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Black Magic eGPU at Apple

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kodabear

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 5, 2020
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I think I know the answers I’ll get here but I thought I’d post this anyway. I’ve read the reviews and agree it’s overpriced and being not upgradeable is a big minus. I have a MacBook Pro 13” (2020) model, i7, 2.3 GHz, 4 core, 1 TB, 32 GB Ram. I do a lot of photo editing using Photoshop and LR but have not gotten into video and have no plans too. My question is will I see any benefits by adding this eGPU while using PS & LR? With Apple’s new M1 offerings I know there is tremendous improvements in how fast applications are running but prefer to wait until they get all or most of the bugs worked out and offer M1 computers with more than 16GB of Ram.
Anyone out there that uses this particular Black Magic eGPU? I’d love to hear your comments.
 
I do use egpu for capture one and it helps and gaming, there are as well benchmarks made on final cut etc that egpu helps a lot. For the LR i am not sure, but since it has option for gpu acceleration i would bet it works.
GPU in your macbook is **** to be honest :) as it is build in.
 
YMMV, but with my workflow I found no or a negligible benefit from an eGPU (Vega 56) on my 2018 Mini running Lightroom Classic - I even found that some things like moving between images & waiting for the (pre-built) previews to load was faster using the internal card. With all of the Mac mini & eGPU issues I had, I always ran LR without the eGPU as it was a far better experience.

Final Cut on the other hand was night & day better with the eGPU!

Don't forget that to get any benefit from an eGPU, you will need it to feed an external display (I assume this is still the case with Big Sur)
 
I have exactly the same 13" MBP config (2020 i7/32GB/1TB) and use it with a BlackMagic 580 eGPU and 4K Dell U3219Q. However, I don't use PS or LR sorry. One possibly hidden benefit of this eGPU is how quiet it is. It means that everyday stuff and even quite heavy FCP use is much quieter. Despite using a scaled retina resolution on the 4K display, the usual state of the MBP is fans silent at 0 rpm and eGPU barely audible at 18dB.

Only you can decide whether that is sufficient benefit to you.

I'm not sure how much a of disadvantage the lack of upgradability of the eGPU really is. Until we know for sure that Apple will release drivers for RDNA2/Big Navi cards (and future generations), the ability to upgrade an eGPU in macOS is a bit of an unknown quantity.
 
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coldsweat said:
YMMV, but with my workflow I found no or a negligible benefit from an eGPU (Vega 56) on my 2018 Mini running Lightroom Classic - I even found that some things like moving between images & waiting for the (pre-built) previews to load was faster using the internal card. With all of the Mac mini & eGPU issues I had, I always ran LR without the eGPU as it was a far better experience.

Final Cut on the other hand was night & day better with the eGPU!

Don't forget that to get any benefit from an eGPU, you will need it to feed an external display (I assume this is still the case with Big Sur)
Click to expand...
Thanks for the feedback. I do have an external display, the LG 24MD4KL. I'm still running Catalina.
 
Yesterday i did some tests with egpu, capture one and 1000x 26mp raws.

Import no influence, and my i9 8core was barely on use...only one core was at higher use.

the most difference with egpu was during export, where the egpu was exporting 1000 raws in 18mins while w/o egpu it took 26min.
The adjustments of the images were more snapier with the egpu too..
 
GumaRodak said:
Yesterday i did some tests with egpu, capture one and 1000x 26mp raws.

Import no influence, and my i9 8core was barely on use...only one core was at higher use.

the most difference with egpu was during export, where the egpu was exporting 1000 raws in 18mins while w/o egpu it took 26min.
The adjustments of the images were more snapier with the egpu too..
Click to expand...
Thanks for that info. My raw images will be from either a 16mp (Nikon D4S) or a 36mp (Nikon D810). I don't have any issues with importing RAW images from either camera weather it be to my computer or a backup SSD drive. Either one is very fast. I'm more curious about the lag time it takes to bring up a image in Photoshop for post processing. May I ask what are the specs on the computer you are using?
You did mention the adjustments were quicker, so I guess you already answered my question. So bottom line even thou the Blackmagic eGPU is overpriced and not upgradeable, overall is it worth it?
 
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i do use mbp 16" 16gb ram....but i don't use photoshop, so cant comment...ideal for you would be to try before buy... :) note that egpu works best with external monitor :)
 
GumaRodak said:
Yesterday i did some tests with egpu, capture one and 1000x 26mp raws.

