EGPU worth it for my 27" iMac 5K ?

[ScWasHere]

Specifications of my current machine. 40GB ram, 1 TB fusion drive. 4.2 GHz quad-core i7 Turbo to 4.5 GHz. Radeon Pro 575 4GB model 18,3. In another thread, I toyed with the idea of an aftermarket HD update to SSD to improve performance. I've since abandoned that idea in favour of a fast thunderbolt SSD external.
Now my question is this, would the Blackmagic eGPU with Radeon Pro 580 graphics with 8GB of GDDR5 memory. (in apple store, here. https://www.apple.com/ca_edu_93120/...50dcce58a1b3e873b3aff70f49515e089feb9ac701233

improve performance? I primarily do image editing using Capture One Pro, but lately, I've been building timelapse videos, so the video would be a small part of things as well. Just as an aside, I traded in an MBP and have an apple store credit that is begging to be used, but I don't want something if it won't make a worthwhile boost.
Cheers, and thank you in advance.

 

[frou]

Hell no. That's a lot of money to step from one oldish GPU to another.

eGPU is actually worse in one regard because TB3 is the equivalent of a 4X PCIe connection, whereas your internal GPU is probably on a 8X or 16X PCIe connection.

 

[ruslan120]

I would say yes. That’s similar to my setup and I would say the external GPU (non-blackmagic) accelerates video exports, stabilizations, and makes edit playback smoother for high res videos.

Im using a Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box + 5700 XT. The BlackMagic is definitely not worth it (both of the GPUs offered are outdated).

I’ll follow up later this evening with a clip of the 5700 XT assisting with Final Cut playback if interested.

 

[ght56]

I looked at the BlackMagic eGPU as it was simple, has a hub, is supposedly very quiet, and available directly through Apple, but I ultimately decided it is not worth it. The system is not upgradable and it uses a GPU that is not especially powerful by modern standards, really cheap to purchase on its own, and relatively outdated. Other members here suggested I consider the 5600/5700-XT. The 5600-XT and 5700-XT cards would provide a substantially greater increase over the RX 580, and the 5600-XT in particular is not notably more expensive. Enclosure-wise, I believe you would need either the Sonnet Breakaway Box or the Razer Core X for these cards. While the Blackmagic eGPU is $700, a Razer Core X/Sonnet Breakaway + XFX 5600-XT can be configured for $600 (and add about a hundred more for the 5700-XT).

That said, if you are still using a Fusion drive, I think you will be happy by either upgrading to an internal SSD or running off an external TB3 SSD, especially if you are working with videos as I assume most of your files are likely stored on the HDD component of the fusion drive and that is where exports go as well.

 

[ScWasHere]

Well, I don't think that it's going to be money well spent, so I guess I will pass on it. I'll try to get a few more years out of my machine until the new chip transition is over.