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Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor

blackmagicdesign.com

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Re: Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor

#11

Post by djsumdog »

xxpor wrote: post #2

I don't know why the title says "Apple's". It works with MBPs but the company seems to have nothing to do with Apple Inc.

Marketing.

It was either Linus or Dave2D that did some videos on external GPUs and IIRC, all AMDs work on Mac, but only a subset of nvidias do.

Since we are talking about Resolve, which is cross platform, you could just save a bunch of money by buying a PC/Linux box. Several gaming laptops have really good GPUs builtin, although Apple did finally refresh their laptop offerings.

Also keep in mind that if you want to watch video on your laptop screen, you do lose some bandwidth for the image to come back over usbc/thunderbolt (vs external display). If you do a lot of video editing and portability doesn't make you more productive, you can save a decent amount by building or buying a desktop.

Re: Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor

#12

Post by cosmojg »

whichdan wrote: post #8

From the FAQ: > Can I upgrade the GPU chip in the Blackmagic eGPU? > No, the design has been optimized for quiet operation so it’s better suited for creative customers. This means the design is not a simple chassis with a PCIe card plugged in, but an integrated electronics, mechanical and cooling design that cannot have the GPU chip upgraded or changed. $699 and no ability to upgrade makes it pretty clear that they'r…

> $699 and no ability to upgrade

Sounds like a perfect fit for the Apple ecosystem.

Re: Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor

#14

Post by djsumdog »

whichdan wrote: post #8

From the FAQ: > Can I upgrade the GPU chip in the Blackmagic eGPU? > No, the design has been optimized for quiet operation so it’s better suited for creative customers. This means the design is not a simple chassis with a PCIe card plugged in, but an integrated electronics, mechanical and cooling design that cannot have the GPU chip upgraded or changed. $699 and no ability to upgrade makes it pretty clear that they'r…

Huh. They're targeting ... people who don't know any better?

I want to see rendering benchmarks (both 1080p/2160p) of this vs external Thunderbolt GTX/1060,1070,1080 enclosures (and AMDGPU equivalents). I mean if it works better and you do a lot of video, then yea, go for it. If it's only marginally better, buy something with a real PCIe slot that's upgradable.

Even business customers should not buy this if the benchmarks don't align. Seriously you're hurting everyone, even if you can afford it. Stop that. Planned obsolescent is terrible. Pay more and buy something you can upgrade, fix and repair.

Throwing out electronics after four years hurts the planet.

Re: Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor

#15

Post by pvg »

steve19 wrote: post #13
jonbaer wrote: post #5

Does anyone here currently run a eGPU on their MacBook Pro and can share their experience (including what card you are using)?

I would like to know as well. And if anyone knows if they work well with thunderbolt2.

You take a performance hit even with tb3. Tb2 (for eGPU) is not directly supported by Apple and not really worth it.

Re: Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor

#17

Post by cshenton »

jonbaer wrote: post #5

Does anyone here currently run a eGPU on their MacBook Pro and can share their experience (including what card you are using)?

If you look up gaming benchmarks. The performance losses make it more economical to build an entire separate computer, at least for that use case.

Re: Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor

#18

Post by pvg »

djsumdog wrote: post #14
whichdan wrote: post #8

From the FAQ: > Can I upgrade the GPU chip in the Blackmagic eGPU? > No, the design has been optimized for quiet operation so it’s better suited for creative customers. This means the design is not a simple chassis with a PCIe card plugged in, but an integrated electronics, mechanical and cooling design that cannot have the GPU chip upgraded or changed. $699 and no ability to upgrade makes it pretty clear that they'r…

Huh. They're targeting ... people who don't know any better? I want to see rendering benchmarks (both 1080p/2160p) of this vs external Thunderbolt GTX/1060,1070,1080 enclosures (and AMDGPU equivalents). I mean if it works better and you do a lot of video, then yea, go for it. If it's only marginally better, buy something with a real PCIe slot that's upgradable. Even business customers should not buy this if the bench…

Their site describes who this is for at great length. I'm not sure where the GP got the 'business customer' idea, it's not accurate.

Re: Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor

#20

Post by extralego »

jonbaer wrote: post #5

Does anyone here currently run a eGPU on their MacBook Pro and can share their experience (including what card you are using)?

I have been for a couple of years. Mine is an DIY version with a PC power supply. I made it about 3.5 years ago. Last time I checked, I couldn’t use my particular setup for accelerated graphics in MacOS (I could in bootcamped Windows) but I think that works now. I just haven’t done it. I use it mostly for 3D rendering.

It’s an Akitio enclosure, which was the first popular one. I use it with a GTX 980Ti with a little 400 watt power supply on a late 2012 MacBook Pro and it works great. I travel with it and everything.

The performance hit is a lot less than people make it out to be. Mine runs on TB2 and I don’t remember numbers but I have done graphics benchmarks using it in boot camp Windows against the same card in my PC. It was a few FPS different on most tests. I don’t remember exact numbers. For 3D rendering/data processing, there is no performance hit.

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