OTOY Forums

hi there =) Just to reply few of Your questions..

nycjunglist wrote:- Would you need to get RAM for a "headless" system?

- there's no possibility to conect two motherboards directly..I mean..You can have two separate computers (MAC, PC or Linux..) & leverage that network rendering functionallity, but it's great overhead of parts (to build full second system & get OS, additional licences..)

nycjunglist wrote:- What motherboard would you get, and why would board A be better than board B?

if You wish to go eGPU route, for Your MacPRO with 4x aircooled GPUs would be Netstor Turbobox & 4x reference cooler equiped 980Ti or TitanXs. To run this via thunderbolt You can conect via Akitio or other Thunderbolt to PCIe device, just keep in mind they will bottleneck the trasfer.. as cheaper devices has slower interface..
Also, they have this Thunderbolt interface sold separatelly so You can replace existing PCIe to Thunderbolt if You wish (no need of bottlenecked Akitio or other device).

nycjunglist wrote:- What cpu and how much RAM would you get (if needed)?

You should not use any,..unless, es mentioned You got to build render slave, what is completelly difeerent topic

..or You can build somethign like that (let's make separate post)..

latelly build this one for older MacPro: 4x watercooled 780s 6GB conected via pcie host board.
but it also works with with Thunderbolt powered Macs as well, here it is hooked on MacBookAir.
Akitio was used to house PCIe 1x host board & it works.
more info about the build to come soon..jsut wanted to share as it's somewhat relevant to this topic.

Oh Tom, great work
I really would like to have a couple of this, sooner or later
Could you approximately share the final cost?
ciao beppe

bepeg4d wrote:Oh Tom, great work
..
Could you approximately share the final cost?
..

Thanks, Beppe. The price depends on chosen parts: in this case we had a possibility to get 780 6gb at great price of 320Eu per piece, then cooling cost few hundrets (waterblocks+rads+pump+mount+tube+fitings+fans) few hundred, backplate few hundred, PSU..& case that involved mods.. - not cheap =) but You can fit into 3-4k, I guess.

However if You try to fit all those parts straight "out-of-the-box" - good luck with that! This csutom build involved modifying not only case, rads, but also GPUs & it was build for someOne who wanted simple solution to plug into Mac & run =) wasn't meant to be nor cheap, nor fancy..but rock stable & we've picked some of the best parts for it.

Great solid project Tom
Congrats and big thanks for sharing
ciao beppe

Big respect Tom,

Is it possible to connect that pretty little beast to this CLEVO P771DM Laptop?
http://www.azken.com/download/BAREBONE_CLEVO_P771DM.pdf

sorry if this is a dumb question, but is it possible to connect this eGPU via Thunderbolt 3.1 port?

Anyway, Congrats for that Piece of Art

salmon wrote: Is it possible to connect that pretty little beast to this CLEVO P771DM Laptop?
..
sorry if this is a dumb question, but is it possible to connect this eGPU via Thunderbolt 3.1 port?

Anyway, Congrats for that Piece of Art

honestly, it's hard to say..I mean from data sheet:

• 1 x Thunderbolt / USB 3.1 combo port <- guess it's probably USB TypeC nonector..so..if You would find USB TypeC to PCIe..then yeah..most likelly, but even then You not sure if You would not get any panic from drivers.. - to know 100% is only one change - test it.. & that's something any shop would forbid..unless You buy the unit.

Hey guys, I'm also really interested in this setup and I'm really greatful for all the help! I have a old macbook pro at home that i'm thinking about setting this up with.

Specs are:
Macbook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009)
Processor - 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory - 6 GB 1067 MHz DDR3
Graphics - NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB

I know I know... Really old stuff, but can I still hook up the eGPU and have it work with Cinema R16? Again you guys are awesome, so much good information! I just didn't want to get my hopes up and invest in the equipment (Akitio Thunderbolt 2, Titan etc...) if I can't properly set this up on my old lil Mac :0 Let me know guys I really want to have Octane at home!

Thanks again
Craig

Hi, Craig,
Unfortunately, as far as I know, Thunderbolt 1 was introduced in 2011, while Thunderbolt 2 was introduced in 2013 on Mac Book Pro
ciao beppe

Hey beppe,

Thats ok ahhah thanks for the info! I do however have my work computer with these specs

Macbook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)
Processor 2.5 GHz Intel Core i7
Memory 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Graphics Intel Iris Pro 1536 MB

So, as long as I have Mac compatible with thunderbolt 2 or 1 (ranging from 2011) It could work?
So my next question, would it be wiser to switch to a PC laptop with NVIDIA graphics card?
Thanks again this is a big help! Since I need a newer machine i'm debating if I should just get
a PC then, but will i still need a eGPU for the PC? Or are there PC's that can handle Octane
without eGPU?

again sorry... you guys have been a big help!