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Any special about the 'Blackmagic eGPU' vs. other eGPU? Which is better for MBP 2018 & Nvidia GPU?
- Thread starter hajime
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Pros
BlackMagic eGPU: Buy, plug in, done
Others: Choices, cheaper, upgradable
Cons
BlackMagic: Can't upgrade, expensive for an early 2017 graphics card
Others: Time spent shopping for enclosure, shop for graphics card, plug in, hoping it's optimized for Apple (Metal)
BlackMagic eGPU: Buy, plug in, done
Others: Choices, cheaper, upgradable
Cons
BlackMagic: Can't upgrade, expensive for an early 2017 graphics card
Others: Time spent shopping for enclosure, shop for graphics card, plug in, hoping it's optimized for Apple (Metal)
2016* graphics that was already only mid range the day it was launched. You’re welcome.
I'm planning on getting one as soon as inventory for them appears again at my local Apple stores. So far what I can gather as the case for getting one are:
- You have an LG Ultrafine 5K display and you really want to drive it better.
- You want a near silent eGPU.
- You need something that's no hassle and you don't need top end performance.
If you're looking for a turnkey solution, there are others approved by Apple that are upgradable. The Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box is an example. You can get these pre-populated with a GPU, so you won't even need to shop for that separately.
The three things the BlackMagic box has going for it are design, noise levels (it's passively cooled), the ability to drive a Thunderbolt-based display from the eGPU. As far as I know, those last two are exclusive to BlackMagic.
The three things the BlackMagic box has going for it are design, noise levels (it's passively cooled), the ability to drive a Thunderbolt-based display from the eGPU. As far as I know, those last two are exclusive to BlackMagic.
Yeah, no other eGPU can handle an LG Ultrafine 5K display.
Here's an excellent review and teardown of the BlackMagic:
https://egpu.io/blackmagic-egpu-review-apples-ultrafine-curse/
One interesting thing noted in the teardown is that it speculates that a more powerful graphics card could be the endgame here if the initial BlackMagic offering is a success. The speculation is based on the power supply of the eGPU having greater capacity than is needed for a Radeon 580 Pro.
Why do you want to spend tons of money on mBP and eGPU to run Linux if you can build workstation with powerful Nvidia cards and control it from cheaper laptop using remote desktop?