and the Corsair 430 PSU. I am confused, however, on how to connect these all together power-wise. My understanding is that both the PCIe board (which I have detached from the Akitio Thunder 2) and the 970 would be powered by the Corsair PSU. However, I am not sure how exactly to do that. Would I have to somehow connect one of the many power cables coming out of the PSU to the barrel via molex to barrel on the board? If so, which cable would I adapt from? Additionally, if I recall correctly, there is a 6 pin and 8 pin power port on the 970 - would both of these need to be plugged into the PSU? If so, would I plug the 6 pin and 8 pin adapters directly into the 970 from the PSU? The 970 came with several power adapters, which confused me. I apologize if I have left out any details. Please let me know if I can clarify anything. Thanks for all your help! Remy PS I have read most, if not all, of the threads pertaining to GTX 970 + Thunder 2 setups, some of which also make use of a PCIe riser. I don't think i would need this, since I am making a custom open-air wall-mount, so the 970 would be directly plugged into the Thunder2 board. Can anyone verify that I would not need this? PPS A detailed guide regarding my build will be posted as soon as I get this bad boy up and running! It's the least I can do for all of the help I've found thus far on this site. FWIW, it has cost me so far about $475.