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DIY eGPU Macbook experiences


oripash

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@goalque:

I'm sorry i obviously caused some confusion here:

Concerning the HiDPI mode i just wanted to say that my GTX 970 is able to deliver the full resolution of 3840x2160 pixels that the Dell up2414q has as native resolution but can even put out resolutions as high as 3200x1800 HiDPI, which is equivalent to 6400x3200 pixels.

The Intel Iris however is limited to 3840x2160 pixels, so every "higher" resolution (e.g. 2560x1440) is a non HiDPI resolution resulting in computing less pixels then the native resolution of the up2414q.

The thing is just that i am limited to 30Hz with both GPUs or that my eGPU doesn't put out any video whilst the iGPU can then deliver the 60Hz.

I think your Samsung monitor is indeed a SST model? My Dell is a MST model which makes me dependent of MST support in any driver, no matter if its apple's or Nvidia's.

Also, i already tried all the drivers available from a fresh install of 10.10.1 as well as 10.10.2 ( every OS with their own drivers of course). So i fear i already did everything you advised me to do.

So i think the basic question is:

1. Does Apple somehow block MST support of the nvidia web drivers in some of their kext?

2. Is it a problem limited to the new Maxwell series?

Background:

I was able to swap in an old (borrowed) GTX 260 (PC) inside the box today an everything worked with MVC's hack, meaning i was able to put out video to an old external screen over DVI whilst "AppleGraphicsDevicePolicy.kext" in "AppleGraphicsControl.kext" was modded. But as it is already supported in Appel's own drivers i was not dependent on the web drivers.

Problem is this card could of course not drive the up2414q in any way so i cannot tell if it would have worked?

Sorry for the delay. The problem must be your monitor or DP cable, because I am writing this post now with a Late 2013 13” rMBP and it is able to output 3200x1800@60Hz HiDPI via DisplayPort v1.2 on OS X 10.10.2 (Web driver 343.02.02f01). The funny thing is that the operating system detects two monitors if you are using PIP mode and DP + HDMI from the eGPU, but that’s not very sensible :) Working with a Windows and OS X side by side would be great but the monitor cannot be rotated to vertical position. Unfortunately HDMI 2.0 is not supported and will never be (I asked) because it’s impossible to update the firmware (no USB port as with TVs).

post-28870-14494999355854_thumb.png

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Hi everyone,

I have been reading all relevant eGPU threads and have already started to collect the items needed.

But I do have one more essential question.

Will Ill be able to use my Apple Thunderboltdisplay with one of this eGPUs Nvidia GTX 750/760/770/970 in Bootcamp, Windows 8?

As I understand due to the fact that my Thunderboltdisplay has to be attached to the graphic card directly this is in general not possible. Is there a possibility for a workaround using Nvidia Optimus? And will Nvidia Optimus work with the mentioned graphic cards?

If I understand this thread correctly it should be possible? (http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/5329-thunderbolt-egpu-thunderbolt-display.html)

Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it.

Best, Victor

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Hi all,

So recently I have been trying to set up the eGPU with the mentioned specs:

MBPr early 2013 - 650M - TB1 - i7 3840qm - 500SSD - 8GB RAM

Seasonic Fanless 400W

Molex 16 x 16 PCIe extender

Akitio Thunder2

Msi GTX 980

(also 650ti as spare card)

Putting together the parts and powering them on was painless. First day I tried plugging in the eGPU setup showed some sign of it working in Win8.1:

GTX 980: Fan can detect MBPr - turns on when boot, off when shut down. Screen flickers when plugged in, but does not turn off. HDMI External display shows black screen but shows signal. Device manager display adapter shows 650M and some "adapter" plugged in.

GTX 650ti: Fan can detect MBPr. Screen turns off after booting in. MBPr keyboard backlight & volume does not work. DVI External Display shows black screen with signal.

I decided to continue the setup the next day.

GTX 980: Fan can still detect and run. Screen no longer flickers nor turn off. HDMI external display shows black screen with signal. Device manager display adapter shows only 650M. In Yosemite thunderbolt port detects Akitio thunder2 plugged in.

