Reddit reviews Akitio Thunder2 PCIe Box - Not Intended for The use of Graphic Cards

You can already get them for $200. https://www.amazon.com/Akitio-AMZ-T2PC-TIA-AKTU-Thunder2-PCIe/dp/B00LTAUTHE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1472936166&sr=8-1&keywords=thunderbolt+pcie+enclosure

The issue is that very, very few people actually want one.

For Dota you really should be set with just what's in your macbook. I know you can definitely run all of the borderlands games on that hardware as well, but an eGPU will certainly let you max it out and get higher performance. I am currently running a 980 off of my MacBook Air and it's delightful.

At this stage of eGPUs with macs there are a couple things to keep in mind. First, there is no out-of-the-box solution yet that isn't a ripoff. Most will require a little bit of tinkering, especially the cheaper solutions. This is not at all to discourage you, as there are a lot of great guides and some great communities, but just as a warning. Secondly, you won't be able to get the performance you're looking for on the internal display, you'll need to run it through an external monitor.

For your $300-400 budget, I would advise you to get the AKiTiO Thunder2 Thunderbolt to PCIe expansion chassis. It's $189 and is probably exactly what you need. It requires a very small modification to be able to power a desktop GPU, and if you get a card that has low enough power consumption you can run it all through a special Dell power brick (DA-2)with very minimal modification. The whole solution is actually relatively portable if you chose this option. So that puts you at ~$200-250 for the setup, then all you need is a graphics card.

I am quite partial to Nvidia, but they can run slightly more expensive, but they have other bonuses. Nevertheless, do your own research on what kind of card you want, from what you said anything from the 7xx and 9xx series would work for you, but honestly so could a couple 6xx series cards. As I said I'm not too knowledgeable on AMD so do some research when picking out your card on both fronts, just make sure it's power consumption will work with the set-up.

I am a huge eGPU advocate and if anything wasn't clear feel free to PM me or whatever and I'm more than happy to discuss it. If you're not keen on that, TechInferno has what is arguably the best eGPU community and knowledge/support base around. Definitely check them out regardless as they have a ton of guides and people probably in your same situation that will give you an idea of what you're looking at time/money/difficulty wise.

Cheers!

Edit - added links

>This entire thread is entirely about price.

Great, my comments aren't.

>What I wrote was entirely true. It's only untrue when you failed to recognize the clear distinctions I'd made.

Your distinction was that no single external drive on the market is able to saturate 10Gbps, because you were under the false assumption that an external NVMe SSD doesn't exist. That's literally what you said. That's what I'm quoting right here, once again:

>AFAIK, there is no (external) drive on the market able to saturate 3.1 gen 2, and probably won't be for some time. Saturating it requires RAID, the fastest of NVME SSD's in a (non existent?) external NVME enclosure, or a large number of extremely high data rate peripherals.

Once again, that's not true. That right there is a single drive, and its capable of saturating over 10Gbps. So once again... you're wrong.

>Where again can we buy an NVME enclosure in which to place a Samsung 960 pro?
Exactly.

I literally just linked it to you in my previous post. What is your deal man? It's right here. Click on it. That is an external enclosure that full supports a Samsung 960 Pro.

I think it is when you can buy today one for $210

https://www.amazon.com/Akitio-AMZ-T2PC-TIA-AKTU-Thunder2-PCIe/dp/B00LTAUTHE

This is a $100 markup, for something untested, that you will have to wait for 6 months+ for.

https://www.amazon.com/Akitio-AMZ-T2PC-TIA-AKTU-Thunder2-PCIe/dp/B00LTAUTHE

There are also a lot of build guides out there. I have no idea if you're able to use one with your PC tho, and I've never tried to build one myself.

Well it's something you'd leave on your desk and unplug when you wanted to move around just like a PC.

apple/comments/31sa47/has_anyone_used_a_external_gpu_through_thunderbolt/

http://www.amazon.com/Akitio-Thunder2-PCIe-Box/dp/B00LTAUTHE

This works with TB 1 too. Obviously you'd need a GPU to stick in it.

The technology is already pretty common. The only difference now is a newer version of Thunderbolt.

I would buy this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00LTAUTHE/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1465830352&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=akitio+egpu

Also scroll down when you open the link and find the "frequently bought together" and buy all 3 it should cost $264. It's the Akitio EGPU. Also the actual graphics card you will want to get the gtx 1080/1070, or 980 Ti.

