US$979 Sonnet Echo Express III-D enclosure (16Gbps-TB2)

[Tech Inferno Fan]

Click >>> Summary of Thunderbolt eGPU implementations including Sonnet Echo Express III-D ones <<< 
 

Spoiler

INFO: Using EVGA Powerboost product to draw 75W each from the Sonnet III-D's extra 2 unused PCIe slots

As you know, the III-D has a 300W rated PSU, has 3 PCIe slots but only comes with a single extra 75w 6P PCIe connector. Sonnet budgetting up to 75W per PCIe slot. That then means only 150W (max) can be provided to a single PCIe card. So how can you get an additional 6P (75W) or 8P (150W) PCIe power connector without resorting to any warranty-voiding modification or needing to use an external PSU?

The EVGA power boost product is designed to draw power from a PSU to a gain systemboard slot stability. EVGA - Products - EVGA Power Boost - 100-MB-PB01-BR. Prices for this adapter vary from US$10 to US$15.



In the case of the Sonnet III-D, it can be used to draw power from either of the extra 2 unused PCIe slot instead. There's a potential 150W there. You'd need 1xEVGA powerboost product to gain an additional 75W 6P connector or 2xEVGA powerboost products to gain access to an additional 150W 8P connector. 

The EVGA powerboost product has a female molex end, so would need a gender converter + molex-to-6P (75W) or molex-to-8P (150W) adapter.

Using these adapters along with a Sonnet III-D would give a full plug-and-play Thunderbolt eGPU implementation with up to 300W power.

 

NOTE: This enclosure can host a dual-width and full length x16 video card but has it's 300W PSU limited by wiring to only supply 150W. Four workarounds can get around that power limitation (1) use a splitter to *safely* access at least another 75W as demonstrated at http://forum.techinferno.com/implementation-guides/7854-%5Bguide%5D-2014-15-macbook-pro-iris-gtx980%4016gbps-tb2-sonnet-ee-iii-d-win8-1-a.html#post107417 though it's suggest here that the III-D 6P PCIe connector cabling could provide the full extra 150W, (2) use an external PSU to supply more power as at http://forum.techinferno.com/implementation-guides/6689-%5Bguide%5D-2013-15-macbook-pro-gt750m-gtx780ti%4016gbps-tb2-sonnet-ee-iii-d-win8-1-a.html#post91182 (3) use EVGA Power Boost to draw an additional 75W from each of the 2 unused slots (max 150W) as discussed in the spoiler or (4) mod the PSU with additional PCIe connectors crimped onto the ring terminals as shown at http://forum.techinferno.com/implementation-guides/7685-%5Bguide%5D-2013-11-macbook-air-titan%4010gbps-tb1-sonnet-ee-iii-d-osx10-9-4-a.html#post105280 .

Sonnet Echo Express III-D

Price? (inc Thunderbolt cable): US$979 bhphotovideo-US | 898€ mein-laufwerk.de | 899€ mac-port.de



Specifications
 

Quote

Part No: ECHO-EXP3FD     Echo Express III-D Desktop Thunderbolt 2 Expansion Chassis for PCIe Cards(1)

Hardware Warranty:     5-year

Dimensions: (WxDxH)     3.8 x 16 x 10.2 in. (9.7 x 40.5 x 25.9 cm)

Weight: 7.5 lbs (3.4 kg)

Form Factor:     Desktop

External Connectors:     Two Thunderbolt

Internal Connector:     6-pin Mini-Fit Jr (same type as on legacy Mac Pro motherboard; provides up to 75W of power for PCIe cards that require supplemental power)

Expansion Slots: 
- One x8 mechanical (x8 electrical) PCIe 2.0
- One x16 mechanical (x8 electrical) PCIe 2.0
- One x8 mechanical (x4 electrical) PCIe 2.0

PCIe Cards Supported(1)
-One full length, full-height, double-width PCIe card, plus one single-width card
-OR three full length, full-height, single-width PCIe cards

Compatible PCIe Cards(2):     Up-to-date PCIe cards listed on our supporting PCIe Card Thunderbolt Compatibility Chart

Power Supply:     Universal 300W, 115-230V AC, 50-60 Hz(5)

Operating Temperature: 0˚ C to 35˚ C (32˚ F to 95˚ F)

RoHS Compliant: Yes

Package Contents:     
- Echo Express III-D chassis(1)
- Power cord
- Thunderbolt cable
- Thunderbolt cable lock(3)
- Documentation

 

Pictures courtesy of eGPU users

 

 

[Dschijn]

No external PSUs are required and the 980's TDP of under 200W is far less than the 300W the Sonnet chassis can provide!