GTX 650ti: Same as before.

I am completely stuck at this point.. I have went through several guides and videos here and did not find the solution. I cannot even pass this basic step! Please I am new to this so if I am doing something fundamentally wrong then enlighten me. A couple days ago, I was reading how hard it would be to use internal display and thinking if I should just buy an external. Now I have to worry about if I just wasted $700 something that doesn't work. :highly_amused:

If someone manages to guide me through this then... I will send... um... a cookie or sth.

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Hi all,

So recently I have been trying to set up the eGPU with the mentioned specs:

MBPr early 2013 - 650M - TB1 - i7 3840qm - 500SSD - 8GB RAM

Seasonic Fanless 400W

Molex 16 x 16 PCIe extender

Akitio Thunder2

Msi GTX 980

(also 650ti as spare card)

Putting together the parts and powering them on was painless. First day I tried plugging in the eGPU setup showed some sign of it working in Win8.1:

GTX 980: Fan can detect MBPr - turns on when boot, off when shut down. Screen flickers when plugged in, but does not turn off. HDMI External display shows black screen but shows signal. Device manager display adapter shows 650M and some "adapter" plugged in.

GTX 650ti: Fan can detect MBPr. Screen turns off after booting in. MBPr keyboard backlight & volume does not work. DVI External Display shows black screen with signal.

I decided to continue the setup the next day.

GTX 980: Fan can still detect and run. Screen no longer flickers nor turn off. HDMI external display shows black screen with signal. Device manager display adapter shows only 650M. In Yosemite thunderbolt port detects Akitio thunder2 plugged in.

GTX 650ti: Same as before.

I am completely stuck at this point.. I have went through several guides and videos here and did not find the solution. I cannot even pass this basic step! Please I am new to this so if I am doing something fundamentally wrong then enlighten me. A couple days ago, I was reading how hard it would be to use internal display and thinking if I should just buy an external. Now I have to worry about if I just wasted $700 something that doesn't work. :highly_amused:

If someone manages to guide me through this then... I will send... um... a cookie or sth.

use this Guide,

http://forum.techinferno.com/implementation-guides/8006-%5Bguide%5D-2012-15-macbook-pro-gtx750ti%4010gbps-tb1-akitio-thunder2-win8-1-bios.html

you need the DIY eGPU 1.2 "I think"

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Hey I've been lurking around the forum for awhile and have finally decided to make a eGPU utilizing thunderbolt2; however,I'm still a bit apprehensive and want to be sure I am purchasing the correct items for what I want to accomplish.

What I currently have:

- Mid 2014 Retina Macbook Pro 15'- base model, no discrete graphics

- PSU - Corsair 450 VX - pulled it out of my old desktop rig

What (I think) I should be looking at getting based on what I have read:

- AKiTio Thunderbolt2 box - trying to locate one for a reasonable price (I live in Canada and unfortunately online resellers e.g. @ amazon.ca have them posted for 482 cad, literally double and then some compared to amazon.com)

- x16 PCIe riser

- Low-mid range video card (+/- ~200 usd range)

Ideally I want to be able to use the internal retina display and based on the squinks post having a macbook pro without the discrete graphics appears to be desired to run Optimus (?); however it is also updated to 2013 but does not mention 2014 models. Also, squinks post mentions using a different chasis, the Sonnet Echo Express SEL? So is it better to use the AKitio or better to use the Sonnet SEL instead?

If anyone could shed some light on this, it would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

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@eleven: Windows 8.1 or MacOSX? Windows 8.1 is easy to get Optimus working.

- the PSU should be enough for anything as fast as a GTX 960 or slower. Keep in mind that your PSU only has 1x6-Pin PCIe power connector.

- consider getting a powered riser to provide power to the AKiTiO and the the GPU as well

AKiTiO + 15" MBPr (mid 2014) is working good with Optimus for me. Please consider reading my guide as well :)

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@Dschijn

Thanks for the reply!

