Thunderbolt docks for external video cards. Any out there?

There are a few companies that have at least demoed thunderbolt docks for graphics cards. You already gave some examples.

An example of a Thunderbolt to PCIe adapter that is available on the market (at quite a price) is the Sonnet Echo Express Thunderbolt PCIe Expansion Chassis. However, I can't confirm that it also works for graphics cards. As shown in this review at Tom's Hardware, it at least does for PC's. I can't tell if this is the same for Macs.

The externally connected Thunderbolt cages for PCI graphics adapters were far more expensive than a new Mac mini when I looked this fall. If I recall correctly, the Mac mini PCI to Thunderbolt interface uses PCI x-4 internally which would be a bottleneck for the higher inbound graphics bandwidth from the Thunderbolt cage.

When you add all of the associated expenses, it may approach the base 27 inch iMac, which would smoke the Mac mini configuration that you entertain.

One major hurdle with these solutions for external video

is that there are no "Thunderbolt aware" OSX drivers for

any of the video cards. However, if you were to use

one of these card cages with a Mac running Win7

via Bootcamp, pretty much all PCI Express video cards

work without issue. Using Windows, the Thunderbolt

port would just look like like another PCI Express bus.

Although it is the same on a Mac, OSX adds another

layer to driver access to that bus compared to Windows

and video card vendors are reluctant to spend the time

and money on drivers for such a limited market.

As far as I can tell, there are no USB 3.0 solutions for external graphics. This may be due to the fact that Thunderbolt is based on PCI-Express, the same standard that most graphics cards use. Combined with the fact that USB 3.0 is only capable of transferring data at lower speed than Thunderbolt does, I don't expect any (good-performing) external graphics solutions to arrive on the market anywhere in the near future.

There have been external (even USB 2.0) solutions for connecting additional monitors for some time. However, the performance of these 'graphics cards' won't even approach the performance of the built-in HD Graphics 4000 of your Mac mini, so that won't bring you any closer to the result you're trying to achieve.

jaruzek wrote:

UPDATE: I just discovered there's a big problem with HDMI > HDMI connection with with Mac Mini's 4000, causing washed out colours. The price-point I was looking for was right, but if the video on this machine is so junky, I might just get a refurb Mac Pro or new iMac as suggested above. Ugh.

Have you installed the firmware update that was supposed to address

this issue?

jaruzek wrote:

I just got the mini right after Xmas (thanks, Fedex). In Software Update, nothing is available.

Open Applications->Utilities->System Information.

Click Hardware, if not already selected. Under

Boot ROM Version it should be MM61.0106.803.

If not and not being flagged in software update,

download here and install:

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1616.

You should check out the Silverstone T004. It can supply up to 450 watts to a graphics card and will cost between $200 and $300. Of, course I'm hoping for the $200 price.

I emailed a Silverstone representative and he said that they're hoping to be able to release it in the first quarter of 2014.

http://www.computershopper.com/computex-2013/diy-external-laptop-graphics!-compu tex-2013-preview-of-the-silverstone-t004-thunderbolt/silverstone-t004-external-t hunderbolt-graphics?thisSpeed=30000#slm

The problem is not with having boxes to plug graphics cards into.

The problem is the way OSX handles cards plugged into those boxes.

In the case of video cards, OSX requires a special "Thunderbolt Aware"

driver in order to use the video card. At this point in time, no such

drivers exist from any video card vendors.

The odd part of this issue, is that if booting natively into Windows via

a Bootcamp install, video card PCI based can be used without any

special driver other than what is delivered with the card.

So until video card vendors create these "Thunderbolt Aware" drivers,

there still is no external video option when using OSX.

As far as I know, you only need a driver for the enclosure which will trick the computer into thinking that the graphics card is plugged into PCIe instead of Thunderbolt. MSI mangaged to make a driver for doing just that for its GUS II enclosure on Windows. I emailed a Silverstone Sales represtative and he said that the T004 will be 100% Mac compatibile.