Table of Contents
Recap
macOS External GPU has been possible for several years thanks to the selfless work of many in our eGPU community. Most notable is the automate-eGPU script Goalque wrote that enables eGPU in 10.9 to 10.12. Today Apple officially adds this highly-anticipated capability in macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 [17E199]. It’s now available to the general public but not without limitations. As released, only Thunderbolt 3 Macs can make use of external GPU with select AMD Radeon graphics cards.
The questions that immediately come to mind for many Mac users are whether there’s a workaround for non-supported systems, Thunderbolt 1/2 and Nvidia graphics cards. There are no easy answers, but the ball is now in Apple’s court. eGPU.io’s tremendous growth was due in part to a strong Mac user base looking for external graphics card solutions. Now that Apple has officially incorporated eGPU into their Mac platform, it’s high time for the folks in Cupertino to provide first-party support.
macOS External GPU: AORUS Gaming Box + Apple MacBook laptops
The Journey
My first attempt with external graphics was a few summers ago when I realized the Mac Pro tower’s form factor would not return in the Mac lineup. The next logical upgrade path was through an external enclosure with PCIe slot. The Mac Pro trashcan planted this seed with its six Thunderbolt 2 ports that Apple engineers cleverly attached directly to the Xeon CPU [system block diagram]. So I hopped on that train and built an eGPU out of an AKiTiO Thunder2 enclosure. The setup process wasn’t for the faint of heart. Thanks to the resources already made available on TechInferno forums moderated by Nando, I was able to piece together a Radeon RX 470 eGPU for my Macs. The software that enabled this upgrade was Goalque’s automate-eGPU script.
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Shortly after joining and learning about eGPU in macOS on TechInferno forums, Nando, Goalque, and I were banned due to conflicts of interest with the site owners. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It gave us a fresh start to build a new forum, fully dedicated to external graphics card solutions. eGPU.io is now the new and hopefully permanent home for eGPU enthusiasts. Our main mission has always been to make external GPU easy and accessible to all. Intel, AMD, and Thunderbolt partners share the same vision. The complete picture came together on June 5th, 2017 when Apple announced macOS external GPU support in High Sierra at WWDC.
Frequent visits from Cupertino – Dec 25th, 2016 to May 31st, 2017
High Sierra beta was available shortly after the announcement. I tested with the Sonnet Breakaway Box + RX 580 eGPU that is the very same setup Apple used for its eGPU Development Kit. While it worked, this early build was limited to the AMD Radeon RX 580 only and hot-plugging was buggy. Goalque’s script worked more reliably in 10.12 at that point in time. macOS 10.13 was released fall 2017 with external graphics card support for developers only. We kept ourselves in the loop throughout macOS external GPU development process from 10.13 to 10.13.3. While there was marginal improvement following each update and additional support for Radeon Vega GPUs, no major change was in sight.
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Then came 10.13.4 Beta 1, version 17E139j, and with it an initial glimpse of the public release of macOS external GPU. Beta 1 was an amazing build that refined the user experience significantly over previous versions. External GPU was now plug-and-play with almost all Thunderbolt Macs. We were beyond excited and anxious for the final release day. This excitement was short-lived. Beta 2 wreaked havoc on the hierarchy of trust. It broke compatibility with Thunderbolt 1 and Thunderbolt 2 Macs. Longtime Mac users, myself included, felt a punch to the gut when subsequent 10.13.4 Beta continued this trend, refusing to work with non-Thunderbolt 3 Macs. If you’ve been enjoying external graphics with your older Macs, stay with 10.13.3 until further notice.
Reality eventually set in; Apple is a control freak, and for them to add a software feature to support third-party hardware is unprecedented. As seen below, there are about a dozen of Thunderbolt 3 eGPU enclosures compatible with macOS. It’s likely only a handful will be macOS-certified. In the whole scheme there’s a deadline to meet and the fewer Macs to focus on, the more quality assurance Apple can provide to ensure a successful launch. I remain hopeful macOS external GPU functionality will be extended to older Thunderbolt Mac systems in due time.
April 7th 2018 Update: mac_editor found a workaround to enable external GPU functionality for TB1/2 Mac on 10.13.4.
