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2014 15” MBP Iris + 2X R9_280X@16Gbps-TB2 (Netstor NA211TB) + Win8.1/OSX [goalque]


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...If AKiTiO was stable with newer AMDs...

I've been running around in circles trying to implement an R9 380 with an AKiTiO box in Windows 7! Not to get off topic, but is there any indication as to why this issue occurs only with AKiTiO/ newer AMD cards? From my testing, it appears to be related to AMD drivers...

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I've been running around in circles trying to implement an R9 380 with an AKiTiO box in Windows 7! Not to get off topic, but is there any indication as to why this issue occurs only with AKiTiO/ newer AMD cards? From my testing, it appears to be related to AMD drivers...

I did only a few tests with a R9 390 + AKiTiO. Behaved opposite as to 3DMark11. No crash in physics, but crashed at some point when the GPU was stressed. Previously it was clear that when a R9 2xx GPU was not stressed, sooner or later the result was a blank white screen, and everything pointed at AKiTiO itself on OS X and Windows. HD 7xxx cards were stable. Regarding R9 3xx & AKiTiO it’s a bit unclear. I don’t rule out the possibility to fix this issue by software/driver. By the way, Apple changed something in OS X Yosemite 10.10.5 update as well since earlier the booting got stuck with the R9 390. On OS X 10.11 Developer Beta it worked smoothly.

Please note that this guide is not up to date. Automate-eGPU.sh script is worth to try on OS X.

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  • 2 weeks later...

when using only one GPU, Goalque, do you think it's possible to stick a pcie card with a SSD on it? I kinda would like to buy a netstore 221TB too, drop in a GTX980 or TI (change the PSU of course), and add a sonnetech card where I can drop my current 500gb ssd with my steam games.

But I do wonder how it will affect the Tdb2 bandwith, playing game on the ssd while the GFX card is working...

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when using only one GPU, Goalque, do you think it's possible to stick a pcie card with a SSD on it? I kinda would like to buy a netstore 221TB too, drop in a GTX980 or TI (change the PSU of course), and add a sonnetech card where I can drop my current 500gb ssd with my steam games.

But I do wonder how it will affect the Tdb2 bandwith, playing game on the ssd while the GFX card is working...

I tried external Thunderbolt SSD with my first eGPU over a year ago, which was a Sonnet SEL and no significant impact on gaming experience. I guess it’s the same with PCIe SSD. At the moment I am using this: Portable SSD T1

Its USB3 speed is superb. Approximately 420MB/s reading and 260MB/s writing on OS X.

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when using only one GPU, Goalque, do you think it's possible to stick a pcie card with a SSD on it? I kinda would like to buy a netstore 221TB too, drop in a GTX980 or TI (change the PSU of course), and add a sonnetech card where I can drop my current 500gb ssd with my steam games.

But I do wonder how it will affect the Tdb2 bandwith, playing game on the ssd while the GFX card is working...

I use a Western Digital My Passport Pro to hold dual SSDs (256GB OS, and 1TB SSD Steam Games). I sometimes connect this to the second port on the Akitio box, and haven't seen any issues running things this way. Most of the time the external is connected directly to my iMac, but if I use it with my MBA, I have to daisy chain the drives to the eGPU (also have done this on the iMac as well). This is all under TB1 as well as neither of my machines have TB2.

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I found a 500W Flex-ATX PSU, but unfortunately it's not on the market yet. 500W, 80+ Platinum, 2x2+6-Pin PCIe plugs. Sweet!

-FSP GROUP :::PC Power Supply, IPC Power Supply, Open Frame, Adapter :::

Update on that PSU. It is currently not available and only planned as a server PSU without PCIe plugs. In another forum they are trying to motivate a reseller to order that PSU with a more consumer friendly plug "layout".

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  • 2 months later...
I did only a few tests with a R9 390 + AKiTiO. Behaved opposite as to 3DMark11. No crash in physics, but crashed at some point when the GPU was stressed. Previously it was clear that when a R9 2xx GPU was not stressed, sooner or later the result was a blank white screen, and everything pointed at AKiTiO itself on OS X and Windows. HD 7xxx cards were stable. Regarding R9 3xx & AKiTiO it’s a bit unclear. I don’t rule out the possibility to fix this issue by software/driver. By the way, Apple changed something in OS X Yosemite 10.10.5 update as well since earlier the booting got stuck with the R9 390. On OS X 10.11 Developer Beta it worked smoothly.

Please note that this guide is not up to date. Automate-eGPU.sh script is worth to try on OS X.

Is this an issue of power or bandwidth?

Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk

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Is this an issue of power or bandwidth?

Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk

AKiTiO gets enough power. Thunderbolt operates through x4, but the GPU is electrically x8 connected on the backplane of a NA211TB. I guess that makes the difference.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi guys. I followed @goalque R9 390 + Akitio build and connected it to my 2012 MBP (non retina) running 10.11.1. The GPU and Akitio are powered by a 450w Silversstone PSU, and am using a power riser + molex.

post-38593-14495001310232_thumb.jpg

After using the autoscript (absolutely amazing work @goalque), I gained acceleration in OpenCL and graphics when connected to a secondary monitor. I am however getting a lot of screen flickering.

