Safest gpu for the Akitio Node?

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RapidDog

Limp Gawd
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Mar 7, 2019
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Shopping for a card for me 960M laptop that has the T3 connector.
I’m trying to find the best gpu for the Akito Node that won’t blow the circuit breaker but has the best performance for the buck.
Akitio shows compatibly but it’s kind of sparse.
Any concrete answers to this?
Thanks in advance...
 
As a note, I have A 2K external monitor and normally play at 1080p but get 30fps on ‘normal’ settings if I’m lucky. I’d like to play and have a smoother experience and of course a higher frame rate.
 
Though I should say, for 1080p you'd be fine with a GTX 1660 Ti, which probably should work with the box but I can't confirm 100%.
 
For $350 you're probably looking at an RTX 2060, though for 1080p you'd be okay with the cheaper 1660 Ti.

You'll have to look at the specs, and the sizes of the cards, etc. You can likely find one that will work for the box.
 
It says on the page, it can supply 390W.

"The built-in power supply provides enough power for the AKiTiO Node (~10W) as well as for graphics cards. If the standard 75W through the PCIe slot is insufficient, two extra pairs of 8-pin (6+2 pin) power connectors are available inside the AKiTiO Node that can be connected to the GPU, providing a total of about 390W."

When you look at GPUs they usually list total power draw, so you'll have to do some research into how much power they actually need. I would guess a GPU with 500W PSU recommendation would work but you may find reviews showing actual GPU power draw.
 
cybereality said:
It says on the page, it can supply 390W.

"The built-in power supply provides enough power for the AKiTiO Node (~10W) as well as for graphics cards. If the standard 75W through the PCIe slot is insufficient, two extra pairs of 8-pin (6+2 pin) power connectors are available inside the AKiTiO Node that can be connected to the GPU, providing a total of about 390W."

When you look at GPUs they usually list total power draw, so you'll have to do some research into how much power they actually need. I would guess a GPU with 500W PSU recommendation would work but you may find reviews showing actual GPU power draw.
Click to expand...
PSU recommendations are for a complete system including the video card. NVIDIA TDP ratings are total power draw, typically, sometimes +/- 10% in real world scenarios using out of the box settings (my 2080 Ti FE uses 240-280W with power target at 100% while TDP is 250W). AMD you have to look at the "TBP" or total board power rating. Some AMD cards will use around 300W or more.
 
I'm liking what I'm seeing on the 1660 Ti. Did not know they existed.
Power consumption is 130W. I assume that wouldn't overload the Node, but then there is the other spec 'Recommended PSU" 450W. That's where I'm stumped.
Is that 450W total draw?
"AKiTiO Node with built-in 400W PSU"...so I guess the Node won't handle it. I don't know what PSU is.
Akitio specs also show:
"PCIe (x16) slot provides a maximum of 75W but additional power can be supplied to the PCIe card by connecting a pair of 8-pin (6+2 pin) connectors "

So I dunno, like the 1600Ti idea, but maybe I'm going to have to look at a the more expensive Node Pro which says it's 500W to make this work at all as a EGPU.
 
Sorry, I was replying while you guys where replying.
As a note, I don't plan on plugging anything other than the external monitor HDMI and the Thunderbolt to the PC.into the Akitio .
 
It has more than enough power for a 1660 Ti. That is probably your best bet for price/performance at 1080p. I did a video if you want to see performance.



The main thing you should look at is if the card will fit (some 1660 Tis are 3 slot, which won't fit, or have oversized fans, etc.). Otherwise I imagine it should work.
 
cybereality said:
It has more than enough power for a 1660 Ti. That is probably your best bet for price/performance at 1080p. I did a video if you want to see performance.

The main thing you should look at is if the card will fit (some 1660 Tis are 3 slot, which won't fit, or have oversized fans, etc.). Otherwise I imagine it should work.
Click to expand...
Sweet. Appreciate that. The Node Pro is quite a bit more in price.
Akito Node says
  • 1 x PCIe card (see compatibility chart)
  • Supports full-length, full-height and double-width cards
  • PCIe (x16) slot provides a maximum of 75W but additional power can be supplied to the PCIe card by connecting a pair of 8-pin (6+2 pin) connectors
MSI GeForce GTX 1660ti says
  • PCI Express x16 3.0
  • 247 x 127 x 46 mm
I'm once again 'assuming' this is compatible, and size-wise the MSI card is a shorter 2 fan card...​
 
Hey cber,

Just curious, what processor are you using in your video test?
My laptop is an Acer Aspire Nitro
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M 4 GB GDDR5
  • Intel Core i7 6700HQ (2.60 GHz)
  • 8 GB Memory
  • 1 256GB SSD + 1 TB SSD
  • Thunderbolt 3
  • External Monitor - Acer 27" WHQD HDMI 60hz 2560 x 1440 (2K) 4ms
 
RapidDog said:
I'm liking what I'm seeing on the 1660 Ti. Did not know they existed.
Power consumption is 130W. I assume that wouldn't overload the Node, but then there is the other spec 'Recommended PSU" 450W. That's where I'm stumped.
Is that 450W total draw?
Click to expand...
GPU manufacturers recommend PSU'a rated for higher power than needed because of variance of quality of PSU's between manufacturers and models and also variance in rest of computer components.

You could have all sorts of CPU's and other components, disk drives and USB accessories connected. They need to give themselves some headroom to avoid legal issues.