The total should be under $1000

You would need a PCIe dock, they run about $200 like this, and a m.2 to PCIe size adapter, another $15 like this, and then you need a machine that has a thunderbolt port to use that dock.

Edited

Here's my parts list

Akitio Thunder 2

NIVIDIA GTX 970 Mini-ITX

Corsair CM450

Cooler Master Elite 130 w/o PSU

PCIe to Molex adapter

90 degree PCIe riser

Here is a post on TechInferno about eGPUs. These guys are super helpful and have loads of tutorials. Still not a project for the faint of heart!

For 200 Bucks you are almost half way to a decent VR pc minus the GPU.

http://www.amazon.com/Akitio-AMZ-T2PC-TIA-AKTU-Thunder2-PCIe/dp/B00LTAUTHE

https://www.amazon.com/Akitio-Thunder2-PCIe-Box-intended/dp/B00LTAUTHE

For those of you interested:
This Akitio Thunder2 is mostly all you need to connect a discrete graphics card to your Thunderbolt 2/3 port.
A user named nando4, found here on TechInferno's DIY eGPU section has done a lot of work to make DIY eGPU's a reality.
All else you need is a PSU with a jumper, if your card uses more than PCI-Express's 75W and an enclosure if you use a particularly large card.
Beyond that, most guides recommend using an Nvidia GPU because their use of Optimus allows you to use your internal notebook display, not requiring an external display to use your graphics card.
However, there's also a performance hit of around 7-10% if you use an internal LCD.
AMD cards are supported if you're doing an external display.
With Windows 8.1, the device and setup is mostly plug and play, but there are workarounds if necessary.
The total cost for an enclosure plus Akitio plus a PSU, if you utilize the group buy on TechInferno is easily under $300.
This is a very affordable option to someone who uses a MacBook for software work, wants to game, but doesn't want to invest into a full desktop.
This is also amazing for the same person who wants something to carry to a LAN event, but doesn't want to carry around a large PC.
This is also great for someone who travels a lot, who has a notebook with TB ports, who wants to game while traveling for work.
This is also great for someone who does complex rendering, animation or editing or video work and doesn't want to carry around a Mac Pro.
Overall, this is just great.

Various types of connections to get it going but they have been out there. For quite some time.

Solution 1

Solution 2

Solution 3

Turn off ambient occlusion, shadows off, dynamic reflections to off, those are the biggest trouble makers (Even on recent cards). On Intel integrated models/lighting/textures also have to be low.

I've noticed the game when set to auto, even if it lowers below 50%, can be worse than locking it to 50% render scale manually (It can bounce above 50% when it shouldn't). re: tested it on an intel igpu, but I use an amd rx 480 instead.

Edit: The game doesn't allow lower than 50% render scale when done manually, so you'll have to set a lower non-native resolution than what your display actually is, while keeping render scale at 50%.

That said, I have gotten it to run 60 fps solid at the lowest possible settings at 1080p (50% render scale, lowest gfx settings) on intel integrated on a Skylake 6700k (desktop enthusiast cpu with integrated gpu). Like I said though, I use an AMD rx 480 instead though, because why splurge on a cpu and not gpu?

The game isn't CPU bound, so you probably could hook up a real GPU card via a thunderbolt to PCIe adapter to get the full desktop experience on the macbook pro under bootcamp.

example: https://www.amazon.com/Akitio-AMZ-T2PC-TIA-AKTU-Thunder2-PCIe/dp/B00LTAUTHE

And also, they make these now:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LTAUTHE

SECTION | CONTENT
:--|:--
Title | SUPERCHARGE your New MacBook Pro !!!
Description | External GPUs to upgrade your 2016 MacBook Pro. Do they work for Gaming? Adobe Premiere? TB2 Enclosure - http://amzn.to/2ihik8F (modified) TB3 Enclosure - http://amzn.to/2izdRvK Laptop skins from https://www.dbrand.com INSTRUCTIONAL GUIDE MacOS MBP 13/MBP 15 using TB3 1 - Connect TB3 eGPU to MacBook Pro 2 - Run TB3 enabler script - https://github.com/KhaosT/tb3-enabler 3 - Install automated GPU driver kit - https://github.com/goalque/automate-eGPU 4 - Download Mac Nvidia CUDA drivers if nee...
Length | 0:05:32






****

^(I am a bot, this is an auto-generated reply | )^Info ^| ^Feedback ^| ^(Reply STOP to opt out permanently)

How about this? The top review says it can work with a eGPU

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/cr/B00LTAUTHE/ref=mw_dp_cr

Akitio Thunder2 PCIe Box

EVGA GeForce GTX 750Ti

This PSU

This Script only required for macOS, Windows should be fine if installed in EFI

\^this! Go and get you a Macbook 15" or an iMac 21.5" or 27". They aren't so expensive anymore. I got an iMac 2011 21.5" for only 200 CHF (200€).

