Mac Mini EGPU + AMD radeon 5700 XT problem HELP

[star-affinity]

Hi i have only played DOTA 2 and its super super quiet I love the fact GPU only starts spinning when its needed

You don't get the occasional fan spin up from the GPU when idle, every 10-15 minutes? I get this while in MacOS, not so when in Windows 10. I have a RX 5700 XT in an old Mac Pro (Mid 2010) and I have that behaviour there – curios to know how these GPUs behave in an eGPU enclosure when used in MacOS.

 

[Brodlum]

right now I’m using a dell 32 4K monitor plugged into DP of gpu. I will be connecting a 27 vertical into the DP as well. I have 34 inch alien ware ultra wide coming in next week that will be main. Selling the 4k sell it was the mac mini right out of the box. Nothing over HDMI just display port.

Can you confirm you get the boot logo and startup manager? If you hold down the option key at boot, are you able to select a boot volume?
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[jerseykid80]

Just had Apple Care claim that the fact that I have to plug my eGPU after logging in is "as designed". 😂

I'm RMA'ing my RX 5700 XT; it's sad as I got such a great price on it. I'm now looking at a couple Sapphire and Gigabyte alternatives. I am also trying to get Razer to replace my Core X (or let me exchange for a Chroma). If I still face the same issues then I'll buy another Mac mini and see if I get the same issues on that, if it works there, I'll return my current one.

Good luck man i have zero complaints with my set up it works very good and super quiet. i love the fact the gpu fans only come on when its needed.
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Can you confirm you get the boot logo and startup manager? If you hold down the option key at boot, are you able to select a boot volume?
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I will try this after i finish watching a show through plex and i will let you know thanks

 

[Brodlum]

Good luck man i have zero complaints with my set up it works very good and super quiet. i love the fact the gpu fans only come on when its needed.
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I will try this after i finish watching a show through plex and i will let you know thanks

Thanks, would definitely be interesting to know. My GPU was picked up today, so I'll look at placing an order on another one tomorrow. Going to cost me another £120 than the last!

 

[jerseykid80]

Thanks, would definitely be interesting to know. My GPU was picked up today, so I'll look at placing an order on another one tomorrow. Going to cost me another £120 than the last!

So i also have random issues rebooting and going to a black screen i do it a few times and it boots to Mac os. I tried the option key and i dont see any apple logo. I just got my new monitor runs pretty good with with it.

 

[Brodlum]

So i also have random issues rebooting and going to a black screen i do it a few times and it boots to Mac os. I tried the option key and i dont see any apple logo. I just got my new monitor runs pretty good with with it.

Ahh, okay, that's good to know it's not just me then! Will place an order on a new card (probably a Sapphire) and will hopefully get booted into 10.15.4 finally!

 

[Brodlum]

Now using the Sapphire Nitro+ AMD RX 5700 XT. Exact same issues as I had with my PowerColor.

Sonnet updated their knowledgeable with this:
"I connected my monitor to the Breakaway Box on my 2018 Mac mini, but it boots with a black screen.":

If you have a 2018 Mac mini with FileVault turned on, you must connect your primary display directly to the HDMI port on your Mac mini during startup in order to enter your encryption password. After you log in and see the macOS Desktop, you can unplug the display from Mac mini and connect it to your eGPU. Under macOS 10.14.6 (but not 10.14.5) or 10.15.4-, a 2018 Mac mini must be booted with a monitor connected to the Mac mini's HDMI port. The monitor may be moved to the GPU after booting. We have filed a bug report with Apple and expect a fix soon.

Source:

Sonnet Support

---

Interestingly, if I plug in an HDMI to the Mac mini, then DP to the eGPU I get nothing via DP. If I plug in an HDMI to the Mac mini, then another HDMI to the eGPU, I get video from both HDMIs. Without an HDMI to the Mac mini, I get nothing.

 

[jayducharme]

Do you see the startup manager? When you hold down option at boot are you able to select the startup drive?

According to Apple, currently with the 5700 you'll see the startup manager only if the mini is connected directly with your monitor. When I boot up, the screen is blank till the log-in comes up -- most of the time. There have been times when I get the Apple logo. So I assume this is an issue that eventually will be fixed. Older Apple-recommended eGPU setups don't have that problem.