| Rank 6mo |
Thunderbolt 3 Enclosure |
Design | Included GPU |
Price US$ |
Review | User builds |
User builds macOS |
Size (L) compare |
Weight (kg/lb) |
PSU type |
PSU max power |
Power delivery (PD) |
GPU max power |
GPU max length (in/cm) |
GPU |
I/O ports bandwidth |
USB-C ports & ctrl |
TB3 |
slots @width |
Updated firmware |
Cable cm |
Vendor page |
| #1 | EXP GDC TH3P4G3/ TH3P4G2 |
 |
✖ | $130 |
link |
link | link | GPU |
0.23/0.51 |
ATX-ext or AC-ext |
nolimit |
60W+15W |
nolimit | nolimit |
✖ | 5Gbps | 2 & TI83 | JHL7440 | 1@x4 | ?? |
50 |
link |
| #2 | Razer Core X Chroma |
 |
✖ | $400 | link |
link | link | 14.45 | 6.91/15.23 |
ATX-int | 700W |
100W | 500W |
12.99/33.0 | ✖ | 5Gbps | 1 & TI83 |
JHL6540 x2 | 1@x4 | 40.1 ✔ | 70 |
link |
| #3 |
Razer |
 |
✖ | $300 |
link |
link | link | 14.45 |
6.48/14.29 | ATX-int |
650W | 100W |
500W |
12.99/33.0 | ✖ | ✖ |
1 & TI83 |
DSL6540 |
1@x4 |
33.1 ✔ | 50 |
link |
| #4 | ADT-Link R43SG-TB3 |
 |
✖ | $140 |
discuss |
equiv | equiv | GPU |
0.1/0.22 |
ATX-ext or AC-ext |
nolimit |
15W |
nolimit | nolimit |
✖ | ✖ | 1 & TI83 | DSL6540 | 1@x4 | ?? |
30 |
link |
| #5 | Wikingoo eGPU |
 |
✖ | $186 |
link |
link | link | < 9.1 |
?? |
ATX-ext |
nolimit |
15W |
nolimit | nolimit |
✖ | ✖ | 1 & TI83 | JHL6340 | 1@x4 | ?? |
50 |
link |
| #5 | HP Omen Accelerator |
 |
✖ | $300 |
link | link | link | 16.00 | 5.50/12.10 | ATX-int | 500W | 60W | 300W | 11.42/29.0 | ✖ | 5Gbps | 1 & TI83 | DSL6540 | 1@x4 |
25.25 ✔ | 50 | link |
| #5 |
Lenovo Legion |
 |
✖ | $230 |
discuss | link | link | 13.31 | 8.50/18.74 |
ATX-int |
500W |
100W |
300W |
12.60/32.0 |
✖ | 8Gbps x2 |
1 & TI83 |
JHL6540+ JHL6240 |
1@x4 |
?? |
70 |
link |
| #5 |
Cooler Master |
 |
✖ | $350 | unbox | link | link | 9.7 |
5.20/11.50 |
SFX-int |
550W |
60W | 375W | 12.79/32.5 |
✖ | 5Gbps |
1 & TI83 |
JHL7440 | 1@x4 | 59.1 ✔ | 50 |
link |
| #5 | AORUS RTX Gaming Box |
 |
RTX2080Ti RTX3080 RTX3080Ti RTX3090 |
$1500 $2000 $2500 $3000 |
link unbox |
link | 7.26 |
3.79/8.34 3.83/8.42 3.83/8.42 3.83/8.42 |
fATX-int |
450W 550W 550W 550W |
100W |
300W 375W 375W 375W |
12.60/32.0 |
3xDP, HDMI, USB-C |
8Gbps |
1 & TI83 |
JHL6340 x2 |
1@x4 |
44.44 ✔ |
50 |
link link link link |
|
| - | Highpoint Rocketstor 6661A |
 |
✖ | $175 |
preview | link | link | 2.40 |
5.18/11.40 |
AC-ext | 60W |
15W |
25W |
8.20/20.8 |
✖ | 10Gbps | 2 & TI83 |
DSL6540 | 1@x4 | ?? |
50 | link |
| - | AKiTiO Node Lite |
 |
✖ | $190 | ✖ | link link |
link link |
2.64 | 2.00/4.39 | AC-ext | 72W | 15W | 25W | 7.87/20.0 | ✖ | 10Gbps | 2 & TI83 | DSL6540 | 1@x4 |
B1-25✔ | 50 | link |
| - | Sonnet Breakaway 350|550 650 750|750ex |
 |
✖ ✖ ✖ ✖ ✖ |
$199 $250 $300 $300 $350 |
link | link | 12.71 |
3.20/7.10 | SFX-int SFX-int SFX-int ATX-int ATX-int |
350W 550W 650W 750W 750W |
15W 87W 87W 85W 85W |
300W 375W 475W 475W 475W |
12.20/31.0 | ✖ | ✖ ✖ ✖ ✖ 5Gbps |
1 & TI83 | DSL6540 DSL6540 DSL6540 JHL6540 JHL6540 |
1@x4 | 25.2 ✔ |
50 |
link | |
| - | AKiTiO Node |
 |
✖ | $200 |
link | link | link | 14.09 |
4.90/10.78 | SFX-int | 400W | 15W | 375W | 12.60/32.0 | ✖ | ✖ | 1 & TI83 | DSL6540 | 1@x4 |
25.1 ✔ | 50 | link |
| - | OWC Mercury Helios 3 |
 |
✖ | $200 | user | ✖ | ✖ | 2.69 |
1.40/3.08 | AC-ext | 90W | 15W | 25W | 7.75/19.6 | ✖ | 10Gbps | 2 & TI83 | DSL6540 | 1@x4 |
✖ | 50 | link |
| - | Zotac AMP Box Mini |
 |
✖ | $220 | link |
link | link | 4.17 | 0.85/1.87 |
AC-ext | 180W | 15W | 150W |
7.87/20.0 | ✖ | 5Gbps | 1 & TI83 | DSL6540 | 1@x4 |
26.1 ✔ | 50 | link |
| - | PowerColor Gaming Station |
 |
✖ | $250 | ✖ | link | link | 13.71 | 3.60/7.92 |
SFX-int | 550W | 87W | 375W | 12.20/31.0 |
✖ | 5Gbps | 1 & TI83 | DSL6540 | 1@x4 |
?? | 50 | link |
| - | Sapphire GearBox |
 |
✖ | $259 | link | link | link | 8.45 |
3.30/7.30 |
fATX-int | 500W |
60W |
300W |
10.50/26.6 |
✖ | 5Gbps |
1 & TI83 | JHL6540 |
1@x4 | 41.41 ✔ | 50 |
link |