The CPU`s were way better than this one in your MacBook Pro 2010.

But only buy one with an i7 Quad Core, they have enough Power.

For the GPU you can buy somethings better for your iMac/MacbookPro or Mac mini. You can buy a Thunderbolt 1/2 GPU Adapter, they weren`d so expensive anymore. Take a look here click me . They work with Thunderbolt 1, too.

I would chose the iMac.

Sounds like the Bizon is a modified version of this:
https://www.amazon.com/Akitio-AMZ-T2PC-TIA-AKTU-Thunder2-PCIe/dp/B00LTAUTHE
Which you can add your own power supply to and use whatever card you want.

I have a 5K iMac, i7 4GHz and I'm looking at these right now.

So any laptop with a thunderbolt 3 port will work with a dock? Do you know some good docks that are on the market today, which isn't DIY or some hacky / cheap stuff?

I can't seem to find much, except this one: https://www.amazon.com/Akitio-AMZ-T2PC-TIA-AKTU-Thunder2-PCIe/dp/B00LTAUTHE/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 which is a brand I've never heard of, has reports of cards not fitting and stopping working after a week.

You can probably find more information online, but...

Parts used:

• GTX 980
  
• Akitio Thunder2
  
• PCIe Riser Cable
  
• Dell Power Adapter
  
• Modded power cable
  
• Thunderbolt Cable (ships with Akitio)
  
• Thunderbolt2 capable laptop (no reason to use this with desktop)
  
  Once everything's put together, connects to your laptop via Thunderbolt cable. If you've built a desktop computer before, you'll easily be able to figure out how to put this together. If you haven't, I don't recommend attempting this.

This one is $219

https://www.amazon.com/Akitio-AMZ-T2PC-TIA-AKTU-Thunder2-PCIe/dp/B00LTAUTHE/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1481327927&sr=1-2&keywords=gaming+dock

Let me pop this here then, go down to the reviews and you can see that verified purchasers have said that it works fine with gtx 980ti, which means it will work fine with any of the new pascal lineup. Also, to add to that, it uses thunderbolt, and is compatible with ANY device that uses thunderbolt. Still just barely over $200, clocking in at $219. I actually have some personal experience with this enclosure, and its completely fantastic as far as performance goes, and its very easy to install, and it also has additional fans to air out the card even better than it would be cooled in a small-mid sized case. Also, it says its a 35w power limit, but its compatible with power supplies, and so it can be easily setup to handle more power.

You can drop a 10gbe PCIe card into a Thunderbolt enclosure. Still quite expensive, but could do i.e.:

https://www.amazon.com/Akitio-Thunder2-PCIe-Box-intended/dp/B00LTAUTHE

+

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Solarflare-SFN5122F-Dual-Port-10GbE-PCI-E-Server-Card-/201262999161

There are also Smalltree cards that use the Intel X540 chip, and the hackintosh community has made their drivers work with cheap vanilla Intel X540 cards.

otherwise called an eGPU.

If you have the correct ports on your lappy it is a stand alone box with power supply that you put a regular GPU in then connect to your pc for an upgrade.

there are many models, I just grabbed a random link for sample:

https://www.amazon.com/Akitio-AK-T2PC-TIA-AKTU-Thunder2-PCIe-Box/dp/B00LTAUTHE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432996428&sr=8-1&keywords=akitio+box


Personally as someone who is going to be facing this same problem within the next 12months/year I am moving back to a gaming pc and cheapo lappy's. I don't regret the choice of a gaming laptop at the time I got it as it really did fit the situation, but i also went into it fully expecting it's life span to be shorter then the average comparable desktop.


I think the better option is a desktop since this problem can be avoided easier for less cost when it is time for an upgrade. think of it this way, _ ok you solved your immediate problem but it could cost north of $500 to do it if you want a powerful card, THEN a little more time goes by and something else needs an upgrade, be it ram or CPU or even windows, NOW your stuck, as nothing else but the OS can be replaced really. so now you not only have an old laptop you have an egpu and case sitting around doing nothing or you end up taking the card out to put in a better desktop.

