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Apple Begins Exclusively Selling 'Blackmagic eGPU' for $699, Aimed at New MacBook Pros

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Apple.com today gained a new and exclusive external GPU aimed at the MacBook Pro, called the Blackmagic eGPU. According to TechCrunch, the unit's appearance exclusively on Apple's website comes in the wake of a partnership between the two companies as Apple aims to widen the eGPU market after launching support for eGPUs this past spring.

Running for $699.00, the Blackmagic eGPU provides desktop-class graphics performance on a MacBook Pro, through a Radeon Pro 580 graphics processor with 8GB of GDDR5 memory. The accessory connects via Thunderbolt 3, includes two Thunderbolt 3 ports, four USB 3.0 ports, one HDMI 2.0 port, and 85W power delivery. A Thunderbolt 3 cable also comes in the box.

blackmagic-egpu.jpg

With external GPUs, users can take advantage of smoother gaming experiences, boost graphics-intensive app workflows, enable virtual reality experiences, and even build VR content. Apple leaned into virtual reality as a selling point of eGPUs following the announcement of eGPU support at WWDC 2017, offering eGPU enclosures to developers who want to work on graphically intensive VR applications and games that run on macOS.

Those interested can purchase the Blackmagic eGPU today for $699.00, and the first units are expected to arrive in two days, on Saturday, July 14. Order pickup is also available at nearby Apple retail stores.

Article Link: Apple Begins Exclusively Selling 'Blackmagic eGPU' for $699, Aimed at New MacBook Pros
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2018/07/12/apple-blackmagic-egpu/
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$699.00 for an AMD 580? Ouch. Hard to justify over an iMac, unless you absolutely need a mobile workstation that’s dockable. Fewer dongles with an iMac as well...

Either way, still sitting here impatiently waiting for this new Mac Pro.
 
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I wonder if it will work for dual LG 5K displays. Probably will need to use two, given that each one has two TB3 ports, one in and one out. Very pricy solution to accelerate two LG 5K displays at $1400 plus tax!
 
85w power delivery, is this a joke? That’s not anywhere NEAR enough. Even midrange GPUs require 110-120w, let alone the real high end. Why would you spend so much money on this, only to stick low power ATI crap in there?
 
I wonder how this will work with new mac mini?
[doublepost=1531404009][/doublepost]
Jago said:
85w power delivery, is this a joke? That’s not anywhere NEAR enough. Even midrange GPUs require 110-120w, let alone the real high end. Why would you spend so much money on this, only to stick low power ATI crap in there?
Click to expand...

I think this refers to USB power...
 
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MacRumors said:



Apple.com today gained a new and exclusive external GPU aimed at the MacBook Pro, called the Blackmagic eGPU. According to TechCrunch, the unit's appearance exclusively on Apple's website comes in the wake of a partnership between the two companies as Apple aims to widen the eGPU market after launching support for eGPUs this past spring.

Running for $699.00, the Blackmagic eGPU provides desktop-class graphics performance on a MacBook Pro, through a Radeon Pro 580 graphics processor with 8GB of GDDR5 memory. The accessory connects via Thunderbolt 3, includes two Thunderbolt 3 ports, four USB 3.0 ports, one HDMI 2.0 port, and 85W power delivery. A Thunderbolt 3 cable also comes in the box.

blackmagic-egpu.jpg

With external GPUs, users can take advantage of smoother gaming experiences, boost graphics-intensive app workflows, enable virtual reality experiences, and even build VR content. Apple leaned into virtual reality as a selling point of eGPUs following the announcement of eGPU support at WWDC 2017, offering eGPU enclosures to developers who want to work on graphically intensive VR applications and games that run on macOS.

Those interested can purchase the Blackmagic eGPU today for $699.00, and the first units are expected to arrive in two days, on Saturday, July 14. Order pickup is also available at nearby Apple retail stores.

Article Link: Apple Begins Exclusively Selling 'Blackmagic eGPU' for $699, Aimed at New MacBook Pros
Click to expand...

If Apple really wants "to widen the eGPU market," then it needs to equip all Macs with 4 PCI-e lanes for TB3--especially the MacBook line!