Be aware that this are the Nvidia TDP values for GPUs within the official specifications. No board partner is sticking to them.

My GTX 970 can withdraw (110% power limit & Furmark) up to 240W. That is far beyond the official specifications.

Bottom line is: a GTX 980 with "medium" OC should work, but be careful to hope for putting in a OCed GTX 980Ti oder Titan2...

[Mark]

Be aware that this are the Nvidia TDP values for GPUs within the official specifications. No board partner is sticking to them.

My GTX 970 can withdraw (110% power limit & Furmark) up to 240W. That is far beyond the official specifications.

Bottom line is: a GTX 980 with "medium" OC should work, but be careful to hope for putting in a OCed GTX 980Ti oder Titan2...

Yeah, that's why I think that only the stock clocked ones should be safe to use, I think the official TDP for the 780 Ti is 250W but apparently since my GPU is factory OC'ed it takes up to 340W which is far more than what the PCIe slots/etc can theoretically provide (300W)

[Dschijn]

I totally agree, especially the Nvidia stock cooler should be the best option for the Sonnet III-D, because it's exhausting the main heat on the backside.

[Defo]

Cool, thanks for the elaboration!

[Mark]

Hey,

I recently purchased a Sonnet III-D for my rMBP 15" and when I tried to boot this into Windows 8.1, my external monitor stayed on a black screen and suddenly restarted. I'm using an EVGA GTX 780 Ti SC powered by a Seasonic modular PSU.

Any ideas as to why this is happening? It booted up fine on OS X.

[Evo*]

I'm having such a hard time finding a 4x-16x powered riser in Australia.

I'm not tech savvy either.

I have ordered the 199$ box from the states.

Found the molex DC (45 day delivery time)

Would there be and problem or penalty for getting a 4x-16x standard riser. Then extending again with a 16x-16x powered riser?

And for a psu. Would a corsair vs350 work good?

I plan on running a evga gtx 760 SC 2gb

Many thanks.

[Dschijn]

Can't get risers on eBay shipped from Hongkong/China? They are not that slow in shipping.

corsair vs350 seems very bad suited for future projects, as it just offers one PCIe power plug. I bought a 50-60$ PSU, 500W and 2x8pin power connectors.

[Evo*]

I've been searching online for 3 days. 1x- 16x no problem. 4x no chance. Unless you buy minimum 100 lot.

If I cut the slot on the unit. Does a 16x to 16x work as plug and play? As these are easy to come by.

Thanks for the advice on the psu. I will look for a better unit.

Thanks again.

[ME_]

Since this chassis is one of the most or at least only plug'n'playable solution I was looking for the price differential in Germany/Europe.

I stumbled upon a supplier in Germany which sells the Sonnet Chassis for very competitive price,

although I do not know if he will ship international or EU-wide this shop at least in Germany sells it for the best price. I wanted to mentioned that since the more cost-efficient Atikio-based or solution is as rare as that one here in Germany to find.

[Dschijn]

Another german shop for the Sonnet III-D: Sonnet Echo Express III - Systembus-Erweiterung

Got my AKiTiO here: format.de-Artikelinformation: AKiTiO Thunder2 PCIe Box

My AKiTiO setup costs are:

- AKiTiO 238€

- be quiet! PSU 58€

- 2x riser 25€

- Apple TB 2m cable 39€

- Cooler Master Elite 130 case 46€

-------

total: 406€

[blub_blah]

So I bought a Sonnet EE III-D, a Y-Splitter and an EVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC ACX 2.0. I already had a Windows 8.1 UEFI installation so I plugged it in and started the Macbook Pro 13" (Late 2013). I shortly see the Windows logo but then the internal screen goes black. Well that might be a good sign, since it detected the eGPU and switching to it?! Nevertheless I can't see anything. So I plugged in a TV via HDMI - still internal screen and TV black! I even tried an external display at work via DVI - no luck. Both screens are black. So next I started the Windows installation again via BootCamp from a USB stick. No luck either. I shortly see the Windows logo but when normally the little loading indicator appears under the logo the internal screen goes black (External Display is never active!). But, if I try to install Windows in non-UEFI mode (I just made a simple installation USB stick in Windows with a Microsoft tool) - BOOM - the internal screen is black BUT the external does now show the installation instructions. Next bummer, I can't install Windows from here because when I try to select any partition it says something about GPT (sorry don't know the exact phrasing anymore). I'm a little bit confused with this because it seems that UEFI mode is not working for me - but everyone on the internet () is saying that you NEED UEFI Windows for proper eGPU usage. In my case it seems the other way around?

