Graphics Coprocessor | geforce gtx |
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Chipset Brand | AMD |
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Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box, Thunderbolt 3-to eGPU PCIe Card Expansion System (GPU-350W-TB3Z)
Graphics Coprocessor | geforce gtx |
Brand | SoNNeT |
GPU Clock Speed | 2750 MHz |
Graphics Processor Manufacturer | AMD |
Compatible Devices | Laptop, Desktop |
About this item
- Connects High Performance GPU Cards to computers with a Thunderbolt 3 port. Also supports AVID HDX, Red Rocket-X and other full-length x16 PCIe cards.
- 350W power supply supports up to 300W card (up to 8-pin + 6-pin power connectors) and provides up to 15W of Power Delivery to charge a laptop.
- Breakaway Box has one Thunderbolt 3 port and includes a 0.5m 40Gb Thunderbolt 3 cable
- Mac: Supports AMD Radeon RX 470,480,570,580 on Thunderbolt 3 Macs with macOS High Sierra (Boot Camp not supported). macOS supports two Breakaway Boxes.
- Windows: Supports NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060,1070/Titan X, Xp,V/Quadro P4000,P5000 or AMD Radeon RX 560,570,580/WX 5100,7100 on Thunderbolt 3 computers with Windows 10.
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Product Description
Connect a High-Performance Graphics Card or Other Bandwidth-Hungry PCIe Card to a Thunderbolt 3 Equipped Computer
Sonnet’s eGFX Breakaway Box, a Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe card expansion solution, supports any Thunderbolt compatible PCIe card, but is designed specifically for bandwidth-intensive graphic video cards. The Breakaway Box enables all the popular GPU cards that support connecting to a computer over Thunderbolt such as AMD Radeon R9 and RX and NVIDIA GeForce GTX7, 9 and 10 series, providing GPU support for computationally-intensive applications and games.
Sonnet has compiled a partial list of computers compatible with external graphics cards. ASUS, Razer, and Intel report their compatible computers. Sonnet has compiled a list of compatible computers on our page. These computers have either been Sonnet tested or user reported. If a listed computer has an optional discrete NVIDIA GPU, then it may not currently be compatible with external NVIDIA GTX graphics, even if the model is listed as compatible (these models should be compatible with AMD cards). Please check specification sheet.
Graphic Intensive Gaming
There’s no need to carry a heavy and expensive gaming laptop to have a great gaming experience—just plug in a Breakaway Box and add the GPU power you want when you need it! By delivering much higher frame rates for smooth game play, the Breakaway Box is ideal for enabling graphic-intensive gaming on computers (such as thin/light notebooks) that otherwise would not be able to produce an acceptable gaming experience. When used with computers that properly support eGPUs, accelerated graphics can either be displayed on your notebook’s own display panel or on external monitors. And, unlike with gaming laptops, when the next generation of GPUs rolls around and you are ready for another performance boost, simply upgrade the GPU card—nobody should have to replace their computer just to keep up with the latest in GPU technology.
Ready for Work, Coolest & Quietest eGFX Graphics Card Box on the Market
The Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box is the coolest and quietest eGFX box on the market—with its large variable-speed, temperature-controlled fan that quietly and effectively cools the installed card, the Breakaway Box can be comfortably used in noise-sensitive working environments
40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 Performance
Thunderbolt 3 is a leap forward in every way. Whether you’re editing 4K video at high frame rates or blasting aliens out of the sky, you can now transform your notebook into a true desktop experience. With up to 2750 MB/s available bandwidth, the Breakaway Box exploits its 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 interface to offer the best-possible eGPU experience, or handle the most demanding, highest performance PCIe cards.
Product information
Technical Details
Brand | SoNNeT |
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Item model number | GPU-350W-TB3Z |
Operating System | Windows |
Item Weight | 7.05 pounds |
Product Dimensions | 8.27 x 14.57 x 9.84 inches |
Item Dimensions LxWxH | 8.27 x 14.57 x 9.84 inches |
Manufacturer | SONNET TECHNOLOGIES |
ASIN | B072L9QTZT |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Date First Available | May 6, 2017 |
Additional Information
Customer Reviews |
4.1 out of 5 stars |
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Warranty & Support
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Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the performance, quality and ease of setup of the video card. For example, they mention it works well with different computers and operating systems, is quiet and has a simple to follow shell script. That said, some complain about the size and power. Opinions are mixed on value.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers like the performance of the video card. They say it works well with their computers and is plug and play. Some mention that it works flawlessly with a GTX 1080 and that it runs smoothly on Linux. Some say the built-in power supply has worked well, and that the product is durable.
