Macbook Retina 13" W/ Sonnet Echo Express Pro + Vidock 4+

I recently purchased a Vidock 4+, Sonnet Echo Express Pro, and a 670 GTX in hopes of getting an eGPU setup going on my macbook retina. Unfortunately the eGPU isn't appearing at all, and I'm unable to install any drivers for it

What I have tried that worked only once for a few seconds was EpicBlobs method by unplugging it during the grey screen chime, then replugging it once Windows started loading. Afterwords the desktop showed that a new hardware was there and that it was installing it, however it was there only for a few seconds then disappeared. I tried installing nvidia 306.97 driver but failed to work. Every subsequent reboot afterwords has resulted in nothing appearing, but the Vidock setups still running in the background (the GPU fans are running and etc).

Has anyone had similar problems to mine and have been able to fix it?

 

I'm also interested in a eGPU for rMBP solution - so let me know if you get it working. Is it only expected to work in Windows Bootcamp by the way, and not even advertised as functioning in OSX?

ALSO - I am looking at the BenQ XL2420TX, have you had any issues using it with your rMBP?

 

Hi there.
I've got MBPr 15" and have build a eGPU setup in the past weeks and it works almost perfect. (almost cause I'm not able to enable Nvidia's Optimus yet due to some Intel HD driver bugs). Using a GTX 660 ti as eGPU I got 7500p in 3Dmark 2011 compared to 2500p with dGPU. I could post a link but it will probably get deleted by MOD's ... for some "nando4-reasons"...

You'll find more info googling for : "egpu 2.0" or "th05 macbook pro retina" (the domain should start with "tech")
Feel free to message me here or post in the other forum. I won't post further information as I don't want to support this forum any longer.

Basically the trick is to enable thunderbolt vga output via EFI shell.

 

Hey Sheltoe,

City's setup doesn't use the sonnet thunderbolt expansion box, but instead uses the thunderbolt/expresscard adapter and has vidock's egpu enclosure. I'd definitely try it, but for me (same setup as City other than the rmbp 13inch) it was install the drivers and plug/unplug in a particular manner.
You might have to reinstall windows... I had just bought a new hard drive and tried what I told you on a clean windows 7 drive and it worked perfectly. It is bizarre that the card was there then disappeared. Maybe a wire came loose somewhere?

 

Yeah you might want to give it a try as I had similar issues while hot pluging.
It's still connected to the Thunderbolt port which doesn't really support hot plug and as City stated his device doesn't show up at all.
So you're pretty lucky if hot plug actually works.

 

Hello everybody,
I have a, MacBookPro with Retina display(15" 2.3Ghz Core i7 mid 2012) I purchased Vidock 4 plus overdrive and sonnet echo express card adapter pro and a thunderbolt cable. But when I try to run a graphic card it wont show on bootcamp win7 64 bit neither it shows new hardware detected/installing hardware driver nor it works. and BTW I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT NVIDIA OPTIMUS DRIVER OR BIOS MODE ON MAC I JUST WANT TO CONNECT AN EGPU WITH RMBP. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

that's crazy just buy a console!

 

I have a Macbook Retina 15" and have had exactly the same experience, I got it working with the mod to the Nvidia driver kext, but it would hiccup every so often and freeze the computer, so I ended up installing on a bootcamp partition which as you said doesn't boot up unless you remove it during the grey screen.

And yeah, I can't install the drivers either. I think there may be a bios incompatibility thing here with the newer Macbook's, or if nothing else the retina line.