Feral Debuts Support for External GPUs With 'Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration'

[MacRumors]

Mac and Linux video game publisher Feral Interactive today announced that it will begin supporting external GPUs, beginning with the recently-launched Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration. Apple first launched support for external graphics processors in March with macOS High Sierra 10.13.4.

The addition allows users to connect an eGPU to their Mac through Thunderbolt 3, powering additional performance for better gaming graphics, VR content creation, professional apps, and more. Feral notes that players can use an eGPU with "any Mac supported by Rise of the Tomb Raider," but there could still be limitations due to the power of the Mac's CPU, despite the boost from the eGPU.

As of now, Rise of the Tomb Raider is the only Feral game confirmed with eGPU support, but the company says that it is working to introduce eGPU support to more of its games. Announcements for these titles will take place on Feral's social network and news feeds, which anyone interested can find on today's FAQ page.

Feral first revealed Rise of the Tomb Raider would be coming to Mac back in February, and then it launched in April. The game is a port of the console game from 2016, and is the second part of the rebooted franchise that began with Tomb Raider in 2013.

Article Link: Feral Debuts Support for External GPUs With 'Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration'

 

[Eightarmedpet]

Would I be correct in assuming that they are talking about internal screen acceleration too?

 

[AtariMac]

Would I be correct in assuming that they are talking about internal screen acceleration too?

Yeah, that is a bit weird. If its not referencing internal screen acceleration, this announcement makes no sense.

 

[69Mustang]

Would I be correct in assuming that they are talking about internal screen acceleration too?

Afaik, the answer to that question is no unfortunately. There are some janky work arounds out there, but nothing officially supported.

 

[wlossw]

If you have to buy an external monitor to use the eGPU, I kind of don't see the point. You may as well just build a gaming pc.

 

[KillerTree]

If you have to buy an external monitor to use the eGPU, I kind of don't see the point. You may as well just build a gaming pc.

1. Buy an enclosure, GPU
2. Buy a case, GPU, RAM, motherboard, SSD. Windows

Enclosures will may get cheap enough for them to have popular use-cases
[doublepost=1528727919][/doublepost]Support? I didn’t think a developer needed to more work to “support” external GPUs

 

[Val-kyrie]

Support? I didn’t think a developer needed to more work to “support” external GPUs

Yeah, I would like some clarification on this, as well.

Another question I have pertains to OS support.... Does the function of an eGPU rely on OS support for a particular graphics architecture, e.g. OpenCL/GL, DX, Metal?

 

[peglegjack]

I didn’t think a developer needed to more work to “support” external GPUs

This. If this is the case, then it makes eGPUs that much more pointless for many.

Does the same thing apply on the Windows side? Or is it a given for all new released games?

 

[Eightarmedpet]

eGPU's work in Windows (inc Bootcamp)... and on all games, plus W10 has system level support (you can specify which GPU you use, regardless of it being internal or external).

 

[peglegjack]

eGPU's work in Windows (inc Bootcamp)... and on all games, plus W10 has system level support (you can specify which GPU you use, regardless of it being internal or external).

If this is the case, then Apple really needs to get it together.

I don't really have a horse in this race as I don't have any plans to get an eGPU, but I don't see how Apple can follow a mantra of "it just works" and have all of these unsaid restrictions that make them more pain than it's really worth.

Microsoft is destroying Apple on this, and it doesn't appear to be close.

 

[Eightarmedpet]

If this is the case, then Apple really needs to get it together.

I don't really have a horse in this race as I don't have any plans to get an eGPU, but I don't see how Apple can follow a mantra of "it just works" and have all of these unsaid restrictions that make them more pain than it's really worth.

Microsoft is destroying Apple on this, and it doesn't appear to be close.

I'd have to agree... I have had both an AMD and a Nvidia eGPU (AMD is a pain in Bootcamp with LG 5K displays) and even with the plug and play nature of AMD in macOS I found it of little benefit as it cant accelerate either the internal or TB3 attached LG 5K. Windows on the other hand can... so I only use my eGPU for gaming in Windows.

 

[Marconelly]

Afaik, the answer to that question is no unfortunately. There are some janky work arounds out there, but nothing officially supported.

I think it’s officially supported on the OS level now, but it’s not automatic like with the external monitor. It requires code changes to the game.

 

[ikir]

About all games works with eGPU, especially Feral ones which are ported to macOS as state of the art. I’m playing Deus Ex Mankind divided in 4K everything maxed on a MBP 13”

This means only that they are supporting it! And it is a very nice news

 

[macduke]

I'd like to hold out for Thunderbolt 4 with these eGPUs becoming popular. Shouldn't it be in the 80-100Gbps range? That should be much better suited for high-end gaming.

 

[MrUNIMOG]

Would I be correct in assuming that they are talking about internal screen acceleration too?

Afaik, the answer to that question is no unfortunately. There are some janky work arounds out there, but nothing officially supported.

About all games works with eGPU, especially Feral ones which are ported to macOS as state of the art. I’m playing Deus Ex Mankind divided in 4K everything maxed on a MBP 13”

This means only that they are supporting it! And it is a very nice news

Feral's announcement has to mean internal screen acceleration. Acceleration of an external monitor plugged into the eGPU already works with any game and doesn't need to be supported by the developer.

Apples eGPU support document also says so:

In general, an eGPU can accelerate performance in these types of applications:

• Pro applications designed to utilize multiple GPUs
• 3D games, when an external monitor is attached directly to the eGPU
• VR applications, when the VR headset is attached directly to the eGPU
• Pro applications and 3D games that accelerate the built-in display of an iMac or MacBook Pro. (This capability must be enabled by the application's developer.)

