2012 15" MBP GT650M + [email protected] (AKiTiO THUNDER2) + 120 WATT PSU | UNSTABLE

[BAZZINGA 0]

Hi everyone!

As described in the title I have  a
1) MBP (mid-2012) connected to an
2) Akitio Thunder2 which holds a
3) GTX 750 TI SC.

Further specs are:

HARDWARE
4) Original Apple TB-Cable
5) new PSUs
5.a) 120 WATT

5.b) 150WATTS
6) various LCD-Displays
6.a) 1280x1024
6.b) 1920x1080
6.c) 1600x1200
6.d) three 1600x1200 at the same time 

SOFTWARE
7) latest NVIDIA-Driver (346.03.15f02)
8) automate-eGPU.sh v0.9.8
9) MAC OS X, El Capitan 10.11.6

FURTHER INFO
1) I have the MBP in clamshell mode
2) so external monitor(s) is/are the main screen… not the MBP
3) startup is running without any problems

THE ISSUE
1) MBP crashes 
2) at random events
3) even at low performance... browsing in chrome or anything else normal
4) yes gaming works but also crashes… which is not surprising because 3)
5) all of the configurations mentioned above are not stable
6) even with a small monitor and the 150 WATT PSU
7) Also no difference with three 1600x1200 displays and a 120 WATT or 150 WATT PSU. Also unstable.

MY QUESTION(S)
1) So what am I missing here?
2) Any pointers?


Many thanks in advance!
Bazzinga

 

[Dschijn 329]

Which 750Ti? Which PSUs?

[BAZZINGA 0]

Hi Dschijn, 

thanks for getting back at me so soon. 

Sorry for not being specific enuf... here are my detailed specs:

3) EVGA GTX  750 TI SC, Model: 02G-P4-3753-KR (https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00IDG3IDO/)
5.a) LEICKE 120 WATT (https://www.amazon.de/dp/B006Z9TQE6)

5.b) LEICKE 150 WATT (https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00YXXAG7C/)

Did I pick the wrong PSUs? I was assuming 5.a) would be enuf. And apparently this is not the issue... judging from other peoples success on this setup (GTX750 + 120W PSU).

What am I missing?


Vielen Dank!
Bazzinga

Edited August 11, 2016 by BAZZINGA

[Dschijn 329]

Hmmm... I would have guessed that the LEICKE would do fine... can you underclock your card and check? Does the barrel plug sit tight plugged in?

[BAZZINGA 0]

@Dschijn Thanks for the quick response. 

1) BARREL PLUG
Yes, it's all the way down in the socket – I just double checked. I assume otherwise it would not be running at all, right? 

1.a) HEAT?!
Seems not be an issue either… I even removed the cover so the card would get more air. No difference… still unannounced crashes. After 2hrs or 2min – or in between.

2) UNDERCLOCKING
I am a total noob when it comes to that. Sorry. I was under the impression that I would not be able to do that inside OSX. 
You got any news for me on that?

 

[Dschijn 329]

Barrel plug: does it wiggle? If there is any chance the connection is not 100%....

 

Heat: Maybe the PSU gets too hot. PSUs get less efficient the warmer they are. Is the crash under load?

 

TB cable: Any chance to get your hands on a cable that is not the thin AKiTiO one? E.g. Apple 2m TB cable.

[BAZZINGA 0]

BARREL PLUG
I now triple-checked this. It's sitting nice and tight in the socket. No wiggle-room.
For both PSUs… (120W and 150W) the plugs are totally fine.

HEAT
Like i mentioned before the crashes occur at random. I can see no pattern on this. 
Does not matter if I just turned on the MBP … after 2 min.: CRASH … or if I am browsing … after 20 min.: CRASH.
Sometimes everything is fine… and then after X min. same story. Soooo... no the crashes occur not only under load
but even when I am not doing anything. :-/

But thanks for the pointer – that's why I got the 150W PSU in the first place. Assuming the 120W PSU would be too 
small and thus too hot.

THUNDERBOLT
I am already an APPLE TB cable.