"...It works flawlessly with a GTX 1080 and the same headset. Note the GTX Titan X wasn't listed as supported, but did still work...." Read more
"...Works like a charm and gives me much more power for when I'm at home...." Read more
"...I'm going to be keeping it, once I worked out the MacOS issues it works great. It will get better when 10.13.4 comes out of beta." Read more
"...Pascal nVidia cards won't work under High Sierra...." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the quality of the video card. They mention it's a very good product, with top-notch engineering. Some say that the device is well-designed and a solid great solution.
"...Sonnet's engineering is top notch...." Read more
"Product is well made and very quite! I consider it one of the best products on the market...." Read more
"...When it works, it's wonderful. The promise of desktop level graphics power with the mobility of a laptop sounds great on paper...." Read more
"...Conceptually the idea is really cool.. The performance (when it worked) was good. The fact that It supplies PD is awesome...." Read more
Customers find the setup of the graphics card to be easy. They mention that it works great using a simple to follow shell script. Some say that it's plug and play for Mac OS X Mojave.
"...The enclosure is very easy to open up and install the graphics card and is quick to get working once drivers are downloaded...." Read more
"...Pros:Easy setupFits large GPU'sWhisper quiet. Have yet to hear the fan even under load...." Read more
"...I couldn't believe how easy this was to install on Windows 10 (Bootcamp on the Mac, native on the Dell)...." Read more
"Does what it's supposed to do. Setup was relatively easy..." Read more
Customers like the noise level of the video card. They mention it's very quiet and has no fan noise problem.
"...It runs fairly quiet (Laptop fan is louder when under load) but it's not super annoying or anything...." Read more
"...Pros:Easy setupFits large GPU'sWhisper quiet. Have yet to hear the fan even under load...." Read more
"...Rated 5 starts for noise level, it is very quiet. Rated 5 stars for value, you cannot beat $200 for this box...." Read more
"...I did find that my MacBook's internal fans did not scream like they normally do when I game.. instead the GPU's fans in the eGPU enclosure were going..." Read more
Customers are impressed with the speed of the video card. They say it works fast, has very low latency, and is thunderbolt amazingly fast. Customers also mention that it's quick to get working once the drivers are downloaded. Overall, customers are satisfied with the performance of the product.
"...is very easy to open up and install the graphics card and is quick to get working once drivers are downloaded...." Read more
"...While the performance is quite good (3-4x the internal GPU), there are some technical issues that anyone buying this needs to be aware of...." Read more
"...The box is about the size of a shoebox, well designed, instantly on when NUC is started, thunderbolt amazingly fast and is super duper quiet." Read more
"...I sent code out using OpenCL and processed it on the card. Very low latency...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the value of the video card. Some mention it's great value for the price, while others say the price is a little expensive.
"...Wish the price was cheaper, power supply documentation was more clear and I will expand on this...." Read more
"This is an amazing product at a terrific deal. I have a mid-2015 MacBook Pro and I game from Windows 10 via Bootcamp...." Read more
"...In the end we just gave up and returned it because it was so expensive for something that only works with thunderbolt." Read more
"...Although this product is a bit expensive for what it is, I highly recommend it. It has greatly improved my gaming and editing experiences." Read more
Customers are dissatisfied with the size of the video card. They mention that the 1 ft long cable is too short, and the panel that faces the GPUs is only enough for shorter sized GPUs. They also say the TB3 cable is a bit short and the USB-C cable is also a little short. Customers also mention that it's larger than their Mac Pro and difficult to find.
"...The included Thunderbolt 3 cable is WAY to short. You'll need to buy a longer one, but check the bandwith on a longer TB3 cable before you buy...." Read more
"...Thunderbolt 3 cable included.Cons:Large - It is larger than my Mac Pro and difficult to find a good spot on the desk, especially..." Read more
"...3 cables of various lengths and they all have these extremely long connector heads, that pretty much act as levers inviting the world to apply..." Read more
"...Provided TB3 cable is a bit short, but seems like it is good quality.Very well priced compared to competitors...." Read more
Customers are dissatisfied with the power of the video card. They mention that it lacks the power needed to charge their laptop, and that it's unable to stay on or keep charge. Some say that the power supply only charges at 60W, and the battery keeps getting lower and lower.