 

[blackcrayon]

If you have to buy an external monitor to use the eGPU, I kind of don't see the point. You may as well just build a gaming pc.

Sure, but I would guess that many users who use a laptop as the heart of their setup are already using an external monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc. With an iMac though, perhaps not.

 

[ikir]

Would I be correct in assuming that they are talking about internal screen acceleration too?

Internal acceleration already works with Metal.
[doublepost=1528735846][/doublepost]

Feral's announcement has to mean internal screen acceleration. Acceleration of an external monitor plugged into the eGPU already works with any game and doesn't need to be supported by the developer.

Apples eGPU support document also says so:

Supported means they can help you with support and certificate it works. It doen’t mean it works or not
[doublepost=1528736013][/doublepost]

If you have to buy an external monitor to use the eGPU, I kind of don't see the point. You may as well just build a gaming pc.

No thanks, I want and need only one machine, portable when out and powerful at home/Office: MacBook Pro 13” plus eGPU. Check these for incredible gaining a in Gaming and PRO Apps (scroll down):
https://www.egpu.it/recensione-mantiz-venus-thunderbolt-egpu-box/

 

[SmallTownPleb]

How about Apple puts good hardware in a Macbook? At least provide that option, those who value battery life could opt for a tiny AMD mGPU. Razer can build a slim ultrabook, 6 core mCPU, 16gb-32gb, undervolted desktop 1070, and at the same price. So why can't Apple? There's nothing 'pro' about the last few releases. I'm not asking for the exact same hardware, just a beefier GPU,1080p camera, DDR4 (which we're obviously getting along with the new Intel CPU's/improved keyboard), thinner bezels, and a higher refresh rate display. I already own a gaming pc, just waiting to upgrade from my 2014 MacBook Pro.

 

[JosephAW]

How do I use an external eGPU on my MBP 2012 using 10.13.4?

 

[shadowbird423]

Internal acceleration already works with Metal.

Metal shouldn't be a requirement for any of this.

Apple is trying to use eGPU as a carrot to get people to support Metal over OpenGL/Vulkan, which is incredibly dumb and short sighted of them.

 

[fairuz]

Metal shouldn't be a requirement for any of this.

Apple is trying to use eGPU as a carrot to get people to support Metal over OpenGL/Vulkan, which is incredibly dumb and short sighted of them.

Well OpenGL isn't even a real option with macOS anymore, eGPU or not. They've intentionally left it out of date.

 

[Internet Enzyme]

Metal shouldn't be a requirement for any of this.

Apple is trying to use eGPU as a carrot to get people to support Metal over OpenGL/Vulkan, which is incredibly dumb and short sighted of them.

It only makes sense. Apple wants to in the future create its own in-house gpu solutions, and metal is an absolutely crucial piece in making that a reality. Any new graphics based initiatives that are introduced to macos should push metal

 

[shadowbird423]

Well OpenGL isn't even a real option with macOS anymore, eGPU or not. They've intentionally left it out of date.

This is why I mentioned Vulcan, but fair. Apple's implementation of OpenGL is what... 7 years out of date?

It only makes sense. Apple wants to in the future create its own in-house gpu solutions, and metal is an absolutely crucial piece in making that a reality. Any new graphics based initiatives that are introduced to macos should push metal

Metal is not necessary to make their own GPU. I know Apple has this tendency to want to do everything in house, but they were one of the companies that created OpenGL for a reason. Graphics are complicated enough without petty standards wars.

 

[speedcat_feral]

Just wanted to jump in and clear a few things up

Rise of the Tomb Raider's eGPU support covers external monitors only. This is consistent with Apple's guidelines, which say that an eGPU can accelerate performance in 3D games when using an external monitor. We don't recommend playing Rise of the Tomb Raider on your internal display when using an eGPU, and will update our FAQ accordingly to make this clearer.

I also wanted to clear up what we mean by "support". Supported means that we've tested the game and hardware extensively, are satisfied that the setup works correctly and, most importantly, are satisfied that the performance meets our high standards. In general, as Apple's guidelines say, eGPUs can accelerate performance in games, and users may see improved performance in other Feral games when using an eGPU. However, we'll only confirm official support when we've tested the game extensively and made necessary changes to guarantee the best possible user experience.

 

[MrUNIMOG]

Just wanted to jump in and clear a few things up

Rise of the Tomb Raider's eGPU support covers external monitors only. This is consistent with Apple's guidelines, which say that an eGPU can accelerate performance in 3D games when using an external monitor. We don't recommend playing Rise of the Tomb Raider on your internal display when using an eGPU, and will update our FAQ accordingly to make this clearer.

I also wanted to clear up what we mean by "support". Supported means that we've tested the game and hardware extensively, are satisfied that the setup works correctly and, most importantly, are satisfied that the performance meets our high standards. In general, as Apple's guidelines say, eGPUs can accelerate performance in games, and users may see improved performance in other Feral games when using an eGPU. However, we'll only confirm official support when we've tested the game extensively and made necessary changes to guarantee the best possible user experience.

Oh, looks like I got excited too early

However Apple states that an eGPU can also accelerate performance in games on the internal display, if the developer does support it:

In general, an eGPU can accelerate performance in these types of applications:

• Pro applications designed to utilize multiple GPUs
• 3D games, when an external monitor is attached directly to the eGPU
• VR applications, when the VR headset is attached directly to the eGPU
• Pro applications and 3D games that accelerate the built-in display of an iMac or MacBook Pro. (This capability must be enabled by the application's developer.)

Any plans at feral for doing so?
Are there major hurdles to overcome in order to enable this?