Definitely Windows 8.1, I have a bootcamp partition I was going to primarily (/solely) run it on. Oh wops, I entirely overlooked the PSU pin power connector. Just a few questions:

When I am looking at video cards, to run the internal display do I have to use a EVGA card so that it will be plug and play?

So would that mean if I were to say use a EVGA GTX 960 which has an 8pin, use a 6 to 8 pin adaptor to be able to run the GPU then also get a powered riser to fit into the x16 slot of the AKiTiO to the GPU?

Is that correct?

Thanks again!

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Would that be much of a problem? I mean aside from it not being astetically pleasing? You have a similar gpu but it's the 970 and you have a case for it. Is the enclosure necessary or is there a different gpu you would recommend ?

I mean, I suppose any gpu that fits into the 217 mm frame could still be put in but are there any mid budget gpu's that are small enough and still have reasonable power? Or am I sacrificing too much just so that I can fit it into the AKiTiO box?

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Ah okay! Thanks for the help Dschijn, I'm gonna try ordering the parts and will see how this goes :) .

Btw, is there anywhere I could post to see if anyone from Canada has previously ordered an AKiTiO Thunderbolt 2 PCIe expansion? There doesn't seem to be many options and I just want to make sure before I bite the bullet. The other parts I know I can pick up locally

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Hi Guys!

I think I am ready. Would appreciate if someone could look at the items I am about to order and let me know if everything should work as planned for my...

MACBOOK RETINA 13", early 2013

Price is around 586,72 EUR! Especially the GPU price-quality would be interesting.

AKiTiO Thunder2 PCIe Box - 243EUR
http://www.amazon.de/AKiTiO-Thunder2-PCIe-Box-T2PC-TIA-AKTU/dp/B00NQ23TCU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423039911&sr=8-1&keywords=akitio+thunder+2
Corsair VS Series VS450 - 36,90EUR
https://geizhals.at/corsair-vs-series-vs450-450w-atx-2-31-cp-9020049-eu-a884395.html
Delock 41788 Riser PCI-Express Karte (16x Slot) - 16,79EUR

http://www.amazon.de/Delock-41788-Riser-PCI-Express-Gehäuse/dp/B003Y3QDII/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423039710&sr=8-1&keywords=delock+41788+PCI
16 X 16 X, Powered Riser Kabel EXTENDER-E, PCI - 8,62 EUR
http://www.amazon.de/Buyahash-Powered-EXTENDER-E-Express-Adapter/dp/B00H7LISNQ/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1423039760&sr=8-7&keywords=16x16+PCI-Express+Powered+riser
Cooler Master Elite 110, Mini-ITX - 37,92EUR
https://geizhals.at/cooler-master-elite-110-schwarz-rc-110-kkn2-a1053577.html?t=alle&plz=&va=b&vl=at&hloc=at&v=e#filterform
Zotac GeForce GTX 760 AMP! - 243,49EUR
https://geizhals.at/zotac-geforce-gtx-760-amp-edition-zt-70402-10p-a967275.html?hloc=at
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Hey @arnautovic: Please look into my Guide (Signature). I linked the Riser to a german eBay shop. The one I use has capacitors that might improve stability. For a german AKiTiO shop use this one: format.de-Artikelinformation: AKiTiO Thunder2 PCIe Box

The PSU, DeLock Riser, Case and GPU look fine. Just make sure the card fits into the case, because the Elite 110 is short.

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Made some minor/major changes due to Dschijn's help. Thank you.

Still having some doubts about the case maybe ill pick a bigger one so I have more possibilities with the GPU's length. 210mm really limits my possibilities.