OVERCLOCKING
I have only found a VEERRRRYYYY OLD GPU tweaking tool from 2011... I am not sure if I should use it. The tool does
not even recognise the specs correctly (see attachment).

SYSTEM REPORT
I can't read all that stuff that OSX is giving me as a system report after I reboot after the crash. But the first couple of
lines say something about "GPU panic"… which makes me wonder if I should reinstall the drivers and all.

You agree?
 

[euqlaog 4]

The cause for the instability is the combination of Thunder2 and EVGA 750Ti without a 6-pin power connector. I recall that only underclocking may help with this card, on Windows.

Edited August 11, 2016 by goalque

[BAZZINGA 0]

@goalqueThanks for your response!

Aw man... bummer. :-/ Nkay... so this means underclocking is only possible on windows. But I am not a windows user so that is not gonna help me. (I am doing design and video editing stuff on OSX).

The app/tool mentioned above does not seem trustworthy since it does not even recognise the clock rates correctly.

So my only option (because I am not gaming on windows but instead working on OSX) is to get a different card which is compatible with 
1) Thunder2
2) 120W PSU
3) OSX
…right?

If so: what graphics card would that be? o_O'
1) EVGA GTX750 (the plain one... not TI, not SC)
2) EVGA GTX750 SC
3) totally different card?!

Any thoughts?

[Tech Inferno Fan 20]

24 minutes ago, BAZZINGA said:

@goalqueThanks for your response!

Aw man... bummer. :-/ Nkay... so this means underclocking is only possible on windows. But I am not a windows user so that is not gonna help me. (I am doing design and video editing stuff on OSX).
...
Any thoughts?

 

You may want to test the 75W bypass mod at https://www.techinferno.com/index.php?/forums/topic/5661-us189-akitio-thunder2-pcie-box-16gbps-tb2/&page=48#comment-115060 which if successful, would refute the AKiTiO engineer comments linked there (which were always suspect to me). I don't recall if other GTX750Ti owners without PCIe power plugs who experienced instability tried that or not.

[BAZZINGA 0]

@Tech Inferno FanThanks for the pointers!

Wow, I did not know what I was getting into. I am a total noob when it comes to soldering and stuff. I think I get it all also the simple part with the tape. But the reason I picked this setup was in order to specifically avoid any hassle concerning rewiring and stuff. I am pretty sure I would destroy the card because I am not proficient enuf for that kind of mod. (So sorry...)

BUY A CARD W/ LOWER CLOCK?!
Maybe my configuration is faulty because I am using the EVGA GTX750 TI SC instead of the "non-SC"-version?

GTX750 TI (NON-SC)
Base Clock: 1020 MHz
Boost Clock: 1085 MHz

GTX750 TI SC
Base Clock: 1176 MHz
Boost Clock: 1255 MHz

Can you or anyone confirm the specs and my assumption that this might be the reason for my system being unstable?

[Simurgh5 17]

I am very sure that you need to get another chard if you want this to run without additional power supply modding. 

 

I have the same setup (though 2014 MBPr) with this 750 Ti https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00IKF9F6C/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1. Has been working completely stable for days...

[BAZZINGA 0]

@Simurgh5Thank you for your quick response and useful insights on this!

Okay… so I guess I'll just get a smaller card then. I am thinking "Palit NVIDIA GTX750TI NE5X75T00941H KalmX" because it has an even lower boost clock (

1085MHz) AND it's silent because it has no fan.

What do you think?

[Simurgh5 17]

Should work as far as I can see. I'd not care about the fans because the Akitio Fans alone are enough to wake a sleeping cat. ;-)

 

It looks quite high, this fanless card - but I guess you checked the size.

[Stevewashere 2]

you need to connect the card to a separate PSU from the ankitio, it should also be a PSU above 350watts ......................YOUR CARD NEEDS MORE POWER

 

[euqlaog 4]

On 16 August 2016 at 0:16 AM, BAZZINGA said:

@Simurgh5Thank you for your quick response and useful insights on this!

