Coming to a nMP near you - CUDA !

[nox-uk]

I for one have been very aware of thunderbolt eGPU's for a long time. What MVC has done has put boot screens on them with his EFI and given a plausible support route for problems. If you don't want either of these, and are happy modding kext files whenever there is an update, having bootcamp issues, you don't need his cards.

I've never bought a card from him, I may do in the future, or not. I don't know what the future holds. What I do know he is one of very few people on this planet dedicating a lot of time into extending the life of mac pros. He has a niche market, and the skills to do this. And he charges for this service. I'm thankful there are people like him doing this.

Bit like going to the supermarket, do you get the cheap coffee that tastes like... Or something half decent that's more expensive. After all they are both only coffee beans...

Nox

----------

Sorry MVC, didn't mean to compare you to a coffee bean

Nox

 

[MacVidCards]

. People on this forum seems blind not seeing he is using this board mainly for promoting his business, while other people use it just for genuinely help other users without any financial interest.
BTW I've reported about working GPU enclosure on Mac about two months ago: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1785308/
Funny thing is that nobody seems interested, until somebody find a way to make money out of this
Happy business

Wow, the haters are out in full.

Tell you what, sport, have a dig through my posts for the last week and yours.

See who helped more people and get back to me.

And BTW, eGPUs have been working for years before that post you quoted.

DIY eGPU and Nando4 have been the doing all the work while we slept.

We are all "late to the party"

The difference is, I'm bringing beer. Beer in the form of boot screens and much easier time working in Windows.

EFI boot screens means more than shinyness. It means you can plug a couple boxes in under your desk and the Mini for all intents and purposes has a GTX Titan in it (or whatever). You don't have to do any of the silly pre-boot prep that past efforts did, it "just works".

I still consider the nMP the answer to a question that nobody asked. Apple has proven to be....well, I'll hold my keyboard. For all of those still singing the Cupertino Fight Song, realize that it is 1/4 to 1/2 of what it could or should have been. They gave you a greatly reduced version but put a shiny paint job on it, after 20 years in Hollywood I know a "smoke & mirrors" job when I see it. (I've done a few myself, anyone else here know what a "rumble pot" is?) You could have had a palace, but they re-landscaped the pool house instead. Some notice, others marvel at the fine Marble Counters. (It's Corian)

Just wrote a Titan Black rom for Thunderbolt. Amazingly easy now.

And here is a little spoiler, I found proof that Apple has been working on eGPU all along, they left a little crumb. My guess is they'll roll it out like some giant gift to all. I'll post it when I get bored.

Meanwhile, here is a Titan Black in the world's slowest 2014 Mini.

 

[sirio76]

And he charges for this service.

Nothing wrong with this and I'm very happy if somebody bring to the Mac platform new functionality, I'm talking about ethics...
Don't you think it's a little bit strange that a "reseller" use this forum for marketing purpose? Every month posting new thread about the best card ever seen on Mac, and ridicolously bashing all models that can not fits his "products"(until he eventually figure out a way to make money out of them). Please go back and read all his negative thread about the nMP, there is a good reason why he was banned from this forum so many times.
What would you think if tomorrow Tim Cook joins this board and starts posting everyday a new threat about how wonderfull Macs are and why you should buy Apple products and not HP or Dell?

 

[Gav Mack]

Fair point. Can't remember how many times he bashed nMP(because it can not fits his overpriced GPUs), and how many times he stated eGPU will not work and how bad the performance would be because of the thunderbolt bandwidth limits.. My guess is that if he can find a way to sell something to the owners, nMP become suddenly a dream machine. People on this forum seems blind not seeing he is using this board mainly for promoting his business, while other people use it just for genuinely help other users without any financial interest.
BTW I've reported about working GPU enclosure on Mac about two months ago: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1785308/
Funny thing is that nobody seems interested, until somebody find a way to make money out of this
Happy business

The reality is that long term the market for the cMP will ultimately dwindle away. And many enthusiasts know that if they want to make non commercial versions of his products and do the necessary work themselves there is a place you can go - and there are others who commercially exploit his code and essentially make money off him by selling cards on eBay anyway. So I honestly believe like everything it's not a matter of black and white why he posts on these forums - it's always grey.