 

[Brodlum]

According to Apple, currently with the 5700 you'll see the startup manager only if the mini is connected directly with your monitor. When I boot up, the screen is blank till the log-in comes up -- most of the time. There have been times when I get the Apple logo. So I assume this is an issue that eventually will be fixed. Older Apple-recommended eGPU setups don't have that problem.

Do you use HDMI or DP for your 5700? Do you have two monitors?

 

[jayducharme]

Do you use HDMI or DP for your 5700? Do you have two monitors?

I go DP from the 5700 to my LG 4k monitor, which is the only display I'm using. And I should mention that I'm using the first DP port on the card. Using any of the other available ports didn't work as well (odd laggy issues).

 

[Brodlum]

I go DP from the 5700 to my LG 4k monitor, which is the only display I'm using. And I should mention that I'm using the first DP port on the card. Using any of the other available ports didn't work as well (odd laggy issues).

Strange. Even testing with a single monitor and single DP I get nothing. Nor even single HDMI. 5700 XT with a Razer Core X.

 

[jayducharme]

Strange. Even testing with a single monitor and single DP I get nothing. Nor even single HDMI. 5700 XT with a Razer Core X.

I've noticed that the TB3 cable isn't really stable in the back of the mini. (Actually it's a terribly unstable connection, period.) It can wiggle loose just a bit and that's enough to cut the connection. The same on the Razer.

It's really weird that you can't get anything with an HMDI cable; that's usually foolproof. Something else must be going on. Maybe reinstall the OS?

 

[Brodlum]

I've noticed that the TB3 cable isn't really stable in the back of the mini. (Actually it's a terribly unstable connection, period.) It can wiggle loose just a bit and that's enough to cut the connection. The same on the Razer.

It's really weird that you can't get anything with an HMDI cable; that's usually foolproof. Something else must be going on. Maybe reinstall the OS?

To confirm, that's a single HDMI over eGPU. It works if it's from the Mac itself.

I've tried multiple ports. I have two volumes on my Mac, a 10.15.13 and a 10.15.14. I'm even going to set up a third (10.15.5 beta3) tonight too.

10.15.3 works just fine, no need for an HDMI to the iGPU needed. But the moment I switch to 10.15.4 I get nothing over eGPU unless I have one over iGPU too. Then the DP ports not working just makes it an even bigger headache!

I've installed 10.15.4 clean three times now, and even tried 10.15.5b2 and had no luck.

Previous Apple senior rep wrote the wrong notes in the case, and so the engineering team's feedback was all about bootcamp... not exactly helpful! Updated it with new notes now that I've swapped out the GPU today and will see what they say.

My ideal setup is 2x DP + 1x HDMI from eGPU to monitors. But for now that only works on .3. For .4 I'm stuck with 1x HDMI from Mac + 1x HDMI from eGPU.

 

[jayducharme]

That's really odd. I'm on 10.15.4 and it's generally been behaving itself. I'm not sure what's going on with your setup.

 

[Brodlum]

That's really odd. I'm on 10.15.4 and it's generally been behaving itself. I'm not sure what's going on with your setup.

Super odd. But... I finally got some good news for myself. 10.15.5b3 finally seems to have fixed my issues! I can not boot (albeit I've only tested twice), using solely the eGPU, and I no longer have issues with DP!

I'll hold my main volume back on 10.15.3 for now, and will update once I've tested 10.15.5's release build when it's out.

Finally, things are starting to look a bit more hopeful! Now all I need is startup manager support so I can avoid having to change my startup drive in System Preferences every time I want to switch to Windows (or one of three macOS volumes 😂)

 

[jayducharme]

That's good news indeed!

 

[Brodlum]

Ran the wrong bootable installer. Turns out I just installed an identical 10.15.4 build, and now both work. Thought the second was .5, but that's still waiting to be installed... So not sure what changed, but now it just seems to work? This makes very little sense to me. All else I changed was disabling boot security, but I've tested that before... Weird.

 

[jayducharme]

Well, heck, just take whatever luck you can get! I'm glad it's working now.

