Table of Contents
Overview
Today Apple releases Mojave 10.14, one year after the launch of macOS High Sierra 10.13 with eGPU support. We have been following the development of this latest version since WWDC18. During the past six months Apple made significant progress by narrowing their focus to Thunderbolt 3 Macs and select AMD Radeon graphics cards. Support for true hot-plug, internal display acceleration, and multiple eGPUs are the highlights of Mojave 10.14 release for eGPU users.
While these are welcome improvements, Apple excludes users with older Macs and/or Nvidia graphics cards. There’s no sign Apple will ever extend eGPU support to Thunderbolt 1 and 2 Macs. Nvidia and Apple remain on unfriendly terms. Fortunately the developers of our community, Goalque, Mac_Editor, and Fr34k have continuously engineered workarounds to keep many Mac users in the game. Boot Camp mode to run Windows shows minor progress however. Does the release of Mojave mean your Mac is ready to adopt external graphics technology? Your particular configuration holds the answer.
2016 15 Macbook Pro with 4x eGPUs in Mojave 10.14
Native Support
If you have a Thunderbolt 3 Mac computer, you’re in luck because this is the platform on which Apple has been building eGPU support. All you’d need is a MacOS-certified AMD Radeon graphics card + eGFX enclosure pairing that fits your needs and budget. There are a handful of solutions that come ready-to-go with a graphics card such as the Sonnet Breakaway Puck 570, Gigabyte RX 580 Gaming Box, and Blackmagic eGPU. As of fall 2018, these are Thunderbolt 3 Macs that have native eGPU support in MacOS 10.13.4 and newer.
| Supported Macs | PCIe Speed |
| Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) | 32 Gbps |
| MacBook Pro (15-inch, T2 Chip, Mid 2018) * MacBook Pro (13-inch, T2 Chip, Mid 2018) iMac Pro (Retina 5K, 27-inch, T2 Chip, Late 2017) * iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Mid 2017) * iMac (Retina 4K, 21-inch, Mid 2017) * iMac (21-inch, Mid 2017) MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2017) * MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports) MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports) MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2016) * MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports) MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports) |
|
| * Indicates a Mac with discrete graphics card as standard equipment | |
A more future-proof route is to piece together an eGPU yourself. This process takes more effort but gives you flexibility and upgradability. This is beneficial for both enthusiasts and first-timers. Enthusiasts get to have nearly full control of the features they want out of an eGPU. If you try eGPU out and decide it’s not what you expect, the GPU can be repurposed and the enclosure sold.
There is some homework to do in order to understand eGFX technology and what features are available. eGPU.io enclosure reviews go into detail on power delivery to host computer, available expansion I/O ports, power supply capacity, and more. The options listed in the table below are currently available and best-suited for Mac computers. The ranking is based on the number of user builds in the past six months.
