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rene_canlas

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Posts posted by rene_canlas

  1. Hi Splitframe,

     

    My best run (using XPS 15 9550 (internal screen), Win 64-bit 10.0.14393, Akitio Thunder2, Startech TB3 to TB adapter, Zotac GTX 1060 6GB Mini; slight overclocked settings via MSI Afterburner)

    Firestrike 1.1 Normal Score: 9,062 (Graphics - 10,656; Physics - 9,132)

    http://www.3dmark.com/fs/10357252

     

    I have since upgraded to an Akitio Thunder3, but I was surprised that my scores went lower :(

     

    My best run (using XPS 15 9550 (internal screen), Win 64-bit 10.0.14393, Nvidia 376.09, Akitio Thunder3, Zotac GTX 1060 6GB Mini; slight overclocked settings via MSI Afterburner)

    Firestrike 1.1 Normal Score: 8,337 (Graphics - 9,328; Physics - 9,360)

    http://www.3dmark.com/fs/10976789

     

    Graphics score improve slightly (~24%) when using an external monitor.  This could be because the data does not have to travel back through the TB3 cable:

     

    My best run (using XPS 15 9550 (external 1080p screen), Win 64-bit 10.0.14393, Nvidia 376.09, Akitio Thunder3, Zotac GTX 1060 6GB Mini; slight overclocked settings via MSI Afterburner)

    Firestrike 1.1 Normal Score: 9,791 (Graphics - 11,623; Physics - 9,700)

    http://www.3dmark.com/fs/10979144

     

    What's your OS version and thunderbolt firmware version?

     

  2. Hi! How did your VR testing go? I have an XPS 15 9550 with a GTX1060 in an Akitio TB2 enclosure. Most VR titles for the Rift and Vive work fine, but I am encountering judder in Virtual Desktop and Bigscreen (both Rift and Vive versions).  When I turn on the VR performance monitor in Virtual Desktop, I am seeing <= 10% headroom in performance.  I re-tested with a GTX 1070 FE and got similar results.

  3. Hi All,

     

    I have a similar setup to @jowos

    * Dell XPS 15 (9550) - Intel I7-6700HQ, 32GB Ram, Nvidia GTX 960m, 256GB NVME + 512GB SSD, running Windows 10 Pro Anniversary Edition

    * Akitio Thunder2 Enclosure with Zotac GTX 1060 6GB (running Nvidia Drivers 369.09)

    * Startech TB3 to TB2 adapter

     

    I have been able to run the GTX 1060 using the internal screen. Here are the steps:

     

    1. Boot the XPS without the Akitio Thunder2 connected (you can leave the Startech adapter connected to the Dell's Thunderbolt 3 port).

    2. Install MSI Afterburner and Heaven Benchmark

    3. Go into device manager, locate the GTX 960m and disable it.

    4. Reboot

    5. Once in Windows, insert the Thunderbolt 2 cable into the Startech TB3 to TB2 adapter. Your GTX 1070 should be detected.  Install the Nvidia drivers as necessary

    6. Run MSI Afterburner, click the settings button.  View the dropdown GPU list.  GPU1 should be the GTX 1060 and GPU2 should be the Intel 530 integrated graphics

    7. Run Heaven and verify that the GTX 1060 is the one running the show.

     

    It took me a while and several trial and error attempts before I was able to figure out that GPU1 had to be the eGPU and GPU2 had to be the integrated graphics.

     

    Update: I've discovered that now, even if the Akitio is not connected, applications/games won't use the GTX 960m even if it's enabled.  I am certain I can resolve this via driver reinstall but no rush since I don't use the dGPU that much anyway, :)

     

    Cheers!

     

    Rene

     

  4. AKiTiO Node - Finally an affordable eGPU box

     

    akitio node features

    The Thunderbolt™ 3 eGXF box is a low cost expansion chassis designed to house an external graphics card. Connected to the computer via Thunderbolt 3, the additional GPU power instantly upgrades a regular laptop or a mini PC and makes it possible to do things that would normally require a high-end workstation or gaming computer. For video editors and colorists, the dedicated GPU reduces the time it takes to render the footage, a computer that was not powerful enough for a VR headset is now potentially VR ready and for those that like to play games, these can now run at much higher frame rates than before.

    Features
    • Thunderbolt™ 3 for lighting fast transfer speeds up to 40 Gbps
    • 1 PCIe (x16) slot supporting full-length, full-height, double-width cards
    • Spacious enclosure for use with standard and large sized graphics cards
    • Built-in 400W SFX power supply to provide extra power to GPU
    • PCIe x16 slot supplying up to 75W of power
    • 4 lane PCI Express 3.0 compliant interface
    • Removable back panel for double-width cards
    • Carry handle to easily transport the device

    4 Lane PCI Express 3.0 Compliant Interface

    akitio node gpu card

    Supports standard and large sized PCIe Gen3 x4 cards

    The PCIe (x16) slot accepts full-length, full-height, double-width cards with enough space available inside the enclosure for both standard and large sized graphics cards. The four PCIe Gen3 lanes and the Thunderbolt 3 interface are capable of transfer rates up to 40Gbps, providing enough bandwidth even for the most demanding PCIe cards.

    Extra power for graphics cards

    akitio node psu

    400W SFX PSU

    The built-in power supply provides enough power for the AKiTiO Node (~10W) as well as for graphics cards. If the standard 75W through the PCIe slot is insufficient, two extra pairs of 8-pin power connectors are available inside the AKiTiO Node that can be connected to the GPU, providing a total of about 390W.

    The power of external GPUs

    akitio node benchmark

    Thunderbolt™ 3

    Thunderbolt 3 brings Thunderbolt to USB-C at speeds up to 40 Gbps, creating one compact port that does it all – delivering the fastest, most versatile connection to any dock, display, or data device. In combination with the AKiTiO Node, this makes it possible to instantly upgrade your regular laptop or Mini-PC and achieve a performance that usually requires high-end workstations or specialized gaming computers.

     

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  5. So, the STD-12160 power brick arrived today. 

    It is a bit smaller compared to the Dell DA-@ power brick but the weight difference is almost half!

    I decided to replace the default cable on the power brick with the one from the original Akitio power brick.

    The Akitio cable is a lot thinner than the original, so I need to monitor the temps at full load to determine how hot the cables will get.  

    Hopefully they won't melt :)

     

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  6. 1 minute ago, Aleksei said:

    Specs on Akitio website specifically mention that TB3 box is not designed for graphics cards. Is that just because of power reasons?

    https://www.akitio.com/expansion/thunder3-pcie-box

     

    The same goes for the Thunder2 which is TB2.  The official explanation is that the power adapter they provide has insufficient wattage to power some graphics cards and the enclosures are not designed to properly ventilate these cards.  That being said, you can modify and adapt these enclosures for the purpose of housing and running a GPU. 

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  7. Tried to install the NVIDIA drivers from Razer, and it is saying it couldn't find compatible hardware.  Since the version number (364.72) is behind the latest version (372.54), I assume that my GTX 1060 is not yet supported.  Bummer...

     

    Hope they can release updated drivers for the pascal-based cards soon. 

  8. I have just completed an egpu build using an Akitio TB2 and the Zotac GTX 1060 Mini. I had to cut the height of a standard PCI-E 6-pin connector by almost half to get the clearance needed to close the enclosure. I also filed the middle ridges off the aluminum case so it would not mangle the PCI-E wires when sliding the enclosure in.

    Sent from my SM-T705 using Tapatalk

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