 

[dspdoc]

I just want to ask if the 5700 XT eGPU - mini config is working now under 10.15.5 and that you can actually see the boot screen? I’m considering a similar setup. Thanks!

 

[jayducharme]

I just want to ask if the 5700 XT eGPU - mini config is working now under 10.15.5 and that you can actually see the boot screen? I’m considering a similar setup. Thanks!

It is and it isn't. Sometimes I see the boot-up screen. Sometimes I don't. Sometimes the mini will fail to boot at all. Sometimes it boots just fine. I've reported the issue to Apple, but I have no idea when or if it will be fixed. I always do get the mini to boot, after several hard shut-downs and restarts. But it's annoying right now. I know everything's working when I hear the Razer Core briefly spin its fans. Right after that, my login screen appears. If I don't hear the fans, it doesn't boot. So it seems to be an issue with the mini talking to the Razer during boot-up.

EDIT: I think I might have an answer: the mini has two sets of USB-C controllers, one for the left set of ports and one for the right. I had my CalDigit dock and my Razer both plugged into the left set of ports. I separated them to the ports on either side, and the mini now seems to consistently boot properly. I'm not seeing the Apple logo on boot, but at least the process seems reliable now.

 

[dspdoc]

It is and it isn't. Sometimes I see the boot-up screen. Sometimes I don't. Sometimes the mini will fail to boot at all. Sometimes it boots just fine. I've reported the issue to Apple, but I have no idea when or if it will be fixed. I always do get the mini to boot, after several hard shut-downs and restarts. But it's annoying right now. I know everything's working when I hear the Razer Core briefly spin its fans. Right after that, my login screen appears. If I don't hear the fans, it doesn't boot. So it seems to be an issue with the mini talking to the Razer during boot-up.

EDIT: I think I might have an answer: the mini has two sets of USB-C controllers, one for the left set of ports and one for the right. I had my CalDigit dock and my Razer both plugged into the left set of ports. I separated them to the ports on either side, and the mini now seems to consistently boot properly. I'm not seeing the Apple logo on boot, but at least the process seems reliable now.

It’s sad that the Apple engineering team seems to be lost aimlessly wondering through the forest.

How hard can it be for them to fix issues that have lingered for literally years now? How difficult is it to make it so those that use an eGPU actually see the Apple logo at boot?! LOL it’s funny, but not really. It’s rather infuriating.

I’m seeing people using setups that are specifically listed on Apple’s website as supported eGPU systems, and yet they don’t work...

 

[Brodlum]

I’m seeing people using setups that are specifically listed on Apple’s website as supported eGPU systems, and yet they don’t work...

Case in point: me a couple months ago.

I've no clue what made it work, but I get a macOS 10.15.4 boot seemingly every time now. Though I get no boot logo. The three things I did immediately before it started showing signs of life was toggle startup security (both options), and installed a third volume of 10.15.4, then it worked.

I also switched from a PowerColor to a Sapphire RX 5700 XT; though I had the same issues on both (before it started working after doing what I mentioned above).

I haven't dared update to 10.15.5 yet, but I'll give it a go on a secondary volume this weekend and see how it goes.

 

[dspdoc]

Case in point: me a couple months ago.

I've no clue what made it work, but I get a macOS 10.15.4 boot seemingly every time now. Though I get no boot logo. The three things I did immediately before it started showing signs of life was toggle startup security (both options), and installed a third volume of 10.15.4, then it worked.

I also switched from a PowerColor to a Sapphire RX 5700 XT; though I had the same issues on both (before it started working after doing what I mentioned above).

I haven't dared update to 10.15.5 yet, but I'll give it a go on a secondary volume this weekend and see how it goes.

Wow 😳. I wonder why things are so finicky and unstable? I’m nervous to even try now.

 

[dspdoc]

So this is directly from the Sonnet website dated 6/8/20. And all I can really say is WOW... Forced to use some ridiculous and cumbersome workaround to use a setup that Apple says is "fully" supported. What's the deal Apple?

 

[jayducharme]

Interesting that they specify "with FileVault turned on", since I don't use FileVault but my mini exhibits the black screen symptom anyway.