Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Actual conclusion: Both NVDAStartupWeb and NVDAStartup are just not loading. Default GeForce and NVDAResMan kexts are loading. GeForceWeb not loading. There's also another kext I wasn't aware loaded. And I don't think it was working because my FPS gain was almost nothing. I'll be sending screen captures.
I'm from Brazil, so, in the window: "Carregada"=Loaded; "Sim"=Yes; "Não"=No.

Did you rebuild cache after editing the KEXT's?


Terminal:
sudo touch /Extensions
sudo kextcache -system-caches
[doublepost=1478606502][/doublepost]
Must I have a monitor plugged to the eGPU before starting the machine to select?

No, no monitor needed.

When the card works it should be listed with exact name in 'About this Mac'
 
Did you rebuild cache after editing the KEXT's?


Terminal:
sudo touch /Extensions
sudo kextcache -system-caches
[doublepost=1478606502][/doublepost]

No, no monitor needed.

When the card works it should be listed with exact name in 'About this Mac'

Yes I did rebuild. When I open them again with terminal "sudo nano /System/Library/Extensions etc etc" it's just alright with the kexts I modified. They just don't start with the system.

Noticed the problem. NVDAStartup and NVDAStartupWeb kexts are not loading on boot when the monitor is plugged to the GTX 470. When it's plugged to Intel graphics, they load.
 
Last edited:
Some modells of GTX 470 seem generally to make some problems in newer OS X: https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/cant-boot-os-x-with-gtx-470.119654/

If you install an other Card (Kepler) you could check if your modifications are right.

I think that's just software problem. Startup kexts aren't loading when I start with the monitor plugged on the GTX 470, but they load when I start with monitor on integrated graphics. Is there any other way to force some kexts to start on boot instead of nvram boot-args?
 
I think that's just software problem. Startup kexts aren't loading when I start with the monitor plugged on the GTX 470, but they load when I start with monitor on integrated graphics. Is there any other way to force some kexts to start on boot instead of nvram boot-args?

I cannot see our screen and check your system for errors. :)

You mentioned you have Mac Mini 2011, and I have no problems with a Mac Mini 2012, both have Thunderbolt 1. If you would have a newer Mini I would propose this tool from Netkas: http://forum.netkas.org/index.php/topic,11122.0.html

Maybe it works also with your Mac.
 
Last edited:
Does anybody have the monitor going black after pushing the eGPU a bit?
 
Does anybody have the monitor going black after pushing the eGPU a bit?

No. Seems to be a mechanical problem. All connections checked?

If you would disconnect the Thunerbolt cable, your Mac would crash, but no black screen.
 
I cannot see our screen and check your system for errors. :)

You mentioned you have Mac Mini 2011, and I have no problems with a Mac Mini 2012, both have Thunderbolt 1. If you would have a newer Mini I would propose this tool from Netkas: http://forum.netkas.org/index.php/topic,11122.0.html

Maybe it works also with your Mac.

I may do it, but before paying, I'll make a test with GTX 750Ti. Hope it works.
 
Has anyone used an RX 460 in an eGPU setup? Is it optimistic of me to think that gpu would 'just work' under Sierra?
 
Curious about this too, I assumed it would considering there's Radeon 400 series GPUs in the new MacBook Pros.

Bad news. The Gigabyte RX 460 2GB does not 'just work.' I had to do some minor case modes to make mine fit inside the Akitio2 enclosure with GPU cooling fan, but my MacBook Air is still not recognizing it in software. I attempted to use the automate-eGPU script but that returned a 'Controller not Found' error. It looks like I will have to start researching startup kerts to configure my Air manually.

If anyone has any experience/starting points please shout out.
 
Bad news. The Gigabyte RX 460 2GB does not 'just work.' I had to do some minor case modes to make mine fit inside the Akitio2 enclosure with GPU cooling fan, but my MacBook Air is still not recognizing it in software. I attempted to use the automate-eGPU script but that returned a 'Controller not Found' error. It looks like I will have to start researching startup kerts to configure my Air manually.

If anyone has any experience/starting points please shout out.
That is most unfortunate :( I was hoping to set up my brother with an eGPU. For now I think I'll go with the 1050 ti for Windows and suffer with Iris for macOS. I look forward to any updates on this as I will be needing my own eGPU in the not-so-distant future :)
 
That is most unfortunate :( I was hoping to set up my brother with an eGPU. For now I think I'll go with the 1050 ti for Windows and suffer with Iris for macOS. I look forward to any updates on this as I will be needing my own eGPU in the not-so-distant future :)

There's no profit on making AMD eGPU because AMD graphics cards don't use PCIe packing that Nvidia does. The performance loss is too high.
[doublepost=1479058881][/doublepost]Synchro, when I'm recording my screen with any game or something a little heavy the application keeps running normally but the recorded video is laggy as hell. Is that a bug?
 
