eGPU

[zamboknee]

Thinking of adding an eGPU to my 2014 Macbook Pro Retina. I'm trying to do streaming stuff and video editing (Davinci Resolve) and need something more powerful than what's soldered to my mac's motherboard.
The kneejerk is the Black Magic Design $700 at Apple but wanted to see what everyone else is using.
Any recommendations?

 

[casperes1996]

So first of all, know that the 2014 uses Thunderbolt 2, so eGPU is not officially supported. It can be made to work with a bit of hackery but is not officially supported.

Second, I would advice against getting the Black Magic box. Price aside, it’s not upgradable, so you just get another fixed in place box. Get a Razer Core X and populate it with any GPU you want, like a 5700 XT if you want the highest power

 

[GumaRodak]

you have to add additional cost around 80$ for the TB3->TB2 apple adapter, i wouldn't even bother with 3rd party.
But for this price u should get improvement...on the other side...egpu cost + selling price of your MBP + some small money and you get the M1 already

 

[ght56]

You might want to also consider and price up the M1 Mini as it costs less than the eGPU you are considering in its base config. Its GPU performance is pretty impressive for integrated graphics and, if it is sufficient for your needs, it is an entirely second computer.

 

[0279317]

I agree with casperes1996 that if you're going to get an eGPU, the Razer Core X (I use the Chroma version) with a 5700XT is a good choice. I did that with my old 2015 iMac and noticed a significant improvement in FCPX (I've read Davinci makes good use of an eGPU). However, there is a bit of terminal tomfoolery to do (purge wrangler) and adapting to TB2 means you won't get the full horse power of the eGPU. And you have to disable SIP (system integrity protection). Disclaimer: It's do-able but things can go wrong.

The best site for information and how to do it is: https://egpu.io/

Here's the guide for the procedure: https://github.com/mayankk2308/purge-wrangler/wiki/Beginner's-Guide

But this won't be cheap. If I was to do it over again, I'd purchase a new computer.

 

[leman]

I second @ght56 opinion. Get an M1 Mini. It’s going to be the same price as an eGPU and will likely end up faster for practical video editing.