GPU-Xpander Desktop 4

GPU-Xpander Desktop 4 enables you to add four slots to your watt- and slot-limited computer so you don't have to buy a new one. Cubix GPU-Xpander Desktop 4 is a desktop computer expansion enclosure that connects to a host computer using a host interface controller (HIC) in a PCI Express (PCIe) x16 slot and a x16 cable. GPU-Xpander Desktop 4 provides four Gen 2 x16 (x16 electrical) slots that support four double-wide controllers such as GPUs or multi-function / multi-port cards, including audio, FireWire, Gbit Ethernet and USB 2.0. GPU-Xpander Desktop 4 provides its own power supply and cooling.

GPU-Xpander 4Overview
Need to add graphics computing units (GPUs) for graphical rendering or high-performance computing (HPC) projects? Need to add FireWire, USB or other adapters to your operators' desktop computers? Don't have enough expansion slots in your current desktop computers to add NVIDIA's Compute Unified Device Architecture- (CUDA) capable GPUs for number crunching or rendering? Don't have sufficient cooling capacity or a hefty enough power supply to add high-end graphics, HPC capability or other adapters to your organization's computers? Many host computers lack the 'watts and slots' to allow expansion. Cubix GPU-Xpander Desktop 4 is just the ticket.

Add four NVIDIA® Quadro® FX 3800 /4800 /5800, GeForce® GTX 470 / 480 / 580, Tesla C2050 / C2070 graphics or other controllers to any computer that has an available PCIe x16 expansion slot using GPU-Xpander. Install the host adapter in the computer's PCIe x16 slot, connect it to the GPU-Xpander Desktop 4 and voila! You have just added four powerful GPUs for graphics or HPC without buying a new computer.

Save Time and Money
Just because you need to add or upgrade to high-end GPUs for rendering or HPC processing in operators' desktop computers doesn't mean you have to go to all the weeks of effort and meetings to obtain approval and all the considerable expense, not to mention all the work of installing and configuring new computers. Use GPU-Xpander instead. Rather than starting from scratch, keep your substantial investment in your current computer hardware and simply add or upgrade to the most powerful graphics controllers or HPC processor cards on the market -- at considerably less than the cost of replacing computer hardware.

Install the host adapter in each computer, connect it to GPU-Xpander and within minutes, your operators are back to work. The operators have the same operating system configuration, the same desktop, the familiar applications and multi-monitor screens but now they also have the fastest GPUs for HPC and rendering available. Screaming-fast rendering, HPC or FireWire at a reasonable price and with only minutes of effort per operator desktop -- what an investment!

Boost Graphics or Computational Performance
Give your operators the graphical rendering or HPC power they demand with Cubix GPU-Xpander 4. When your operators return for their next shift, they'll find their desktop space unchanged, their desktop screen configuration the same as usual, but what a difference in performance! With as many as four GPUs for rendering 3D graphics or mathematical calculations in their system, their applications and renderings will leave their expectations in the dust with fast, eye-popping performance. For example, you can upgrade to or add four NVIDIA® Quadro® FX 4000, 5000 or 6000 graphics controllers, four GeForce® GTX 580 or four NVIDIA® Tesla® 2050 / 2070 GPUs for each operator, giving them the performance they demand without the usual interruption that a new system causes.

Features

  • Install GPUs for blazing fast graphics or calculations within minutes
  • Four PCIe Gen 2 x16 expansion slots (x16 electrical) in a standard GPU-Xpander Desktop 4
  • An independent power supply and cooling fan to meet any expansion requirement
  • Quiet fan option for GPU-Xpander Desktop 4 units connected to Apple® Mac® Pro
  • Simple, quick installation with minimal impact per operator desktop; install a host adapter and drivers
  • Each x16 cable and connector provide a 250 mating cycle duty cycle

Benefits

  • Add four double-wide GPUs to a computer that does not have available slots and power
  • Add four GPUs without having to specify, purchase, install and configure new computers
  • Add powerful GPUs like NVIDIA® Quadro® 4000 / 5000 / 6000, Tesla® C2050 / C2070 or GeForce® GTX 480 / 580
  • Zero or minimal impact on operators' desktop screen configuration
  • Minimal impact on operators' desktop space
  • With the quiet fan option for use with Mac Pro, GPU-Xpander Desktop 4 runs as quietly as your Mac Pro

GPU-Manager for Microsoft Windows
Cubix GPU-Manager is an application that provides management of graphics processing unit (GPU) clusters in Cubix GPU-Xpander enclosures. The primary aims of GPU-Manager are asset management, health monitoring and technical support data of GPUs. GPU-Manager runs under Microsoft Windows but does not support PCIe devices that are not GPUs. If you run Microsoft Windows on computers connected to GPU-Xpander with NVIDIA GPUs, you can download and install GPU-Manager by creating an account on the Cubix Website here.