I see very limited reasons where an Egpu is a better choice.

check out this forum

the market for egpu is finally reacting to the demand for cost effective egpus. after some research i am considering the Akitio Thunder2 PCIe Box priced at $211. ill need to read more but it is possible to upgrade the riser to support full length cards, the psu, and a case for around $90.

So for around $300 you have a system that will support graphics cards for years to come. I think people want a system around the $200 range but I have an apple cinema display monitor and would rather buy a windows copy for bootcamp rather than a shitty dvi to tb converter(~$100) if I built a pc.

I remember looking at those awhile ago - looks like there are even cheaper ones now.

What do you actually want to play? I have a retarded laptop with SLI 980Ms and the power is still somewhat lacking.

You may be better off with something like this, depending on what your playstyle is.

Hi Escape_Pilssken!

Recently I have been looking into building a eGPU for my dell m3800 precision laptop. I Reddit searched the Akitio Thunderbolt 2 external PCIe port and your build post came up. I use my laptop for CAD and can run games at medium settings (GTAV, 720p, 45FPS) however I have trouble running any game more intense than GTA. My computer has a thunderbolt 2, so thats a start and i have been looking into other parts. Now I see you use it for mac but have read it does work with windows. As of now this is my shopping list..... Akitio,

http://www.amazon.com/Akitio-AMZ-T2PC-TIA-AKTU-Thunder2-PCIe/dp/B00LTAUTHE/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458307550&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=akiitio

Power supply,

http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Continuous-Warranty-Supply-100-W1-0500-KR/dp/B00H33SFJU/ref=pd_bxgy_147_img_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1GNV44JSQF1C20V1ACSH

PCIe risser,

http://www.amazon.com/PCIE-Powered-Flexible-Extender-Bitcoin/dp/B00GUKRX6S/ref=pd_bxgy_147_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1GNV44JSQF1C20V1ACSH

and most importantly, GTX 960

http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-Overclocked-GDDR5-Graphics-GV-N960IXOC-4GD/dp/B0167OW8M0/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1458308437&sr=1-1&keywords=gigabyte+itx+960

Is this all I need? am I overlooking anything? I assume the akitio comes with a thunderbolt 2 to thunderbolt 2. I am not the most tech savy when it comes to hardware so i just want to make sure im not missing anything. Also from what you can see will this card fit or will i have to leave it outside the box?

Thats all I can think of now, so thanks for our help!

Blankdeck31

Oh, okay.


I saw this https://www.amazon.com/Akitio-Thunder2-PCIe-Box-intended/dp/B00LTAUTHE/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Akitio+thunder2&qid=1563918555&s=gateway&sr=8-2 and all over youtube, it says you can use it. It shows in the title "Not intended for the use of graphics card) so what exactly does that mean?


And also when I asked Apple Support they said that the T3 to T2 is like if you have a T3 (on your mac) and you have something that's T2, you can do T3 -> T2. They said that if a device is T3 and you have T2, it won't work that way (afaik).

http://www.amazon.com/Akitio-AMZ-T2PC-TIA-AKTU-Thunder2-PCIe/dp/B00LTAUTHE/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462741869&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=atikio+thunder2

https://www.techinferno.com/index.php?/forums/forum/113-implementation-guides-apple/

Akitio Thunder2 PCIE Box
https://www.amazon.com/Akitio-AMZ-T2PC-TIA-AKTU-Thunder2-PCIe/dp/B00LTAUTHE

Akitio Thunder3 PCIE Box
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=1273177&gclid=Cj0KEQjw6am-BRCTk4WZhLfd4-oBEiQA3ydA3kayYapBVG5W5mbmU6gTnC8xE4MhSEuK5LOtBiBL0pkaAh7Y8P8HAQ&is=REG&ap=y&c3api=1876%2C92051678162%2C&A=details&Q=

I'd suggest to go eGPU route if you want to stay mobile.

Akitio Thunder 2, Additional Power supply, and GTX 980 (or a cheaper one!) would cost you around ~$600. You can always swap vidya card, and with adapters, it will work even with next gen MacBooks.
The 'video card ready' BizonBox will net you ~$600 for the case alone.

Myself, since I don't move that much around, I recently got 2008 MacPro. Slapped SSD and GTX680 on it and now I can play GTAV @60. Good times.

Yes, I will run it on Win10 Bootcamp.
So I just need to buy this + this one and connect it to the display?