Plenty of people have bashed the nMP but I don't hold grudges or look back on the past - life really is too short for all that and there is simply no point. Move on everyone.

 

[cathul]

Will there be a neat box where everything is included after you finished? i.e. a box with a PSU to fire the gfx cards et. al. all inside one box with a power cord and a thunderbolt cord?

I personally really don't like the idea that i have an open box sitting on my desk and a PSU beside that.

 

[lowendlinux]

Nothing wrong with this and I'm very happy if somebody bring to the Mac platform new functionality, I'm talking about ethics...
Don't you think it's a little bit strange that a "reseller" use this forum for marketing purpose? Every month posting new thread about the best card ever seen on Mac, and ridicolously bashing all models that can not fits his "products"(until he eventually figure out a way to make money out of them). Please go back and read all his negative thread about the nMP, there is a good reason why he was banned from this forum so many times.
What would you think if tomorrow Tim Cook joins this board and starts posting everyday a new threat about how wonderfull Macs are and why you should buy Apple products and not HP or Dell?

From what I've read here his criticism and bashing is not unwarranted. Apple produced a computer that is great for enterprise is not great for jobbers/independents. It presents limitations to it's traditional market because it takes aim at enterprise, and those jobbers and independents are a bit annoyed. Forums like here and OCN are great places for people like him to market because it's his market, and if you combine that with the work that gets given away on netkas (and probably here too) I think that makes him a more valuable contributor to the community than your average poster. It takes many types to make a community work we all have a roll to play but in the end they guy who produces the code is the reason for the community.

 

[mattspace]

And here is a little spoiler, I found proof that Apple has been working on eGPU all along, they left a little crumb. My guess is they'll roll it out like some giant gift to all. I'll post it when I get bored.

Call me cynical, but I'd wager that rather than roll out eGPUs as we want them - a box that can be replaced independent of the computer and screen(s), they'll announce a new Thunderbolt display, with a graphics card built in, and then frame it as the "solution". Then all displays can become obsolete at the same rate as that in the retina iMac.

 

[Synchro3]

What I do know he is one of very few people on this planet dedicating a lot of time into extending the life of mac pros. He has a niche market, and the skills to do this. And he charges for this service. I'm thankful there are people like him doing this.
Nox

Forums like here and OCN are great places for people like him to market because it's his market, and if you combine that with the work that gets given away on netkas (and probably here too) I think that makes him a more valuable contributor to the community than your average poster. It takes many types to make a community work we all have a roll to play but in the end they guy who produces the code is the reason for the community.

This is precisely the point. There is nothing left to be added.

EFI boot screens means more than shinyness. It means you can plug a couple boxes in under your desk and the Mini for all intents and purposes has a GTX Titan in it (or whatever). You don't have to do any of the silly pre-boot prep that past efforts did, it "just works".

Truly awesome! ThanksMVC!

I assume that even with the slower Thunderbolt I it would be worthwhile, for example with a Mac Mini i7 Quad Core.

 

[AidenShaw]

Don't you think it's a little bit strange that a "reseller" use this forum for marketing purpose?

The Forum rules allow Apple developers to do certain amount of self-promotion - one condition being that the devo is explicit about offering a product/service.

MVC is pretty clear about that.

 

[Macsonic]

From what I've read here his criticism and bashing is not unwarranted. Apple produced a computer that is great for enterprise is not great for jobbers/independents. It presents limitations to it's traditional market because it takes aim at enterprise, and those jobbers and independents are a bit annoyed. Forums like here and OCN are great places for people like him to market because it's his market, and if you combine that with the work that gets given away on netkas (and probably here too) I think that makes him a more valuable contributor to the community than your average poster. It takes many types to make a community work we all have a roll to play but in the end they guy who produces the code is the reason for the community.

My sentiments too. MVC's GPUs has helped me with my workflow and get things done at the end of the day.

 

[snarfquest]

My sentiments too. MVC's GPUs has helped me with my workflow and get things done at the end of the day.

ditto that.

I find his observations about Apple to be rather spot on and I enjoy reading his posts when he finds solutions to them. MVC seems genuinely excited about the technology he is playing (working) with and enjoys sharing the details of his solutions. It has never seemed to me that he was simply trying to push product with some fake marketing excitement.

