Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX Vega 56. It is supposedly unused but not necessarily factory sealed or in the original packaging.
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External GPU (eGPU) Resources
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The Pulse has two fans rather than three. I'd do some checking around the net, but I'll be surprised if it makes a difference. Maybe a Sapphire Pulse owner will comment.
I have not heard of a three fan Vega 56 under US$400, and I paid $450.
If the vendor is telling the truth, and you get a legit warranty, the price sounds pretty good to me.
The other thing to consider is the three free games, assuming that they are still offered with new purchases and if you want them. They are worth $180, but only run on Windows.
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I have been running RX580 and Vega FE on MBP 15, and I actually went back to RX, the Vega was too loud while the RX (Sapphire Pulse) virtually dead silent, and it just didn't feel that much faster. And I'm actually looking at the Vega 56 Pulse hoping it will be as silent as the RX. Can't find any new ones though.
I'm playing with my setup right now with eGPU connected to Windows laptop, and on Windows, Vega FE is about 40% faster in Heaven and 55% faster in Superposition benchmarks than RX580.
I think that you're the first person in this thread to comment who has one.
Controversial card, 16GB of memory, liquid cooled and air cooled versions:
https://www.amd.com/en/graphics/workstations-radeon-pro-vega-frontier-edition
Honestly I am not interested in free Windows games... my new mini replaced my PC (and with it dual booting to Windows) for good. The only other OS I want to use is linux.
I do agree about the vendor telling the truth, but the price is hard to pass up (worst case scenario is I go back to my RX 580 and I have to pay to send the Vega back). I have also looked at the ASUS AREZ Strix Radeon RX Vega 56, but right now on newegg it is going for $560. Two things I like about it though, it has a DVI port (yes, my monitor is a bit old) and I would know I am getting a new product. Although, that is an extra $200 for those likes.
I do agree about the vendor telling the truth, but the price is hard to pass up (worst case scenario is I go back to my RX 580 and I have to pay to send the Vega back). I have also looked at the ASUS AREZ Strix Radeon RX Vega 56, but right now on newegg it is going for $560. Two things I like about it though, it has a DVI port (yes, my monitor is a bit old) and I would know I am getting a new product. Although, that is an extra $200 for those likes.
That price is crazy. I paid about $450, with Asus itself as the vendor, and I know that someone here paid about $400, although I think that that was a short-lived deal.
If you do a search in the thread, you'll find that the Asus card's launch price was roughly what I paid for it, which is one reason why I was OK with the price.
Hold off and I think that you'll pay a lot less.
I think that $350 for the Pulse is good if it comes with a warranty. Otherwise, new Vega 64 cards have been available fairly regularly for about $400-$425.
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I bought it for Mac Pro but after Mojave can't get the fan under control even with modified power tables in AMD kext. It works fine with Macbook as eGPU, just loud. I missed the thread because I don't have a mini, just accidentally saw last post on the recent list on main page.
I know this has been discussed previously in this thread, but can the Station Pro handle a Vega 64?
Ahh, good question. Asus says yes, but I've yet to see anyone prove it.
Sorry for forgetting about that.
I’m currently using a Sapphire Pulse Vega 56 in the XG Station Pro and it works great.
Something to watch out for is coil whine. This card has some very audible coil whine when it’s under even a very moderate amount of load.
Just an FYI
Something to watch out for is coil whine. This card has some very audible coil whine when it’s under even a very moderate amount of load.
Just an FYI
I will get my XG Station Pro and the ASUS Radeon RX Vega 64 ROG Strix OC tomorrow. I will keep you updated on the progress. I have heard from others that you can use it, but to get it stable, you need to undervolt the card. That might not be a bad thing. I have also seen people fixing random shutdowns (probably when spiking), by simply setting the Radeon to 'Power Save' profile in WattMan. Looking forward to finding out myself
I will get my XG Station Pro and the ASUS Radeon RX Vega 64 ROG Strix OC tomorrow. I will keep you updated on the progress. I have heard from others that you can use it, but to get it stable, you need to undervolt the card. That might not be a bad thing. I have also seen people fixing random shutdowns (probably when spiking), by simply setting the Radeon to 'Power Save' profile in WattMan. Looking forward to finding out myself
I’m really looking forward to learning how this works out, as I’m sure others are.
I was hoping to get the Mac Mini with i7 and loads of ram and storage to use with an eGPU to replace my gaming rig, would have been used with my 2080 Ti but it seems Nvidia still haven’t released their web drivers. I can’t replace my nice gaming setup when it takes this long to get working drivers.
I will get my XG Station Pro and the ASUS Radeon RX Vega 64 ROG Strix OC tomorrow. I will keep you updated on the progress. I have heard from others that you can use it, but to get it stable, you need to undervolt the card. That might not be a bad thing. I have also seen people fixing random shutdowns (probably when spiking), by simply setting the Radeon to 'Power Save' profile in WattMan. Looking forward to finding out myself
Hi. Eagerly awaiting on your results using the Asus XG Station Pro with a Vega 64 card. Are you able to share yet?
