This enclosure is actually pretty incredible because it looks like they've routed some DisplayPort lines to the Thunderbolt 3 ports on the hub, meaning that, for the first time, users can easily accelerate 5k USB-C displays like the LG Ultrafine via eGPU. This is huge.
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Apple Begins Exclusively Selling 'Blackmagic eGPU' for $699, Aimed at New MacBook Pros
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Then that renders it pretty useless for gaming.......unless you want to play the 3 year old "Rise of the Tomb Raider" while anyone will be playing the sequel.
I have a 2017 thunderbolt 3 MBP, but a thunderbolt 2 LG34UM95. I use the thunderbolt 3>2 adapter to connect it.
Can I go laptop to EGPU on thunderbolt 3 then shove a thunderbolt 3>2 adapter on the EGPU to output to the monitor...
The FAQ on the site doesn’t say. Same with display port compatibility.
Can I go laptop to EGPU on thunderbolt 3 then shove a thunderbolt 3>2 adapter on the EGPU to output to the monitor...
The FAQ on the site doesn’t say. Same with display port compatibility.
No monitor (that I'm aware of) does FreeSync over Tb3. No monitor does 120hz or higher refresh rates over Tb3, either.
This enclosure is useless.
And no computer, PC or Mac, is going to run anything at 60fps minimum at 5k.
I have never seen anyone put such a dependency on FreeSync that they would call something useless. If you can't get 60 fps then why would you care if 75 Hz is the max for FreeSync? I think you're missing something - if you want 120 fps gaming you're not going to get it from this card, so what would FreeSync matter?
Up until just a couple of years ago, FreeSync couldn't even hit 90 Hz period.
You will never see one with nVidia until Apple makes fundamental updates to the OS. They are deliberately and specifically blocking nVidia cards from working over eGPU.
Right now, I'm regularly over 100fps, usually pegged at 120fps in most of my games, using a 144hz 2K monitor connected via Display Port. So with my intent of moving to macOS, I expect the same results now that I can run a desktop GPU. Apple went with AMD, so G-Sync is out.
Hence the need for full support of FreeSync.
As for my next comment, I don't intend for this to be insulting or talking down to you; some may not understand why there is a need for such high frame rates.
It's not that one needs to be running at 120fps. It's that you need a system capable of delivering at least 30fps, if not 60fps at the most intense times. The horsepower involved in hitting that mark thus results in hitting such high framerates when things are easier to render for the GPU. Think of it as a cushion, headroom, or a reserve if you will. FreeSync and G-Sync tie the monitor's refresh rate to the outputted frame rate from the GPU, thereby removing tearing where the the monitor can't keep up with the GPU.
So yes, if I can't cant connect a proper display with the proper cable, the enclosure is useless. There are other enclosures that you can pop a 580 into and have access to all of the ports that the card actually supports. Like Display Port.
This is actually...kind of a terrible deal.
Only one HDMI port? That's seriously cheaping out- stock Radeon 580s ship with 3-5 display outputs.
$699?? You can buy a premium brand eGPU (Razer) for $299. You can buy a budget but still quality brand (Sonnet) for $199. Then a Radeon 580 for $200.
Apple is $200 more than a premium brand with the same card and can only hook up to one display. That's absurd.
Only one HDMI port? That's seriously cheaping out- stock Radeon 580s ship with 3-5 display outputs.
$699?? You can buy a premium brand eGPU (Razer) for $299. You can buy a budget but still quality brand (Sonnet) for $199. Then a Radeon 580 for $200.
Apple is $200 more than a premium brand with the same card and can only hook up to one display. That's absurd.
DisplayPort is part of the TB3 cable. So there should be support for it if MacOS and drivers support it. Hardwarewise no issues whatsoever.
According to egpu.io, the Sonnet Breakaway with the RX580 costs $549. It only gives you 60 watts of USB PD (not the 85 I need for a MacBook Pro) and only one TB3 port. It also offers no USB type A ports.
The Blackmagic Design box offer 4 USB 3.1 type A ports, 85 watt USB PD and a second TB3 port.
At least as of right now, eGPU technology on macOS is not geared toward gaming. It is geared toward using GPUs for compute power, for example when rendering video in Final Cut Pro. It is certainly useless for you but not for everyone.
As long as they do this I will deliberately and specifically keep using my hackintosh. I need to be able to dual boot into windows for gaming and nvidia is just flat out better for gaming. If Apple won’t give me a machine capable of that I’ll make my own.
Blackmagic Design is mostly a hardware manufacturer (like Apple), so no, it is not odd at all. While FinalCut Pro X does not yet support eGPU, Compressor does quite nicely. I would expect that there will be eGPU support in FCPx and Motion X in the next release. Resolve is still probably the best color correction software, and with the latest version, it is a pretty reasonable NLE and audio editor.
I think $699 for what is basically a $299 Polaris GPU is ridiculous. It should be Vega for that price.
Will this work with a G4 Cube? I don't have one, but still, I am very curious.
How about releasing an eGPU compatible with Thunderbolt 2. Many modern Macs cannot take advantage of eGPU due to the lack of Thunderbolt 2 support.
I've watched a couple of reviews on YouTube for other eGPUs that say it is best to use external monitor as you get much better performance.
Here's one:
This is the first purpose-built thunderbolt GPU, correct? (meaning it isn't just an external PCI case and a card). I'm honestly a little surprised by the size. It looks as big as the nMac Pro.
nVidia could release drivers for MacOS (including for Metal), but they do not think it is a priority for them. Apple does not sell nVidia cards (and is unlikely to do so for a long time as they are still quite angry over nVidia's response to their failing MBP chip).