late-2016 13" Macbook Pro TB + [email protected] (AKiTiO Thunder3) + Win10 [noler]^  

Great setup, another 1060 power inside, just replace the fan grill with silver IMO 🙂

Don't use your MacBook closed you will finish with a display failure!!!

Welcome to MINI eGPU team 🙂

Wow, how did you manage to make the Noctua fan fit? I have the same setup as you, but the right edge of the faceplate on the GPU prevented it from fitting alongside the fan, so I ended up having to mount the fan on the front. This keeps me from using the nice faceplate though. 🙁

(And yes… I know my GPU's fan is missing. The first time I powered it on, there was a pop and a bit of smoke from the GPU's fan connector plug, and it has never worked. I removed it to test powering the fan by another means, but had no luck. I'm waiting on the RMA return process with EVGA right now, and have to baby the card with low graphics settings to keep it cool in the meantime.)

I'm curious if you are having any trouble running the device in clam shell mode. I read somewhere online that plugging in an eGPU and closing the lid will cause the device to crash. but I haven't found anything else.

also, do you know how well this set up will play with the 15" 2016?

also, do you know how well this set up will play with the 15" 2016?   

The Thunder3 works well with the late 2016 15" Macbook: https://egpu.io/external-gpu-implementations-table/?table_filter=%222016%2015%22%20Macbook%22

@noler, very nicely done. A clean, functional and attractive mini eGPU configuration.

Posted by: enjoy

 

Great setup, another 1060 power inside, just replace the fan grill with silver IMO 🙂

Don't use your MacBook closed you will finish with a display failure!!!

Welcome to MINI eGPU team 🙂

 

   

Thanks! Yeah I've actually ordered a silver fan grill. They were out of stock in my local store! :))
Is it for sure I will end up with display failure? Because I have been gaming in clam shell mode and it's been working fine. Can I destroy it by keeping it in clam shell?

Posted by: JacobSyndeo

 

Wow, how did you manage to make the Noctua fan fit? I have the same setup as you, but the right edge of the faceplate on the GPU prevented it from fitting alongside the fan, so I ended up having to mount the fan on the front. This keeps me from using the nice faceplate though. 🙁

 

Hmm, you are not the first person to report this. However i didnt have any problem at all, as you can see on my pictures it fits quite well. No physical modification had to be done.

I post you a user from other forum that have a display failure even with 10-15 degrees open Macbook:

I never tried clamshell, though I used to have the laptop open slightly (around 10-15 degrees) underneath my monitor stand...but after I had to take it into AppleCare for a display failure, and noticing how hot the surface of the display was getting...those two facts may not be related but it scared me enough to always try to keep the laptop open at least 90º when using it with the eGPU. 

His Macbook is (Mid-2014 MacBook Pro (15-inch) - Quad Core i7-4980HQ (2.8 GHz) NVIDIA GT 750m) 

He used Optimus so his 750m is not active, also he have Quad Core you have Dual Core and the temps are in your side but i will recommend you to play games with open Macbook to prevent problems!

Posted by: noler 

Hmm, you are not the first person to report this. However i didnt have any problem at all, as you can see on my pictures it fits quite well. No physical modification had to be done.

Hm… the plastic cover on mine extends out and prevents it from fitting in the case alongside the Noctua fan. I moved my fan inside the case to demonstrate.

Does the cover on yours not do that?

I will take some more pictures of it tomorrow and post. 

I have no idea how to upload pictures to this forum anymore? But here you have a few more:  http://imgur.com/a/z6Ttb

Interesting. Couldn't help but notice that you installed your fan with screws rather than the noise-reducing (per Noctua's silence obsession) rubber mounts. Maybe screws allowed yours to be pulled closer/tighter towards the frame.

But still, there's no way that the screws alone make up for the quarter-inch of extra space my card needs before fitting into the case, even if "fitting" means being flush against the fan like yours is.

As soon as my RMA replacement card with a working fan arrives (shipping says it's still 5 days out, ugh), I honestly might just ditch the Noctua fan. With the side ventilation I carved into my case, It might actually impede airflow, since the GPU's fan will pull air in from the side and push it out the back and front. Unless I reversed the Noctua fan's direction, I don't see it being much help. I'll just have to do thermal testing as soon as my replacement card arrives.

Good job Noler!!!! 

I'm jealous you could fit the fan. I bought this one, "Nanoxia Deep Silence 3-Pin PC Case Fan 60mm 2000rpm" which is pretty good silent fan, and did not fit. Same size of Noctua 60mmx25mm. The original is 60x20mm.

I was planning to try Noctua after what Jacob showed I don't know anymore.

Posted by: dsaul

 

Good job Noler!!!! 

I'm jealous you could fit the fan. I bought this one, "Nanoxia Deep Silence 3-Pin PC Case Fan 60mm 2000rpm" which is pretty good silent fan, and did not fit. Same size of Noctua 60mmx25mm. The original is 60x20mm.

