System specs
-MacBook Pro 15 inch 2018, i9-8950HK 6-core, 32GB Ram, 1TB SSD
-iGpu Intel UHD Graphics 630
-dGpu AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20
-External Monitor AOC 1080P 27 Inch
-AMD XConnect working for internal monitor acceleration
-Mac OSX 10.14.2
-Windows 10 Build 1809 Bootcamp
eGPU hardware
PowerColor Gaming Station
Asus Strix Vega 64
Hardware pictures
Installation steps
MacOSX:
Plug and Play
Windows (Recommended Windows 10 Build 1809)
- Install BootCamp through Mojave
- Boot into BootCamp (without eGPU plugged in) and install BootCamp drivers, restart
- Install all Windows 10 updates, restarting each time
- After everything is installed and up to date, plug in eGPU and restart until you get display on the external monitor
- Internal monitor will be black at first, then will turn on
Benchmark
- I'm having some issues getting AIDA64 to finish the benchmark, so I will post some benchmarks later
Comments
- I can't get AMD Radeon Settings to install updated drivers for the Vega 64 (it says no AMD card detected), so I will try installing the drivers manually.
Comments (eg: how has the eGPU improved your workflow or gaming)
2018 i9 MBP Vega 20 / PowerColor Gaming Station / Vega 64
2018 15" MacBook Pro (Vega20) [8th,6C,H] + RX Vega 64 @ 32Gbps-TB3 (PowerColor Gaming Station) + macOS 10.14.2 & Win10 // 2x4K , 1x1080P over Thunderbolt1 [build link]
Thank you for sharing this nice build! Are you using the Apple provided Boot Camp drivers or the modified Radeon drivers from Bootcampdrivers.com?
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2021 13" ASUS ROG Flow X13 (RTX3050Ti) [R5K,8C,H] + RTX 3080 @ 64Gbps-XG (XG Mobile) + Win10 20H2 [build link]
I am using the provided Boot Camp drivers, as installing modified Radeon drivers broke my bluetooth connection.
So I figured out how to install updated drivers for the Vega 64:
- Download newest drivers from AMD Website
- Extract the exe with 7zip
- Go into Device Manager, select the Vega, and click updated driver
- Select "Have Disk" and direct it into the folder that contains the setup for Video Driver
- It will restart a few times, screen will screw up, etc but it will update
Game performance improved MASSIVELY. Without updated drivers, I was getting random fps drops in GTA V, now it is locked at 60 max settings with VSync on.
2018 i9 MBP Vega 20 / PowerColor Gaming Station / Vega 64
2018 15" MacBook Pro (Vega20) [8th,6C,H] + RX Vega 64 @ 32Gbps-TB3 (PowerColor Gaming Station) + macOS 10.14.2 & Win10 // 2x4K , 1x1080P over Thunderbolt1 [build link]
Does that same Radeon driver work for the Vega 20 dGPU? How long do you wait until the internal come back on?
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2021 13" ASUS ROG Flow X13 (RTX3050Ti) [R5K,8C,H] + RTX 3080 @ 64Gbps-XG (XG Mobile) + Win10 20H2 [build link]
Since I just installed the 19.1.1 Drivers for Vega 64 only (through device manager), the Vega 20 GPU drivers don't seem to have been updated. The internal display comes on immediately if I boot without eGPU plugged in, and to get Vega 64 working again I have to hotplug and start the restart sequence again.
2018 i9 MBP Vega 20 / PowerColor Gaming Station / Vega 64
2018 15" MacBook Pro (Vega20) [8th,6C,H] + RX Vega 64 @ 32Gbps-TB3 (PowerColor Gaming Station) + macOS 10.14.2 & Win10 // 2x4K , 1x1080P over Thunderbolt1 [build link]
Thank you for the additional details. Does the Vega 20 dGPU actually work for internal display eGPU acceleration through Windows Graphics option?