| - | Mantiz Saturn Pro |
 |
✖ | $299 |
link | link | link | 14.57 | 5.70/12.54 |
ATX-int | 750W | 100W | 550W | 12.99/33.0 |
✖ | 5Gbps | 1 & TI83 | JHL6540+ JHL6240 |
1@x4 |
44.4 ✔ | 70 | link |
| - | AKiTiO Thunder3 |
 |
✖ | $250 | ✖ | link link |
link link |
2.64 |
2.00/4.39 | AC-ext | 72W | 15W | 25W | 7.87/20.0 | ✖ | 10Gbps | 2 & TI82 | DSL6540 | 1@x4 |
✖ | 50 | link |
| - | PowerColor Devil Box |
 |
✖ | $300 |
user | link | link | 16.65 | 3.60/7.92 | fATX-int | 500W | 60W | 375W | 12.20/31.0 | ✖ | 5Gbps | 1 & TI83 | DSL6540 |
1@x4 | 25.101 ✔ | 50 | link |
| - | Lenovo TB3 Graphics Dock |
 |
GTX1050 | $325 | link | link | link | 0.74 | 0.69 / 1.51 | AC-ext | 170W | 65W | - | - | 2xDP,HDMI | 5Gbps | 1 & TI83 | JHL6540 | 1@x4 |
v003 ✔ | 50 | link |
| - | AKiTiO Node Titan |
 |
✖ RX580 RX5700XT RPW5700 |
$330 $550 $750 $1300 |
discuss | link | link | 12.82 | 3.50/7.72 | SFX-int | 650W | 85W | 500W | 12.60/32.0 | ✖ 2xDP, 2xHDMI, DVI-D 3xDP, HDMI 5xDP,USB-C |
✖ | 1 & TI83 | JHL7440 | 1@x4 |
?? | 50 | link |
| - | ASUS XG Station Pro |
 |
✖ | $330 | link | link | link | 8.23 | 2.95 /6.50 |
AC-ext | 330W | 15W | 300W | 12.24/31.1 |
✖ | 10Gbps | 1 & TI83 |
JHL6540 | 1@x4 | 29.1 ✔ | 150 | link |
| - | AKiTiO Node Pro |
|
✖ | $349 |
link | link | link | 12.82 | 3.40/7.40 | SFX-int | 500W | 60W x2 | 400W | 12.60/32.0 | ✖ | 10Gbps | 2 & TI83 | DSL6540 | 1@x4 |
23.1 ✔ | 50 | link |
| - | PowerColor/ VisionTek mini |
 |
RX560 |
$350 $480 |
link |
link | link | 2.30 |
0.85/1.90 |
AC-ext |
240W |
45W |
150W |
6.89/17.5 |
2xDP,2xHDMI,DVI-D |
5Gbps |
1 & TI83 |
JHL6540+ JHL6240 |
1@x4 | 40.1 ✔ | 50 |
link |
| - | AKiTiO Node Duo |
 |
✖ | $370 |
link | link | link | 10.54 |
5.00/11.00 | AC-ext | 150W | 60W+15W | 25W x2 |
8.66/22.0 | ✖ | 10Gbps | 2 & TI83x2 | DSL6540 | 2@x2 |
33.3 ✔ | 200 | link |
| - |
Sonnet |
 |
RX560 |
$399 $499 $600 $900 |
link | link | link | 1.01 | 2.38/5.25 | AC-ext | 160W 220W 220W 220W |
45W |
- | - | 3xDP,HDMI 3xDP,HDMI DP,HDMI DP,HDMI |
✖ ✖ 5Gbps 5Gbps |
1 & TI83 2 & TI83 |
DSL6540 |
1@x4 |
25.1 ✔ | 50 | link link link link |
| - | AORUS/ Gigabyte Gaming Box |
 |
RX580 GTX1070 GTX1080 RTX2070 |
$420 $500 $670 $650 |
link link link unbox |
link | link | 3.30 |
2.35/5.19 | fATX-int | 450W | 100W | 225W | 6.65/16.9 | AMD: 3xDP,HDMI Nvidia: DP, HDMI, 2xDVI-D , USB-C (RTX) |
5Gbps | 1 & TI83 |
DSL6540 |
1@x4 |
F1.1 ✔ F1.0 ✔ F1.0 ✔ F1.0 ✔ |
50 | link link link link |
| - |
Netstor |
 |
✖ | $429 |
link |
link |
link | 8.98 |
3.40/7.40 |
fATX-int |
400W |
15W |
350W |
12.60/32.0 |
✖ | ✖ | 1 & TI83 | JHL6540 |
1@x4 |
33.1 ✔ | 50 |
link |
| - | Netstor Hercules HL23T |
 |
✖ | $435 | link | link | link | 8.16 | 2.70/5.94 | fATX-int | 300W | 15W | 300W | 12.60/32.0 | ✖ | 10Gbps | 2 & TI83 | DSL6540 | 1@x4 |
25.1 ✔ | 100 | link |
| - | Razer Core V2 |
 |
✖ | $500 | link | link | link | 7.65 | 4.95/10.89 | fATX-int | 500W | 65W | 375W | 11.81/30.0 | ✖ | 5Gbps | 1 & TI83 |
DSL6540 x2 |
1@x4 |
26.1 ✔ | 50 | link |
| - | ASUS ROG XG Station 2 |
 |
✖ | $550 |
link | link | link | 20.03 | 5.10/11.22 | fATX-int | 680W | 100W | 500W | 12.20/31.0 | ✖ | 5Gbps | 1 & TI83 | DSL6540 |
1@x4 |
v25 ✔ | 50 | link |
| - | Blackmagic eGPU | Pro |
 |
RP580 Vega56 |
$699 $1199 |
link |
link | link | 9.64 |
4.60/10.20 | custom-int |
400W | 85W |
✖ | ✖ | HDMI TB3/USB-C |
5Gbps |
2 & TI83x2 |
JHL7540 | 1@x4 |
26.3 ✔ | 50 |
link link |
| N/A | Mantiz Venus |
 |
✖ | ended |
link | link | link | 11.56 | 3.60/7.92 |
SFX-int | 550W | 87W | 375W | 13.00/33.0 |
✖ | 5Gbps | 1 & TI83 | DSL6540 | 1@x4 |
25.1 ✔ | 50 | link |
| Rank 6mo |
Thunderbolt 3 Enclosure |
Design | Included GPU |
Price US$ |
Review | User builds |
User builds macOS |
Size (L) compare |
Weight (kg/lb) |
PSU type |
PSU max power |
Power delivery (PD) |
GPU max power |
GPU max length (in/cm) |
GPU |
I/O ports bandwidth |
USB-C ports & ctrl |