  • Like
Reactions: jblagden
There's no profit on making AMD eGPU because AMD graphics cards don't use PCIe packing that Nvidia does. The performance loss is too high.
[doublepost=1479058881][/doublepost]Synchro, when I'm recording my screen with any game or something a little heavy the application keeps running normally but the recorded video is laggy as hell. Is that a bug?
Hmm, really? I'll have to look into this. Thanks for the tip :)
 
This was a lot more trouble than I had planned on, but I leaned a lot about kernel extensions so life level up. At least the hardware side of my RX 460 eGPU was relatively easy.

Screen Shot 2016-11-12 at 9.59.22 PM.png
Screen Shot 2016-11-15 at 6.27.57 PM.png
 
I have a Mac Mini (Mid 2011) w/ Intel HD Graphics 3000 512. I have both a TB and LED Cinema Display but can't use the LED Cinema Display because it won't chain to the TB display. I also have an OWC Helios. I have tried the LED Display last in the TB chain after the Helios and it still will not work. Can I use the MD port on a GeForce GT 120 Mac Edition in the OWC Helios and get it to work with the posted directions. Would both displays work, one connected to the MD port on the eGPU/GT120 connected via the TB port on TB Display?

Im looking for an inexpensive solution and trying to figure this out before I buy a GT 120. Thanks!
 
In response to my post ^...

I pulled the trigger on a Nvidia NVS 310 and a DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort adapter. Hopefully it will work. I will update you all when I receive it Friday.
 
In response to my post ^...

I pulled the trigger on a Nvidia NVS 310 and a DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort adapter. Hopefully it will work. I will update you all when I receive it Friday.

I don't think the Helios can deliver 75 Watt on the PCI connector. Do a workaround with a powered riser as per description in my first post.
 
I don't think the Helios can deliver 75 Watt on the PCI connector. Do a workaround with a powered riser as per description in my first post.

The NVS 310 shows it only needs 19.5W so the 25W minimum (I spoke to an OWC tech and was told they have only tested up to 25W but it may deliver more) from the PCI connector should do. Let me know if I'm making an incorrect assumption here.
 
The NVS 310 shows it only needs 19.5W so the 25W minimum (I spoke to an OWC tech and was told they have only tested up to 25W but it may deliver more) from the PCI connector should do. Let me know if I'm making an incorrect assumption here.

Ok, should work. But it's a very weak Card. Weaker than your Intel HD 3000 iGPU: http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-NVS-310-vs-Intel-HD-3000-Mobile-V2-13-GHz/m10691vsm7647

But for the purpose of enabling Apple Cinema display it works.
 
Hey guys, I have a question about eGPU's. I have a MacBook Pro (late 2016) 15" with 460 on order. Right now I have a late 2013 rMBP 15" that I use in clamshell mode with 3 monitors. That is 1 27" 1440p display and 2 24" 1200p displays. At the moment I connect all my displays with each display on another port. Which means I use the HDMI and the two mini DP/TB2 ports.
For my new MBP I am looking for a solution with which I can connect one or two cables which would connect all my displays and possibly ethernet.

If I'm not mistaken, this should be possible by using an eGPU like the Razer Core or PowerColor Devil Box. They both supply 60w of power to the laptop and have an ethernet port. If these eGPU enclosures work on the late 2016 MBP, do you guys think this is a good setup? Are eGPU's stable enough so I can plugin my laptop and boot/wake from sleep? And if the GPU (for example AMD RX 480) support DisplayPort 1.3 or higher, would it be possible to use DisplayPort 1.3 or higher monitors through this GPU?

Thanks in advance!
 
Ok, should work. But it's a very weak Card. Weaker than your Intel HD 3000 iGPU: http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-NVS-310-vs-Intel-HD-3000-Mobile-V2-13-GHz/m10691vsm7647

But for the purpose of enabling Apple Cinema display it works.

Neat little website! I was hoping for something similar to the iGPU and didn't realize this card was much weaker. I hope I don't have any issues. [EDIT]It actually looks like that website doesn't have the iGPU i'm using. My Intel HD Graphics 3000 is only 512MB.[/EDIT]

I didn't want to take a chance on another card and have to use an external power supply as not much info is available on the max watts in the Helios. I really like the Quadro K1200 but it's like $300 bucks and I didn't feel like it made sense to spend that much. I scored the Helios off craigslist for $80, so all in, this setup was super inexpensive to accomplish my goal of a second display at 2560x1440.

I also considered buying a new Mac Mini with the two TB ports but am really hard pressed to buy a machine that has no user upgradeable RAM / HDD and only supports 16GB max. I currently have that much RAM, an SSD + 2.0GHz i7. A new one configured w/ i7 comes in at $1600 and all I would gain is 1GHz extra on the processor and the extra TB port. All the base models have an i5. Kind of ridiculous. My next machine may end up being a hackintosh.

Will the eGPU be viewed as the main GPU or can it be set as secondary?
 
Last edited:
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.