Import no influence, and my i9 8core was barely on use...only one core was at higher use.

the most difference with egpu was during export, where the egpu was exporting 1000 raws in 18mins while w/o egpu it took 26min.
The adjustments of the images were more snapier with the egpu too..
Click to expand...
I too did a test importing just 30 raw images 36mp using the built in Intel vs the Radeon Pro 580. It was no contest. Using the Intel it took 23 seconds. The Radeon 580, just 5 seconds.
 
antipodean said:
I have exactly the same 13" MBP config (2020 i7/32GB/1TB) and use it with a BlackMagic 580 eGPU and 4K Dell U3219Q. However, I don't use PS or LR sorry. One possibly hidden benefit of this eGPU is how quiet it is. It means that everyday stuff and even quite heavy FCP use is much quieter. Despite using a scaled retina resolution on the 4K display, the usual state of the MBP is fans silent at 0 rpm and eGPU barely audible at 18dB.

Only you can decide whether that is sufficient benefit to you.

I'm not sure how much a of disadvantage the lack of upgradability of the eGPU really is. Until we know for sure that Apple will release drivers for RDNA2/Big Navi cards (and future generations), the ability to upgrade an eGPU in macOS is a bit of an unknown quantity.
Click to expand...
to be fair any egpu with a gold rated with passive cooling (zero fan mode) and a 2-3 fan setup will gpu can achieve the same quietness without the black magic price tag.
 
ilikewhey said:
to be fair any egpu with a gold rated with passive cooling (zero fan mode) and a 2-3 fan setup will gpu can achieve the same quietness without the black magic price tag.
Click to expand...
That’s a fair point, albeit when I looked where I live the BlackMagic pricing was not much different from enclosure + card on Amazon. You get a “just works” complete package that IMO looks better than a box like the Razor core X.

Upgradability not much of a factor for me because I expect to my upgrade path to be an apple silicon 16” of some flavour.
 
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antipodean said:
That’s a fair point, albeit when I looked where I live the BlackMagic pricing was not much different from enclosure + card on Amazon. You get a “just works” complete package that IMO looks better than a box like the Razor core X.

Upgradability not much of a factor for me because I expect to my upgrade path to be an apple silicon 16” of some flavour.
Click to expand...
well yeah the whole apple silicon throw the whole egpu out the window, with the m1 there is no need for egpu.
 
ilikewhey said:
well yeah the whole apple silicon throw the whole egpu out the window, with the m1 there is no need for egpu.
Click to expand...
Yes, it makes things uncertain for eGPUs. Might be that intel Mac + 5700 XT is, for practical purposes, "the end of the line" for eGPUs on macOS. Might not, but the uncertainly would make me reluctant to attribute significant value to upgradability in any eGPU purchase decision.

I'm pleased with the quietness of my MBP + BlackMagic eGPU, but my M1 mini (16GB/1TB) takes quietness to a whole new level.
 
smbu2000 said:
Well depending on the app there is some improvement by using an egpu.
Barefeats has some benchmarks, although this is with a 5700XT in an egpu box.

https://barefeats.com/macbook-pro-13-inch-2020-egpu-boost-2.html

The 13” MBP is the 2020 i7 model.
Click to expand...
Your link to the barefeats info showing test results comparing the MBP 13" with a 5700XT in a eGPU box to the same stock 13" w/ Intel Graphics and a MPB 16" with similar specs with a Radeon Pro 5500M discrete GPU got me to look into the Apple Blackmagic eGPU further. Since I am not into gaming, that is not a minus when looking at purchasing this eGPU, only the price is so, upon seeing the benchmark results showing that a 13" MBP w/ the 5700XT graphics card almost the same as a 16" MPB with the Radeon Pro 5500M that has heat issues when hooked to a external display, I became a interested buyer, that and the fact that I had received $300 in Apple gift cards for Christmas and the Blackmagic eGPU would only cost me $399.00.
I also talked with AMD support and was told that Apple never intended for this to be a serious gaming machine, but only to improve processing speed in their 13" MBP computers, but having said that the reviewers made a big point about that along with cost and it's not upgradeable.
After receiving the BM eGPU, I did a quick test downloading thirty 36MP raw images and with the Intel Graphics the time was 23 seconds and with the Blackmagic it only took 5 seconds. Other notable factors are my 13" MBP runs cooler by as much as 10 degrees, and there is no fan noise, ( I occasionally would hear the fans) and as one person who commented said it's not just a black box, it's an enclosure that matches up with the space gray computer.
I originally wanted to buy a 16" MBP, but knowing the heat issues that have been talked about on this site for over a year and Apple not offering any fixes except to add a Radeon Pro 5600M for an additional $800 dollars, a 16" MBP with 32GB Ram and a 1TB SSD would cost $3,799.00. By comparison, my MBP 13" w/ 2.3 GHz Quad core Intel I7, 1 TB SSD, 32Gb Ram, (Refurbished) with the BM eGPU cost me $2,608.00.
Barefeats tests are not comparing Apples to Apples but the results were close enough to save as much as $1,191.00
dollars.
Am I stilled interested in a 16"? Yes. (But only when they introduce it with the new M1+ series with more Ram options)
Am I happy with my current config? Very
So enough said, I know there surely will be some argument with my findings and I thank everyone for their input.
Signed,
Happy Camper
MacBook Pro 2.3 GHz, 1 TB SSD, 32GB Ram
iPad Mini 5, 64 GB
Apple Watch Series 5
iPhone XR 64 GB
LG Ultrafine 24" 4K Display
 
