2012 Mac Mini + [email protected] (AKiTiO Thunder2) + OSX10.9.4 [entzoe]

[entzoe 48]

[NOTE] This an UPDATED GUIDE currently only works with OS X 10.9.4 version.

PHOTOS

Note: 1st picture below is a 10.5" GTX770. 2nd and 3rd picture is a 9.5" GTX760 whose PCIe power connectors impede installation of the AKiTiO top cover.

+more photos in the spoiler . . .

HARDWARE CONFIGURATION

• Apple Mac Mini 2012 16GB with Intel HD 4000
  
• AKiTiO Thunder2 PCIe Box
  
• Corsair CX750 M
  
• EVGA GeForce GTX 770 4GB
  
• 2x Thunderbolt Cable
  
• HDMI
  
• SWEX
  
• Monitor (ASUS VG248QE / Apple Thunderbolt Display)
  

PREPARATION

Step 1 (Note: eGPU setup should be all disconnected)

• Download and Install CUDA driver http://tinyurl.com/dxzoaww
  

Step 2

• Download and install a modded NVIDIA Web driver
  
• Usually, NVIDIA's official Web driver will do a system check. Official web driver can only be installed on MacPro 2008, 2009, 2010. If you are using a iMac or Mac Mini or MacBook Pro, you can't even install. But Modified Web driver avoids the system check. Modded Web driver file name is ModdedWebDriver-334.01.02f02.pkg.
  
• File mirror: https://app.box.com/s/wa2tblhb4y5dtd3fgh1z
  

Step 3

• Modify the following KEXT files from your Terminal and look for sections beginning with <key>CFBundleIdentifier</key> and add just before , the two following lines
  

• <key>
  
  </key>
  
• <key></key>KEXT Files
  
• /System/Library/Extensions/NVDAStartup.kext
  
• /System/Library/Extensions/IONDRVSupport.kext
  
• /System/Library/Extensions/AppleHDA.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleHDAController.kext
  
  

• Every time you upgrade your OS you need to modify these KEXT files
  
• Finally, clear the cache by issuing the following commandsudo kextcache -system-caches and shutdown your OS.
  
• Warning: The following procedure at your own risk. Please be sure to take a backup in case of emergency.
  
  

Step 4 (Setup and connect your eGPU. I am using EVGA GeForce GTX 770 4GB Classified)

• In my case, I have the following setup;
  
• GPU card is connected to AkiTio PCI-e slot without the PCIe riser. AkiTio is powered by its supplied power adaptor
  
• GPU card is powered with PSU thru its two 8 pins
  
• Connect your AkiTio and Mini using Thunderbolt Cable
  
• Connect your GPU and Monitor using DVI, Display Port or HDMI cable
  
• BONUS: I have an existing Apple ThunderBolt Display, I was able to mirror my display. I connected my TB display to the extra TB port on AkiTio
  

A BIG Thank you to the following

maxserve blog: (MacOSX 10.9.4 edition) How to recognize GPGPU via Thunderbolt external PCIe Box at MacOSX

A Thunderbolt GPU on a Mac : How-to | Le journal du lapin

goalque

Tech Inferno Fan

Results

• I no longer experience the kernel panic in my previous setup. I am not sure if its with the GPU card that I previously used (760). It appears that this time this is stable compared from my previous setup using PCI-e riser.
  
• I can play better games on Steam
  

VIDEO

BENCHMARKS

[tyrol_dude 12]

these are the genuine mac mini i7 values. that´s a huge difference

[Sachin10 17]

Hopefully Apple will release a new Mac mini and a 4K Thunderbolt Display. I would prefer the accessibility and upgradability of the Mac mini, the more powerfull graphics of an eGPU and a 4K Thunderbolt Display above an iMac. Although the 24" Dell Ultrasharp UP2414Q isn't bad either. Because I'm used to the Retina display at home is hard to look at the ugly pixels of my 24" Dell Ultrasharp U2410 (1920x1200) display at work. And I don't like the bigger monitors because they require more space.

[entzoe 48]

Some updates... been running my AkiTio with no riser since this morning (7hours)... played some games and video editing and rendering.. haven't encountered any kernel panic so far.......

[intelligence 14]

Any chance of seeing what sort of FPS you get in ARMA 3 Breaking Point? (Multiplayer)

[tyrol_dude 12]

Base on my testing, continuos gaming both of the option gives you some kernel panic, maybe every after 3 couple of steam games. so basically, it is not yet a 100% stable.

to beginn with, i don´t need gaming issues under osx, but it would be nice to speed up photoshop, (maybe a future iteration of lightroom with gpu-support), cinema4d and finalcut. but i also like, to have it to work under win7 on the mini. then i could discharge my gaming-dose . accordingly to ms-Dos, we call win-pc´s snidely as a `Dose´ in german. `dose´ itself, means the english can.

[entzoe 48]

Hi, I updated my guide with a simpler steps. I also replaced my GTX 760 with 770 classified and I no longer experience any kernel panic.

[entzoe 48]

Thank you for the guide! But I have one question. So you can daisy chain from the AkiTio Thunder2. Does that affects performance or is it the same like using HMDI or DisplayPort?

so basically, my TB display is connected to the extra port in AkiTio. I can do mirror or extended display. when i do mirroring it appears that the eGPU is being used while extended display the HD4000 is being utilized. I will further verify the performance.