I was planning to try Noctua after what Jacob showed I don't know anymore.

   

Do you also have the EVGA GTX 1060 SC? If so, I wouldn't recommend the Noctua or one with the same dimensions due to my own experience. But since Noler's setup seems to work, YMMV. *shrug*

Posted by: JacobSyndeo

 

Posted by: dsaul

 

Good job Noler!!!! 

I'm jealous you could fit the fan. I bought this one, "Nanoxia Deep Silence 3-Pin PC Case Fan 60mm 2000rpm" which is pretty good silent fan, and did not fit. Same size of Noctua 60mmx25mm. The original is 60x20mm.

I was planning to try Noctua after what Jacob showed I don't know anymore.

   

Do you also have the EVGA GTX 1060 SC? If so, I wouldn't recommend the Noctua or one with the same dimensions due to my own experience. But since Noler's setup seems to work, YMMV. *shrug*

   

The way you get it to work is simply to slowly work the GPU down into the socket.  It SLIGHTLY displaces the plastic shroud and fan, but it is negligible.  The secondary brace-like structure under the GPU's top shroud can be trimmed if you don't want to wedge the card.  I used very little pressure, and the card eventually wiggled into place.

 

   

The way you get it to work is simply to slowly work the GPU down into the socket.  It SLIGHTLY displaces the plastic shroud and fan, but it is negligible.  The secondary brace-like structure under the GPU's top shroud can be trimmed if you don't want to wedge the card.  I used very little pressure, and the card eventually wiggled into place.

   

I guess this is the way to make it work. I just didn't think about what I actually did to make it fit. I just pushed the card down. However, be careful, you don't want to press to hard. 

@noler, Luminair, I guess it could work that way. The only problem is in your set up the Noctua is blowing air into the enclosure. I got better temperature results when blowing the hot air out (with the standard fan).

If you flip the Noctua then the EGVA plastic cover will be touching the fan itself stoping it from work.

Can you confirm that?

Posted by: dsaul

If you flip the Noctua then the EGVA plastic cover will be touching the fan itself stoping it from work.

Can you confirm that?

   

This is accurate in my case.

@noler Nice setup. One question is the the Noctua with a 3 pin or 4 pin connector?

Posted by: ihiro42

 

@noler Nice setup. One question is the the Noctua with a 3 pin or 4 pin connector?

   

You can cut the wires and connect them, Noctua will work fine with 2 wires. Or you can buy something like this  http://m.ebay.com/itm/400589026353?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&_mwBanner=1.

Posted by: Luminair

 

Posted by: dsaul

 

If you flip the Noctua then the EGVA plastic cover will be touching the fan itself stoping it from work.

Can you confirm that?

   

This is accurate in my case.

   

Seconding this. My RMAd GPU (with a working fan this time!) arrived, and it pulls air in from the front and blows it out the left and right sides, relative to the front faceplate of the GPU. Relative to the front of the Thunder3 itself, this means the GPU pulls air in from the left side and pushes it out the front and back, so if you're wanting to run it closed, you'll want to drill some kind of air inlet into the left wall of the Thunder3 to allow the GPU to breathe.

There's lots of good inspiration for ventilated case mods in this thread:
https://egpu.io/forums/thunderbolt-enclosures/akitio-thunder2-and-thunder3-gpu-size-to-close-the-akitio/

I'm personally quite fond of 1.1 and 1.2, and replicated this for my Thunder3 with a jigsaw and some screen mesh, both relatively cheap at Home Depot.

Hey Fellas, 

Thanks for sharing your experience. I have a similar set up: 2016 MacBook Pro 15" + Thunder 3 + EVGA  GTX1060 SC-6Gb. I had to do the dsdt override to get around the Code 12 error. My only issue on the software side is that I have plug in the Thunder3 at startup or it crashes Win10. For some reason it takes a good 2-3 min to recognize the unit and boot up. 

On the hardware side: I'm also having trouble fitting the Noctua fan with the GTX1060. After reading through this thread. I'm going to try and squeeze it, but like Jacob said, it seems to need more clearance.

The other option is to break off that little plastic section that extends over the heat sink fins on the GTX1060. It seems like I can just cut/break the supports and I can get rid of it. Do you guys think this would work or am I going to run into trouble. Will the heat sink fins possibly melt the plastic of the fan if pressed right up against it? 

What do you all think? 

@noler

What did you use to cut the fan hole on the Thunder3?   Looks very clean.

edit.... I found the answer on another thread while sifting through builds (for others interested)...  110mm holesaw, followed up with very high grit sandpaper to polish the edges.

@noler I have a question re the power supply. Why can't you use the built in power socket? It seems the Thunder3 supports 120w which is what the 1060 needs? Cheers!