MM18 + Blackmagic eGPU + LG Ultrafine 4k

[FilmIndustryGuy]

I just got the Blackmagic eGPU (non-pro) form Apple and noticed that MM18 detects the RX 580 card but Activity Monitor shows no usage in general and in FCPX when the LG 4k is plugged into the MM18 instead of the Blackmagic directly. As soon as I plugged the monitor out of the MM18 and into Blackmagic, it started working and Intel 630 stopped kicking in. Am I missing something here? Does this mean other eGPUs won't run with the LG UltraFine 4k monitor since eGPUs like RAZRE CORE X only have one TB3 port for direct to MAC connection? Trying to figure this out

 

[macdos]

I just got the Blackmagic eGPU (non-pro) form Apple and noticed that MM18 detects the RX 580 card but Activity Monitor shows no usage in general and in FCPX when the LG 4k is plugged into the MM18 instead of the Blackmagic directly. As soon as I plugged the monitor out of the MM18 and into Blackmagic, it started working and Intel 630 stopped kicking in. Am I missing something here? Does this mean other eGPUs won't run with the LG UltraFine 4k monitor since eGPUs like RAZRE CORE X only have one TB3 port for direct to MAC connection? Trying to figure this out

Of course you have to connect monitor to eGPU, otherwise you will just bypass it to the Mini directly. Ports on eGPU must match ports on display.

Also, with Filevault enabled and monitors connected to eGPU, you will not have a login screen.

 

[gusping]

I can’t believe people would buy a blackmagic eGPU vs a Razer Core X that is much cheaper and can be upgraded in the future. Unless you like throwing money down the drain....

 

[Ploki]

I can’t believe people would buy a blackmagic eGPU vs a Razer Core X that is much cheaper and can be upgraded in the future. Unless you like throwing money down the drain....

LG UltraFine 5K for example, only BlackMagic GPUs can drive it for now.

The 4K can be driven by other cards since its DP via USB-C, but needs a working adapter if i recall correctly.

I just got the Blackmagic eGPU (non-pro) form Apple and noticed that MM18 detects the RX 580 card but Activity Monitor shows no usage in general and in FCPX when the LG 4k is plugged into the MM18 instead of the Blackmagic directly. As soon as I plugged the monitor out of the MM18 and into Blackmagic, it started working and Intel 630 stopped kicking in. Am I missing something here? Does this mean other eGPUs won't run with the LG UltraFine 4k monitor since eGPUs like RAZRE CORE X only have one TB3 port for direct to MAC connection? Trying to figure this out

For the UltraFine 4k you need a usb-c to miniDP adapter and connect the ultrafine 4K via display port.

You can get limited support for eGPU while having the monitor connected directly to the computer by right clicking on the app and enabling GPU Acceleration, however, it will take roughly 40-50% off your GPU performance.

 

[LeeW]

I can’t believe people would buy a blackmagic eGPU vs a Razer Core X that is much cheaper and can be upgraded in the future. Unless you like throwing money down the drain....

£339 for the Razer core x
£200 for an rx580

So £539 or thereabouts compared to £599 for the Blackmagic.

Not that much cheaper and it just works out of the box which suits plenty of people. Depending on your use case it will cover several years of adequate use.

I suspect that the changing landscape of eGPU enclosures means that there will be more reason to change something like the Razer core x in the next couple of years so the long term savings are not there yet in this part of the market.

 

[gusping]

£339 for the Razer core x
£200 for an rx580

So £539 or thereabouts compared to £599 for the Blackmagic.

Not that much cheaper and it just works out of the box which suits plenty of people. Depending on your use case it will cover several years of adequate use.

I suspect that the changing landscape of eGPU enclosures means that there will be more reason to change something like the Razer core x in the next couple of years so the long term savings are not there yet in this part of the market.

£339? It’s £260 on the Razer website and at retailers, lmao.

 

[LeeW]

£339? It’s £260 on the Razer website and at retailers, lmao.

Ok, fair enough, I just grabbed a price from a google search, but it does not change any of my points. People want a solution that fits their needs, not everyone is as price sensitive as you.

 

[The_Joker13]

Ok, fair enough, I just grabbed a price from a google search, but it does not change any of my points. People want a solution that fits their needs, not everyone is as price sensitive as you.

Actually it does change your price point, lol. That’s quite a difference. It’s ok to be wrong.

 

[LeeW]

Actually it does change your price point, lol. That’s quite a difference. It’s ok to be wrong.

Sure, it makes it £140 less than the BM, that makes it worth it to some, others not. Opinions of course vary. Money down the drain because you can go a different route and spend less? That's up to the individual to decide.

 

[gusping]

Sure, it makes it £140 less than the BM, that makes it worth it to some, others not. Opinions of course vary. Money down the drain because you can go a different route and spend less? That's up to the individual to decide.

If the Razer plus a 580 were the same price as the black magic, or even a itny bit more, I’d still get it. Having the ability to swap out the GPU for a better one in the future is huge.

