Hey all,
It has been a good while since I have been active on the forums. Some of you may know me from working together with @goalque on getting eGPUs working with Mac OSX 10.12. At the time I still used an Akitio Thunder 2 with an AMD RX480. But thanks to @itsage and @mymantiz_john I got the chance to test two prototype Mantiz Venus boards. The latter I still use to date and works perfectly with my Macbook Pro 2015.
I have been working on a lasercut eGPU chasis for a while now, as I didn't really like having a cardboard box on my desk all the time. I really like the look of the trashcan Mac Pro (I seem to be the only one) so I took this as a reference point and started putting everything together in Fusion 360. This was the result:
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The design is based on 3mm Acrylic sheets that get bolted together on special cut joints. 3mm is not the strongest, but with some basic studs and bridges it became quite rigid. The chasis can house a full-length GPU, SFX PSU and 2.5" HDD along with the Mantiz Venus, and expansion board. All the IO ports are wired to the back using panel-mount style cables.
I ordered my lasercut pieces and a week later I received them in the mail:
The top and bottom 'fan grill' are meant to be glued together, so I 3D Printed a mold to help with aligning everything properly. The outer shell for the chasis will be made from two 'Authentics Lunar' trashcans (how ironic).
It will look something like this (I have to modify the trashcans to stick together and become taller):
For now I have everything glued and bolted together and it works perfectly! I'm really happy with the result.
I will opensource all the design files (still looking for the best way to do this so that everyone can really collaborate). So if you're looking into making this yourself, you can! And if you want to improve on the design, or make it work for yourself, you will also be able to do so. Just not for commercial use in any means.
I hope you guys like the design, and thanks for @mymantiz_john and @itsage for providing me with the board. I really love it!
EDIT: I open-sourced the designs using Autodesk's own sharing tools. Even though you an now download the files, if you really want to collaborate I suggest you ask me to make you a collaborator on the project. This way you can improve the design in the original file with versioning and merging of new designs. If you only wish to recreate the design you can just download it in the file format you want.
Here is the link: https://a360.co/2GBDZ4V
To do: Create my signature with system and expected eGPU configuration information to give context to my posts. I have no builds.
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Holy cow thats impressive... I'm considering trying to design and build my own enclosure but unsure where to even start... any tips or pointers?
2017 13" MacBook Pro Touch Bar
GTX1060 + AKiTiO Thunder3 + Win10
GTX1070 + Sonnet Breakaway Box + Win10
GTX1070 + Razer Core V1 + Win10
Vega 56 + Razer Core V1 + macOS + Win10
Vega 56 + Mantiz Venus + macOS + W10
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LG 5K Ultrafine flickering issue fix
2018 Mac Mini [8th,6C,B] + RX 580 @ 32Gbps-TB3 (AKiTiO Node Lite) + Win10 20H2 [build link]
Holy cow thats impressive... I'm considering trying to design and build my own enclosure but unsure where to even start... any tips or pointers?
I suggest you start with making a rough idea of what you want as requirements for your enclosure. For example for me: I wanted a small footprint enclosure that can hold full length GPUs, a PSU and preferably some other hardware. I also wanted it to stand out on my desk, design wise.
Then check what hardware is already available. I tried finding an enclosure that looked like the nMP. So I found that online in the form of a trashcan that I cut out the bottom of. This would serve as my base.
Grab your calipers and measure everything as acurately as you can. Every screwhole and connector and joint should be indexed.
From there I headed over into Fusion 360. This software is designed to do just this; develop some part that can be fabricated. Sketch in all your measurements and stick everything together until you are happy.
It might look like a really difficult piece of software at first, but there is loads of tutorials to get you started in no-time.
Good luck, and have fun buildimg your own chasis!
To do: Create my signature with system and expected eGPU configuration information to give context to my posts. I have no builds.
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This is the enclosure I've always dreamed of! Perfect. I only designed a wireframe model but that idea never went further. Can you turn it around so that the display/thunderbolt cables fold neatly at the bottom?
automate-eGPU EFI ● apple_set_os.efi
Mid 2015 15-inch MacBook Pro eGPU Master Thread
2018 13" MacBook Pro [8th,4C,U] + Radeon VII @ 32Gbps-TB3 (ASUS XG Station Pro) + Win10 1809 [build link]
Real trashcan? heheh
It Looks nice. Great work.
My adapter models for eGPU case projects
2011 15" Dell Vostro 3550 (HD6630M) [2nd,4C,Q] + GTX 980 Ti @ 4Gbps-EC2 (PE4C 3.0) + Win7 [build link]
That is some great work. I don't like the trashcan look, but for someone who uses one, this is a perfect matching aesthetic. Great job!
Want to output 4K@60Hz out of an old system on the cheap? Read here.
Give your Node Pro a second Thunderbolt3 controller for reliable peripherals by re-using a TB3 dock (~50$).
"Always listen to experts. They'll tell you what can't be done, and why. Then do it."- Robert A. Heinlein, "Time Enough for Love."
2020 14" Lenovo ThinkBook Yoga 14s [11th,4C,G] + GTX 1080 Ti @ 32Gbps-TB4 (AKiTiO Node Pro) + Win10 20H2 [build link]
Fantastic work! Just need a stable fix for TB2 equipped Macs...
MP 6,1 | 4c | d700
MP 6,1 | 6c | d500
Thanks everyone! I edited my post to contain a link to the source files, for anyone that is interested. If you wish to collaborate on the design or have improvements, please let me know so I can add you as a collaborator on the project files.
To do: Create my signature with system and expected eGPU configuration information to give context to my posts. I have no builds.
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@fricorico Any updates on this custom enclosure?
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2020 13" MacBook Pro [10th,4C,G] + RX 6700 XT @ 32Gbps-TB3 (CM MasterCase EG200) + Win10 1903 [build link]
Not yet! I had a month full of business trips, so I was unable to work further on the exterior of the eGPU chasis.
To do: Create my signature with system and expected eGPU configuration information to give context to my posts. I have no builds.
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