2019 13" MacBook Pro [8th,4C,U] + GTX 1080 Ti @ 32Gbps-TB3 (AKiTiO Node) + Win10 1903 [cnon297]  

This MSI GTX 1080 Ti was installed in my Mac Pro for the past 2 years.  But I wanted to see how it would work as an eGPU with my new 13” MacBook Pro.  The build is Windows-only due to the Apple-Nvidia feud.  Bluetooth and the FaceTime camera need to be disabled.  As a partial workaround, I used an RF mouse and USB-C hub with the transmitter in one of the USB-3 ports.  

 

Computer: 

2019 13” CTO MacBook Pro 1.4GHz 4-core i5-8257U, Iris Plus 645, dual TB3, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD

 

eGPU:

AKiTiO Node + MSI GEFORCE GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X 11G* with 11GB GDDR5X VRAM

*AKiTiO lists this card as “incompatible” with the Node.  I haven’t had any issues but FYI.

 

Monitor 1:

Philips Brilliance 242G5, 1080p, 144Hz, 1ms, Display Port, 2x HDMI, DVI-DL, VGA, non-Adaptive.

 

Monitor 2:

Asus ROG PG279Q, 1440p, 165Hz, 4ms, Display Port 1.2, HDMI 1.4, G-Sync

 

OS:

Windows 10, version 1903, build 18362.418

 

 

Hardware setup:  

The MSI 1080Ti Gaming X is 2.5 slots wide but will easily fit in the AKiTiO Node with the cover off.  AKiTiO warns this card will trip the Node’s overload protection under heavy load.  I have no reason to doubt AKiTiO.  Since my Node is out of warranty I installed the MSI 1080 Ti anyway to see how it performs (below).  After 2 weeks of extensive benchmarks and gaming at max settings without any shutdowns, I felt confident enough to post this build.  

If shutdowns occur, AKiTiO sells a 500W PS that they recommend for the Node with “compatible” 1080 Ti cards.  FWIW, techpowerup measured the peak power of this MSI card at 305W gaming & 296W sustained.  Those are higher than a 1080Ti FE  However, the Node has no extra ports or lighting, only 15W PD, and maybe 15-20W for the PCB.  So the stock 400W PS initially seems fine.  I’ll post an update if I end up tripping the overload protection at some point.

UPDATE 1:  I ran several Furmark burn-ins.  The last was 1440p 8xMSAA for 27 hours  without any stability issues.  The MSI 1080Ti managed only 22fps avg with the GPU 99%.  

 

Procedure: 

1- Prep:  Backups 1st.  Then the eGPU / Node should be powered off and TB3 cable connected to the eGPU but not the MacBook Pro.  Disconnect everything from the MBPro except power.  There’s no need to disable SIP, run scripts, or software besides BootCamp Assistant (included with macOS) and Windows 10.  This is mostly due to not having a discrete GPU in the 13” MacBook Pro.

 

2- BootCamp + Windows 10:  Setup using BootCamp assistant in macOS, download the Microsoft 64 bit image “Windows 10 May 2019 Update”, and add a license.  After Win10 setup is complete, free up resources for the eGPU by disabling the Broadcom Bluetooth & iBridge FaceTime camera devices in the Device Manager (Command + X).  Failure to disable both may cause Windows to hang or become unstable.  Other resource allocations may also work.  But this combination is a good starting point.  Afterwards, shut down the notebook from the Windows start menu.

 

3- eGPU:  Power up the notebook and eGPU.  Log into Windows 10 and wait a few seconds for it to finish loading.  Then hot-plug the eGPU into the remaining notebook TB3 port.  Check the Windows Device Manager for 2 display adapters:  Intel Iris 645 and GTX 1080 Ti.  The 1080 Ti will have a yellow background from not having a driver.  

 

4- Graphics Driver:  Before I had a chance, Windows downloaded and installed the driver in the background, connected the eGPU and woke up the external monitor.  Very nice!  In my previous build the driver didn’t install automatically.  If that’s the case, download and install it now.  It’s possible the Windows audio may have been changed to the new Nvidia audio device.  If needed, change it back to the notebook audio in device settings.

 

5 - Wrap up:  DISCONNECT eGPU:  shut down the notebook from Windows, then unplug the notebook TB3 cable.  CONNECT eGPU:  restart Windows, log in, then hot plug the eGPU into the notebook.  Avoid the Nvidia System Tray Icon for GPU Connect.  It’s been unreliable and can crash the notebook.