 

[LeeW]

Personally, I was intending on an eGPU enclosure as my next purchase but hanging back. I have a 2080 in my PC and in an ideal world, the benefit of it could be switched between Mac and PC thanks to being independently housed. But alas, Nvidia, Apple...

 

[Ploki]

Fact remains you cannot drive a TB3 display from an enclosure+gpu, and driving a usb-c display takes some trial & error with adapters

 

[gusping]

Fact remains you cannot drive a TB3 display from an enclosure+gpu, and driving a usb-c display takes some trial & error with adapters

Really? So if I got an LG 27UK850-W monitor that has USB-C, HDMI and Displayport inputs, I'd have to use the HDMI or DP slot? Wow, Apple. Wow.... So much for pushing. USB-C, when eGPUs which they are also pushing can't even use it without issues.

 

[Ploki]

Really? So if I got an LG 27UK850-W monitor that has USB-C, HDMI and Displayport inputs, I'd have to use the HDMI or DP slot? Wow, Apple. Wow.... So much for pushing. USB-C, when eGPUs which they are also pushing can't even use it without issues.

Well, how do you propose running a USB-C input if no after-market GPUs have a USB-C output?

There are few cards that do it:
https://www.anandtech.com/show/1151...gtx-1080-ti-gaming-x-card-with-usb-typec-port
https://www.asus.com/Graphics-Cards/TURBO-RTX2080TI-11G/gallery/
But all of those I find are natively unsupported Nvidia.

You can use something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-CDP2DPMM6B-USB-DisplayPort-Cable/dp/B01EZH7CKO?tag=linus21-20
but the problem is it doesn't say it's bidirectional; in any case, some people have successfully connected the ultrafine 4K to a standard DP output with use of adapters.

And the problem is that it won't support LG 5K anyway, because the USB-C output is DP via USB-C.
The Ultrafine 5k uses two DP lanes if i recall correctly, via single Thunderbolt3 connection.

 

[Hessel89]

Does this mean other eGPUs won't run with the LG UltraFine 4k monitor since eGPUs like RAZRE CORE X only have one TB3 port for direct to MAC connection? Trying to figure this out

Yes. It’s ridiculous but the Ultrafines basicly only work with the Blackmagic eGPUs. There is an unofficial hack where you can route the output of your GPU through a so called Alpine Ridge PCI card, but that will require you to get another PCI housing plus PSU besides your eGPU housing so when you count that all up it’s cheaper and easier to just get the Blackmagic eGPU. Unless you need a super high end card or want a multiple screen setup.

 

[Ploki]

Yes. It’s ridiculous but the Ultrafines basicly only work with the Blackmagic eGPUs. There is an unofficial hack where you can route the output of your GPU through a so called Alpine Ridge PCI card, but that will require you to get another PCI housing plus PSU besides your eGPU housing so when you count that all up it’s cheaper and easier to just get the Blackmagic eGPU. Unless you need a super high end card or want a multiple screen setup.

Even that doesn't work with the 5K

 

[F-Train]

Some of the posts above contain wrong/misleading information on price and other issues. The following are US prices based on current street prices for the cards:

Black Magic eGPU with RX 580: $700 plus tax
Sonnet 350w Breakaway Box with RX 580: $400 plus tax

Black Magic eGPU Pro with RX Vega 56: $1200 plus tax
Sonnet 350w Breakaway Box with RX Vega 56: $600 plus tax

There is no meaningful difference in setup time between the Black Magic and Sonnet solutions.

The Black Magic eGPUs can’t be upgraded whereas standard GPU enclosures can be. The significance of this should not be underestimated. In my case, I purchased an Asus XG Station Pro enclosure and RX 590 card, and later replaced the card with a Vega 56. I am considering the new Vega II card that AMD is releasing next month.* Alternatively, I may replace the Vega 56 with an AMD Navi card when they are released later this year, or with an Nvidia card when and if drivers become available for macOS. I could not do any of this with a Black Magic eGPU.

Most, if not all, stand-alone RX 580 and RX Vega 56 video cards require the monitor to have an HDMI, DisplayPort or DVI input.

In my view, purchasing a Black Magic eGPU is a spectacular waste of money if your monitor has HDMI, DisplayPort or DVI inputs for your desired resolution.**

* This card may require a more powerful enclosure/power supply than the Asus.
** If the monitor requires USB-C, it may well be possible to use an adapter.

 

[FilmIndustryGuy]

Thanks guys but why does the Blackmagic not engage when LG is plugged into Mac mini? If I was to return the Blackmagic and get a Razer Core X, can I actually engage the Vega 64 in it to assist in Lightroom and FCPX with the LG 4K UltraFine plugged into the Mac mini? I like the UltraFine due to the sharpness of letters etc. I wrote a lot on this Mac.

 

[F-Train]

Thanks guys but why does the Blackmagic not engage when LG is plugged into Mac mini? If I was to return the Blackmagic and get a Razer Core X, can I actually engage the Vega 64 in it to assist in Lightroom and FCPX with the LG 4K UltraFine plugged into the Mac mini? I like the UltraFine due to the sharpness of letters etc. I wrote a lot on this Mac.