Hi All, was hoping for some guidance from those with more experience than me. I picked up a Razer Core X and paired it with a Gigabyte Radeon Vega 64 connected to a 2017 MBP 3.1 ghz i5 with 8gb ram, using a 4k TV as a monitor. I am not a gamer but wanted it to help with my video editing workflow in Premiere. After using the setup for a few days, I am finding the unit seems to be overheating (loud fan noise), sometimes only after a couple of hours of general use. However, the worst part is that the eGPU causes the MBP to shut down and there is no way to correctly disconnect the eGPU at this point once the loud fan noise kicks in.
All this and I have not even tried it with my video editing work yet! I am sure there are many out there using this combination of equipment and was hoping for some advice. I am now thinking of only turning it on when I perform video editing rather than have it on constantly. Thanks in advance!
All this and I have not even tried it with my video editing work yet! I am sure there are many out there using this combination of equipment and was hoping for some advice. I am now thinking of only turning it on when I perform video editing rather than have it on constantly. Thanks in advance!
That’s wrong, during normal use it should simply idle with fan at low speed, not audible. Core X power supply fan is a little loud all the time - to make sure - which fan is making the noise - on the card or the Core X power supply?
Was the card new when you bought it? You can try flipping the bios switch on it to second position, it is a tiny switch on top edge close to the bracket. Do it when the unit is off of course. If it was second hand there is good chance it has some weird miner bios in the primary position.
Was the card new when you bought it? You can try flipping the bios switch on it to second position, it is a tiny switch on top edge close to the bracket. Do it when the unit is off of course. If it was second hand there is good chance it has some weird miner bios in the primary position.
Thanks for your suggestions. When in idle there is a low fan noise but when it goes loud it is both fans on the GPU and the fan of the Core X, all three are on.
I bought the card from a friend who ungraded to two 56s who only used it for around 3 weeks, he used it with Windows and reported no such issue, I do not believe it to be faulty or over stressed. Have looked up and down for the bios switch but can't locate it, picture by any chance?
If both fans are ramping up then it looks like the card is doing some actual work and pulls lots of power from the PSU, I'd also check if you don't have some rouge process that uses it. The switch is tiny, you have to use fingernail to flip it. If you have the version with dual fans it is in the same location, just attached to PCB.
Thanks again, I will look into your suggestions. I don't think this particular unit has a bios switch, I have looked everywhere for it, does it work if I changed the setting manually via the app?
Yeah, it looks like this one has single bios only and the switch is removed. Looking at the picture of it I thought it is the part right after the last cap between the bracket, but this is a choke and its solder joint that's deeper inside the card. The solder pads for the switch are above it, but empty.
Anyway, since it looks like something is actually loading the card it wouldn't fix the problem, check the GPU utilization when the card gets loud, in activity monitor, View->GPU history. I don't know how to check what particular app is loading the GPU, but iStatMenu shows "GPU dependencies" and will list processes using the GPU currently. So it will be one of them, there shouldn't be that many listed anyway.
On topic, but sort of an aside if you are thinking about investing in an RX580 or RX590 anytime soon. This tweet surfaced almost two weeks ago - https://twitter.com/bitsandchipseng/status/1098988749046906880?s=21
I just checked prices on New Egg and there are 580 cards dipping into the $199 price range, with some having mail-in rebates. I am not seeing Vega 56 or 64 cards in a reasonable price range at all, even having read rumors of pricing going below $300 soonish. I actually believe the supply is constrained and/or there is more demand that anyone would anticipate, which I find a bit odd at this stage in the Vega’s life. To me, the Radeon VII seem like a complete non-starter, but I admit I just do not see a reason for this card other than as a stopgap. I am not a big fan of stopgaps.
I have also noticed that NVIDIA’s higher end GPU do not seem to be doing as well as they should be...purely anecdotal, but I do not see the same “buzz” around the 2070/2080/Ti GPUs, although there seems to be a bit more excitement around the GTX1660Ti.
It seems 2019 is going to be a rather interesting year.
I just checked prices on New Egg and there are 580 cards dipping into the $199 price range, with some having mail-in rebates. I am not seeing Vega 56 or 64 cards in a reasonable price range at all, even having read rumors of pricing going below $300 soonish. I actually believe the supply is constrained and/or there is more demand that anyone would anticipate, which I find a bit odd at this stage in the Vega’s life. To me, the Radeon VII seem like a complete non-starter, but I admit I just do not see a reason for this card other than as a stopgap. I am not a big fan of stopgaps.
I have also noticed that NVIDIA’s higher end GPU do not seem to be doing as well as they should be...purely anecdotal, but I do not see the same “buzz” around the 2070/2080/Ti GPUs, although there seems to be a bit more excitement around the GTX1660Ti.
It seems 2019 is going to be a rather interesting year.
That is almost $100 less than Asus’s launch price for that graphics card. Two of the three games that are part of this deal have now been released, with the third to come. However, the games only work with Windows.
AMD sent an e-mail just yesterday announcing release of the second game, Devil May Cry 5. The e-mail that was sent to me is tailored to the fact that I use Steam, but that is not required:
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I was in my 30 day return window so I upgraded yesterday. I ordered the card and the Asus Pro box, I will have them by Tuesday and then return the Sonnet 350 developers edition.
Could not resist at that price with the games.
I am typing in Bootcamp now on Windows. I first started trying to install windows only on an external and it was painful trying to do it along with the cost for VMware etc.
I just did the boot camp on my hard drive and allocated 45GB of space, I have a 500GB T5 dedicated for the Windows apps and games.
Its been years since I used Windows for gaming and I am looking forward to it.