Attaching a Thunderbolt GPU to a Macbook Air

#1

Post by arange » Tue, Jul 30, 2013, 2:25 PM UTC

Attaching a Thunderbolt GPU to a Macbook Air
forum.techinferno.com

Re: Attaching a Thunderbolt GPU to a Macbook Air

#2

Post by whitehat2k9 » Tue, Jul 30, 2013, 3:03 PM UTC

...Or you could put together a proper gaming machine for the same price.

Re: Attaching a Thunderbolt GPU to a Macbook Air

#3

Post by simias » Tue, Jul 30, 2013, 3:15 PM UTC

whitehat2k9 wrote: post #2

...Or you could put together a proper gaming machine for the same price.

This website is called hacker news you know. That's a pretty cool hack.

Although I grant you that lately it was more "NSA circlejerk news", so it's an easy mistake to make.

Re: Attaching a Thunderbolt GPU to a Macbook Air

#4

Post by pizza » Tue, Jul 30, 2013, 3:28 PM UTC

whitehat2k9 wrote: post #2

...Or you could put together a proper gaming machine for the same price.

I didn't see where it said they did this for cost-effectiveness

Re: Attaching a Thunderbolt GPU to a Macbook Air

#5

Post by dmix » Tue, Jul 30, 2013, 3:28 PM UTC

Windows only.

> Oh and we're using Windows because games only exist for it, and I can't get the setup to work on OSX (haven't tried too much though).

Re: Attaching a Thunderbolt GPU to a Macbook Air

#6

Post by larsberg » Tue, Jul 30, 2013, 3:30 PM UTC

I've been assuming this is what Apple is going to do with the next MBP retina. Intel graphics when headless + a new Thunderbolt Display with built-in Nvidia or ATI card when "docked."

Re: Attaching a Thunderbolt GPU to a Macbook Air

#7

Post by rheide » Tue, Jul 30, 2013, 3:36 PM UTC

Hm, the only reason I want a new Macbook Air over an Ultrabook is that it has the HD5000 graphics which are way faster than anything else on the ultraportable market right now. Ultrabooks with HD5000 graphics still haven't launched. If you're going to install Windows on it you might as well buy a (way cheaper) notebook instead.

Re: Attaching a Thunderbolt GPU to a Macbook Air

#8

Post by ckluis » Tue, Jul 30, 2013, 3:36 PM UTC

larsberg wrote: post #6

I've been assuming this is what Apple is going to do with the next MBP retina. Intel graphics when headless + a new Thunderbolt Display with built-in Nvidia or ATI card when "docked."

Partially agree. I assume Apple wants to go down the truly portable route and offer an addon graphics card in the size and shape of either an airport extreme or apple tv/mini. This would allow someone with a mini to stack a graphics card under it and have the graphics card inbetween the mini & any other screen.

Re: Attaching a Thunderbolt GPU to a Macbook Air

#9

Post by jonny_eh » Tue, Jul 30, 2013, 3:36 PM UTC

whitehat2k9 wrote: post #2

...Or you could put together a proper gaming machine for the same price.

Why do something interesting when you can do something boring?

Re: Attaching a Thunderbolt GPU to a Macbook Air

#10

Post by mosselman » Tue, Jul 30, 2013, 3:38 PM UTC

whitehat2k9 wrote: post #2

...Or you could put together a proper gaming machine for the same price.

I am a developer and I prefer developing on my macbook by FAR over windows and I prefer it a lot over Ubuntu et al. Right now I still have my desktop PC taking up space and clutering my desk just so that I can play a few games. I'd rather sell it and for less than what I get for the whole thing buy a thunderbolt GPU and game that way.

Your argument is invalid and only considered from a 'I want to game' point of view, not from a "I prefer a Mac and would like to play PC games without a 'proper gaming machine'" point of view.