Kudos: This build would not have been possible without @itsage.
System Specifications
- MacBook Pro 15" (2018)
- CPU: 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7 (i7-8850H)
- GPU(s): Intel UHD 630, Radeon Pro 560X
- macOS 10.13.6 & Windows 10
eGPU Specifications
- Aorus Gaming Box GTX 1070
- CableMatters Active TB3 Cable
Installation
The installation process is usually straightforward if you use one of the solutions on this forum.
For macOS
- Run purge-wrangler.sh.
- Choose option to enable NVIDIA eGPUs.
- Once the script completes, system should be able to use eGPU.
Booting with the eGPU plugged in may result in both screens glitching out temporarily, but once at the login screen, the system will function normally. Ensure that if you have a monitor plugged in to the eGPU, it is set as the primary display. Hot-plugging the eGPU may result in a black external display, which can be fixed by logging out and in.
Bonus: 4K at 60Hz over HDMI 2.0 works fine on macOS with NVIDIA eGPUs it seems.
Not all applications take advantage of external GPUs. For that, one can use set-eGPU.sh for High Sierra (10.13.4+) or use the Prefer External GPU option in Mojave.
For Windows 10
The setup process is simple:
- Disconnect all devices from the system.
- Hot-plug eGPU at the Windows spinning circles.
- Let Windows install drivers.
- Update to the latest drivers as necessary.
Things to note:
- Booting with eGPU plugged in results in a disabled internal display.
Workaround: Plug the eGPU in at the spinning circles during Windows boot every time. - If the eGPU was hot-plugged and any other device was plugged into the remaining Thunderbolt port (or vice versa), system will crash.
Workaround: Boot with eGPU and device plugged in at the cost of losing internal display. - The right side ports worked best for me, as the Aorus firmware can be finicky. For other enclosures, the left side ports may work as well.
Benchmarks
Some interesting benchmarks on macOS (Valley: 1440x900 Ultra):
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Valley, Radeon Pro 560X |
Valley, GTX 1070 |
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LuxMark, Radeon Pro 560X
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Comments
I only use the eGPU for testing purposes at this time, but my experience and benchmarks make the following clear:
- Compute performance over 560X: ~3.3x.
- Valley does really well on NVIDIA cards in both operating systems.
Windows benchmarks will be added soon.
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]
Comparing gpus: Perhaps you are interested in some interesting results I got from of 3dMark resp. Radeon 560X - Radeon 580 - GTX 1080 Ti, the latters one with eGPU. The differences grow by "time and complexity" of the particular tests.
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]
First of all, amazing job.
So always that you want to turn on your macbook on windows mode have to disconnect and connect thunderbolt 3 on spinning circles? Can't you just have thunderbolt 3 connected without have to be always disconnecting and connecting?
I have 10.14.1 macOS and im not sure if I can make aorus gaming box 1070 work on macOS. Because of that im wondering in getting aorus box 1070 or aorus box rx580, mi idea it's just have all connected to the box and just turn on macOS o windows without major problems.
I just need signal on external monitor on macOS, don't really need EGPU for macOS, but yes in windows, because I want egpu for windows gaming.
Thanks you in advance.
To do: Create my signature with system and expected eGPU configuration information to give context to my posts. I have no builds.
.@odine you can leave the box plugged in while booting if you don’t care about internal display in Windows. macOS Mojave needs web drivers which aren’t available yet. Use High Sierra or wait for updates.
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]
@odine you can leave the box plugged in while booting if you don’t care about internal display in Windows. macOS Mojave needs web drivers which aren’t available yet. Use High Sierra or wait for updates.
Thank you for that fast reply.
So for external monitor I can let it always connected right?, And to use macbook monitor I'll have to connect egpu on spinning circles, that's right? (Sorry about my bad English)
Im wondering about buying a hub from amazon with usb and HDMI, so when I need the external monitor for macOS I just connect it, and when I wanted to play on windows just connect the box, I think that could be an option.
To do: Create my signature with system and expected eGPU configuration information to give context to my posts. I have no builds.
.@odine That's right. Leaving the eGPU plugged in while booting works fine for me. Other Macs may have other problems (such as Code 12), but for the 2014 and 2018 15", it works fine.
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]
Hey, thanks for the tutorial. Are you running Mojave? When i run purge wrangler i get this:
Latest Available Driver: 17G3025
Your macOS Build: 18A391
Recommendation: Major OS version discrepancy detected.
Patching not recommended.
Did you have this issue? Should I go ahead with the patch?
/Daniel
To do: Create my signature with system and expected eGPU configuration information to give context to my posts. I have no builds.
.Hey, thanks for the tutorial. Are you running Mojave? When i run purge wrangler i get this:
Latest Available Driver: 17G3025
Your macOS Build: 18A391
Recommendation: Major OS version discrepancy detected.
Patching not recommended.
Did you have this issue? Should I go ahead with the patch?
/Daniel
No, I wouldn't do it. nVidia GPUs are not supported in Mojave. Further you can see clearly that @mac_editor is running High Sierra (10.13.6).
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]
Well he is also saying:
Not all applications take advantage of external GPUs. For that, one can use set-eGPU.sh for High Sierra (10.13.4+) or use the Prefer External GPU option in Mojave.
So it is not entirely clear imho, but yeah I'll have to wait I guess 🙁
To do: Create my signature with system and expected eGPU configuration information to give context to my posts. I have no builds.
.@dingdaoning That is a general statement for setting eGPU preference (what eGPU being used does not matter). Can be confusing I guess :p bad me, but it's clearly mentioned in the script guide as well, that Mojave does not have web drivers.
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]