Okay… so I guess I'll just get a smaller card then. I am thinking "Palit NVIDIA GTX750TI NE5X75T00941H KalmX" because it has an even lower boost clock (

1085MHz) AND it's silent because it has no fan.

What do you think?

https://www.techinferno.com/index.php?/forums/topic/7310-passive-solution-akitio-thunder2-palit-gtx-750-ti-kalm-x/

 

[sdedlus1 10]

If you're not underclocking in Windows, I would definitely only get a card with 6-pin power connector. Without it, I think you'll always be fighting to get enough peak/stable power through the slot alone. My MSI GTX 950 2GD5 OC fits in the Akitio nicely and is rock solid. Plug & play!

 

950 is also much better "bang for your buck" than 750 Ti right now and not much more expensive, if at all.

 

There are also versions of the 950 that shut off the fan at idle, called "silent cooling" etc. (Mine doesn't ever shut off the fan, but is very quiet when running. Leave the case off and unplug the Akitio fan and there's just a barely detectable hum because it never needs to ramp up the fan, even under load.)

 

EDIT: 950s are rated 90W, but I am running Dell DA-2 (220W) to make sure I have enough power. 120W adapter + 950 may still be cutting it too close ...

Edited August 18, 2016 by sdedlus1

[BAZZINGA 0]

@ALL: Thanks for the pointers!

@goalque
Ah OK… I get it. Thanks for the link to saluts KALMX-project. 
Glad it works for him – more or less. Even though I am a little worried I might into the same "noise" issue. But like I mentioned before I am pretty sure I would ruin the hardware since I don't have the tools and skills to solder anything.
 

@Stevewashere
Nice setup you got there! 
So have kept the original Akitio-PSU to keep the box running – but you have an additional ATX PSU for the card.
Meaning: in my case I would still need a different graphics card since the current one does not have that kind of power socket, right?

@sdedlus1
Good thinking on the "bang for buck" thing. Since the small card does not work under these circumstances I may as well get a bigger card and more power. Just like mentioned above – so I guess I will give it a shot with the GTX950.
1) Does it make any difference if I pick the MSI OC or the one from EVGA as long as it has the 6-pin connector (that I am missing in my card right now)?
2) Do you have both power sources attached? 
2.a) Original-Akitio-PSU to the enclosure/box and DELL-D2-A via 6-pin to the card?
or should I go with
2.b) 120WATT-PSU attached to the Akitio and the D2-A via 6-pin to the card?


 

On 8/12/2016 at 8:34 PM, Simurgh5 said:

I am very sure that you need to get another chard if you want this to run without additional power supply modding. 

 

I have the same setup (though 2014 MBPr) with this 750 Ti https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00IKF9F6C/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1. Has been working completely stable for days...

Are you running your system on OSX or Windows? 

[Simurgh5 17]

Both.

[BAZZINGA 0]

@Simurgh5
Nnnkaayyy... the only difference between our setups (when it comes to running this thing on OSX) is that your card has a slightly lower clock... thus a lower power consumption?

KFA GTX750 Ti OC:
Core Clock:1072 MHz
Boost-Clock:1150 MHz

my GTX750 TI SC
Base Clock: 1176 MHz
Boost Clock: 1255 MHz

I mean the difference in Boost clock is only 105 MHz… so maybe 100 MHz overall. You really think this is the bit that is too much snfd getting a card with a slightly lower clock will do the trick? Or am I simply missing smth else? Salut still had to do this 75W-Mod with his Palit KalmX-Card in order to get enuf power to the card.

@ALL: any thoughts? Should I just go ahead and  get a bigger card and power the enclosure and the gpu independently like Stevewashere?
Somehow I was under the impression that this would not be recommended – but in his case it seems to work like a charm.

[simon753 13]

On 2016年8月12日 at 0:39 AM, BAZZINGA said:

Hi everyone!

As described in the title I have  a
1) MBP (mid-2012) connected to an
2) Akitio Thunder2 which holds a
3) GTX 750 TI SC.