 

[EdDuPlessis]

Wow, the haters are out in full.

Yes this anti commerce hate against people providing great services on these forums has to be nipped in the bud and not tolerated at all.

And here is a little spoiler, I found proof that Apple has been working on eGPU all along, they left a little crumb. My guess is they'll roll it out like some giant gift to all.

This isn't going to happen. Apple has moved every product line towards closed box systems making them impossible to upgrade their processing power. It's not in their financial interest which they have every right to. So it will be up to third parties such as yourself to provide such hacks.

Basically, the 2009-2012 Mac Pro is the most longest lived Mac ever to be made - a machine that could be upgraded enough to provide up to 10 years of high end performance. It will never happen again. The upgradability of many Macs at the time was Steve's parting gift to the community. In the future we will have simpler efficient closed box systems and we will see data centres renting processor time to users and apps streaming to the desktops in real time. The days of beastly workstations are numbered.

 

[s-hatland]

Call me cynical, but I'd wager that rather than roll out eGPUs as we want them - a box that can be replaced independent of the computer and screen(s), they'll announce a new Thunderbolt display, with a graphics card built in, and then frame it as the "solution". Then all displays can become obsolete at the same rate as that in the retina iMac.

this makes a scary amount of sense.

would this allow for a 5k version? thunderbolt to graphics card inside display with proprietary connector a la riMac?

graphics card would almost surely be just as proprietary and likely non-upgradeable.

 

[mintakax]

No disrespect intended MVC, truly . I don't doubt your knowledge or experience, but I do wonder why, with such experience and this groundbreaking discovery, you cant procure a nMP of your own ?

 

[dollystereo]

Nice work!

 

[m4v3r1ck]

"advancing insight due to increased experience"?

BTW I've reported about working GPU enclosure on Mac about two months ago:https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1785308/
Funny thing is that nobody seems interested, until somebody find a way to make money out of this
Happy business

Posting a link is NOT quite the same as spending a lot time (=money) and effort looking for ways to make it actually work! Regarding MCV's view on the nMP; don't we all - from time to time - 'suffer' from "advancing insight due to increased experience"?

 

[chaosbunny]

Nothing wrong with this and I'm very happy if somebody bring to the Mac platform new functionality, I'm talking about ethics...
Don't you think it's a little bit strange that a "reseller" use this forum for marketing purpose? Every month posting new thread about the best card ever seen on Mac, and ridicolously bashing all models that can not fits his "products"(until he eventually figure out a way to make money out of them). Please go back and read all his negative thread about the nMP, there is a good reason why he was banned from this forum so many times.
What would you think if tomorrow Tim Cook joins this board and starts posting everyday a new threat about how wonderfull Macs are and why you should buy Apple products and not HP or Dell?

Oh my god, MVC puts time, money and knowledge towards expanding the longevity of Macs. How can he dare to ask money for his service!

You may not know it, but Apple isn't giving away its computers for free either. Tim Cook just doesn't need to come here and blindly praise his products, there are enough people who willingly do that for him.

So, just to get this straight, Apple is crippling the Mac Pro for some of its users, making the machine far more expensive for them. MVC is looking to offer a sollution for these people, but now he is the bad guy who is just here for the money?

On topic, this is looking great. When my beloved 2010 Mac Pro dies sometime in a hopefully distant future I'd hope to replace it with a mbp + eGPU. If I have to get a completely sealed unit it might as well be a laptop.

 

[h9826790]

IMO, MVC is not selling flashed cards so that he can make profits. Rather he is making profits so that he can continue selling flashed cards, so that he can flash more and more new cards, so that he can make a significant contribution to this community, so that more dreams are fulfilled, and so that more Macs are improved...

 

[Sedor]

Nice discussion, but to be honest I am more interested in what MCV is doing right now, for me it sounds interesting because I am currently thinking about maxing out the GPU power of my systems.

 

[NY Guitarist]

I'm using a MP3.1 and trying to keep it relevant while I regroup my small business.

I see this this as a serious breakthrough and appreciate the time effort and expense that MVC invests. MVC helps in a meaningful way on MR.

 

[jimj740]

... [SNIP]...