  • Asset Management - GPU-Manager collects data from distributed GPU clusters into a central management console that lists the following:
    • all attached GPU-Xpander enclosures
    • the GPUs within each GPU-Xpander enlosure
    • GPU capabilities such as number of GPU cores, amount of RAM, etc.
    • operating system and software driver version numbers
  • Monitoring - GPU-Manager continuously monitors GPU clusters, and provides the following:
    • link status, number of lanes, and link speed for each enclosure
    • temperature, fan speed and GPU load characteristics for each GPU

Don't let your computer's lack of 'watts and slots' hold you back. Get your graphics or HPC processing on with GPU-Xpander Desktop 4 for each operator's desktop. It will give your operators the graphics or HPC performance they demand at a reasonable cost with little or no interruption to routine or workflow.

Contact Cubix for details about GPU-Xpander Desktop 4. If you would like an overview of all Cubix GPU-Xpander products, visit the GPU-Xpander page. For part numbers, prices and purchase information, visit the Cubix GPU On-line Store.

GPU-Xpander

GPU-Xpander Product FamilyGPU-Xpander is an economical way to enhance the Input/Output (I/O) power of your computer. GPU-Xpander is a hardware-only solution that expands the I/O capability of your computer by adding slots, power and cooling. Each GPU-Xpander can add two, four or more PCI Express (PCIe) slots to your computer.

GPU-Xpander Desktop 4 Technical Specifications

Expansion Slots
4 x PCI Express Gen 2 x16 slots (x16 electrical) in one main interface board (MIB) standard
Supports 4 double-wide graphics or other controllers
8 x PCI Express Gen 2 x16 (x8 electrical) in two MIBs optional
Supports 4 double-wide or 8 single-wide GPUs or other controllers

Graphics, Computing or IO Controllers
NVIDIA® Quadro 4000 / 5000 / 6000
Tesla C2050 / C2070
GeForce® Fermi 480 and 580
FireWire multi-port
USB 2.0 multi-port
Audio multi-port
Gbps Ethernet multi-port

Front Panel
4 LEDs for system reset, cable present, power supply good and power supply on

Rear Panel
Power input receptacle
93cfm cooling fan standard runs at 62dBa sound level
83cfm cooling fan option for connection to Apple® Mac® Pro only runs at 52dBa sound level

Host Adapter
1 x PCIe x16 bus interface standard
External PCIe x16 136-pin port
2 x PCIe x8 bus interface option
External PCIe x8 68-pin port

Host Adapter Cable
External PCI Express x16 cable
1.000meter (3.370feet) standard length
2.000meter (6.560feet) optional length
3.000meters (9.842feet) optional length
250 mating cycles maximum per connector

Power
Single-phase, 50/60Hz, auto-ranging, 100-240VAC, 15-7A

Environment
0° to 30° Celsius (32° to 86° Fahrenheit) temperature
5% to 80% non-condensing humidity

Dimensions
10.25" H x 8.50" W x 16.25" D (26.03cm H x 21.59cm W x 41.27cm D) actual without handle
12.25" H x 8.50" W x 16.25" D (31.11cm H x 21.59cm W x 41.27cm D) actual with handle
16.75" H x 13.00" W x 20.00" D (42.54cm H x 33.02cm W x 50.80cm D) shipping

Weight
19.20lbs (8.71kg) actual
26.00lbs (11.79kg) shipping

Warranty
Parts/labor return to manufacturer 1 year
Optional 2, 3 or 4 years

GPU-Xpander 4 Dimensions

gpu-xpander4
24.5 lb.
GPU-Xpander Desktop 4








Support and Troubleshooting

Quick Start

  • Install a GPU in the host computer, install device drivers and verify operation.
  • Once drivers are working, move the GPU to GPU-Xpander, install the host interface controller (HIC) in the host computer and connect GPU-Xpander to the HIC using the cable provided.
  • Boot the host computer. If it is plug-n-play, the host will detect and run the GPUs.

Power on/off GPU-Xpander normally.

  • With GPU-Xpander connected to the host computer and running, shut down the host normally.
  • With GPU-Xpander connected to the host computer and with power connected, switch on the connected host; both will boot up.

Run a PC or Mac Pro with GPU-Xpander powered off.

  • To run the host PC or Mac Pro without GPU-Xpander connected, power down the host, remove power from GPU-Xpander and boot the host.
  • When you are ready to run GPU-Xpander again, power down the host, connect power to GPU-Xpander and boot the host.

