#Best egpu for macbook air 2018 for mac#
#Best egpu for macbook air 2018 1080p#
#Best egpu for macbook air 2018 pro#
#Best egpu for macbook air 2018 mac#

#Best egpu for macbook air 2018 pro#

Already, weвЂ™re seeing improvements in the macOS Mojave beta, which now lets users target specific apps for eGPU acceleration, even on a MacBook Pro or iMacвЂ™s built-in display. As time goes on, and as this concept becomes more familiar among consumers, I suspect that support for eGPUs in macOS will continue to improve.

#Best egpu for macbook air 2018 mac#

ConclusionДЄpple is taking the concept of pairing an eGPU with a Mac very seriously, and the fact that an external chassis like the Blackmagic eGPU is being sold in the Apple store is a testament to this. 40 FPS is still playable, but obviously 60 FPS and higher is what most gamers want to shoot for. FPS trended close to 60 FPS when running the Razer X Core, while staying close to 40 FPS with the Blackmagic eGPU.

#Best egpu for macbook air 2018 1080p#

I configured the game to use ultra high settings at 1080p with full anti-aliasing. Lastly, I ran a benchmark test using the Metal-powered F1 2017, a game available for purchase on the Mac App Store. 13- and 15-inch models put forth like performances when using the same eGPU, but the Vega 64 graphics are far and away more capable than whatвЂ™s found in the Blackmagic eGPU. Next, I ran an OpenCL benchmark using LuxMark. It also, again, reiterates how much better the Vega 64 is. This again shows how an eGPU can help level out graphics performance between these two machines. There is a little more separation when comparing the 13- and 15-inch machines when driven by the Razer Core X, but not much. In this test, you can see that the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pro performed the same while using the Blackmagic eGPU. The second test was a Geekbench 4 Metal compute comparison.

Also notice how close the 13-inch and 15-inch machines compare in FPS for each test.

Settings for Valley were the same, minus the Tessellation.ДЄs you can see, the Vega 64-equipped Razer Core X handily outperforms the RX 580 inside the Blackmagic eGPU on both machines, coming close to double the FPS. Settings for Ungine Heaven are as follows: The first test that I ran was anВ Unigine Valley and Heaven comparison. Benchmark comparisonsДЇor all of my testing, I ran both machines in closed display (clamshell) mode while connected to the eGPU and external monitor running at 4K resolution scaled to 1080p (pixel doubled вЂњRetinaвЂќ). If your primary application is gaming or other graphics-intensive work, then an eGPU will go a long way towards improving your performance, especially in a laptop form factor where things like CPU throttling may come into play. Of course, this is for graphics performance only, not CPU power. Even my 2017 entry-level MacBook Pro performs comparably to the high-end 15-inch 2018 model while both are using an eGPU. The 13-inch MacBook Pro may be inferior to the discrete graphics capability included with 15-inch models, but that changes when you throw an eGPU into the mix.ДЄs you can see from the results, an eGPU puts the 13-inch base model 2018 MacBook Pro on even ground (from a graphics perspective) with the souped-up 15-inch MacBook Pro. My second takeaway is this:В External GPUs are equalizers when it comes to graphics performance. Subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more videos The equalizer If you choose a high-end card like the RX Vega 64, itвЂ™s performance will nearly double the performance of the RX 580-equipped Blackmagic eGPU. It provides you with the flexibility that comes from being able to choose your own graphics card. Unless you meet at least one of the two aforementioned scenarios, then you should probably choose to go the custom route with an external chassis like the Razer Core X.

You wish to connect your LG UltraFine 5K Display to external graphics via Thunderbolt 3.

If this is the case, then no other eGPU on the market can compete with the Blackmagic chassis in this regard itвЂ™s impressively quiet, even when pushed.

Your environment must remain as quiet as possible.

There are only two reasons why you might seriously consider the Blackmagic eGPU over the Razer Core X, or similar enclosure like the Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box. The main takeawaysДЇirst and foremost, you get more upfront and longterm value for your money by opting for the Razer Core X over a Blackmagic eGPU with a non-upgradable Radeon Pro 580 inside. What did I learn? Watch the video for the details.

#Best egpu for macbook air 2018 for mac#

Using the Razer Core X, an enclosure I rated as the best overall external graphics chassis for Mac users, I ran a variety of benchmark tests with both the 13-inch and 15-inch 2018 MacBook Pro. Specifically, IвЂ™d like to see how such a setup compares with the recently released Blackmagic eGPU. Now that new quad-core and hexa-core MacBook Pro models are here, IвЂ™ve been eager to see how they pair up with an AMD Vega 64-powered eGPU setup.