And I also said that we had nothing to offer, as the accounts I read spoke of hacking some kexts.

...[SNIP]...

You may recognize me from some of the eGPU threads, as I have been running a R290X eGPU on a 2012 mini for a while and have posted on the subject.

I am unclear as to whether your modifications eliminate the need to modify kexts; my assumption is that this is still necessary though. Can you clarify this?

Also, do you think your findings will be applicable to AMD cards too?

I found your post interesting and hope to hear more about what you have found in the EFI roms when you are ready to discuss this...

Best regards,
JimJ

(a happy MacVidCards customer in the past)

 

[Tutor]

From a lab PoV, boosting the 3D capabilities of Mac Mini at these levels is indeed impressive. However, this would not make a "CUDA monster" as it was mentioned above, since Mac Mini lacks all the other features that could make it such thing. Investing in real life scenario on a $1.5k extension for such an underpowered machine (dual core only, soldered ram, super slow hd) in real life would be hopelessly dumb.

This extension (if it finally works, with stable reliable results) can be a great deal for nMP, though. Now, that would be something great, since it makes much sense for these machines to have such upgrades.

Thanks Antonis. Dumb me. I guess I need to learn more about CUDA from the true master - Antonis.

 

[Gav Mack]

Thanks Antonis. Dumb me. I guess I need to learn more about CUDA from the true master - Antonis.

IKlear to the rescue after splattering my iPad with green Thai curry after reading that

 

[Tutor]

One of my true desires is to learn a lot more about CUDA.

IKlear to the rescue after splattering my iPad with green Thai curry after reading that

I guess he failed either to read or to understand my signature and to understand that I have twenty-four of some of the world's fastest systems of their kind running Windows, Linux and Mac OS, supported by the Kepler rendering equivalent of over 145,000 CUDA cores; thus, yielding a rendering equivalent of over 83 of the original (o) reference design (RD) GTX Titans. But, I can truly always learn more, and I desire to learn a lot more.

Just for the record, I like herring, especially the red ones:
1) That ram is soldered doesn't affect its performance;
2a) A Mac Mini can be purchased with a 3 GHz i7 if the stock speed isn't fast enough for one's liking/needs;
2b) Most of the Mini's come with 8 Gb of ram (which is more than enough to feed scene data to a 6GB Titan Black or Z) and the Mini can be had with 16 GB ram on special order; and
2c) Fast PCIe based storage can be ordered with the Mini if the stock storage speed of the HD isn't fast enough for one's liking/needs.

In sum, a Mini doesn't appear to be to his liking, but for others adding one or more GTX Titan Black(s) or Z(s) and even lesser powered GTX GPU(s) to the mix, a Mini would become a true "CUDA monster." Oops, I did it again. I just can't stooooopppppppppp ~ saying that which I truly believe. And "yes," I am dumb because what living into my 60's has taught me is that there's a lot more that I can and will learn while I'm entrapped in this human shell. More and more, I find myself saying, "I didn't know that."' In essence, I'm dumber every day because I learn more and more about what I didn't know previously. Is that what wisdom really is? Becoming dumber - the curse of thirsting for original knowledge and not having 969 years to try harder to attain it. Oops, it's raining outside - could that be the beginning of a great flood.

 

[Gav Mack]

I guess he failed either to read or to understand my signature and to understand that I have twenty-four of the world's fastest systems of their kind running Windows, Linux and Mac OS, supported by the Kepler rendering equivalent of over 145,000 CUDA cores; thus, yielding a rendering equivalency of over 83 GTX Titans. But, I can truly always learn more.

I never ever stop learning every day. Homo sapiens can only evolve if we tax our brains instead of the dumbfest we have nowadays.

You can count yourself as one of my peers and so can someone else on this thread count themselves as another, though Antonis might be disappointed. I choose to learn from who I think are the very best - just like my mentor Richard Feynman did his whole life. The pleasure of finding things out and solving puzzles

I firmly believe it's not the mini or the nMP that will gain the most from these new products in the end - more like the notebooks whose mobile GPU are dwarfed by the processing power of a proper desktop slice of graphical silicon. And like a terminator - it will not explode, melt down and will never stop until your GPU processing is dead . Unlike the throttling tiddlers inside that shiny case!