System specs
- iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)
- 3.8 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i7
- 40 GB 2133 MHz DDR4
- AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT 8 GB
- macOS Big Sur 11.2.3
- Apple bluetooth keyboard and mouse
- Steelseries Wireless Pro
- My Passport USB (for Windows backup)
- Wireless Gaming Controller CUH-ZCT2U connected via USB
- Envoy Pro FX connected via TB3 (for Time Machine)
- Apple USB SuperDrive
- Windows 10 Pro Education 20H2 build 19042.844
eGPU hardware
- SAPPHIRE NITRO+ RX 5700 XT
- Sonnet Breakaway 550
- 2160p/4K UHD 55" TV
Hardware pictures
Installation steps
### Easier setup : I modified it when my eGPU would no work in Windows anymore (I forgot to disconnect my TB3 backup drive used by Time Machine!!!) ###
macOS 11.2.3
- Plug and play.
Windows 10 20H2
- Disconnect all external devices (USB, TB3, etc.)
- Optional : Connect USB mouse and keyboard (sometimes, bluetooth devices stop responding during install)
- Install Windows 10 20H2 with Boot Camp Assistant
- Optional: Delete D:\BootCamp\Drivers\AMD (we don't want to install the AMD video drivers, OSXRESERVED (D:) is used by Apple to install windows and drivers)
- Install Boot Camp drivers
- Click
in the right side of the taskbar. Click the Boot Camp icon
, then choose "Restart in macOS..."
- With Clover Configurator : Mount EFI > Mount Partition > Open Partition
- Open folder /EFI/Boot
- Rename /EFI/Boot/bootx64.efi to /EFI/Boot/bootx64_original.efi
- Download apple_set_os loader v0.5 and copy to /EFI/Boot/bootx64.efi
- With Clover Configurator : unMount partition
- In "System Preferences", set "Startup Disk" to BOOTCAMP and Restart
- Press Command-R while restarting to enter "macOS recovery mode"
- Set Security Boot to "No Security"
- Restart
- Install the latest Blue Enterprise Edition Driver from bootcampdrivers.com (Red also works, but I prefer 5K on the iMac display)
With "Factory Reset" (if you did not do step 4) - Power ON eGPU and connect TB3 cable
- Restart
- Enter Windows
- Restart
- Enter Windows
- Disconnect and reconnect cable to eGPU
- That's it... it just works
I did all the updates (Windows Updates + Optional updates + Apple Software Update) with the eGPU cable disconnected.
except the American Micro Devices, Inc. - Display
Reconnected all USB devices, except the TB3 drive.
Optional : disonnected USB mouse and keyboard (using apple bluetooth mouse and keyboard)
Then I reconnected the eGPU TB3 cable and did :
- Restart
- Enter Windows
- Restart
- Enter Windows
- Disconnect and reconnect TB3 cable to eGPU
macOS with eGPU to Windows 10 with eGPU
- Disconnect TB3 drive (if you have one)
- "System Preferences", "Startup Disk", select BOOTCAMP
- Restart
- Enter Windows
- Restart
- Enter Windows
- Disconnect and reconnect TB3 cable to eGPU
- That's it...
Windows 10 with eGPU to macOS with eGPU
- Click
in the right side of the taskbar. Click the Boot Camp icon
, then choose "Restart in macOS..."
- Reconnect TB3 drive (if you have one)
Benchmarks
Quiet Bios
Performance Bios
Internal Pro 5500 XT (Red drivers)
eGPU RX 5700 XT (Red drivers)
Comments
Reason for this build : I decided to replace my old 2010 iMac 21.5-inch i3 with a 2020 iMac 27-inch i7 + eGPU in January 2021, it was time...
Notes :
The apple_set_os.efi trick adds the iGPU Display adapter and changes the timing / order of the Windows 10 devices loaded during the boot process, even if iGPU is not really used (no display)
When just disconnecting / reconnecting the TB3 cable does not work, Powering OFF / ON the eGPU sometimes helps.
@bertrand-leboeuf, Very nice build! Have you tried eGPU loopback mode to see how it performs with internal 5K monitor?
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• external graphics card builds
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2021 Gigabyte Z590i Vision D [11th,6C] + RTX 3060 Ti @ 32Gbps-TB4 (Gigabyte Gaming Box) + Win11 [build link]
eGPU with RX 5700 XT @1815MHz, resolution 2560x1440
With Widows High performance power settings
eGPU off
eGPU on
On internal 5K monitor (loopback mode)
On external 4K monitor
@bertrand-leboeuf, Thank you for running these benchmarks in loopback and compare with different scenarios. CPU performance looks great when eGPU is in use.
LinkedIn | Youtube | Instagram
• external graphics card builds
• best laptops for external GPU
• eGPU enclosure buyer's guide
2021 Gigabyte Z590i Vision D [11th,6C] + RTX 3060 Ti @ 32Gbps-TB4 (Gigabyte Gaming Box) + Win11 [build link]
eGPU with RX 5700 XT @1905MHz, resolution 2560x1440
On internal 5K monitor (loopback mode)
On external 4K monitor
@aquariuslt, Are you testing this in macOS or Windows Boot Camp?
LinkedIn | Youtube | Instagram
• external graphics card builds
• best laptops for external GPU
• eGPU enclosure buyer's guide
2021 Gigabyte Z590i Vision D [11th,6C] + RTX 3060 Ti @ 32Gbps-TB4 (Gigabyte Gaming Box) + Win11 [build link]
@aquariuslt, In Windows Boot Camp, you would need to use the modified drivers from bootcampdrivers.com so that both Radeon dGPU and eGPU are working together.
LinkedIn | Youtube | Instagram
• external graphics card builds
• best laptops for external GPU
• eGPU enclosure buyer's guide
2021 Gigabyte Z590i Vision D [11th,6C] + RTX 3060 Ti @ 32Gbps-TB4 (Gigabyte Gaming Box) + Win11 [build link]