Hello guys,
I am just a newbie who likes the concept of eGPU. The guide here https://www.techinferno.com/index.php?/forums/topic/7947-the-basic-egpu-hardware-guide-for-macs/ really helped me a lot about eGPU fundamentals and how to do it properly. After reading it and other guides, I was able to set up my own with the new Akitio Thunder3 PCIe box. Here are the details:
System: Transformer 3 Pro
CPU Intel Core i5 6200U
8GB RAM
256GB SSD
The card I use is ZOTAC GTX 1060 6GB Mini. I chose this because it fits nicely into the box and I am not really a serious gamer
My method to provide enough power is to use a PSU with paper clip trick and I cut the wires from CPU connector 2x4pin to connect to a barrel plug
To avoid soldering, i bought a barrel plug with screws. However, this one doesn't fit into Akitio's socket, so I had to buy a barrel adapter to make it work. See the pictures below
[gallery800x600]
[photo=https://q1ofrg-sn3302.files.1drv.com/y3mlcEuBpMLNo68Pi6byS3YdaVc17QH2xfCzhG9TrMKIP7XZrbCj6mDhU2QfG9fhEju32JQweG795lbYeaPMu7ezll3_UAW8xUYD7rUh3POHMKRsacGkmHcEDVCDMvUIdPwCSJ4bFQCeUc-yzsgVhr8MxL0EwW8fpN1p_7LoGyxJYM/WIN_20161115_08_57_09_Pro.jpg?psid=1][/photo]
[photo=https://bfvomq-sn3302.files.1drv.com/y3prHzGjlBvu7uPqi_9bh_YoXG4HYjJSOANM5sFE0KUWty2ioaGjRUsdpYlPNc8EO_nbK-lMuMw3HfCx1kKZmr5tonRHL2iPH3txMWh81hJaSHIEDQgX0l1Om5e2QSxLpE_9maECsn6DGz7XODk77mp2m-A5PwAZzUQ0MJDeNa29TA/IMG_20161110_082830.jpg?psid=1][/photo]
[/gallery]
Afterwards, driver installation is flawless. The box will power the card only when thunderbolt cable is connected to my tablet. I can reconnect at any time (hot plug) and system is able to recognize the card almost instantly.
For benchmarking purpose, I used the existing game Batman Arkham Origins that my tablet struggles to play. Details are as follows:
All other graphics settings are at highest values
1920x1080, internal display: 50FPS
1920x1080, external display: 55FPS
1920x1440, internal display: 45FPS
2560x1440, external display: 40-45FPS (cannot remember the exact value)
To compare thunderbolt performance with the desktop one, I plugged the card into my friend's desktop computer (Intel Core i7 6700K, 16GB RAM).
Under 1920x1080, the difference is huge with the card being able to perform at 80FPS
To my suprise, there is not much difference between internal and external display (5FPS) at 1920x1080. I don't know if the game itselt factor into this, as I don't have other AAA games to test
That's what I have tried so far. Thanks for reading