BECAUSE

The greatest beneficiaries of eGPUs are ultraportable users, not users whose laptops already have dGPUs built in.

HOW?

To do it correctly, the MB would need 4 PCI-e lanes for TB3 and a separate port with separate PCI-e lanes for (at least) one separate USB-C port

BUT

This would require Apple not gimping their lineup on the basis of market segmentation (=wishful thinking).

SO

Why hasn't Apple included TB3 on all of its portable computers?

We will know Apple's true intentions--whether to "widen the eGPU market" or to milk unsuspecting customers--based on the next update to the MB lineup.

PERFORMANCE

I am also curious how this will perform when using the eGPU alongside the USB ports. Tests on extant eGPUs show that the use of ports on an eGPU lowers the performance of the dGPU in the enclosure because the bandwidth for the graphics card in the enclosure gets siphoned off for the other ports being used. Currently, eGPUs tested with an NVidia GeForce 1080ti only attain performance on par with an NVidia GeForce 1050 due to current TB3 bandwidth limitations (which only reaches ~32 Gb/s due to PCI-e 3.0 limitations, not 40Gb/s).

IMO, the best performance and price on an eGPU is achieved with the Razor Core X, which is strictly an eGPU with no additional ports.

Edit: if you need ports buy a (TB3 or USB-C) hub and attach it to a separate port.
 
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Jago said:
85w power delivery, is this a joke? That’s not anywhere NEAR enough. Even midrange GPUs require 110-120w, let alone the real high end. Why would you spend so much money on this, only to stick low power ATI crap in there?
Click to expand...

syklee26 said:
I wonder how this will work with new mac mini?
[doublepost=1531404009][/doublepost]

I think this refers to USB power...
Click to expand...

Power delivery is how much power the eGPU provides to your connected device over TB3. In this case, it is able to power and charge a MBP, which requires 85W to charge, while it is plugged into the eGPU.
 
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Dydegu said:
You can plug it right into your MBP without the use of an external monitor.
Click to expand...

But it doesn’t appear to accelerate graphics on the internal monitor (or, at least they are being vague about it)

What is the recommended setup for gaming and the Blackmagic eGPU?
The best setup for gaming is to connect an external HDMI or Thunderbolt 3 monitor and then in the display’s system preference, in the arrangement tab, drag over the small white menu bar graphic to the larger external display. A faster alternative is to use clamshell mode to use an external display as a primary display. Both these options will make the external display connected to the Blackmagic eGPU the primary display. When you run your game, it will automatically use that accelerated display.
 
cmaier said:
But it doesn’t appear to accelerate graphics on the internal monitor (or, at least they are being vague about it)

What is the recommended setup for gaming and the Blackmagic eGPU?
The best setup for gaming is to connect an external HDMI or Thunderbolt 3 monitor and then in the display’s system preference, in the arrangement tab, drag over the small white menu bar graphic to the larger external display. A faster alternative is to use clamshell mode to use an external display as a primary display. Both these options will make the external display connected to the Blackmagic eGPU the primary display. When you run your game, it will automatically use that accelerated display.
Click to expand...

I am not aware of any eGPUs currently which accelerate the internal display.
 
cmaier said:
But it doesn’t appear to accelerate graphics on the internal monitor (or, at least they are being vague about it)

What is the recommended setup for gaming and the Blackmagic eGPU?
The best setup for gaming is to connect an external HDMI or Thunderbolt 3 monitor and then in the display’s system preference, in the arrangement tab, drag over the small white menu bar graphic to the larger external display. A faster alternative is to use clamshell mode to use an external display as a primary display. Both these options will make the external display connected to the Blackmagic eGPU the primary display. When you run your game, it will automatically use that accelerated display.
Click to expand...


No Display Port which means FreeSync would potentially be capped at 75hz on a 1080p monitor (from AMD's site).

This enclosure is useless.
 
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Will this work at all with a 2015 MBP? The throttling issues with the M370X are insane and even being limited by TB2 will be better than that.

edit: answer is "no".
 
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