"...My only complaint is that it lacks the power needed to charge my laptop..." Read more
"...Attached screenshot of my MacBook's battery, this IS NOT powerful enough to charge the battery, it is only 60W. I left my MacBook last night running..." Read more
"...However, it runs very quietly, only sucks down power when youre using graphics intensive and was simple to instal. Buy one." Read more
"...Bootup is a pain. The box will go to sleep if disconnected and apparently cannot be woken up by the MacBook. so startup is as follows:1...." Read more
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Top reviews from the United States
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Sonnet's engineering is top notch. The manual is well done, something we don't see much anymore, and the support section of their website has sufficient technical data to determine what the requirements are for using this. Furthermore, look at the Q&A on this product page - you can see that they know their product as well as the technologies behind it, and give solid answers to peoples questions. I'm very impressed with Sonnet so far, and hope to buy more of their products in the future.
One thing worth noting is the GTX 1080 fan will ramp up when the host system goes to sleep. This is expected; you will need to power off the eGPU case.
EDIT: I ended up undervolting my CPU to keep the laptop cooler while in operation.
I specifically wanted the Sonnet and not the Akitio as this has fans on it that are controlled via sensors and are NOT always on. In fact, I found that not only do the fans completely turn off when my eGPU is not under load... but I also found that my installed GPU's fans would stop when I power my MacBook off.
PSU UPGRADE:
I bought the 350W version alongside the Corsair SF600 PSU with the intention to immediately upgrade it. The PSU couldnt have been easier with all the cables provided by the Corsair lining up perfectly. Because the PSU is modular, I only had to install the cables needed. A BIG THANK YOU to Sonnet for making the design choice to allow aftermarket upgrades to the PSU.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CGI5M24
The first time I plugged it in and turned it on, I actually had a moment of "Is this thing on?". It is completely silent when not under load. In my setup, this enclosure is facing away from my with the PSU switch facing me. This allows me to easily turn the product on and off via the PSU switch. But this also means that I see no visual indicator that the product is on. It might actually be helpful in this instance if the product made a "beep" noise when first turned on or maybe all the fans kick up to 100% for a second before throttling down to 0%. Otherwise the super efficiency of having it ultra silent means many people are left wondering "Is this thing on?" This is a VERY minor problem to have and not worth knocking any stars off. I just trust its on and when my machine boots to Windows bootcamp, it just works.
Apple made the decision, after already supporting eGPU with ThunderBolt2 (TB2), to remove this support and only allow the newer MacBooks with ThunderBolt3 to utilize eGPUs natively. I was concerned by this as I figured they must have based this decision on TB2 not providing enough bandwidth. I read one review that said they thought they experienced graphical hitching as a result of TB2 usage. Well.. let me tell you from first hand experience if there is any hitching like that happening, it is indiscernible to me on a brand new Samsung Curved UHD 49" TV sitting mere feet away.
I had read that I needed a TB2 to TB3 adapter. I looked and looked and couldn't find it and only later found someone explain that what you need is a ThunderBolt3 to ThunderBolt2 adapter. This plugs into the eGPU enclosure. Your long cable will be a ThunderBolt2 cable, which will plug directly into your MacBook. There are all kinds of aftermarket cables available for ThunderBolt2 and even the TB3 to TB2 adapter. But in my experience, when dealing with graphics it is better to pay the premium and buy Apple-branded. You can be assured you won't have quality or compatibility issues. After the amount of money you'll spend on your eGPU enclosure and GPU/Video Card, don't cheap out and try to save $20 or $30 on cables. Just buy the good stuff.
Apple ThunderBolt3 to ThunderBolt2 Adapter - to be plugged into the back of eGPU enclosure
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MQ26QIY
2 Meter ThunderBolt2 cable, so you can stash your eGPU enclosure under your desk or somewhere not in plain sight and have the added benefit of noise reduction when your GPU fans are screaming
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YHUBV6Q
I did find that by having this enclosure hooked up, my internal display would disable. I know there are fixes for this online, but this isn't a big deal for me as I don't need to have my internal display up while I'm gaming. But I did want to mention this so you won't be surprised that your internal display is, by default, disabled in Windows 10 Bootcamp when you use an eGPU. This was easily solved for me by the purchase of a ThunderBolt to HDMI cable, plugged into my TV's secondary HDMI port. Then I just flip back and forth via the TV's input selection. When I'm not using the eGPU, I just unplug the ThunderBolt cable from my MacBook while rebooting.
The general steps are to power on the eGPU enclosure via the PSU's power switch, plug in the ThunderBolt2 cable that leads to the eGPU, then power on my MacBook and immediately boot to Bootcamp Windows 10. I see my Windows logo on my internal display just for a moment, then the screen goes black and the display appears on my TV.