Quickly test that GPU-Xpander works with your computer motherboard as follows:

  1. Do not install graphics or other controllers until instructed to do so within this procedure.
  2. Switch off AC power from the host computer but leave the power cord connected.
  3. Install the Cubix host adapter in a PCIe x16 slot within the host computer. If you are installing the host adapter in an Apple® Mac Pro, install it in a x16 slot.
  4. Using a Philips #2 screwdriver, remove the 4 screws holding the GPU-Xpander top cover in place.
  5. Connect the external PCIe cable to the host computer port. Warning: Disconnect power to GPU-Xpander before connecting or disconnecting the host adapter.
  6. Plug AC power into GPU-Xpander.
  7. On GPU-Xpander, switch on the AC power switch next to the AC receptacle.
  8. Power up the host computer. The GPU-Xpander also powers on.
  9. Check BIOS configuration for spread spectrum settings for CPU and PCIe. Most vendors set spread spectrum to [Auto]. Change the CPU and PCIe spread settings to [Disable], save the settings and exit BIOS configuration, which restarts the host computer.
  10. Confirm that exterior Link LED and the interior Cable LED (P0) are lit green. The enclosure fan should also be spinning. If not, check the following:
    • Host computer BIOS settings for CPU and PCIe spread spectrum are set to [Disable]. If not, disable, save settings and exit BIOS, which restarts the computer.
    • Confirm that the Cubix adapter is firmly seated in a PCIe slot within the host computer.
    • Confirm that both cable connectors are firmly seated to the adapter connectors.
  11. GPU-Xpander is functioning properly once the Cable Link LED (P0) is either flashing or steady green. Proceed to the next step to install adapters.
  12. Switch off AC power to the host computer and the GPU-Xpander. Leave the power cords and the external PCIe cable to the host computer port connected. Warning: Before installing or removing cards from the GPU-Xpander, disconnect AC power and wait for the 5V Standby LED to power off.
  13. PCIe Power ConnectorsLoosen the captured screws holding down the end brackets.
  14. Install the graphics or other controller(s) in the GPU-Xpander PCIe slot(s) connect PCIe auxiliary (aux) power cables (see the image at the right). Each GPU-Xpander provides two sets of aux power connectors, including two 6-pin connectors and one 2-pin connector. Your GPU may require a combination, such as two 6-pin receptacles, one 6-pin and one 2-pin or all connectors.
  15. Replace the hold-down bracket and tighten the retaining screws.
  16. Connect GPU video port(s), if present, to monitors. This step is especially important for Linux, because X Windows (X) will crash if you have not connected video ports to monitors. If you cannot connect monitors to installed GPU video ports, you can edit the Device section of /etc/X11/xorg.conf to define which GPU X should use as the primary display device. For example:

    Section "Device"
    Identifier "Device0"
    Driver "nvidia"
    VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName "GeForce GTX 480"
    BusID "PCI:8:0:0"
    EndSection

    To determine the BusID for the GPU you wish to use as the primary display, run the scanpci tool discussed in Step 18.
  17. Power up the computer and the GPU-Xpander to confirm that the appropriate slot link LEDs (P4 and/or P8 in the image above) are lit green, which confirms that you have installed the controller(s) correctly in each slot.
  18. Confirm that your operating system (OS) has detected the new controller(s). For instance, in a PC running Microsoft® Windows®, check Windows Device Manager. Within Windows, you can also run GPU-Z, a utility available for free download here. In a Mac Pro, run the System Profiler and look for GPUs under Graphics/Displays. To open System Profiler, choose Apple Menu > About This Mac and then dlick More Info. In a PC running Linux, run the following:

    root# > XFree86 –scanpci

    Read more about scanpci here.
  19. If all the Cable Link and slot LEDs are lit green but your OS does not detect the GPUs, shut down the OS gracefully, power down GPU-Xpander and remove / replace the GPUs. Make sure that you seat each GPU firmly in its slot and that you connect all auxiliary power connectors properly. Switch on GPU-Xpander and boot up the host computer.
  20. Install the appropriate graphics or other controller driver(s) using the vendor’s procedure. Apple Mac OS X 10.5.x (Leopard) and 10.6.x (Snow Leopard) do not support natively all NVIDIA® GPU products (e.g., GeForce® GTX 480 / 580 Fermi). If you want to use such GPUs with a Mac Pro, download, install and run a supported Linux derivative or Boot Camp 3.x, which is free for download (here). With Boot Camp installed, you can install and run Windows 7 on your Mac Pro and use NVIDIA Windows drivers.
  21. Confirm that the GPU-Xpander Fatal Error LED is not lit amber. If it is, reboot the host computer.
  22. Switch off AC power to the host computer and the GPU-Xpander 40. Leave the power cords and the external PCIe cable to the host computer port connected.
  23. Replace the GPU-Xpander top cover as shown in the image at the right and replace the screws holding it in place. Use all of the screws in the bag packed with the GPU-Xpander. Warning: Replace the cover as soon as possible to allow for proper cooling of controllers installed in the unit and secure the cover in place with all of the screws provided. Do not run GPU-Xpander without the cover for more than a few minutes.
  24. Power up the computer and the GPU-Xpander.

