egpu problems gone with Big Sur

[narr]

Like many others I had a boot problem with my 2018 Mac mini and egpu (Radeon RX 580). When booting the mini while connected via egpu only, there came up no boot screen and the monitor always stayed black. So my workaround has been a headless HDMI connector.

But I am happy to say, that now those problems are FINALLY a thing of the past with Big Sur. It now boots up normally, including boot screen with Apple logo and progress bar. Everythings works really smooth so far. I also encountered no problems with the new update yet (except for some compatibility issues with ON1Photo Raw, but an update is promised for December).

 

[watakoola]

Here's my comments on another thread...

Upgrading Mac mini to Big Sur

Yep. Running well, plus.... was able to boot with my eGPU plugged in! However, my right monitor shows the Apple logo (but no progress bar) and then the left fires up with the login screen. That’s kinda weird as my left monitor is my primary (for menu bars etc.) so it should ‘show’ both Apple...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[hkoster1]

Except it won't work when using FileVault on the boot drive. In that case blindly typing the password is needed.

 

[narr]

Ok, I did not test it with FileVault on. But I have disabled it from the beginning.

 

[phoenix-mac-user]

Yep, I have an RX570 in an Aorus Gaming Box and have not had a single boot issue since I installed the beta version of Big Sur a couple months ago.

 

[wjesse]

Is there any increase in the performance of 2018 mini using eGPU with Big Sur?

 

[hkoster1]

Is there any increase in the performance of 2018 mini using eGPU with Big Sur?

Not that I've noticed when playing my Trainz game -- but then de TB3 cable to the eGPU was already the
bottleneck. I'm awaiting delivery of the new M1 Mac Mini and am curious to see how well Trainz plays
without eGPU.

 

[katyoshi]

How do you disconnect the egpu properly? Before Big Sur, I was able to disconnect it properly by going to the top right of the screen and selecting disconnecting. Now after updating to Big Sur, I can't find it.

 

[narr]

How do you disconnect the egpu properly? Before Big Sur, I was able to disconnect it properly by going to the top right of the screen and selecting disconnecting. Now after updating to Big Sur, I can't find it.

still there for me ...

 

[Adamz Asah]

I have the icon there in Big Sur. But when I disconnect the eGPU, it always does not work or the system freezes.

MBP 13' (2016), Blackmagic eGPU Pro (Vega 56)

 

[cwv]

I have the icon there in Big Sur. But when I disconnect the eGPU, it always does not work or the system freezes.

MBP 13' (2016), Blackmagic eGPU Pro (Vega 56)

Same with me! Disconnecting causes a black screen, then the fan goes up for half a second and the MacBook 13" 2019 (Big Sur 11.1) restarts! I have a RazorX with Vega 56.

 

[cwv]

Interesting! Suddenly the crashes are gone. If I disconnect the eGPU in the menu, it says after a time "No eGPU connected" (on the connected screen 🤪)! And if I plug the eGPU off, I get no crash nor a notification that the eGPU wasn't removed correctly. Strange!

 

[Squuiid]

Like many others I had a boot problem with my 2018 Mac mini and egpu (Radeon RX 580). When booting the mini while connected via egpu only, there came up no boot screen and the monitor always stayed black. So my workaround has been a headless HDMI connector.

But I am happy to say, that now those problems are FINALLY a thing of the past with Big Sur. It now boots up normally, including boot screen with Apple logo and progress bar. Everythings works really smooth so far. I also encountered no problems with the new update yet (except for some compatibility issues with ON1Photo Raw, but an update is promised for December).

ALL of those problems are now back in Monterey. We’ll done Apple.

 

[watakoola]

ALL of those problems are now back in Monterey. We’ll done Apple.

Not for me. All working okay.

 

[Squuiid]

My setup:
Mac mini 2018
Sonnet eGFX eGPU
PowerColor RX 5700XT
Dell UP2715K 5K monitor

On Big Sur, Mac would boot to the eGPU at 5K, present FileVault login, and boot to macOS without any changing of cables or having HDMI or any other display connected.

On Monterey, this no longer works and just goes to a black screen every time. Sometimes it will even reboot and present a second chime to then go to another black screen.
Have tried both 12.01 and 12.1 Beta 2 as well as reinstalling macOS from scratch.
Monterey is definitely a step backwards when it comes to eGPUs.
Your mileage may vary depending on your config/setup.

 

[frou]

Going by Footnote 1 on this page, Apple have pretty much admitted defeat on Mini 2018 + FileVault + eGPU booting being officially supported.

Bad form, but it is what it is I guess. Personally I only reboot my Mini once every month or two so it's tolerable to have to do a little dance.

 

[iAssimilated]

ALL of those problems are now back in Monterey. We’ll done Apple.

Not good! I was hoping for continued improvements on the eGPU front, but I guess that will not be the case with the introduction of Apple silicon. Sadly, it appears I will be staying on Big Sur for the time being.