[d0bb 10]

Are you getting audio through your hdmi? I can't seem to get it to work

[entzoe 48]

Are you getting audio through your hdmi? I can't seem to get it to work

Yes, it's working. My speaker is connected to my mini's audio port. Have you tried tweaking your sound settings in the System preferences?

[d0bb 10]

I meant if you use hdmi, having both audio and video stream through the gpu's hdmi port, so basically audio through thunderbolt

[entzoe 48]

I have to test this part.

[Arise 56]

did you perform the following steps?

- install nvidia web graphic drivers, restart, select the nvidia graphic driver option in the system preference nvidia driver manager .

- install cuda drivers

- kext modifications

see detail steps here http://here http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/7792-[warning]-osx-egpu-os-x-releases-10-9-5-update.html

@Arise let me know if you were able to resolve your issue.

Sorry, but can't make this work.

Yes, I have web drivers loaded, i see the kexts in system profiler under extensions just fine.

Yes, the kext were modified, except for AppleHDA.kext, I don't need sound right away.

The card loads somehow because if I boot with the card connected via thunderbolt i will see the card hardware ids with DPCI Manager, in system profile I have both nvidia cards but minimal details about the eGPU one, the hwmonitor sensors loads for eGPU identified as GK104, and i see the ioreg branch changing with some nvda subtrees.

The only problem is that the card is not working, i mean no external display and fan never slowing down, blasting at full speed.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jfraser 11]

I noticed that in the comments section of the page containing your YouTube video regarding your eGPU, you wrote "Hi, drivers are available at nvidia. you just need to do some tweaking so it will bypass hardware and software validations”.

Regarding your comment, I have a few questions:

When did those drivers become available at Nvdia?

Do they enable hot-plugging?

Are they just for high-end cards like the GTX 780 and 970 or are they for all Nvidia cards(including GTX 650)?

Are the drivers included in OS X Yosemite or are they still a separate download?

What kind of tweaking did you have to do to make it so "it will bypass hardware and software validations"?

[MultiU 10]

HI Entzoe, I am very excited by your 2012 Mac Mini success with the eGPU.

You said you were using it for Video editing, I was thinking of using it for FCPX, DaVinci Resolve and C4D,but not so much for games however.

Did you try it with the GTX 660 as i was reading somewhere that the price/performance is best with various bottlenecks of the system and did you have any issues with it? Would that be the most cost effective or do you think the improvements warrant using later GFX cards like the GTX770? Id really appreciate your insights into this.

Best

[MVC 62]

I noticed that in the comments section of the page containing your YouTube video regarding your eGPU, you wrote "Hi, drivers are available at nvidia. you just need to do some tweaking so it will bypass hardware and software validations”.

Regarding your comment, I have a few questions:

When did those drivers become available at Nvdia?

Do they enable hot-plugging?

Are they just for high-end cards like the GTX 780 and 970 or are they for all Nvidia cards(including GTX 650)?

Are the drivers included in OS X Yosemite or are they still a separate download?

What kind of tweaking did you have to do to make it so "it will bypass hardware and software validations"?

When did those drivers become available at Nvdia?

Long ago.

Do they enable hot-plugging?

Nope.

Are they just for high-end cards like the GTX 780 and 970 or are they for all Nvidia cards(including GTX 650)?

All Nvidia cards in OS X drivers.

Are the drivers included in OS X Yosemite or are they still a separate download?

separate download

The Mac Pro section at Mac Rumors has full download links all the way back to 10.6.8. See stickys there.

[nicktheduke 10]

Thanks so much for this guide. In the process of ordering all of these parts. However, I'm sorry if this is a total noob question, but what is a SWEX? You mention it in your listing but didn't say how it was utilized... Please let me know. Thanks!

[MultiU 10]

I believe it is:

[h=3]SWEX (ATX Power Supply Power-On Switch) switching power supply , Im in the dark too but i read it somewhere and a lil google went a long way.[/h]

[nicktheduke 10]

Great. Thank you. Could someone instruct me how to integrate the SWEX? I'm new to this and I'm looking to follow the instructions provided by OP.

[Firearm2112 10]

Hello, I have a quick question

I have noticed you plugged the motherboard power cable into something in the video. What is that? Is it needed for running a setup like yours? If so what is it called and where can I buy one. Thanks!

[entzoe 48]

It is SWEX. I bought them from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Bplus-SWEX-Power-Supply-switch/dp/B00GWM5TH4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416703374&sr=8-1&keywords=SWEX

[dj912 10]

Here's the code for the kext files for anyone that wants to copy and paste

<true><dict><true>https://copy.com/ZYjRFaf1Vhoiyhfu

</true></dict></true>

[ryleto 10]

This is brilliant and exactly what I want to do with my Mac Mini! Ive bookmarked this page. However, I'm really struggling to understand how the Atikio + Gpu all fit together? as in... would i have two plugs? One for the enclosure and one for the GPU? and how does the GPU get its power, is that from the SWEX? If so how is that attached and will I need to solder.

Sorry if these questions are dim but I just can't get my head around what I've read so far haha!