Will an E-GPU improve my experience?

[iandk]

Hi,

I just bough an used Mac Mini 2018 with an i5, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD.

The mac itself is running great, however the experience with my two 4K screens isn't really smooth.
It's not really lagging (except when running a video on one screen or capturing my display) but it's not smooth either.

So I thought about getting a cheap E-GPU.

Thought about a Razer Core X and a RX 570. What do you think?

 

[ruslan120]

Absolutely. External monitors and accelerating applications are great uses for an external graphics card. The Mac Mini is lacking in this regard with its internal graphics.
The AMD RX 580 is similar in price to the 570 and offers better performance.
The Razer Core X seems overpowered (PSU wise) for a 570.

 

[iandk]

Thank you.
canyou recommend a small eGPU case for a 570/580?

 

[watakoola]

I have an RX 580 and OWC Mercury Helios FX 650 eGPU box - that combo is a known issue with Catalina for both boot and fan problems.

With my main monitor plugged into HDMI and running off the internal Intel 630 I get boot and login screens, but still occasionally get the Helios' fan going nuts.

The idea of buying an eGPU was to take the load away from the internal Intel 630 graphics chip, so this is very annoying.

 

[ruslan120]

Thank you.
canyou recommend a small eGPU case for a 570/580?

I use the Sonnet eGFX Breakway Box. They also make a Puck. You can probably find something smaller but I can recommend the Breakway Box.

 

[frou]

I would try and find a good deal on an all-in-one eGPU ("puck") rather than buying a full size enclosure and separate card. Because the latter adds up to a big expense for what sounds from the OP like an unforeseen issue.

 

[watakoola]

I would try and find a good deal on an all-in-one eGPU ("puck") rather than buying a full size enclosure and separate card. Because the latter adds up to a big expense for what sounds from the OP like an unforeseen issue.

Or conversely, buy a 'full-size' eGPU to ensure upgradeability for the future.
But ultimately only the OP can determine which course to take.

 

[ruslan120]

Both good points. I think OP wants an external graphics card mostly for smooth monitor use rather than application improvement. Leaning towards recommending the Sonnet Puck.

 

[Erehy Dobon]

Hi there,

I have been following along and this thread is helping me since I'm interested in an eGPU for my Mac mini 2018 (i7, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD running Mojave 10.14.6).

I'm no gamer but I am interested in playing with Davinci Resolve which appears would benefit (I just downloaded it this morning). I muck around a little with iMovie which I understand does not take benefit of eGPUs.

I'm looking at a Sonnet eGFX Breakout Box (550W PSU) and a Sapphire Pulse RX 580 8G G5:

https://www.sapphiretech.com/en/consumer/pulse-rx-580-8g-g5

Does that make sense for my usage case?

With tax, the combo would be around $475. I'm trying to keep it around $500 but I might expand my budget an extra $100 if there's something else head-and-shoulders above this combo.

I might also eventually dabble in VR but I haven't looked into that carefully.

This site's forum doesn't seem to have much VR discussion. Does anyone have any recommendations about where I might seek reliable information? A web search will point me to a bunch of sites, but I don't know which one is really legit. I'm trying to avoid YouTube reviewers.

I'm guessing that if I really want to get serious about VR, I need a Windows box. I have a $170 Wintel cheapo but it doesn't have Thunderbolt 3. A more powerful Windows box would be a future purchase decision, not seeking advice currently.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated by this old fogey.

😃

 

[MevetS]

I have a Razor Core X with a Sapphire Pulse RX 580 (swapped out from my now retired MacPro 2010). I am very happy with it. In my usage it is silent (the Mini, the eGPU, and my OWC drive enclosure). However, I did need to get an HDMI adaptor plug to get my displays to come on when I boot up. You can read about it in this thread. And this link explains how to mirror the HDMI plug to your main monitor. Note that not everyone has this issue. Also note that I'm still driving the old displays I was using with the MacPro. With the current COVID-19 uncertainty I've put off updating the displays for now. But I'm very pleased with the transition from MacPro to MacMini. Good luck whatever you decide.

 

[throAU]

Definitely. Intel graphics Of that age are generally pretty meh on a single 4K screen. Even a low end discrete GPU (so long as it isn’t old) will make things a lot smoother in general.