TB3 |
slots @width |
Updated firmware |
Cable cm |
Vendor page |
The Good
The most obvious and welcome change is true hot-plug capability for macOS external GPU. In High Sierra 10.13 to 10.13.3, hot-plugging was partial in that the system would ask you to log out then log back in to initialize the eGPU. In 10.13.4, this is no longer the case. Provided you have compatible hardware, you’ll see a brand new icon in the Top Menu bar for external graphics status. For now this icon’s sole purpose is to disconnect the external graphics card safely. 10.13.4 also shows the correct identification of supported Radeon GPUs. In previous builds these cards would show up as “R9 XXX”. I foresee future enhancements to include a dedicated panel in System Preferences so that users can manually select which graphics card is engaged depending on workload and energy settings.
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Clamshell mode is another highlight. This had been working intermittently depending on the build. Through six beta builds of 10.13.4, clamshell mode worked flawlessly on my late 2016 15″ MacBook Pro and mid 2017 13″ MacBook Pro. Sleep behavior was an improvement over previous versions too. Putting the computer to sleep while the eGPU is connected also puts the eGPU to sleep. External GPU functionality resumes working when the computer is woken up. Sleep issues may have been the deciding factor to axe Thunderbolt 1 & 2 Mac support. Using an eGPU with my Mac Pro trashcan had often caused unpredictable sleep and wake-up behaviors.
The Bad
In the current state macOS external GPU cannot provide loop-back acceleration to the internal display. This effects gaming use because the external graphics card is rendered useless without an external monitor. Professional applications that rely on OpenCL fare better because they can use all graphics cards presented in the system. In contrast AMD XConnect (Windows only) provides eGPU internal display acceleration. On the latest Adrenalin drivers, the performance difference between internal display vs. external monitor was limited to single-digit percentages.
Revision: Apple support article #HT208544 assigns the responsibility of internal display eGPU-acceleration on third-party software developers: “Pro applications and 3D games that accelerate the built-in display of an iMac or MacBook Pro. (This capability must be enabled by the application’s developer.)”
Timing for this release is rather unfortunate. Prices for graphics cards in general and AMD in specific have been inflated due to cryptomining. If you don’t currently have a compatible eGPU setup, it’s certainly not a good time to buy in. The recently announced Gigabyte RX 580 Gaming Box is one of the few reasonable options. For reference, this table shows all Radeon GPUs with native external graphics support in macOS High Sierra.
| Natively Supported macOS External GPUs | ||
| Radeon Vega | Radeon Ellesmere | Radeon Baffin |
| Pro WX 9100 | Pro WX 7100 | Pro WX 5100 |
 |  |  |
| Vega Frontier Edition | RX 580 | Pro WX 4100 |
 |  |  |
| RX Vega 64 Liquid | RX 570 | RX 560 |
 |  |  |
| RX Vega 64 | RX 480 | RX 560D |
 |  |  |
| RX Vega 56 | RX 470 | RX 460 |
|  |  |
The Ugly
On the developer front, third-party software needs to catch up to macOS external GPU in 10.13.4. Even though it’s been nearly a year since the release of 10.13 beta, many software have yet to take advantage of an eGPU. Apple’s own software needs improvement too. Final Cut Pro X was working very well with eGPU up until version 10.3.4. The latest version 10.4 ironically refuses to use the external graphics card for export. Then there’s the clusterfuck of software relying on Nvidia graphics cards for CUDA framework. The current Nvidia eGPU workaround may or may not survive this and ongoing macOS updates.