Further specs are:

HARDWARE
4) Original Apple TB-Cable
5) new PSUs
5.a) 120 WATT

5.b) 150WATTS
6) various LCD-Displays
6.a) 1280x1024
6.b) 1920x1080
6.c) 1600x1200
6.d) three 1600x1200 at the same time 

SOFTWARE
7) latest NVIDIA-Driver (346.03.15f02)
8) automate-eGPU.sh v0.9.8
9) MAC OS X, El Capitan 10.11.6

FURTHER INFO
1) I have the MBP in clamshell mode
2) so external monitor(s) is/are the main screen… not the MBP
3) startup is running without any problems

THE ISSUE
1) MBP crashes 
2) at random events
3) even at low performance... browsing in chrome or anything else normal
4) yes gaming works but also crashes… which is not surprising because 3)
5) all of the configurations mentioned above are not stable
6) even with a small monitor and the 150 WATT PSU
7) Also no difference with three 1600x1200 displays and a 120 WATT or 150 WATT PSU. Also unstable.

MY QUESTION(S)
1) So what am I missing here?
2) Any pointers?


Many thanks in advance!
Bazzinga

 

Kepler cards are not working with this setup, believe me, I have the same setup with you, and after I change my GTX TITAN to GTX 980 everything works like a charm, and I wasted a few months trying to get it work before, tried everything and failed, crashes every time and I got desperate. So change your card to maxwell card and you would be good. 

Edited October 29, 2016 by simon753

[NeNo 0]

I have the same hardware and my system is unstable if I use Nvidia web driver instead of OS X default driver.

I got GPU panic when eGPU wasn't even connected, just using NVIDIA driver.

Something is not ok between this MBP and Nvidia web driver, so far don't have a clue what is the problem. 

Edited October 29, 2016 by NeNo

[simon753 13]

1 hour ago, NeNo said:

I have the same hardware and my system is unstable if I use Nvidia web driver instead of OS X default driver.

I got GPU panic when eGPU wasn't even connected, just using NVIDIA driver.

Something is not ok between this MBP and Nvidia web driver, so far don't have a clue what is the problem. 

I have the same problem before, change your Kepler card to maxwell card and you would be good. Otherwise if you can not change it, just skip web driver installation and use default driver, after that force use dGPU only, crashes would probably be less. 

[RKelley 2]

I'll chime in here as well.  

 

I started with a similar setup (15-inch, Mid 2012 - OSX Sierra 10.12.1), Akitio TB2, evga 750Ti GPU (non-powered).  Like you found, the unpowered card ran into a ton of problems.  OSX would randomly crash for no reason (5mins - 15mins; did not matter).  I hacked the vBIOS of the card to lower the clock but still had problems.  I returned that card and got an Asus GTX 750Ti card but the display ports wold not show up properly in OSX (worked great in Win10).  I returned *that* card and got this card from Amazon (Gigabyte GV-N75TWF2OC-4GI).  I paired it with the Dell DA/2 PSU (custom made power cables).

 

The new combination worked really well for a while then crashed again running Valley benchmark.  It seemed anytime the onboard GPU tried to output on the external monitor bad stuff would happen (jerky screen, kernel panic, etc).  Per another thread, I downloaded and installed the "DisableMonitors" Mac App to temporarily disable/enable the onboard Mac screen.  This app seems to have fixed the GPU switching issue.  So far, rock solid.  Valley plays at 30FPS at 2550x1440, my VM does not crash, and all seems good now.

 

As an aside, I found the Apple Bluetooth mouse to cause some weirdness.  Even if the system has been running rock-solid for a while, I get kernel panics if the mouse gets un-paired then re-paired too many times.  Seems to only happen with the TB2 setup.  I don't use the BT mouse anymore.

 

If anyone is reading this thread, here is my recommended parts list:  

• Akitio TB2
• Dell DA/2 PSU with appropriate power cabling
• Gigabyte GTX 750Ti card listed above (not ASUS as the display ports won't work properly - don't get ATI cards as those have problems with the Akitio unit).

Use the automate_GPU script on this site to get the Nvidia drivers installed/loaded, and then use the DisableMonitors tool to make sure the GPU outputs properly to the external display.  Sounds complicated but it's not.

 

Hope this helps someone.