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kodabear said:
Your link to the barefeats info showing test results comparing the MBP 13" with a 5700XT in a eGPU box to the same stock 13" w/ Intel Graphics and a MPB 16" with similar specs with a Radeon Pro 5500M discrete GPU got me to look into the Apple Blackmagic eGPU further. Since I am not into gaming, that is not a minus when looking at purchasing this eGPU, only the price is so, upon seeing the benchmark results showing that a 13" MBP w/ the 5700XT graphics card almost the same as a 16" MPB with the Radeon Pro 5500M that has heat issues when hooked to a external display, I became a interested buyer, that and the fact that I had received $300 in Apple gift cards for Christmas and the Blackmagic eGPU would only cost me $399.00.
I also talked with AMD support and was told that Apple never intended for this to be a serious gaming machine, but only to improve processing speed in their 13" MBP computers, but having said that the reviewers made a big point about that along with cost and it's not upgradeable.
After receiving the BM eGPU, I did a quick test downloading thirty 36MP raw images and with the Intel Graphics the time was 23 seconds and with the Blackmagic it only took 5 seconds. Other notable factors are my 13" MBP runs cooler by as much as 10 degrees, and there is no fan noise, ( I occasionally would hear the fans) and as one person who commented said it's not just a black box, it's an enclosure that matches up with the space gray computer.
I originally wanted to buy a 16" MBP, but knowing the heat issues that have been talked about on this site for over a year and Apple not offering any fixes except to add a Radeon Pro 5600M for an additional $800 dollars, a 16" MBP with 32GB Ram and a 1TB SSD would cost $3,799.00. By comparison, my MBP 13" w/ 2.3 GHz Quad core Intel I7, 1 TB SSD, 32Gb Ram, (Refurbished) with the BM eGPU cost me $2,608.00.
Barefeats tests are not comparing Apples to Apples but the results were close enough to save as much as $1,191.00
dollars.
Am I stilled interested in a 16"? Yes. (But only when they introduce it with the new M1+ series with more Ram options)
Am I happy with my current config? Very
So enough said, I know there surely will be some argument with my findings and I thank everyone for their input.
Signed,
Happy Camper
MacBook Pro 2.3 GHz, 1 TB SSD, 32GB Ram
iPad Mini 5, 64 GB
Apple Watch Series 5
iPhone XR 64 GB
LG Ultrafine 24" 4K Display
Click to expand...
I have pretty much the exact same config as you I think (2020 13” i7/32GB/1TB + BlackMagic 580 eGPU and 4K external display). I fully concur about the cool running of the MBP when connected to the eGPU.

I was playing some Minecraft with my children and noticed that the MBP fans stayed at 0 rpm and the eGPU is inaudible even after 1hr of gameplay. Obviously not a demanding game in the slightest, but still impressive I think.

I too will be keeping a close eye on 16” M1+ as I think that will be fast and quiet. For now, this is definitely a capable rig that combines quiet and powerful desk mode with excellent portability.
 
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antipodean said:
I have pretty much the exact same config as you I think (2020 13” i7/32GB/1TB + BlackMagic 580 eGPU and 4K external display). I fully concur about the cool running of the MBP when connected to the eGPU.

I was playing some Minecraft with my children and noticed that the MBP fans stayed at 0 rpm and the eGPU is inaudible even after 1hr of gameplay. Obviously not a demanding game in the slightest, but still impressive I think.

I too will be keeping a close eye on 16” M1+ as I think that will be fast and quiet. For now, this is definitely a capable rig that combines quiet and powerful desk mode with excellent portability.
Click to expand...
Are you using Big Sur? I'm reluctant to upgrade from Catalina for now. I know some people have issues with Catalina but I have not had any problems.
 
kodabear said:
Are you using Big Sur? I'm reluctant to upgrade from Catalina for now. I know some people have issues with Catalina but I have not had any problems.
Click to expand...
Yes, Big Sur 11.1 and no problems at all. I was going to hold-off for a while, but I found that everything I need to run worked fine on my M1 mini, so I thought I may as well take the plunge and have my intel MBP and M1 mini on the same version of macOS.

I did have to upgrade VMware Fusion for Big Sur, but that was no hassle.
 
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