Last but not least is gaming in Windows. While eGPU in Bootcamp mode is neither supported nor related to this 10.13.4 release, many Mac users have been looking forward to using Thunderbolt 3 MacBook Pros as part-time gaming laptops. I wish there was better news to report. For the time being, we must continue to follow an exhaustive procedure to make use of external GPU in Bootcamp. I tried both Nvidia and AMD eGPUs with all three variations of the TB3 MacBook Pros and lived to document it. The benchmark results below demonstrate the difference between Windows vs. macOS external GPU performance.
| 2016 15" MacBook Pro | 10.13.4 RX580 | W10 RX580 | 10.13.4 RXVega56 | W10 RXVega56 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unigine Valley | 36.2 FPS | 47.5 FPS | 58.8 FPS | 70.2 FPS |
| Unigine Heaven | 29.5 FPS | 46.0 FPS | 53.5 FPS | 74.1 FPS |
| Tomb Raider 2013 | 48.7 FPS | 83.0 FPS | 84.4 FPS | 124.2 FPS |
| Shadow of Mordor | 12.2 FPS | 70.9 FPS | 45.8 FPS | 96.5 FPS |
| Hitman | 27.4 FPS | 67.8 FPS | 28.6 FPS | 66.3 FPS |
| Dirt Rally | 28.6 FPS | 51.6 FPS | 72.1 FPS | 92.8 FPS |
Mac Ecosystem
Upgrading a Mac used to mean shoving hardware components inside the computer. Apple’s Thunderbolt 3 I/O only strategy on its MacBook Pro lineup is shaping the new Mac ecosystem by attaching out-of-body components. My interpretation of this add-on paradigm is similar to that of DSLR cameras. You buy the body (Mac) to get started, then invest in the lens and flash (TB3 peripheral) to get the most of your setup. A high-quality lens can last a long time and pair well to many bodies. So can a Thunderbolt eGPU enclosure with compatible Macs. Apple is seemingly positioning itself to sell Macs only as a replaceable component of a more complete computer setup.
 |  |
Besides eGPU, other Thunderbolt 3 peripherals are gradually coming to the market. The LG Ultrafine 5K display is no longer the only Thunderbolt 3 monitor. Mantiz designed its new Thunderbolt 3 dock Titan to specifically cater to the MacBook Pro with matching esthetics and anodized space grey finish. There were a handful of Thunderbolt 3 external high-speed storage drives announced at CES 2018. AKiTiO recently introduced Thunderbolt 3 10Gbps Ethernet adapter. Sonnet has also started selling a Thunderbolt 3 memory card reader. These are just to name a few.
What’s Next
Consumer adoption is a crucial factor in determining macOS external GPU success. Thunderbolt technology has been available in a Mac since 2011. After so many years, Thunderbolt 3 has its best shot yet with a wide range of applications, eGPU being front and center. What concerns me most is the gnawing suspicion that top-level decision makers still have doubts about the costs vs benefits of TB3 technology. Thunderbolt external graphics solutions are costly for home users, much more so for business owners. In most production environments, the rule of thumb is to never run the latest OS version. Let the tech inclined suffer through bugs for a year before the production people get the stable release.
Next comes hardware investment. Most agencies I know still haven’t upgraded the majority of their equipment to Thunderbolt 3 Macs. After being neglected for many years without a proper “pro” Mac, Apple’s recent efforts excite some but leave many skeptical. Had Apple re-enabled external graphics in Thunderbolt 2 Macs, more users would be exposed to the benefits of this feature and would be more inclined to transition to the new ecosystem. Now is the time for first-party support to step up. The success of external graphics as a platform within Thunderbolt rests on the shoulders of Intel, Apple and Thunderbolt partners.
See also
- [SCRIPT] Enable eGPU for TB1/2 Macs on macOS 10.13.4
- [KEXT] Enable eGPU for unsupported AMD graphics cards
- [APP] Nvidia eGPU support for macOS 10.13 to 10.13.3
- [GUIDE ] eGPU-accelerated Internal Display for macOS
Related Articles
Actually nothing prevents us from developing apps and games that can be accelerated on the internal display. Apple puts responsibility on developers.
“Pro applications and 3D games that accelerate the built-in display of an iMac or MacBook Pro. (This capability must be enabled by the application’s developer.)”
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208544
“If an external GPU needs to send data to the built-in display, that data must first be transferred from the external GPU to the built-in GPU that drives the built-in display.”
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/metal/fundamental_components/about_multi_gpu_and_multi_display_setups/
I explained about this in my previous post:
https://egpu.io/forums/mac-setup/egpu-and-multi-screen-setup/#post-30676
Goalque, Thanks for all of the work toy guys have done on this page as well as taking care of the Mac faithful with GPU work in general. I do have a question. Is the performance hit going to be as drastic for internal monitor acceleration as this sounds?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k_jnoEtLTM
I’m using mid 2014 MacBook Pro and really hope that Apple will return eGPU support for TB2 as well, including Bootcamp eGPU support. Ideally for both AMD and Nvidia graphic cards. Untill then I’m going to stay at 10.13.3.
Unfortunately it seems that the RX 560 and below aren’t supported as of now. They’re not listed on the official apple support page ( https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208544 ), and after brief testing with my RX 560 and 10.13.4 I got the same behavior that was reported here: https://egpu.io/forums/mac-setup/akitio-node-rx-560-10-13-4-beta-black-screen/
We’re being pushed to Windows for compatibility and higher frame rates. No complaints, really.
Cmon it is a start, 10.13.4 brings a lot of fresh air. Higher frame rates depends of many things.
Higher frame rates depends on hardware and software. Hardware is the same, the app software is the same, the OS software is not.
Guess what the problem is… 🙂
Is the “RX 580 Gaming Box” enclosure seen in the picture also supported?
@Daniel Bölke The Gaming Box in picture is the AORUS 1080. When the Gigabyte RX 580 Gaming Box arrives, it should be compatible with Thunderbolt 3 Macs.
