Pleased to report everything works now - running an Nvidia RTX 2080 super eGPU with bootcamp Windows 10 on my new 16" MBP. I have this setup because I want to play with Valve Index VR but I very much prefer Macs and MacOS. The new 16" MBPs handle graphics and most apps on the Mac side very well (except heavy gaming), so I only need a superior graphics solutions on the Windows side for VR.
It was pretty painless and straight-forward. It took me probably 10 hours or trouble-shooting, but that's because I am brand new to this and there isn't that much information regarding eGPUs with the new 16" MBPs yet. It went smoothly and should take you much less time. It didn't require any special third party drivers or specific versions of Windows 10. I used bootcamp to download the latest version of Windows 10, installed through bootcamp, ran auto-updates when Windows booted, and downloaded the latest graphics drivers directly from nVidia's website.
Let me know if you have any questions and I can try my best to help from my own experience.
Benchmarks photos:
16" MBP 2019: i7 6-cores, dGPU Radeon 5300M, 16GB RAM
eGPU: Gigabyte Nvidia 2080 Super enclosed in Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box 550
2019 16" MacBook Pro (RP5300M) [9th,6C,H] + RTX 2080 Super @ 32Gbps-TB3 (Sonnet Breakaway 550) + Win10 [build link]
Nice setup! The images aren't showing up. Let me ask you, are you plugging the eGPU before booting or hot plugging after Windows is fully loaded?
Photos are fixed now, see above.
I don't think it matters if plug in or turn on, but what has been working is that I activate (either turn on or plug in) after Windows is booted up and running. Windows recognizes it, activates the appropriate drivers etc and then it's good to go.
I just verified that what definitely works is to have the eGPU turned on but not plugged in, then once Windows is up and running plug it in. Windows will recognize the eGPU in the device manager but may not automatically activate it so you have to check. If it doesn't automatically activate it, you can just manually do it there in device manager and then should work fine.
16" MBP 2019: i7 6-cores, dGPU Radeon 5300M, 16GB RAM
eGPU: Gigabyte Nvidia 2080 Super enclosed in Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box 550
2019 16" MacBook Pro (RP5300M) [9th,6C,H] + RTX 2080 Super @ 32Gbps-TB3 (Sonnet Breakaway 550) + Win10 [build link]
• external graphics card builds
• best laptops for external GPU
• eGPU enclosure buyer's guide
2013 Mac Pro (FP D500 x2) [3rd,12C,E] + RX 5700 XT @ 16Gbps-TB2>TB3 (Mantiz Saturn Pro) + macOS 11 [build link]
Awesome, thanks! Yes I've attached the benchmark images above you should be able to see now.
Keep in mind when looking at the results, I have the very cheapest base 16" MPB model i7 6-cores with the 4GM Radeon Pro 5300M dGPU and 16GB RAM. I was originally planning on getting the base i9 8-core, upgrade the dGPU to the 8GB 5500M, and 32GB RAM, but I changed my mind when I saw the difference in computing power between desktop GPUs and decided to go this route instead.
16" MBP 2019: i7 6-cores, dGPU Radeon 5300M, 16GB RAM
eGPU: Gigabyte Nvidia 2080 Super enclosed in Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box 550
2019 16" MacBook Pro (RP5300M) [9th,6C,H] + RTX 2080 Super @ 32Gbps-TB3 (Sonnet Breakaway 550) + Win10 [build link]
I just got the 8-Core i9 version, 32GB Ram and 5500M 8GB. I tried the 5700XT on it but wasn't too satisfied with the results plus the Laptop's Fans were ramping up pretty high.
With this setup, in Windows, can you say if the Laptop Fan speeds/sounds were high/loud?
Thanks
2019 MacBook Pro 13"
2018 MacBook Pro 15"+ Mantiz Venus (MZ-02) + Sapphire AMD 5700 XT
2019 MacBook Pro 16" + Razer Core X + nVidia RTX 2070 Super
No the fans didn't turn on at all during any of the 3 tests above - the computer was totally silent and cool as well as the eGPU for that matter. But again remember since this is an Nvidia card I was running it only in Windows, not the MacOS side.
I am surprised as a 5700XT is very nice... what are your benchmark scores? Are you talking about Windows benchmarks or MacOS? As far as I understand from my limited knowledge and experience, Radeon GPUs give you the flexibility and additional value of being able to use the eGPU in both Window and MacOS, but Windows will generally produce better results and higher benchmark scores in general.
However as a test for fun, I did just download Battlefield V and ran the game with everything on ultrahigh settings with 3080 x 2160 resolution at 60Hz. I was getting 40 - 50 fps and the computer fans definitely kicked in hard-core and the eGPU still remained silent. I don't really notice or mind fan noise because I'll either have the speakers turned up or headphones on and won't hear it anyway. If I were going to play a lot of Battlefield V and similar games, in hindsight I think the 8-core i9 would actually be noticeable pragmatically better, but even with an 8-core i9 in a new 16" MBP, I think the 2080 ti would probably be overkill without better CPU cooling.
16" MBP 2019: i7 6-cores, dGPU Radeon 5300M, 16GB RAM
eGPU: Gigabyte Nvidia 2080 Super enclosed in Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box 550
2019 16" MacBook Pro (RP5300M) [9th,6C,H] + RTX 2080 Super @ 32Gbps-TB3 (Sonnet Breakaway 550) + Win10 [build link]
what are your benchmark scores?
I didn't run the typical benchmark scores; what I ran was the new Call of Duty Modern Warfare since this was the main reason for my purchase. I was getting All the way up to 120 FPS but then it dropped/stopped screenplay in MultiPlayer mode down to 10 FPS. Seemed like it glitched which was probably due to the lack of updated drivers. I know the latest bootcampdrivers.com were released in Nov to help support the 5700 XT but didn't help much for this game. The Color and textures in this game were pretty bad.
I think the 2080 ti would probably be overkill without better CPU cooling.
That's what my concern was. I would opt to bring this to LANs with friends instead of a console but I didn't want it to sound like I was flying a drone inside the house. The internal fans kick on faster with the gaming tests than with just a GPU test like most others have performed.
2019 MacBook Pro 13"
2018 MacBook Pro 15"+ Mantiz Venus (MZ-02) + Sapphire AMD 5700 XT
2019 MacBook Pro 16" + Razer Core X + nVidia RTX 2070 Super
@nathan_ramos, I have a very similiar set up currently with 2019 15" MacBook Pro (i9-9880H with 16gb ram) + Razer Core X + RTX 2080 Super.
The fans were lound on the MBP until I set the max CPU speed when plugged in to 90%. I basically followed the advice in this thread: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8011809 .
Since then, its been silent all the time.
Playing Anno 1800 @1440p with all settings maxed out settings with no problems.
Successful Build: MBP 2018 with Razer Core X Chroma + nVidia 2080 Super.
Currently attempting: MBA 2020 Core i7 with Razer Core X Chroma + nVidia 20280 Super (Stuck with Error 12)
@tsygna, is there any noticable bottlenecks in the macbooks cpu?
To do: Create my signature with system and expected eGPU configuration information to give context to my posts. I have no builds.
.