RapidDog said:
"AKiTiO Node with built-in 400W PSU"...so I guess the Node won't handle it. I don't know what PSU is.
Akitio specs also show:
"PCIe (x16) slot provides a maximum of 75W but additional power can be supplied to the PCIe card by connecting a pair of 8-pin (6+2 pin) connectors "

So I dunno, like the 1600Ti idea, but maybe I'm going to have to look at a the more expensive Node Pro which says it's 500W to make this work at all as a EGPU.
Click to expand...
Why would 400W PSU not handle 130W card?
Do you run whole system with that PSU or just the GPU and nothing more?
Even if it is the worst PSU possible with cheapest components and 400W would be power at which it goes in flames then it should handle 1660Ti just fine.

I would not be too worried putting even something RTX 2080 in there.
 
Good to know. Being a plebe I didn’t know what a PSU was but now I get it, it’s the Actual box.
I’ll only be running the GPU out of it and have the one passive T3 to the laptop and an HDMI from the PSU to my monitor.
I understand that’s the best way to go.
 
Here’s part of what I didn’t understand. The pci rating of 75w, but I assume the 8 pin cables inside hook to the card for the actual power.
“
  • PCIe (x16) slot provides a maximum of 75W but additional power can be supplied to the PCIe card by connecting a pair of 8-pin (6+2 pin) connectors ”
 
A PSU stands for Power Supply Unit. When you look at video cards, they list the PSU requirements for the entire system (including GPU, CPU, hard drives, motherboard, etc.).

That Akitio Node box includes it's own power supply (PSU) and does not rely on your computer's PSU. The Node has a 400W PSU, but requires 10W to power the device itself, leaving 390W for the external GPU.

This is more than enough power for most video cards, though some cards may be cutting it close (I think Vega 64 can draw up to 300W).
 
RapidDog said:
Here’s part of what I didn’t understand. The pci rating of 75w, but I assume the 8 pin cables inside hook to the card for the actual power.
Click to expand...
The 75W is for the power that comes from the PCI slot. This is used, for example, with cards that don't have their own additional connections (some lower-end video cards can run fully on PCI power).

For a mid to high-end video card, they will usually have 6 or 8 pin power connections, which will supply the needed power.
 
Got the Akitio Node and the Ventura 1660ti as described.
The Node is recognized but the card doesn’t show up in device manager. Any ideas?
Windows 10 64 bit OS...
 
RapidDog said:
Got the Akitio Node and the Ventura 1660ti as described.
The Node is recognized but the card doesn’t show up in device manager. Any ideas?
Windows 10 64 bit OS...
Click to expand...
What do you mean by "not recognized?" Are you getting a code 43 error? Are the drivers not finding compatible hardware when you try to install them? Did you make sure to plug in the auxillary PCI-E power cable(s)?
 
Card is plugged in and 8 pin cable attached to it.
I see the Akitio in my control panel as recognized.
In the device manager the 1660ti is not shown.
 
I updated the nvidia driver for the 960 via Nvidia.
Acer Nitro Black V7-592 laptop
T3 cable is connected to the Akitio from the laptop.
 
I'm flumoxed...before buying this kit I checked and confirmed that the lapyop had T3 capability
VN7-592G-71ZL
Interfaces/Ports

HDMI

Yes

Total Number of USB Ports

4

Number of USB 2.0 Ports

1

Number of USB 3.0 Ports

2

Number of USB 3.1 Ports

1


I just ran Firmware_Intel_15_A_A update and I get "No active Thunderbolt(TM) controller found in the system"
Also ran Thunderbolt Driver update and I get "newer driver already installed.
Updated the BIOS via the Acer website too.

I wish I knew more bout this stuff. I'm just shooting in the dark at this point...
 
Last edited:
It just occurred to me that there’s 2 sets of PCI cables in the box.
Is there a plug I missed on the card maybe for the second set?....
 
I checked. Not.
Tried both cables. No power to the card. The fans on the card are Not turning.
Only the one small fan on the Akitio comes on but not always. Nothing else happens.
At this point I guess I have to call the vendor for the Akitio.
I can’t imagine the new MSI 1660ti is dead...
 
Last edited:
I haven’t contacted Acer direct to find out for sure, I’m just going by the specs.
I tried two new cables, one I bought and the one that came with it.
The small fan in the Akitio is the inly thing that runs and that is not all the time, whether connected with the T3 or not. No lights, nothing else.
 
That link I provided will show if your laptop is compatible with T3 and the external GPU.

Please try that first and report back. Thanks.
 
It's an Acer Nitro Black V7-592 laptop.

New news, I came across this and by doD it worked! Conttrol is functioning and the Akitio booted up, card fans are spinning. LIghts!
https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/458140
I am very happy with that!

NOW, next problem is,,,getting the GTX1660ti to show in the device manager.
I've tried disabling the internal GTX960M and restarting.
Downloaded the Nvidia driver update.
Still, no show in the device manager, even if I try takinh he HDMI from the laptop and plugging it into the AKitio.
 
RapidDog said:
even if I try takinh he HDMI from the laptop and plugging it into the AKitio.
Click to expand...
Well that wouldn't work because the HDMI port from the laptop is output and the Node box is also output.

Do you have an external monitor? It might be easier to test with that to see if the GPU is actually working.
 
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