Saddening to see the frame rate results in that diagram between macOS and Windows, especially for Dirt Rally in macOS 10.13.4 compared to that of Windows – that game is the only one of the software in that diagram that I know is supposed to use Metal 2 for rendering, and despite that Windows gets about 20 more frames per second on both RX580 and RXVega56. While It’s understandable that Windows is ahead I think that difference is too big. Apple (and the developers?) still has a way to go untill macOS can be areasonable alternative to Windows for gaming. At least for the more demanding games. Oh, well…
@star-affinity I agree the results are rather disheartening. Apple talked a big game but their actions have continuously been discouraging towards Mac users. When software developers and hardware vendors don’t see an enthused user base, they will not invest heavily in the platform. To be honest with you, judging by the progress of external GPU support in High Sierra, it seems Apple did not do much until about 3 months ago.
@itsage to add to your points above, there are far too many issues with High Sierra besides just eGPU support and Metal that really need fixes. At least the Metal API works. Apple messed up in 2017 – this year should be focused only on optimization (and High Sierra was supposed to one). This is one of the worst releases of macOS I have ever experienced (in general, not eGPU related). Sierra is significantly better in day to day use. I can go on and on about non-eGPU issues in High Sierra. And I’ve barely used it for work. Wish we see something as solid as Sierra this year, or better yet something on par with Mountain Lion and Snow Leopard – fantastic macOS builds in my opinion.
macOS 10.13.4 is eGPU dynamite – it breaks 82% of our documented macOS builds
Some interesting eGPU.io build statistics. There are:
– 47 are TB3 NVidia eGPUs (30%) which have a macOS 10.13.4 unblocked TB3 eGPU interface but require an updated NvidiaEGPUSupport package
@nando4 Thank you for compiling those statistics. 4 out of 5 existing Mac eGPU setups no longer work thanks to 10.13.4.
The future is a bit pale for many of us. At least Apple do have understood that eGPUs do have a place, which is very good.
I will probably bring my rMBP up to 10.13.4 but keep my 2012 mac mini on 13.3 for the mini egpu 1070 for as long as it lasts.
My plan for the long run is to get the 580-box and a possible TB3 mac mini if Apple don’t kill that line off.
I really hate having to buy me TB3 MBP only to slap it onto a desk for 99% of its life.
I am done with Apple Desktops
With Apple killing off TB2 Macs for eGPU support my annoyance with their product strategy has grown so much I just can not stand it anymore. I invested a huge amount of my hard earned money in their ecosystem (Mac Pro 6,1 2013, rMBP Mid 2015) only to find out that the system’s architecture is limited by design. Graphics performance is the biggest limitation with both of my computers. While Apple have always been slamming kind of outdated processors in their computers, I was promised expandability when they released the unconventional “thrashcan” Mac Pro with Thunderbolt 2. Also the GPU in my MacBook was two years old architecture, when released in form of the MacBook Pro in Mid 2015.
Following recent development in eGPU support had me hoping for a possible upgrade path. That has come to an end now unfortunately.
Not buying a TB3 Mac
Not only do I complain for the money I feel wasted, but also I really don’t want to switch to the redesigned MacBook Pros. Touch Bar, Port Selection and Keyboard are a no-go from my perspective.
The updated iMac (Pro) will suffer from the same design flaws as we have seen in form of the nMP, totally locked up systems, while they offer TB3 and eGPU expandability it is not currently possible to drive the internal 5k Displayby eGPU without a huge.oss of performance. Target Display mode also not available means those nice screens will be thrash once the computer parts embedded will be outdated.
To sum it up, there is simply no TB3 Mac that I would consider buying.
Maybe there are use-cases different from my way of computing for which the above systems make sense. My only hope for the future of the Mac Desktop is with the promised modular Mac Pro or a redesigned Mac mini, questionable if they can come up with a more responsible design approach. Isn’t there a possibility that the modular concept of those will be based on Thunderbolt 3?
Unfortunately, Apple does have a history of planned obsolescence so I’m not surprised by their actions with regard to this. Shame, really
I’m holding on to my Late 2012 Mini because of the quad core CPU. If they would create a new generation quad core Mini with TB3 and SSD, I’d be handing over my money. But they won’t force me into buying a MBP that doesn’t really meet my needs (I use a computer on the desktop and an iPad for portablility). So until then I will stick with 10.13.3. And if becomes obsolete before there is a *suitable* TB3 Mac for my needs and budget, maybe someone will want to buy a Mantiz Venus and an RX 580 card.
ziggy, you are my hero. I love my Late 2012 Mini 2.6GHz i7-3270QM quad core with 16GB mem and 1.2TB fusion drive. It “processes” great, but it doesn’t “fly” well (X-plane flight sim). I had to work really hard to get the 10.13.4 upgrade installed for some reason and now on the 2018-0001 security patch version, but lusting over a Sonnet Breakaway with the RX580 card. I really love Mac OS X, and especially time-machine which I don’t need very often, but when I do it has always come through for me. I want more graphics now – not in September, not in 2019, now. (As a progressive eye-glassed old-timer, l also I like my Mini paired with a 24″ 21:9 aspect external monitor better than the new larger 16:9 iMac, that I would have to crane my neck up to see the top of the screen.) I had a big iMac before – don’t want to go there again.
This is not true, Macs are the longer supported platform in industry.
@Halbertus
I agree with some of this issue are Apple fault, but as an owner of a MacBook Pro 13” 2017 I love touch bar and I love the new keyboard. I owned so many computers in my life and this one is the best yet.
