EDIT 08-25-2017: I finally managed to resolve a lot of problems i had with this video card under Windows (lags, freezes, mouse disconnecting...) so i decided to re-write entirely this guide. The AMD Vega 64 is really amazing, and i recommend all of you to upgrade if you have a MacBook Pro with RX580.
Hello guys,
So i finally upgraded my config and changed my RX580 by a VEGA 64 (black edition with stock fan, from Sapphire).
First of all, i want to say this card is really heavy. And really loud, you can't hear it when idle but in charge, you know EXACTLY what coil whine means and your eGPU enclosure becomes a very efficient hair-dryer.
The installation under MacOS Sierra Beta is just plug and play, it works like a charm, and it is recognized as "AMD RX xxx 8Go". Luxmark says "Amd Radeon Vega 10 Prototype".
That said, i tried numerous games under High Sierra Beta 6, here are the results:
- Worls of Warcraft Legion: 1080p, preset 10 with FXAA High: 40-60fps
- Unigine Heaven: Won't load
- Unigine Valley: Glitches, distorsion... unusable
- Firewatch: Crash
- Borderlands 2: Crash
I hope that's only a problem from drivers and it should be resolved whith Final High Sierra. I hope Vega will be helpfull in Final Cut Pro using Metal 2...
So, guess what? i decided not to use MasOS for gaming, let's go to Windows.
Installing with Windows 10:
STEP 1: Install Windows ANNIVERSARY EDITION using BootCamp Assistant.
STEP 2: Boot into Windows, update all Apple Drivers and upgrade Windows to Creator's Update
STEP 3: Go to Device Manager > Device by Connection > Disable PCI #9D18:
STEP 4: Connect your Mantiz Venus with AMD Vega 64 inside to the bottom-left Thunderbolt 3 port (The nearest to the TAB key). I had A LOT of issues when plugging it in the top-left port. Wait for windows to install drivers for components of the Venus (USB, SATA, Ethernet...)
STEP 5: Install latest AMD Drivers from their website
STEP 6: Reboot into MacOS and select BootCamp Disk as startup disk in system preferences
STEP 7: Reboot into windows using a USB Key plugged in one of the USB port of the Venus that you made from this guide with bootx64.efi: https://egpu.io/forums/mac-setup/how-to-keep-mbps-irisiris-pro-activated-when-booting-into-windows-boot-camp/#post-1458
STEP 8: Enjoy Insanely good gaming performances benchmarks on external display:
Edit 2017-09-03: Trying 4K gaming.
Thi Vega 64 was not bought for gaming as main goal, but i wanted to see what could be possible if playing in 4K. And i'm not disappointed at all.
I connected the eGPU set with an HDMI 1.4 cable to my 4K-UHD LG TV 48 inches.
Using windows, i monitored FPS in those games:
Redout, 4K - EPIC settings
DOOM, 4K - Vulkan - Ultra settings
The Witcher 3 - 4K - Ultra without NVIDIA Hairwork
Although the results in FPS could not seem very high, i have to say that the gaming experience on that screen is very smooth, even with 30fps and i love playing on it.
By the way, i noticed when playing in 1080p Forcing VSYNC and limiting frames by 60 fps provides a very good gaming experience, as smooth as possible, with no lag or glitches and makes the card quieter as it is used at only 50%. It reduces also the power consumption. It must be the good setting if you play on a 60Hz screen.
This card is exactly what i needed, and with a good price (i payed 507€ with 2 games) it really worth it. Again, gaming is not my main target.
I'll post benchs of computing power in FCPX as soon as it is possible (for the moment, FCPX does not support eGPUS).
EDIT 2017-10-21: updated yesterday Windows 10 to Fall Creator Update.
Going back to device manager shows me PCI Express Root #9-9D18 is now activated, and no error 12 on the vega, everything is working fine. Meaning if you follow this guide, upgrade to Fall Creator Update before plugging your mantiz venus on the mac, STEP 3 is no more needed.
Thank you for the report and implementation. Can you take a screen capture of Device Manager » View by Connection?
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2021 15" ASUS TUF Dash F15 [11th,4C,H] + RTX 3080 @ 32Gbps-TB4 (AORUS Gaming Box) + Win10 2004 // my 3rd RTX 3080 build [build link]
New captures this week end, coming soon!
Updated Guide! works flawlessly in Windows 10.
Didi you have issue with power spikes with games and software under Windows or macOS? Let's hope next beta have better Vega drivers
MacBook Pro 13" 2020 Touch Bar M1 8-core CPU 8-core GPU - 16GB unified memory - 512GB PCIe SSD
MacBook Pro 13" 2020 Touch Bar i7 quad-core 2.3Ghz - 16GB RAM - 1TB PCIe SSD
my awesome Radeon VII eGPU
my Mantiz Venus extreme mod with Sapphire Nitro+ RX Vega 64
2018 13" MacBook Pro [8th,4C,U] + Radeon VII @ 32Gbps-TB3 (Mantiz Venus) + macOS 10.15 [build link]
@ikir: no i had no such issues. But i did not use sierra as it can't load any game. I played hours in Windows on Mass Effect Andromeda and it works great. Do you have a vega too?
@Leoben Can you run some benchmarks through the internal display? I have an RX Vega 56 en route and would like to have some baseline for AMD eGPU performance.
• external graphics card builds
• best laptops for external GPU
• eGPU enclosure buyer's guide
2021 15" ASUS TUF Dash F15 [11th,4C,H] + RTX 3080 @ 32Gbps-TB4 (AORUS Gaming Box) + Win10 2004 // my 3rd RTX 3080 build [build link]
@ikir I had power issues with Vega 64 in Akitio Node where it appeared to shutdown PSU sporadicly during games in Win10. Swapped in a Corsair SF600 and problems went away.
Mac Mini 2018 + AKiTiO Node (Corsair SF600 PSU) + Gigabyte Vega RX 64
2014 Mac Mini [4th,2C,U] + RX Vega 64 @ 16Gbps-TB2>TB3 (AKiTiO Node) + macOS 10.13 & Win10 [build link]
@Theitsage:
Here are a few bench from integrated LCD under Windows.
Benchs from 3D Mark simply won't load using internal display only.
So yes, if you only look at Valley, the performance drop between internal and external is really close to zero.
Thank you @Leoben! AMD XConnect team has been working hard to optimize eGPU internal display performance. The RX 580 eGPU I tested yielded very marginal difference between internal vs. external display.
• external graphics card builds
• best laptops for external GPU
• eGPU enclosure buyer's guide
2021 15" ASUS TUF Dash F15 [11th,4C,H] + RTX 3080 @ 32Gbps-TB4 (AORUS Gaming Box) + Win10 2004 // my 3rd RTX 3080 build [build link]