How does a Radeon Pro 580 compare to an Nvidia 1070 or 1080?
It's performance is closer to the 1060 (6gb version) from what I understand.
Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor
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Re: Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor
#32Earlier quoted context omitted.
Except every comparison on the page is using a MPB, the bottom of the page says “Buy at Apple” and when you click on the link to Apple.com, Apple’s page says “only at Apple”.
Using "Apple's" is still extremely misleading, and I'm pretty certain Apple's lawyers would not approve.
Apple worked with them on it. That being said, I think calling it "Apple"'s GPU is quite misleading.
Re: Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor
#33From 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…
"Yeah boss I need that $3000.00 laptop"
"and I absolutely need extra graphical horsepower to perform my job"
"but let's get the Razer core and fuck around for days getting it to work instead of buying the one advertised on the apple site because raisins".
Re: Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor
#34So, https://www.gigabyte.com/Graphics-Card/GV-RX580IXEB-8GD#kf this Thunderbolt enclosure from Gigabyte has an RX 580 in it and costs 500 USD (Google for B07CCK527Y). It is not yet tested but it is possible / likely the Vega 56 Nano will work in it once it's more available.
Re: Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor
#35seems similar to the Gygabyte Aorus gaming box https://www.gigabyte.com/Graphics-Card/GV-N1080IXEB-8GD#kf Which you can get in the $500 range which has a GTX 1080. This eGPU is $699 and has a less powerful AMD 580.
A PCIe card with a AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB is $280 from Amazon.
You are paying a lot for the cool looking case, USB hub and PSU.
I would have hoped that they would have put a premium graphics card like a AMD Vega64 or 1080 in to justify the premium price.
Re: Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor
#36seems similar to the Gygabyte Aorus gaming box https://www.gigabyte.com/Graphics-Card/GV-N1080IXEB-8GD#kf Which you can get in the $500 range which has a GTX 1080. This eGPU is $699 and has a less powerful AMD 580.
nvidia and mac is not the best combo. https://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-Gaming-Graphic-Card-GV-RX580... is only 500, almost the same video card, an RX 580.
For Windows, the 1070 / 1080 boxes are better deals, sure, but 1080 box is not 500 but 700. https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1681493..., even the 1070 is more than 500 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1681412...
Re: Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor
#37Since this is from Blackmagic what might be more interesting is a more expensive version of this with decklink built in. Then you could plug your output monitor straight into it. For a lot of people working in film/video that little extra would turn this into a Mac Pro without a cpu in it.
Re: Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor
#38From 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 are tons of other eGPU enclosures on the market that take normal PCIe GPUs. This one is interesting because you can use it with the UltraFine 5k Display which connects via Thunderbolt.
Or buy a Dell UP2715K or Philips 275P4VYKEB both of which connect via dual DisplayPort... Heck, even the Iiyama XB2779QQS can be a good candidate for most eGPU -- it requires a DisplayPort 1.4 but that is now a feature of many video cards, it's cheap because it's only 6-bit + A-FRC.
Re: Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor
#39Earlier 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 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.
Re: Blackmagic eGPU – Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processor
#40seems similar to the Gygabyte Aorus gaming box https://www.gigabyte.com/Graphics-Card/GV-N1080IXEB-8GD#kf Which you can get in the $500 range which has a GTX 1080. This eGPU is $699 and has a less powerful AMD 580.
A PCIe card with a AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB is $280 from Amazon. You are paying a lot for the cool looking case, USB hub and PSU. I would have hoped that they would have put a premium graphics card like a AMD Vega64 or 1080 in to justify the premium price.
you are also paying for thunderbolt 3 dock which is 250-300 standalone