Longest supported platform ? What is your definition of “supported” ?
My super expensive Mac Pro 2013 (I bought for video processing) was never updated and has been obsolete for several years now. I waited for 5 years for a GPU upgrade, even at Apple’s preposterous prices, to no avail. I have my Akitio node sitting under my desk because I was convinced that Apple would have repaired to their horrible lack of attention by enabling external GPU in OS X to compensate for the inexcusable lack of upgrades, and… surprise surprise… the Mac Pro 2013 is not supported !
Is this your definition of “supported” ?
Oh, and I am currently writing this reply with my iPad Air which Apple has slowed down (on purpose) so much that the characters I am typing do not appear on screen in realtime. I have installed the latest iOS update, but it did not fix the battery “software issue” (i.e. obsolescence scam) on iPads. Seems their lawyers got away with only “fixing” phones.
I wish my iPad was not supported anymore since that infamous iOS update that decided to slow it down, and decided that I cannot revert back to a previous release.
Thanks for your kind “support”, Apple. Now excuse me, but I should go finish assembling my new PC with Windows 10.
Maybe I should rephrase, but they certainly had no issues with gimping iPhones after a year with the whole battery scandal, and they killed FireWire without a well-supported replacement at first as well
This is true, and I was quite annoyed with my phone slowing down. But looking into the problem specifics – the battery explanation makes sense. I have experienced crashes in colder weather as such (I even reported this while on iOS 10) and their fix solved the problem at the cost of performance of course. I am satisfied with their explanation. Even old MacBooks with over 1500 cycles like mine will sometimes just shut off at 30-40% – because they cannot handle peak currents anymore. But on the other things, definitely agree.
I think my earlier post of a NON Thunderbolt eGPU solution is getting some attention now that Apple is killing off support for TB2 eGPUs. I built this a couple years ago when my cMP was my main machine. I have since built and switched to a Windows build for my main machine and moved this eGPU setup over to the new computer, which is one of the biggest benefits – there are zero drivers needed because it’s hardware-based. Both Mac and Windows systems see this external expansion at the hardware level before POST.
At any rate, here’s my original thread:
https://egpu.io/forums/builds/2012-mac-pro-51-cmp-gtx980ti-3x-gtx780ti-cyclone-microsystems-backplane-host-bus-adaptor-win10-or-os-x-10-11-6-el-capitan/
Complaining about technology moving forward is a bit ridiculous.
@Halbertus have you had no use out of your Mac Pro over the half decade you’ve had it (assume you bought it in 2013?) because unless its been sitting gathering dust waiting for the magical day when you can expand its capabilities with an external GPU it hasn’t really been a waste of money has it?
@Eightarmedpet: I also had a lot of use for many years for another system that was not upgradable: the Commodore 64.
But it was not named “Commodore Pro 64”.
A system that cannot be quickly upgraded to allow its Pro owner to compete by using the latest technology against other Pros, cannot have “Pro” in its label.
But Apple seems to think that we are willing to buy every iteration of their underwhelming hardware because it has a “Pro” in its name.
Apple is now a home-computer company. It is not enough to put a “Pro” sticker on a home computer.
For me, the writing was on the wall as soon as Apple released the “trash can” MacPro. In hindsight I was 100% correct that if you need to do high-end 3D work at a professional level, Apple no longer makes the “Pro” machine they claim they do.
From the beginning and throughout the 90s and into the mid-2000s, Apple was the better choice for media professionals and artists. Meanwhile mostly because of lower prices and compatibility, Microsoft Windows was the choice for most general-purpose computers. Now in 2018 I feel like it’s flipped around. Today, macOS is the better choice for most general purpose computers that don’t need to connect to external devices because they are easy to use and generally require very little maintenance. And Windows is the better choice for computers that need to operate at a professional level and connect to different GPUs, specialized hardware like VR rigs, etc.
I have been waiting 5 years for a GPU upgrade for my Mac Pro 2013, to no avail.
Now Apple could have repaired this inexcusable lack of attention to Pro customers by allowing eGPU via TB2 in the latest OS X, but they decided that we do not deserve it.
I kind of feel we do not deserve it because they want more money.
My Mac Pro 2013 is sitting in the closet. I had “upgraded” it with a Mac Pro 2009 properly hacked to 12 cores and a modern NV GPU. So much better.
Now it is time for me to move forward: bye bye Apple.
I am assembling a new PC with pro[per] hardware and Windows 10.
Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.
Only if the battery is under 80% of life, this is chemistry not a scandal. Otherwise you can choose your iPhone to turn off while under heavy load… like and eGPU with insufficient PSU. off topic anyway
Chemistry, uh ? My iPad was perfectly working before that infamous iOS upgrade and I only use it for email and web. Never had a problem with it turning off unexpectedly. Now it is so ridiculously slow that I can’t stand using it. Virtually bricked.
This is simply planned obsolescence. Adding insult to injury, Apple thought we were so dumb not to notice the scam.
My Android devices, even older than the iPad, still run at the same speed without sudden reboots. And if something will ever happen, I can just replace the battery (which is what Apple should offer for a small fee, if they were a serious company and they really cared about our user experience).