AKiTiO Thunder2 PCIe Box 243,00 [URL]http://www.storesys.de/Akitio-Thunder2-PCIe-Expansion-Box-2-x-TB-Ports-1-PCIe-slot[/URL]
Corsair VS Series VS450 34,06 [URL]http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/450-Watt-Corsair-VS-Series-Non-Modular_974786.html[/URL]
Delock PCIe-Riser-Karte x16 14,40 http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/Delock-PCIe-Riser-Karte-x16_989973.html
Cooler Master Elite 110, Mini-ITX (max 210mm GPU) 37,92 http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/CoolerMaster-Elite-110-Mini-ITX-ohne-Netzteil-schwarz_956258.html
[PCIE] 16x - 16x PCI-Express POWERED Riser Flex → Molex Stromkabel, Mining Rig 11,95 http://www.ebay.de/itm/PCIE-16x-16x-PCI-Express-POWERED-Riser-Flex-Molex-Stromkabel-Mining-Rig-/121282947228?pt=DE_Computer_Sonstige&hash=item1c3d06e89c&clk_rvr_id=774928144015&rmvSB=true
Bitspower 20 PIN ATX - Überbrückungsstecker 2,90 https://www.caseking.de/shop/catalog/Netzteile/Netzteil-Zubehoer/Bitspower-20-PIN-ATX-Ueberbrueckungsstecker::10568.html
Zotac GeForce GTX 760 AMP! Edition 209,90 http://geizhals.de/zotac-geforce-gtx-760-amp-edition-zt-70402-10p-a967275.html?hloc=at&hloc=de
554,13 EUR
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Hi all,

Trying to figure out what parts I need in order to setup e-GPU based on AKiTiO Thunder 2 PCIe box, this forums helps a lot.

However, still not certain what problems I might encounter running system without 16x powered riser.

My main goal is to keep all parts and cables except PSU inside the box for mobility purpose.

Any help will be much appreciated.

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However, still not certain what problems I might encounter running system without 16x powered riser.

Hi please read page 1, first post from nando: http://forum.techinferno.com/enclosures-adapters/7205-us%24200-akitio-thunder2-pcie-box-16gbps-tb2.html

A guide with all inside the AKiTiO (w/o PSU): http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/8882-%5Bguide%5D-2014-13-macbook-pro-gtx970%4016gbps-tb2-akitio-thunder2-handle-win8-1-a.html

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Thanks for reply @Dschijn, have read both posts. Procedures are more or less clear now how to do it without extended riser, however do you know if making modification to internal PCIe board may affect stability or both methods are equivalent?

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Some cards need a very stable 12V line and high wattage on the PCIe slot. A molex powered riser is providing more power to the slot and card.

To make it more compact you can solder an adapter to provide power from the PC PSU directly through the barrel plug to the AKiTiO. Another way is to solder the cables directly to the PCB.

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Apologies if that has already been discussed somewhere else but It seems I have missed something. I have seen a number of videos on which macbook air users actually manage to accelerate the laptop screen. I thought that was only possible under windows with optimus ? Can I do that on my macbook pro retina 2012 too ? Can anyone clarify ?

Thanks in advance.

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Hi, i'm new here in this forum, so welcome to all!

Because i had a spare Nvidia GTX 570 Graphics card and power supply, i built an eGPU setup for my MacBook Pro 13' 2012. The eGPU is connected to the Mac Book Pro via a Thunderbolt 2m cable.

Parts:

Thunderbolt to PCI Express Card: http://www.sonnettech.com/product/ec...underbolt.html

PCI-Express Card to PCI Express (PE4L v2.1 supports PCI E 2.0):

PE4L V2.1 (PCIe Adapter )

All parts are PCI Express 2.0 x1 (5 Gbit/s).

The case is a Cooler Master Elite 130.

Some Nvidia driver patching an KEXT editing: http://forum.techinferno.com/impleme...sx10-10-a.html and http://maxserve.blogspot.tw/2014/04/...underbolt.html

… and it works! smile.png Got a signal at the display. OpenGL (Gaming) 561% faster than internal HD 4000 Graphics, GPGPU (OpenCL and CUDA) working. All fine, including playing HD movies from iTunes Store, DVDs etc.

The next thing i will try is the FirmTek ThunderTek/PX adapter. Hope to gain some performance in comparison with the PE4L v2.1.

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