 

 

Performance:  The MSI 1080 Ti can still hold its own against newer cards from AMD and Nvidia.  Comparisons on YouTube show the 1080 Ti to be about on par with a Radeon VII and RTX 2080 - tho each has advantages (macOS supports Radeon VII, RTX 2080 has ray tracing).  

 

Unigine benchmarks:

With the 144Hz Philips external monitor and the internal 60Hz Retina display

Benchmark & Monitor	Average fps	Min fps	Max fps	Score
Heaven Extreme -ext monitor	134.6 fps	28.9 fps	282.9 fps	3391
Heaven Extreme -int monitor	102.3 fps	27.5 fps	173.7 fps	2577
Valley Extreme -ext monitor	125.5 fps	33.7 fps	203.5 fps	5251
Valley Extreme -int monitor	103.4 fps	34.4 fps	161.5 fps	4328
Valley Extreme HD -ext monitor	111.1 fps	32.5 fps	193.7 fps	4647
Valley Extreme HD -int monitor	107.6 fps	35.4 fps	194.7 fps	4504
Superposition 1080p Med -ext	139.50 fps	96.78 fps	191.18 fps	18651
Superposition 1080p Med -int	123.83 fps	86.14 fps	165.27 fps	16556
Superposition 1080p High -ext	105.59 fps	78.07 fps	143.32 fps	14117
Superposition 1080p High -int	94.13 fps	77.08 fps	121.33 fps	12585
Superposition 1080p Extreme -ext	41.04 fps	33.44 fps	49.02 fps	5486
Superposition 1080p Extreme -int	40.38 fps	32.85 fps	48.83 fps	5398

 

Time Spy benchmark: (1080p 144Hz monitor)

Overall score	Graphics score	GPU test 1	GPU test 2	CPU score	CPU test
6855	8537	55.04 fps	49.42 fps	3240	10.89 fps

 

Tomb Raider benchmarks: 

1440p “High” and “Ultimate” presets running DX11

Settings	Average	Minimum	Maximum
DX11 High	225.8 fps	192.0 fps	256.0 fps
DX11 Ultimate	133.6 fps	108.0 fps	154.0 fps

 

Rise of the Tomb Raider benchmarks: 

1440p “High” and “Very High” presets running DX11 & DX12 

Settings	Overall	Mountain	Syria	Geo Valley	Min fps
DX11 High	92.99 fps	112.03 fps	81.56 fps	83.50 fps	37.77 Mtn
DX12 High	83.69 fps	117.91 fps	72.24 fps	59.18 fps	18.79 Valley
DX11 Very High	80.54 fps	97.18 fps	71.02 fps	71.87 fps	41.49 Syria
DX12 Very High	73.60 fps	101.51 fps	63.12 fps	54.56 fps	24.31 Valley

 

Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmarks: 

1440p “High” and “Highest” presets running DX11 & DX12 

Settings	Frames Rendered	Avg FPS	GPU Min	GPU Max	GPU Avg	GPU 95%
DX11 High	9749	62 fps	41 fps	127 fps	63 fps	43 fps
DX12 High	10302	67 fps	64 fps	118 fps	77 fps	67 fps
DX11 Highest	9082	58 fps	38 fps	118 fps	58 fps	39 fps
DX12 Highest	9531	62 fps	56 fps	108 fps	69 fps	60 fps

 

Miscellaneous Items: 

• “BootCamp System Tray”  The icon for “Restart in macOS…” is working again!  Yay!!  It stopped working on my 2015 MacBook Pro when I upgraded to High Sierra + APFS.  Holding the option key during startup selects the correct OS but doesn’t set the correct Startup Disk.  It was a minor annoyance.  But it happened often enough that it’s nice to see it fixed 😉
• “DX11 vs DX12”  Newer games like SOTTR benefit from DX12 with higher average FPS and amazing min and 95th percentile FPS.  Older games like ROTTR run better in DX11 - tho that may be due to my particular setup.  ROTTR warns that not all hardware will benefit from DX12.
• “X-Box Game bar”  I didn’t realize this feature was on by default until it started throwing out errors after I swapped in my 1440p monitor.  It’s off now but I pulled the 1080p game benchmarks until I can re-test.

 

 

I am seriously loving this build!  The ability to “dock” the 13” MacBook Pro and turn it into a near-tower replacement is brilliant!  And yet still have a compact ultrabook for on-the-go!  The only thing holding it back is the Apple-Nvidia feud; I can only use this eGPU under Windows.  However, I’d be out over $1700 otherwise for graphics hardware that I purchased pre-feud.  So my sincere thanks to everyone that contributed to egpu.io!  It has been an invaluable resource!