Just for clarification. My main OS on the Macbook is OS X (Yosemite) - which I installed first. I only installed Windows for gaming via BootCamp later (In Windows it says in msinfo32 that I'm using UEFI)!

Did anyone have similar issues or does know what to do? I just don't get it why the external screen is never active (except the non-UEFI Windows installation!)

Any help is much appreciated.

[Dschijn]

Install Windows via Bootcamp without the eGPU connected! Later follow these steps:

SOFTWARE INSTALLING

1. Install Windows 8.1 64 bit from a USB stick by using ISO file. This is a standard Boot Camp installation.
   
2. After installing Windows, download and install all Windows updates.
   
3. Update Boot Camp drivers (Boot Camp Support Software 5.1.5640) and shut down
   
4. Do the hardware preparing part 1-8
   
5. Install Nvidia driver 340.52 (Drivers | GeForce)
   
6. Shut down MacBook Pro and continue from the hardware preparing step 8
   

HARDWARE PREPARING

1. Open AKiTiO's box by a normal screwdriver, take out the PCIe board, attach the riser and the GPU to its x16 slot
   
2. Attach PSU's power cable (blue) to the GPU and do the "paperclip trick" as shown in picture 1.
   
3. Attach DVI/HDMI cable to the GPU (if using a back bracket, I wasn't able to fit DVI-cable because the plastic part was too wide) and use any external monitor you like (4K would be nice to test with this setup)
   
4. Place something under the GPU so that it will be steady (a removed front panel is perfect for this)
   
5. Attach AKiTiO's 60W power plug to the DC jack of the PCIe board
   
6. Connect TB cable
   
7. Power up AKiTiO's box (green light should appear) and the PSU at the same time (I use a power strip with a switch on the floor)
   
8. Turn on MacBook Pro (blue light should appear). If it is booting to OSX partition, change startup disk to Boot Camp partition from the OSX preferences.
   

[blub_blah]

I tried your steps - even though I don't have an AKiTiO box. But still no luck. It's the same problem. As soon as I boot Windows with the eGPU plugged in my internal screen goes black (it's actually off) and the external does not get any signal .

[Dschijn]

Can you boot without the eGPU? Maybe reinstall Intel latest Graphics driver and the Nvidia driver?

[blub_blah]

Can you boot without the eGPU? Maybe reinstall Intel latest Graphics driver and the Nvidia driver?

Yes, I can boot without the eGPU. That's the only way to use Windows! I alread tried reinstalling the Intel drivers (even cleaned them with a driver cleaner tool). Actually I would love to install the Nvidia driver but since the sceen is always black when I attach the eGPU it won't happen.

In the Nvidia forum are several customers with similar problems (Nvidia and Dell). They all have a GTX 970/980 and a lot are seeing black screens when booting into Windows. So it may be a bigger problem? Who is using a GTX 970 without any problems (what card)?

[blub_blah]

Hey,

I recently purchased a Sonnet III-D for my rMBP 15" and when I tried to boot this into Windows 8.1, my external monitor stayed on a black screen and suddenly restarted. I'm using an EVGA GTX 780 Ti SC powered by a Seasonic modular PSU.

Any ideas as to why this is happening? It booted up fine on OS X.

Since it seems that I have a similar issue I would like to know if you could solve it? My Macbook didn't restart but I also have a black screen!

[Mark]

Since it seems that I have a similar issue I would like to know if you could solve it? My Macbook didn't restart but I also have a black screen!

Sorry for not keeping you guys updated on this! I have indeed solved this problem, I was getting the black screen error because I installed Windows in a certain hacky way (i.e. there was an EFI problem with installing so I had to repartition it using Disk Utility, etc)

I found out that I can now install Windows 8.1 the normal way through Bootcamp, so I did, and it fixed the problem!

I don't know whether that's what you did or not, but for me that solved the issue.