Computer: Mac Mini 2.5 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5
Monitors: Samsung C791 Ultrawide & BENQ EX3203R
Cabling: Apple TB3 to TB2 Cable. TB 2 meter cable was Apple too.
eGPU and GPU: Asus XG Station 2 with a Radeon RX 570 GPU
Hardware Images
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Installation steps
1. Followed the directions exactly as specified here: https://github.com/mayankk2308/purge-wrangler/wiki/Beginne r's-Guide
2. Worked without any problems. Done in 15 minutes.
Benchmarks
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Heaven:
Before: 2.9 FPS on my Samsung C791 Ultrawide 3440x1440
After: 33.7 FPS on the same monitor
Comments
If you follow the directions, it'll hopefully be as easy as my installation. I didn't want to get the ASUS Station 2 eGPU because of its size and cost but at the time of this writing we were in the Covid-19 crisis and I couldn't get hold of any other boxes. They were all sold out or not available for 10 weeks or more. So, I bit the bullet and bought this box for $800. I was working with 2 monitors (1 using the DP and the other using the HDMI port). The HDMI port graphics looked awful and it would periodically stop working. I decided to try the eGPU and I'm happy I did--both monitors are working at 60Hz and full resolution for each. 3440x1440 & 2560x1440.
I tried using a higher 100Hz setting and the screen blacked out. I couldn't see the monitor any longer to change the Hz back to 60 so opted to download DisableMonitor (v 1.92) and manually change it back to 60Hz. Fixed but I now know I'm stuck at 60Hz for both monitors.
@dillpickles, Welcome aboard and thank you for sharing this build! Have you tried SwitchResX to resolve the refresh rate issue? Also macOS 10.15.4 allows my Macs to change the refresh rates within System Preferences -> Displays. Do you see something similar?
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• external graphics card builds
• best laptops for external GPU
• eGPU enclosure buyer's guide
2019 13" MacBook Pro [8th,4C,U] + RX 5600 XT @ 32Gbps-TB3 (VisionTek mini eGFX) + macOS 11 & Win10 2004 [build link]
@dillpickles, 3440 x 1440 @ 100 Hz is well within the DisplayPort 1.2 limit. 60Hz only requires DisplayPort 1.1 if you're only using 8 bpc. Is the display set to DisplayPort 1.2 (if it has a DisplayPort 1.2 option)? Maybe output from AGDCDiagnose can help see what's going on. Use Screen Sharing. Change the refresh rate to 100 Hz. Get an output from AGDCDiagnose.
Mac mini (2018), Mac Pro (Early 2008), MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015), GA-Z170X-Gaming 7, Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 580 8GB GDDR5, Sonnet Echo Express III-D, Trebleet Thunderbolt 3 to NVMe M.2 case
@joevt, @itsage Thanks for the tips on fixing this issue. You're both correct and was able to set both monitors at 100Hz without any problems. I think I tried to set my one monitor to 144Hz and that was the real problem. After getting the black screen I wasn't about to try 100Hz.
As a programmer for 20 years I'm usually the one people are coming to for answers...so thanks for showing an old dog a new trick.
I have another question that you two might be able to answer. Which GPU would you recommend to give me the best performance given my TB1 bottleneck? I chose the Radeon RX 570 based on Apple's eGPUs (if they sell them I figured they were known viable options) but perhaps you have a recommendation for better performance?
Thanks in advance.
@dillpickles, Using the eGPU through external monitor minimizes the Thunderbolt performance loss. My personal recommendation is a Radeon RX Vega 56/64 if you can find one for low to mid $200. The ASUS XG Station 2 can handle any graphics card power requirements.
• external graphics card builds
• best laptops for external GPU
• eGPU enclosure buyer's guide
2019 13" MacBook Pro [8th,4C,U] + RX 5600 XT @ 32Gbps-TB3 (VisionTek mini eGFX) + macOS 11 & Win10 2004 [build link]