[Solved] To future eGPU users — do your homework first!  

@mini-i5, Thanks for your answer.

-I forgot to mention, (and now it's seems to be important), that I'm (only) using Davinci Resolve. My main goal it's to run, and work on 4K rushes (editing and colouring), with that external eGPU config.

-If it's possible, I would like to recycle my old laptop to have a second editing station. Well for a while. Apple create the M1 and It's seems that I will be force to buy one of those laptop with crazy specs. But I was hoping not to do it right now, and wait till mid 2022, with a eGPU "pimped" MBP.

-Buying a second part M1 mini, is not a solution. Where anyway I will be forced to buy a M1 MBP.

@bastien_loiseau,

Sure, for work involving Davinci Resolve Studio (the Pro version, not the free version) I would consider going with the Blackmagic eGPU + TB3>TB2 adapter - after reading up on the script you'll need to get it running with the 2014 MBP.

https://egpu.io/forums/mac-setup/definitive-macos-thunderbolt-egfx-compatibility-registry-faq/

Good night people! My current desktop is a 12900k and Asus motherboard with Thunderbolt port. Until the 1700 bracket arrives, I'm studying putting an eGPU instead of a GPU. Reason: mobility and the possibility to use it with a notebook when not using it on the desktop. I thought about buying the Razer Core X (black) and installing a 3080. If I'm going to use it for video and image editing (I won't play games), will I have a lot of performance loss on the desktop?

@rbacchin, Welcome to the forum. 

If you can get past Windows error 12 and get your setup running - you shouldn’t experience too much performance loss in video or image editing apps. 

A second TB3 device will likely cause error 12, so for sure use additional internal drives or NAS devices for your video files and scratch disks. 

You might actually be pioneering the Alder Lake desktop + TB motherboard effort here, so be sure to document the journey for other interested members.

Here’s a 6-page thread with plenty of good info from knowledgeable Ryzen peeps to fall back on:

https://egpu.io/forums/desktop-computing/asus-proart-b550-creator-thunderbolt-4/

Hi everyone, I want to build a cheap egpu for my computer for graphics and gaming because I don't have enough money to buy good egpu. so i hope you can help me build an egpu cheaply and advise me which card should i use with it

@thai_le_huy, Check whether your MSI modern15 A10M motherboard has a second M.2 socket. If it does, you can add an eGPU through ADT-Link R43SG. That would be the most affordable option.

Hello everyone! Firstly, allow me to apologize if this is not the correct place or way to ask this question, I will delete and move the post if I am asked/required to do so

Okay so this is the situation:

I got an old Mac Mini (Late 2012 if memory serves, I know it was thew quad core I7 variant) which I dissasembled with the idea of building an HTPC. I was thinking of running Recalbox on it as I wanted to option of both using it for Netflix/YouTube/Amazon Video/Hulu and for emulating (for example Smash Melee or Pokemon XD Gale of Darkness on the GameCube, some PS2 and Wii games on the side if possible). One of the things I was thinking was of adding a low power GPU (something without any external power needed, so like a GT 1030 or some low profile GTX 1050's) and I was looking at some adaptor solutions. Basically I wanted to run a DIY eGPU via either ExpressCard or ThunderBolt (the 2 solutions I thougth of for now).

The main issue I think I might run in is power draw. The max TDP of the I7 i have is 45w and the GT1030 (to use as an example in this case) runs at 30w at max, so 75W total from those 2 (without counting everything else like cooling solutions, SSD/HDD, adaptors, etc). However, the Mac Mini´s power supply is rated for 85w max power delivery.

The solution I had thought for this was to buy a old power brick like this one, buy a 8 pin to 2x6 pin (or 8 pin to single 6 pin, if using a dual 6 pin adaptor to power the GPU riser + a slightly more powerful GPU is not advised/puts too much stress on the cable and adaptor). Another one was to buy a generic 300w or so PSU purely to power the riser and whatever GPU I get, though I feel this second option is a bit too sketchy.

I know I may be missing out on ideas or solutions. What I wanted to know was:

1. Would I need to do the aditional power adaptor solutiuon to power the riser and a GT 1030?

2. What other alternatives or ways to build a eGPU with this machine work? I'm even willing to learn and do some sodering shennanigans if it means having a solution that works and isn't uber expensive (saw one or 2 custom solutions here were people sodered adaptors/cables, and I'm more than willing to do that).

Buying a ready made eGPU solution is not what I'm looking for because it's expensive as hell for my situation. I live in Argentina (no eGPUs in the market) and have a limited budget (say around 100 and 200 USD total for the eGPU and GPU), so buying the enclosure AND a GPU would skyrocket my costs. However I'm travelling to the US next month so I was planning on buying all the cables and adaptors I need, send em to where I'm going to stay and work on this when I'm back home. The idea was to reuse the mac mini and not throwing a ton of money at it to turn it into a custom console of sorts hahaha

Any and all comments/suggestions/tips are more than welcome! Thanks for your time

@federico_luchessa

Sounds like you should try and pick up an Atto Thunderlink, they should go for around $50 on eBay in the US and can use a low profile card like a RX 550. Check this build for more info.

I currently have a desktop PC with a GTX 1080 and a MacBook Pro 13" 2020.

I'd like to get rid of the desktop and use the MacBook Pro with both MacOS and Bootcamp with the eGPU running an AMD 6900XT.

Has anyone tried this set up with both operating systems? Did it work easily or did it need lots of work? Was it easy to switch between or did it need you to power off the device completely before switching to the other operating system?

I'm thinking of buying the Radeon RX 6500 XT when it comes out. Thing is, the performance could really take a hit if used with pcie gen 3 because it's restricted to 4 lanes (source: https://www.tomshardware.com/news/amd-usd-199-rx-6500-xt-restricted-to-pcie-4-x4).
So here is my question, can the razer core x support gen 4 if my cpu supports it?

Also, will a new card like that work with a razer core x or will it need a firmware update or something?

If it does not support pcie 4, is there another egpu enclosure that does support this gen?