Blackmagic eGPU Pro - Radeon RX Vega 56  

Posted by: Eightarmedpet

Depends on your use case... I, like most, would not recommend the Blackmagic eGPU's as they are very expensive for what they are (or maybe not that bad actually, a decent Vega 56 + A Razer Core V2 would be near £900 but it would have the usual trade offs).
No one knows how these Minis work in bootcamp yet, or the Vega 56's, but the 580 Pro eGPU was a nightmare in Bootcamp.
Both macOS and W10 now have features that allow you to select which GPU to use regardless of how things are connected.
I use a 5K in Windows with an eGPU with no monitor attached and it runs great.

I had both enclosures, a Razer Core X and a Blackmagic and to be honest: The Blackmagic wins easily for two important reasons:
1) Silence
2) Ports

Blackmagic has delayed shipping out the Pro version. If you have an RX Vega 56 eGPU working in macOS Mojave, make sure to run performance benchmarks prior to and post 10.14.2 launch. One of the few selling points for this eGFX is the stated 18dB, silent operation for the Radeon Pro 580. There's no disclosure whether this is the case for the RX Vega 56 inside this same enclosure. My guess is Apple is fine-tuning macOS drivers in 10.14.2 to make sure the Blackmagic eGPU Pro doesn't scream. We certainly hope this doesn't mean performance degradation for other RX Vega 56 eGPUs in macOS.

I have a feeling that the Blackmagic Pro will outperform my Razer Core X with the Vega 64. (Mainly due to the Loopback issue, since I use a USB-C monitor and can't connect it directly to Vega 64)

In sum, Blackmagic is still the best eGPU for USB-C monitor users. I plan to order and test and will share findings hopefully they launch this month.

@macbookprouser19 Please share your findings once the Blackmagic eGPU Pro arrives. I will put together an RX Vega 56 eGPU with Thunderbolt 3 monitor output and run some baseline benchmarks in both 10.14.1 and 10.14.2.

The price is too high but that thing is very cool, I would love to buy one with a Mac mini 2018!

Posted by: macbookprouser19

I have a feeling that the Blackmagic Pro will outperform my Razer Core X with the Vega 64. (Mainly due to the Loopback issue, since I use a USB-C monitor and can't connect it directly to Vega 64)

In sum, Blackmagic is still the best eGPU for USB-C monitor users. I plan to order and test and will share findings hopefully they launch this month.

I have the Razer Core X running a Vega 64. I dont get why the BM Pro with Vega56 can outperform my current setup but I would also love to see your results.

Posted by: itsage

@macbookprouser19 Please share your findings once the Blackmagic eGPU Pro arrives. I will put together an RX Vega 56 eGPU with Thunderbolt 3 monitor output and run some baseline benchmarks in both 10.14.1 and 10.14.2.

A follow-up to this at https://egpu.io/forums/builds/late-2018-mac-mini-wx-910032gbps-tb3-mantiz-venus-thunderbolt-3-monitor-output-macos-10-14-1-itsage/
It's not a RX Vega 56 but it shows how to connect a Thunderbolt 3 display to the GPU of an eGPU.

One of the few people who had access to the Blackmagic Pro to review was Michael Kammes of 5thingsseries.com. He published an article earlier this week. It seems like Apple didn't like his review and told him to take it down.

https://twitter.com/michaelkammes/status/1073260698354966528

For anyone who was waiting, the BlackMagic Pro is now available on the apple store, estimated to ship in mid-January:   https://www.apple.com/shop/product/HMQT2VC/A/blackmagic-egpu-pro

Just in time for the new Navi cards that will beat it...