I initially tested with an old nVidia GeForce 460 Hawk I had laying around. When I looked up the internal M390X in comparison to the 460 Hawk it said the Hawk was 39% faster. Even with this ancient video card, I was able to see nearly 30fps in games where I was seeing around 5fps. This makes the difference between a game being playable or not. Of course, with such an old video card I was still not able to turn up any of the graphics quality settings in-game.. but that is easily solved with the purchase of a newer video card.
I did find that my MacBook's internal fans did not scream like they normally do when I game.. instead the GPU's fans in the eGPU enclosure were going. :) But that is to be expected and at least with a 6' cable, it becomes possible to hide the eGPU enclosure to muffle the noise. With a MacBook on your desk right in front of your face, that is impossible. I found with the enclosure right beside my MacBook Pro on the desk, the noise coming from the eGPU enclosure was roughly equivalent (maybe slightly louder) than my MacBook Pro normally is while gaming. Once I moved the enclosure under my desk, it was quieter than my MacBook Pro normally would be while gaming. Not a ground shattering difference, but a definite reduction in noise level in the room.
Someone mentioned a critical review about not having enough ventilation in this and not enough grille space. I found the grille to be placed perfectly to allow proper airflow. It also looks to me like there is enough room in this enclosure that I could install a GPU that uses a water cooler or a full-length video card. I have no concerns now or into the future regarding space for new larger video cards in this enclosure. In fact, because this uses ThunderBolt3, I'm ensured that the next MacBook Pro I have will hook right up to this. Because of this product, I will likely get years more use out of my MacBook Pro before I will feel compelled to upgrade. It's no wonder Apple hesitated so long on supporting this.
Overall, if you are on the fence and trying to decide to purchase.. just DO IT. The support will only get better and better for this the more people buy into this "craze". I've finally found a way to take my glorious and well-loved MacBook Pro and convert it into a PROPER gaming rig that I can upgrade the video card on. Amazing. I wish manufacturers had figured this out 10 years ago. I would now consider this product mandatory for MacBook Bootcamp gaming. The price point and value are perfect for this mature product. I might actually consider buying a second one of these to install an AMD video card into. This would give me the ability to swap back and forth between enclosures based on whether I'm in Mac OS X or Windows bootcamp and would ensure whatever video card I'm using at that time is natively supported and most efficient for that OS.
1) The included Thunderbolt 3 cable is WAY to short. You'll need to buy a longer one, but check the bandwith on a longer TB3 cable before you buy. Most of them only support Thunderbolt 2 speeds. A proper shielded 40GB/s cable (I bought a Belkin) is going to be in the $30+ range.
2) You'll have to run a free third-party script from the internet to make this box work on MacOS Sierra. High Sierra detects it just fine.
3) This script's config adjustments can get in the way of some other video devices working, like the USB-C to Dual Displayport adapter that I also have. If something video-related doesn't work, try uninstalling the script.
4) In Sierra at least, you can't accelerate the Mac's built-in display without some complicated workarounds involving display dummy-plugs and remote-desktoping into your own machine.
5) Running a dual-input 5K display off an nVidia card requires that you use the command line to modify the NVRAM on the Mac to combine the input signals.
6) If you're using a Dell 5K display, assume that you'll have to power cycle it every time it wakes up from "power save" mode to get it to work. Sometimes you even have to pull and replace the power plug to get it to display correctly.
7) When running on a 5K Dell display, there is an nVidia driver issue that will very often mess with the "mode" of your mouse pointer. Such as getting stuck in a text editing or window-sizing mode. The fix is to click on an app on another monitor and then come back to the 5K display. Lower resolutions don't have this problem.
8) When running on Sierra, you won't be able to "clamshell" your Mac laptop screen (even when closed, it's display is still being used by the OS).
9) You won't want to put your Mac to sleep while connected to this box (at least in Sierra), as the Mac will usually crash when waking up. Instead, shut it down or set it to a blank screen-saver.
10) If you unplug the enclosure while your Mac is running, it will crash the OS. Since USB-C ports unplug easily (especially with the short bundled cable), you have to be very careful if you move your Mac around.
11) Pascal nVidia cards won't work under High Sierra. The enclosure is detected, but High Sierra doesn't come with nVidia drivers yet (if ever).
Most of these are obviously issues with nVidia's Pascal drivers and Apple's work-in-progress on supporting external GPUs. I haven't tried it with a Radeon board yet (the 580 is half the speed of the nVidia 1080ti), but MacOS is optimized for AMD boards, and the 580 is known to be directly supported.