GPU-Xpander Desktop 4 Interior

The Cable LED (P0) and the slot LEDs (P1, P5, P7 or P9) inside GPU-Xpander light correctly but the operating system (OS) does not detect the installed GPUs.

  • Power down the OS, the host computer and GPU-Xpander 80.
  • Remove and replace the GPUs, making sure to seat the GPUs firmly within each PCIe slot and to seat firmly all of the auxiliary power cables into place.
  • Power up GPU-Xpander and then power up the host computer. When the OS boots, it should detect the GPUs now.

The Cable LED (P0) inside GPU-Xpander flashes green when connected with some computers and shines steady green with others.

  • The Cable Link LED (P0) inside GPU-Xpander shines green, indicating 5.0Gbps transfer, when connected with the host adapter plugged into a PCI Express Gen 2 slot.
  • The Cable Link LED (P0) inside GPU-Xpander flashes green, indicating 2.5Gbps transfer, when connected with the host adapter plugged into a PCI Express Gen 1 slot.
    • LED blinking 0.5 seconds on, 0.5 seconds off indicates the link is 5.0Gbps with reduced lanes up
    • LED blinking 1.5 seconds on, 0.5 seconds off indicates the link is 2.5Gbps with all lanes up
    • LED blinking 0.5 seconds on, 1.5 seconds off indicates the link is 2.5Gbps with reduced lanes up

The Slot 1, 2, 3 or 4 LEDs (P1, P5, P7 or P9) inside GPU-Xpander flash green when the Cable Link LED (P0) shines steady green.

  • You have installed a PCIe x8 card in the slot(s) with the flashing LED.
  • If your card is a PCIe x16, download the latest driver from the vendor's site.
  • Install the driver.
  • Put a load on the PCIe x16 card.
  • The slot LED shines steady green, which indicates the link to the slot LED is 5.0Gbps per lane.

GPU-Xpander InteriorGPU-Xpander is connected to both power and a host computer. Both are powered up, but GPU-Xpander displays no external link LED and the fan is not spinning:

  • Check the internal 10-pin cable connecting the Master Interface Board to the front panel.
  • Make sure pin 1 of the 10-pin cable is connected as shown in the image at the right.

Warnings appear in Windows Device Manager.

  • You installed appropriate Intel chipset utility and other drivers for the host computer.
  • You installed current drivers for third-party graphics controllers or other adapters as appropriate.
  • Check your motherboard vendor's Website for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to see if others have posted questions similar to yours and to see if the vendor has posted downloads for applicable updates.

What slot options do I have for running BlackMagic Design® DaVinci Resolve™ on the Apple® Mac Pro™ with GPU-Xpander?

  • In Apple Mac Pro, when using ATI® Radeon™ HD 5770 or NVIDIA® GeForce™ GT 120 in slot 1, install the Cubix host adapter in slot 2.
  • Use slots 3 & 4 for eSATA, fibre channel, DeckLink™ and similar cards.
  • In Cubix GPU-Xpander, use one of the following combinations: [a] two GTX 285s or Quadro™ 4800s and one Red® Rocket™, [b] two Quadro 4000s and two Red Rockets (for stereo) or [c] three Quadro 4000s and one Red Rocket.

My Apple Mac Pro System Profiler displays no GPUs under PCI Cards.

  • Apple Mac Pro System Profiler shows GPUs with display capabilities under Graphics/Displays as shown in the image below.
  • The System Profiler utility does not list display-capable GPUs under PCI Cards; look under Graphics/Displays to see that the Mac Pro has loaded the drivers.
  • Even though GPUs do not appear under PCI Cards, applications such as BlackMagic Design DaVinci Resolve can access and use the GPUs.

Apple Mac Pro System Profiler

Before You Contact Cubix
Find the unique serial number (s/n) located on the GPU-Xpander outside cover. Have this s/n ready when you contact Cubix Customer Service.

Fill out and submit the Contact Cubix form.
Email customerservice@cubix.com
Hours 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific, Monday through Friday
Closed weekends and holidays
USA or Canada Telephone 800.829.0554
International Telephone 775.888.1000