- Radeon Pro 580 - 300 USD
- USB Hub / Thunderbolt 3 Hub - 100 USD
- eGPU - 300 USD (Akitio Node, others)
It's reasonably priced given the components. If it only had upgradability, it'd be very nice, but it's not a dealbreaker.
Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor
151–160 of 276 posts
Re: Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor
#152Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'd bet 99.9% of people buying PC Laptops never upgrade a single chip... Apple's non-pro lines are likely not much different. Apple largely sacrificed that ability (in a few product lines) in favour of creating some of the thinnest laptops available. I don't remember them ever doing that before Macbook Air, for now reason. That said, in this case, I don't see what is being gained by not making the GPU swappable or at…
My HP laptop died, the integrated GPU died. And HP support said they do not manufacture that motherboard anymore. So what's the point of having it upgradable? Sometimes it works, other times not.
It's always been the case with laptops that if the mainboard or some part ON the main board died, well, that's that. But being able to upgrade RAM, HDD or wifi was always great so you could eek a couple more years from it.
People who want upgrade-ability aren't wrong for wanting to buck the throw away society we've become.
Re: Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor
#153Earlier quoted context omitted.
> $699 and no ability to upgrade Sounds like a perfect fit for the Apple ecosystem.
I'd bet 99.9% of people buying PC Laptops never upgrade a single chip... Apple's non-pro lines are likely not much different. Apple largely sacrificed that ability (in a few product lines) in favour of creating some of the thinnest laptops available. I don't remember them ever doing that before Macbook Air, for now reason. That said, in this case, I don't see what is being gained by not making the GPU swappable or at…
> I'd bet 99.9% of people buying PC Laptops never upgrade a single chip...
You're right, they don't. They ask someone else to do it. So, I'd bet your number is way off.
Re: Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor
#154Earlier quoted context omitted.
I miss so much my 2009 MacBook Pro, where you could take out the DVD drive and replace it with an additional SSD for a performance boost.
Ha, I just did that this week. I have a late 2011 MBP and I noticed it was dragging a bit so I upgraded it from 8gb ram to 16gb and bought a 500gb SSD to replace the factory HDD. The next day I decided I wanted more space for my pictures so I bought the little enclosure and swapped out my CDROM and just reused the factory 1TB HDD. Like $220 later and it feels like a brand new machine.
I did pretty much the same thing on my late 2011 MBP. And then the graphics went tits up. Argh!
Re: Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor
#155Does anyone here currently run a eGPU on their MacBook Pro and can share their experience (including what card you are using)?
Akitio Node + Apple TB2->3 dongle + GTX 1080 + external LG 4K monitor on a rMBP 15" 2015, used only w/ Bootcamp. Works pretty well, and my latest addition is a DisplayPort switch to use the iGPU directly with the monitor (when I'm in macOS) or the external GPU (when I'm in Bootcamp). Performance is great, around ~95% of desktop GPU I'd say. The only issue is that it needs a particular boot sequence to enable it, when…
What DisplayPort switch are you using?
Re: Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor
#156From 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…
I think it's not the best deal, but it's so much better than other jokers in this space, because, the alternative I've found is Razor Core series ( https://www.razer.com/sg-en/gaming-laptops/razer-core-v2 ) which is a joke - $500+ ($750 where I live) and it doesn't even include a GPU in it! I'm seriously interested if there's some sort of DIY out there wherein you could just buy a bunch of chips from eBay, put togeth…
You can use this:
(https://www.amazon.com/Akitio-Node-Thunderbolt3-Windows-Comp...)
It costs $250 + GPU.
Re: Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor
#157Earlier quoted context omitted.
No, I'm really not. In fact, the only reason this isn't done more often is because some OEMs defraud their customers by forcing obsolescense into their products, such as intentionally designing them to be very impractical if not impossible to do basic stuff such as cleaning air ducts or replacing a HD. If you asked any macbook pro owner if they were willing to spend money to double its RAM or HDD capacity I'm sure yo…
That is still an extremely small minority who would upgrade. Based on what I've seen from non-technical friends and family, the standard approach to laptops is to buy a $300 netbook, fill it with crappy browser extensions and malware over a few years, complain that the computer is "too old and slow", throw it out and buy a new one.
> That is still an extremely small minority who would upgrade.
It's really not, and it's quite obvious that the baseless assertion that no one wants to upgrade hardware is rather mind-numbingly absurd.
There are businesses dedicated to repair, upgrade and refurbish computers, including laptops. There are businesses dedicated to sell used hardware which offer clients a choice of processors and other components, including different makes and models. It's utterly absurd that we're supposed that this basic need simply vanishes in a specific form factor.
Re: Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor
#158Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think it's not the best deal, but it's so much better than other jokers in this space, because, the alternative I've found is Razor Core series ( https://www.razer.com/sg-en/gaming-laptops/razer-core-v2 ) which is a joke - $500+ ($750 where I live) and it doesn't even include a GPU in it! I'm seriously interested if there's some sort of DIY out there wherein you could just buy a bunch of chips from eBay, put togeth…
You can use this: ( https://www.amazon.com/Akitio-Node-Thunderbolt3-Windows-Comp... ) It costs $250 + GPU.
awesome thanks! Does that work with 1080ti? I know Apple hasn't got official Nvidia drivers but Nvidia has provided their own for a while now
Re: Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor
#159Does anyone here currently run a eGPU on their MacBook Pro and can share their experience (including what card you are using)?
I have a 2014 MBPr 15". I bought the VR DevKit the day it was released. Running it under the beta of macOS at the time was... wonky. Then they upgraded macOS to support it natively, and it worked exactly like I wanted it to. For about a month.
THEN they upgraded macOS AGAIN, and forced it to stop working on pre-TB3 laptops. It was working GREAT, and they just killed it. Thanks, Apple!
I tried using some dirty hack that someone on some board claimed to work, and got it working again, but after about the 5th kernel panic in 2 days, I ripped out the hack, and sold the damn thing on Ebay. What an enormous waste of time, energy, and money.
It's clear that eGPU's are the future of gaming. I'm eagerly awaiting consensus to align on what that looks like on a MacBook. I just want to play Civ V again, without it looking like a slideshow.
Re: Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor
#160From 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…
There's probably a market for an eGPU enclosure which can sit in a shared office without sounding like a small jet engine, though. Some of them are quite noisy.