This is you opinion, I have soo many costumers working with old Macs and they are fine because they have modern os, security and stability. Apple Made errors sometimes, it for example high Sierra is very fast, iOS 11.3 is much more faster. Optimization matters. Most of time users which are not tech savvy blame Apple when the fault is a old battery, broken hard drive, bad software storing cpu cycles. Go to build your PC you will have some PROs and some CONs. And BTW there is no slowing down on any iPads, which have several years, but I can believe it seems slow now, but check another tablet of the same year with the same software. Android usuallly terribly on older devices and can’t update at all.
sell your Mac Pro it is a good machine which have a high value even today because it is a Mac and build a PC is you think it is a better platform for work but don’t spread FUD about planned obsolescence there is a really too much ignorance. Some months ago there were an article about older iPhones running faster with newer os, especially on GPU task than original os. But obviously everyone is talking about Apple slowing down iPhone… which is only if the battery needs exchange like on any device in the world.
Respectfully disagree. Other phones don’t do this
And between things like FireWire, 3.5mm headphones, and TB1/2 now, Apple has never cared about ending widely adopted hardware standards of existing users
I don’t mean this to sound negative, but it saddens me to see people stick by Apple’s side after so many times they have neglected the “pro” market. I used to be the same. I used to stay with my Apple products, sometimes upgrading them beyond their life (like my current classic Mac Pro). But when Apple continues to neglect the pro market and then release products that are 3-4x higher price than they need to be simply because they slap “Pro” on the name, and use Xeon processors (Xeons are server-grade) or ECC RAM (error correcting RAM is only needed for mission-critical scientific visualization). These are all reasons for saving ones money and building a lightning-fast Windows machine for 3-4 times less that’s as fast or faster.
So, theoretically speaking.
For those with nMP’s, couldn’t you move the SSD to the TB2 and use m2 for the GPU?
J
Theoretically speaking, if you can adapt the m2 slot to PCIe, you could then use my cylone microsystems backplane solution to add as many GPUs as you want.
Every device do this, they simply turn off. Apple only made that if it happens one time, the peak load will be limited, so the phone doesn’t shut more. I work as an IT tech since 12 years and stop saying no sense. Every PC and Android phone turn off if the battery is weak under heavy load. Apple just saved your ass in this case, anyway you can choose to ignore the safe limit with iOS 11.3 and then blame Apple if your 3-4 yers battery turn off everything because the user don’t change it.
users always whine without knowing how things works.
enough OT also because everyone who wants to whine will continue anyway without understanding what the “scandal” was about.
Apple DOES offer battery replacement here. And if you’re not covered, it costs about $75. Now can we get back on-topic? 🙂
https://support.apple.com/iphone/repair/battery-power
This isn’t too far off-topic as we are taking about Apple’s consistent pattern of doing their own thing at the expense of their users. This just came out 5 hours ago. Have fun sticking with macOS when developers have to develop for an entirely new family of processors, completely unique to Apple! https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/4/2/17189372/apple-intel-chip-processors-macs-date
Sorry, your problem with that is what, precisely? Apple makes plenty of mistakes, but this is just a company looking to securing its future: whilst the Intel architecture has the advantage of near-universality in desktop and laptop devices, it’s a triumph of development over design, with a massively complex legacy architecture that is now suffering quite badly from falling off Moore’s curve. ARM, otoh, is a largely ‘clean’ architectural model that is both highly extensible and readily integrated with other elements of a close-coupled hardware ecosystem. It is also a multi-source model where you’re not tied to a single supplier. The direction the world is taking is definitely more towards the ARM model than Intel’s, so I’d be more worried if Apple weren’t at least looking at all alternatives.
Only for iPhones. Will check if they have news about iPads, but I guess we need a couple more class actions 🙂
If true, this is another dumb move into Apple inconsciously and eventually becoming a software-only company.
Piss off developers and your “best” hardware and “best” OS will soon be useless.
You will be soon developing your own “best” apps running only on your own “best” platform… only to eventually realize that your apps are not that good and the real best apps are made by third-party developers but only run on Windows. You have become a dying niche for fanboys only.
Now you need your customers back, and quick. Hurry up, add a Windows emulator… uhm, wait a moment…
I have some kind of deja-vu 😉
So what should Apple do instead ? Keep running on x86 and sell an yearly subscription to OS X with full support for standard PC hardware with selected components. Free OS X if you buy a Mac (until there will be Macs).
@Dan Streaman Apple is filtering out the demanding customers and keeping only the “best” ones.
@Technomad Note that the desktop (in terms of workloads, not form factor) is also foreign land for ARM and requires development-over-design to flourish. ARM was born with simplicity and power-friendliness in mind. This works wonderfully in mobile/portable scenarios, but *today* does not address desktop-class workloads. ARM is just starting to truly get in on multi-core (even there, things like BIG.little were more efficiency than performance-oriented). Also – there were already a couple of attempts at going after desktop/server/datacenter loads with ARM (most notably NVidia’s Denver) which failed miserably, so we know elegance in design is not enough just yet.
A lot of Intel’s baggage came from the requirement for software compatibility – so in a weird way things like Windows 10, UWP apps et al make things easier for them to change things, too, no longer being expected to run WinXP (and same age apps) forever.
As for single supplier – that never really was the question, Apple prefers not to have ANY critical-component suppliers (if we were to nitpick, the x86 ecosystem has AMD, too, and the open high-end ARM market is very Samsung/Qualcomm polarized, so not exactly teeming with choice).
is rx 460 support in 10.13.4 with tb1/2 script?
To use RX 460/560 as eGPU in 10.13.4, you’ll need goalque’s automate-eGPU.kext.