Top reviews from other countries
I have been using this eGPU for about 3 months now. I use a GTX1060 3GB card with it. It utilises a 6pin power plug separated from a main 8 pin power plug for harnessing extra power other than the 75W from the PCIe slot. The 120mm temperature controlled fan runs quite, so does its power supply unit, which is a standard SFX power supply and can be upgraded should you need more power down the road. It provides one 8pin and one 6pin extra connecter. It can support hybrid GPU where 120mm fan will be replaced by the water cooling radiator.
I have paired it with a DELL precision 3510, precision 7520, a HP ZBook 15 G1 with thunderbolt 2 port, a MacBook air 11 running BootCamp Windows 10 with success. When using it with thunderbolt 2 port equipped laptop, a thunderbolt 3 to thunderbolt 2 female adapter is needed. I use an Apple adapter. However I found that it does NOT work with my MacBook Air 11 running High Sierra. I suspect it is because the Nvidia GTX1060 is not supported natively by Apple. I achieved 900p medium gaming at 50fps average when using thunderbolt 2 port with quad core CPU when using GTX1060 while 1080p medium gaming at 60fps average in AAA titles, like COD infinite warfare, 2K 17, Dirt Rally when using thunderbolt 3 equipped laptop with quad core CPU.
What I like about it is that it is rather quiet, even under full load, its versitility. Though it might can only support 2.5 slot GPU, not 3 slot GPU. When under full load, my GTX1060 constanly ran at 65 degrees after I repasted it with Arctic MX 2 when ambient temperature is 20 degrees C. What I think it can improve is that I wish it is more portable, like Akitio Node Pro, which can be purchased in the UK for 338 pound. It can use aluminium instead of steel casing. The opening mechanism is not designed to enable you swap GPU on the fly. Razer core X currently retails for 259.9 pound. But that uses full ATX power supply instead of SFX power supply, hence wasting more internal space.
Zur Verarbeitung: sehr edel, sieht gut aus. Etwas klobiger als gedacht aber muss ja auch meine 30cm-GTX1080 reinpassen. Ja, richtig gelesen: ich habe es mich getraut eine NVIDIA Karte auf Pascal Basis zu betreiben. Gleich vorab: ob das Setup einfach oder schwierig ist, hängt maßgeblich davon ab, welches MacBook vorhanden ist und ob NVIDIA oder Radeon verwendet werden sollen.
Funktion: Dazu würde ich den Beginners Guide auf www.igpu.io empfehlen. Kurze Zusammenfassung: generell ist ATI leichter, weil die Treiber in macOS schon drin sind. Allerdings sind die Karten auch im Vergleich sehr schwach auf der Brust. Bei den MacBooks gilt es folgendes: das 13“ Late 2016 kann nur einen Bruchteil der Leistung ausschöpfen. Der Grund dafür ist, dass die ULV Prozessoren keine direkte PCI Lane zum Prozessor haben, sondern sich eine 4x Lane mit anderen Geräten teilen. Empfohlen wird ausschließlich ein Quad Core Mac, da nur dort der Thunderbolt Port direkt mit der CPU verbunden ist. Funktionieren tut es auf den anderen auch aber halt langsamer. Wer diese Sätze schon nicht verstanden hat, sollte gleich die Finger von der Geschichte lassen. Auch wer kein gutes Fach-Englisch kann sollte es nicht machen, da es nirgends deutsche Anleitungen gibt.
Ich benutze das Case und die GTX1080 zum Spielen. Vor allem natürlich unter Bootcamp. Das funktioniert auf den ersten Blick wirklich gut (Battlefront 2 in 4K auf Ultra war ruckelfrei), trotzdem schwachen CPU meines 13-Zöllers (ohne TouchBar übrigens). Vorwarnung: in Bootcamp ist das Setup noch 10 Mal komplizierter als unter macOS. Das sollten wirklich nur Leute machen, die sich richtig gut auskennen, da man hiermit auch den ganzen Laptop kaputt machen kann. Kaputt machen im Sinne von richtig kaputt, danach ist der nächste weg der zum AppleStore für eine Reparatur.
Unter macOS brauche ich die Geafikkarte eigentlich nicht aber ich habe sie trotzdem mal eingerichtet. Funktioniert soweit ganz gut nur kommt unter macOS nur 1/4 der Leistung an. Warum konnte ich noch nicht herausfinden, vermutlich liegt es aber am Beta Status der Treiber. Das Setup ist dank sehr umfangreicher Beschreibungen auf oben genannter Website und dortige Skripts ziemlich einfach.