The system also crashes after a few minutes after loading youtube or going into system pref. Oddly, graphically intensive work such as running Valley or FCPX haven't caused crashes.

I read AMDs are generally not stable on Akitios, but I was wondering if there is anything I can try with before returning it and purchasing a Nestor NA211TB.

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Hi guys. I followed @goalque R9 390 + Akitio build and connected it to my 2012 MBP (non retina) running 10.11.1. The GPU and Akitio are powered by a 450w Silversstone PSU, and am using a power riser + molex.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]16729[/ATTACH]

After using the autoscript (absolutely amazing work @goalque), I gained acceleration in OpenCL and graphics when connected to a secondary monitor. I am however getting a lot of screen flickering.

The system also crashes after a few minutes after loading youtube or going into system pref. Oddly, graphically intensive work such as running Valley or FCPX haven't caused crashes.

I read AMDs are generally not stable on Akitios, but I was wondering if there is anything I can try with before returning it and purchasing a Nestor NA211TB.

Yes, remove the PCIe riser to ensure best Gen2 signalling. We have many examples of flakey Gen2 signalling as soon as an additional extender board (or socketted cable) is introduce.

Easiest way it to remove the the AKiTiO Thunder2 board from the chassis and connect the video card into the board. Then connect your PSU using a molex-to-barrel adapter to supply board+PCIe power and connect the ATX PCIe power connectors to the video card.

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Yes, remove the PCIe riser to ensure best Gen2 signalling. We have many examples of flakey Gen2 signalling as soon as an additional extender board (or socketted cable) is introduce.

Easiest way it to remove the the AKiTiO Thunder2 board from the chassis and connect the video card into the board. Then connect your PSU using a molex-to-barrel adapter to supply board+PCIe power and connect the ATX PCIe power connectors to the video card.

Thanks @Tech Inferno Fan. I gave it a try by connecting the GPU directly to the PCIe and powering the Akitio with 2x Molex to 1x barrel plug but I'm still getting the same results. Screen flicker on the desktop and instability after about 5 minutes. I'm going to try a fresh install of 10.11.1 to see if it helps.

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  • 1 month later...

hi iam e new one and i would like to ask you 

do you know any stable and card that work  with akitio thunder 2 

i want to make an egpu in my system 

i have mac book pro  late 2011 with thunderbolt 1 

i want amd in order to have more fun with final cut pro and 4k videos 

what is your opinion @goalque

Edited by lerass
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3 hours ago, lerass said:

hi iam e new one and i would like to ask you 

do you know any stable and card that work  with akitio thunder 2 

i want to make an egpu in my system 

i have mac book pro  late 2011 with thunderbolt 1 

i want amd in order to have more fun with final cut pro and 4k videos 

what is your opinion @goalque

Any HD series card should be ok with the AKiTiO, such as HD 7970. Unfortunately the Final Cut Pro is not my production tool, but here’s the compatibility list:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202239

Remember that apps are not designed with eGPU in mind. It always depends on the application as well.

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iam looking at Sapphire R9 280x vapor-x i order to connect with thunderbolt 1 and akitiohave you hear any problems n this card 

i read in a forum its the best card for final cut

can thunderbolt 1 handle this card or it should work with less performance 

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2 hours ago, lerass said:

iam looking at Sapphire R9 280x vapor-x i order to connect with thunderbolt 1 and akitiohave you hear any problems n this card 

i read in a forum its the best card for final cut

can thunderbolt 1 handle this card or it should work with less performance 

 

 

Thunderbolt1 can work with the card. Just be aware that the AKiTiO Thunder2 has stability problems with AMD R9 series cards with goalque resolving it by using a significantly more expensive Netstor enclosure as detailed in this thread.

 

@goalque noted that HD series cards are OK: https://www.techinferno.com/index.php?/forums/topic/6745-2014-15”-macbook-pro-2x-r9_280x16gbps-tb2-netstor-na211tb-win81osx-goalque/&do=findComment&comment=126086

 

You might consider getting a HD7970 instead of an R9 280X.

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okay so i bought my aikitio thunder 2

 

i  want to use my egpu mainly for my finalcutx rendering, on  MacBook Pro i7 (15-inch, Early 2011) intel HD3000 + AMD Radeon HD 6750M 1024 MB, El capitan, SSD

 

initially wanted to buy  MSI R9 380  video card but looks like it doesn't work on mac OS X  el captain 

 

so i am buying  Asus HD 7970 based on suggested from many ppl i think?

 do i need a psu with this setup? how many watts?  what else  do i need before to began with?

 

Thank you for your help

Edited by MohammedSayed
adding info
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  • Tech Inferno Fan changed the title to 2014 15” MBP Iris + 2X R9_280X@16Gbps-TB2 (Netstor NA211TB) + Win8.1/OSX [goalque]

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