No 2014 mac mini eGPU native TB2 implementation yet. There are TB1 eGPU implementations for the 2011 and 2012 mac mini. Both using a US$200 AKiTiO Thunder2 enclosure. See -->> Implementations Hub: Thunderbolt eGPUs (Tech|Inferno) <--
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eGPU on 2014 Mini - Anyone done it yet?
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No 2014 mac mini eGPU native TB2 implementation yet. There are TB1 eGPU implementations for the 2011 and 2012 mac mini. Both using a US$200 AKiTiO Thunder2 enclosure. See -->> Implementations Hub: Thunderbolt eGPUs (Tech|Inferno) <--
Using your mad skillz to hack together an expensive eGPU solution for an already overpriced PC must be extremely satisfying.
Guess I need to start a thread there and publicize. Works great but the EFI boot screens seem to prefer a cold start instead of a restart. Have it working in 10.10.1 and Win 8
So as I understand these things, you have the pci chassis, with its own power supply, then you have a second external power supply for the card. Is there some fundamental reason why, given actual PCs can be assembled so cheaply, that theres no simple turnkey box with a single power cord that can power one of these big graphics cards, so we get something that looks like a proper peripheral, rather than a vivisection?
From what I was able to dig up, it seems there were, but apparently Intel had threatened legal action causing the product to be discontinued shortly after release. They would prefer people spend money on new cpus vs graphics cards, after all.
That's unsurprising, since Intel's business direction is focussed on competing with discreet graphics by moving graphics processing on-chip. Allowing every form of card in a spec, except the kind made by your strategic competitors, screams dodgy.
My suspicion is that calling it a Thunderbolt peripheral is what trips it up - logo and trademark licensing.
Sony seemed to get around it, probably because they didn't call their dock Thunderbolt (and from memory they used a USB plug).
In the meantime, I'd settle for a parts list and instructions. Really the only requirement - that its a self-contained box, with 1 power cord, and 1 switch. Variable speed, quiet cooling would be a plus.
What I don't get is the "just buy an iMac" argument - I don't want a glossy screen which needs to be scrapped when the computer they're built into becomes obsolete (I haven't heard about the long term effects of using an iMac in TDM, does it stay like that, or do you have to have to keep a keyboard plugged into it and start up with a keypress every time). That's the great joke of the 5K iMac, it has no Target Display Mode, so while you get a "free" computer for less than the cost of a 4k display, it's a display you have to junk when the computer becomes obsolete.
Or the laughable pricing on the nMP - hell, 2nd hand cMPs sell for more in Australia than the equivalent nMP does in America.
As far as I can see the only reasonable option, failing an eGPU, is to look for a wrecked MBP that has no screen, and build up a case for it, given the discreet graphics models can run 3 external displays.
Is it still expensive as hell? Anything more than $200 to have a GPU connected via Thunderbolt is a no-deal, since the small bandwidth of TB2 is a very limiting factor in real-time application (of course, for CUDA/OpenCL/rendering this is not a big issue as you can tolerate some latency).
As it has been always the case, Apple proprietary buses reach obsolescence when they are just becoming affordable.
But is the TB2 bandwidth / latency actually a thing in real-world situations? It seems from all the examples we're seeing, that eGPUs still outperform the built in discreet options Apple ships.
I agree, I think there's an opportunity of improving graphics performance via Thuderbolt. However, it can't be more expensive than buying an entire PC system with the same graphics card (and without needing to deal with the limitations of TB2).
A $200 adapter (TB cable included) seems to be the sweet spot. Even better if it supported dual-link Thunderbolt connections, allowing 40Gbps on TB2 systems and 20Gbps on the original Thunderbolt. If it reaches the $300 mark (and more $200-300 in a GPU), then I think you can build a PC system which will do the job better.
I guess I'm thinking of it from the perspective that a mini (or indeed a MBA) with an eGPU is probably going to be better supported in terms of OS tech like handoff & upgrades etc than going the full hackintosh route - given you can always just unplug 1 cable and have a vanilla mac again.
Hell I remember paying $1200 for a Quickdraw accelerated graphics card on my first mac in 1994, so spending that much to get a graphics card peripheral that'll outlast a couple of generations of computer really isn't an issue. It's the spending several thousand on something that has to be wholly dumped after a few years that's the choke point.