I don’t use the Black Magic, but for other enclosures the monitor is plugged into the video card, not the computer. Why are you plugging the monitor into the mini instead of the Black Magic? Do the Black Magic instructions tell you to do that, because on the face of it it doesn’t make sense.

This thread has posts with detailed info on how the connections are supposed to work: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/external-gpu-egpu-resources.2154653/

 

[gusping]

Some of the posts above contain wrong/misleading information on price and other issues. The following are US prices based on current street prices for the cards:

Black Magic eGPU with RX 580: $700 plus tax
Sonnet 350w Breakaway Box with RX 580: $400 plus tax

Black Magic eGPU Pro with RX Vega 56: $1200 plus tax
Sonnet 350w Breakaway Box with RX Vega 56: $600 plus tax

There is no meaningful difference in setup time between the Black Magic and Sonnet solutions.

The Black Magic eGPUs can’t be upgraded whereas standard GPU enclosures can be. The significance of this should not be underestimated. In my case, I purchased an Asus XG Station Pro enclosure and RX 590 card, and later replaced the card with a Vega 56. I am considering the new Vega II card that AMD is releasing next month.* Alternatively, I may replace the Vega 56 with an AMD Navi card when they are released later this year, or with an Nvidia card when and if drivers become available for macOS. I could not do any of this with a Black Magic eGPU.

Most, if not all, stand-alone RX 580 and RX Vega 56 video cards require the monitor to have an HDMI, DisplayPort or DVI input.

In my view, purchasing a Black Magic eGPU is a spectacular waste of money if your monitor has HDMI, DisplayPort or DVI inputs for your desired resolution.**

* This card may require a more powerful enclosure/power supply than the Asus.
** If the monitor requires USB-C, it may well be possible to use an adapter.

Does using an RX 590 require a bit more fiddling over an RX 580 which is officially supported?

 

[FilmIndustryGuy]

I don’t use the Black Magic, but for other enclosures the monitor is plugged into the video card, not the computer. Why are you plugging the monitor into the mini instead of the Black Magic? Do the Black Magic instructions tell you to do that, because on the face of it it doesn’t make sense.

This thread has posts with detailed info on how the connections are supposed to work: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/external-gpu-egpu-resources.2154653/

i tried plugging it into the mac mini and also into the Blackmagic directly. MOnitor works both ways but when i edit in FCPX, i don't see the blackmagic doing anything in activity monitor when LG is plugged into Mac Mini. My main purpose for this is to accelerate workflow. I wouldnt even mind if the intel 630 is running the monitor and the blackmagic running video rendering software. the point of this whole topic is the possibility to get a Razer Core x with Vega 64 and still be able to edit and render. THe monitor itself forks well plugged dorectly ito mac mini and running off the integrated 630

 

[F-Train]

If I was to return the Blackmagic and get a Razer Core X, can I actually engage the Vega 64 in it to assist in Lightroom and FCPX with the LG 4K UltraFine plugged into the Mac mini?

If you are thinking of replacing the Black Magic eGPU, some suggestions:

1. Consider whether you will get meaningfully better performance with a Vega 64 over a Vega 56.
2. If you want a Vega 64, you may need a 550w enclosure, which the Razer Core X delivers but some enclosures don’t.
3. If you are going to consider the Vega 64, you should probably also consider the new Radeon II.

You may find it useful to read through the thread mentioned in post #19.
[doublepost=1548011096][/doublepost]

Does using an RX 590 require a bit more fiddling over an RX 580 which is officially supported?

No. Mojave supports both cards. This is also specifically discussed in the thread mentioned in post #19.

 

[gusping]

If you are thinking of replacing the Black Magic eGPU, some suggestions:

1. Consider whether you will get meaningfully better performance with a Vega 64 over a Vega 56.
2. If you want a Vega 64, you may need a 550w enclosure, which the Razer Core X delivers but some enclosures don’t.
3. If you are going to consider the Vega 64, you should probably also consider the new Radeon II.

You may find it useful to read through the thread mentioned in post #19.
[doublepost=1548011096][/doublepost]

No. Mojave supports both cards. This is also specifically discussed in the thread mentioned in post #19.

The official Apple eGPU page does not mention the 590, neither does post 19.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208544

 

[F-Train]

i don't see the blackmagic doing anything in activity monitor when LG is plugged into Mac Mini.

No kidding

Just do what the Black Magic instructions tell you to do, and if you want to understand how this works look at the thread linked in post #19.

 

[Ploki]

i tried plugging it into the mac mini and also into the Blackmagic directly. MOnitor works both ways but when i edit in FCPX, i don't see the blackmagic doing anything in activity monitor when LG is plugged into Mac Mini. My main purpose for this is to accelerate workflow. I wouldnt even mind if the intel 630 is running the monitor and the blackmagic running video rendering software. the point of this whole topic is the possibility to get a Razer Core x with Vega 64 and still be able to edit and render. THe monitor itself forks well plugged dorectly ito mac mini and running off the integrated 630

have you tried enabling it on the app?
https://9to5mac.com/2018/07/30/macos-mojave-beta-5-per-app-egpu-acceleration-built-in-mac-display/