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• external graphics card builds
• best laptops for external GPU
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2021 13" ASUS ROG Flow X13 (RTX3050Ti) [R5K,8C,H] + RTX 3080 @ 64Gbps-XG (XG Mobile) + Win10 20H2 [build link]
Only when the eGPU is not plugged in. When the eGPU is plugged in the Vega 20 is completely disabled (device manager shows that the device could not be started) and AMD xConnect is being used to power the internal display. This can be seen through both Device Manager, and the Task Manager (only GPU that shows is Vega 64). I have not tried eGPU and only internal display yet, with no external connected.
2018 i9 MBP Vega 20 / PowerColor Gaming Station / Vega 64
2018 15" MacBook Pro (Vega20) [8th,6C,H] + RX Vega 64 @ 32Gbps-TB3 (PowerColor Gaming Station) + macOS 10.14.2 & Win10 // 2x4K , 1x1080P over Thunderbolt1 [build link]
Only when the eGPU is not plugged in. When the eGPU is plugged in the Vega 20 is completely disabled (device manager shows that the device could not be started) and AMD xConnect is being used to power the internal display. This can be seen through both Device Manager, and the Task Manager (only GPU that shows is Vega 64). I have not tried eGPU and only internal display yet, with no external connected.
This is (unfortunately) a standard issue all MacBooks with AMD dGPU share: The AMD dGPU can't be used with an AMD eGPU in Bootcamp. It's almost a completely showstopper for Windows users. Acceleration on the internal display on this particular MacBook model (15-inch 2018) is not possible at all.
2018 15" MBP & 2015 13" MBP connected to RTX2080Ti GTX1080Ti GTX1080 Vega56 RX580 R9-290 GTX680
2018 15" MacBook Pro (RP560X) [8th,6C,H] + RX 5700 XT @ 32Gbps-TB3 (ASUS XG Station Pro) + Win10 & macOS 10.15.4 // Navi vs Radeon VII vs GTX 1080 Ti [build link]
This is (unfortunately) a standard issue all MacBooks with AMD dGPU share: The AMD dGPU can't be used with an AMD eGPU in Bootcamp. It's almost a completely showstopper for Windows users. Acceleration on the internal display on this particular MacBook model (15-inch 2018) is not possible at all.
@oliverb we have found a way: https://egpu.io/forums/builds/mid-2018-15-macbook-pro-touchbar-radeon-vii32gbps-tb3-razer-core-macos-10-14-4-win10-1809-itsage/#post-55076
"Desultory reading is delightful, but to be beneficial, our reading must be carefully directed." — Seneca
Author: kryptonite ✧ purge-wrangler ✧ tbt-flash ✧ purge-nvda ✧ set-eGPU
Insights Into macOS Video Editing Performance
Master Threads:
2014 15-inch MacBook Pro 750M
2018 15-inch MacBook Pro
2019 13" MacBook Pro [8th,4C,U] + RX Vega 64 @ 32Gbps-TB3 (Mantiz Venus) + macOS 10.14.6 & Win10 [build link]
This is (unfortunately) a standard issue all MacBooks with AMD dGPU share: The AMD dGPU can't be used with an AMD eGPU in Bootcamp. It's almost a completely showstopper for Windows users. Acceleration on the internal display on this particular MacBook model (15-inch 2018) is not possible at all.
@oliverb we have found a way: https://egpu.io/forums/builds/mid-2018-15-macbook-pro-touchbar-radeon-vii32gbps-tb3-razer-core-macos-10-14-4-win10-1809-itsage/#post-55076
Oh, fantastic!... my last information was that the procedure was not practicable. I will test it with my dGPU Radeon Pro 560x and eGPU Radeon RX 580.
2018 15" MBP & 2015 13" MBP connected to RTX2080Ti GTX1080Ti GTX1080 Vega56 RX580 R9-290 GTX680
2018 15" MacBook Pro (RP560X) [8th,6C,H] + RX 5700 XT @ 32Gbps-TB3 (ASUS XG Station Pro) + Win10 & macOS 10.15.4 // Navi vs Radeon VII vs GTX 1080 Ti [build link]