| Rank 6mo |
Thunderbolt 3 Enclosure |
Design | Included GPU |
Price US$ |
Review | User builds |
User builds macOS |
Size (L) compare |
Weight (kg/lb) |
PSU type |
PSU max power |
Power delivery (PD) |
GPU max power |
GPU max length (in/cm) |
GPU |
I/O ports bandwidth |
USB-C ports & ctrl |
PCIe to |
slots @width |
Updated firmware |
Cable cm |
Vendor page |
| #1 |
ADT-Link |
 |
✖ | discuss |
link | link | GPU |
0.1/0.22 |
ATX-ext |
nolimit |
15W |
nolimit | nolimit |
✖ | ✖ | 1 |
2023 ASM2464PD |
1@x4 | 35.35 ✔ |
80 |
link |
|
| #2 | EXP GDC TH3P4G3/ TH3P4G2 |
 |
✖ | $120 + case (optional) |
link |
link | link | GPU |
0.23/0.51 |
ATX-ext or AC-ext |
nolimit |
85W |
nolimit | nolimit |
✖ | 5Gbps | 2 & TI83 | 2018 JHL7440 |
1@x4 | ?? |
50 |
link |
| #3 |
Razer |
 |
✖ | $300 |
link |
link | link | 14.45 |
6.48/14.29 | ATX-int |
650W | 100W |
500W |
12.99/33.0 | ✖ | ✖ |
1 & TI83 |
2015 DSL6540 |
1@x4 |
33.1 ✔ | 50 |
link |
| #4 | Razer Core X Chroma |
 |
✖ | $400 | link |
link | link | 14.45 | 6.91/15.23 |
ATX-int | 700W |
100W | 500W |
12.99/33.0 | ✖ | 5Gbps | 1 & TI83 |
2016 JHL6540 x2 |
1@x4 | 40.1 ✔ | 70 |
link |
| #5 | Wikingoo eGPU |
 |
✖ | $115 |
link |
link | link | < 9.1 |
?? |
ATX-ext |
nolimit |
15W |
nolimit | nolimit |
✖ | ✖ | 1 & TI83 | 2016 JHL6340 |
1@x4 | ?? |
50 |
link |
| #5 |
Sonnet |
 |
✖ ✖ ✖ ✖ ✖ |
$199 $250 $300 $300 $350 |
link | link | 12.71 |
3.20/7.10 | SFX-int SFX-int SFX-int ATX-int ATX-int |
350W 550W 650W 750W 750W |
15W 87W 87W 85W 85W |
300W 375W 475W 475W 475W |
12.20/31.0 | ✖ | ✖ ✖ ✖ ✖ 5Gbps |
1 & TI83 | DSL6540 DSL6540 DSL6540 JHL6540 JHL6540+ JHL6240 |
1@x4 | 25.2 ✔ |
50 |
link | |
| #6 | AKiTiO Node Titan |
 |
✖ RX580 RX5700XT RPW5700 |
$330 $550 $750 $1300 |
discuss | link | link | 12.82 | 3.50/7.72 | SFX-int | 650W | 85W | 500W | 12.60/32.0 | ✖ 2xDP,2xHDMI,DVI-D 3xDP,HDMI 5xDP,USB-C |
✖ | 1 & TI83 | 2018 JHL7440 |
1@x4 |
?? | 50 | link |
| #6 | AORUS RTX Gaming Box |
 |
RTX2080Ti RTX3080 RTX3080Ti RTX3090 |
$1500 $2000 $2500 $3000 |
link unbox |
link | 7.26 |
3.79/8.34 3.83/8.42 3.83/8.42 3.83/8.42 |
fATX-int |
450W 550W 550W 550W |
100W |
300W 375W 375W 375W |
12.60/32.0 |
3xDP, HDMI, USB-C |
8Gbps |
1 & TI83 |
2015 JHL6340 x2 |
1@x4 |
44.44 ✔ |
50 |
link link link link |
|
| #6 |
Sonnet |
 |
RX560 |
$399 $499 $600 $900 |
link | link | link | 1.01 | 2.38/5.25 | AC-ext | 160W 220W 220W 220W |
45W |
- | - | 3xDP,HDMI 3xDP,HDMI DP,HDMI DP,HDMI |
✖ ✖ 5Gbps 5Gbps |
1 & TI83 2 & TI83 |
2015 DSL6540 |
1@x4 |
25.1 ✔ | 50 | link link link link |
| - | ADT-Link R43SG-TB3 |
 |
✖ | $140 + stand |
discuss |
equiv | equiv | GPU |
0.1/0.22 |
ATX-ext or AC-ext |
nolimit |
15W |
nolimit | nolimit |
✖ | ✖ | 1 & TI83 | 2015 DSL6540 |
1@x4 | ?? |
30 |
link |
| - | Highpoint Rocketstor 6661A |
 |
✖ | $175 |
preview | link | link | 2.40 |
5.18/11.40 |
AC-ext | 60W |
15W |
25W |
8.20/20.8 |
✖ | 10Gbps | 2 & TI83 |
2015 DSL6540 |
1@x4 | ?? |
50 | link |
| - | AKiTiO Node Lite |
 |
✖ | $190 | ✖ | link link |
link link |
2.64 | 2.00/4.39 | AC-ext | 72W | 15W | 25W | 7.87/20.0 | ✖ | 10Gbps | 2 & TI83 | 2015 DSL6540 |
1@x4 |
B1-25✔ | 50 | link |
| - | AKiTiO Node |
 |
✖ | $200 |
link | link | link | 14.09 |
4.90/10.78 | SFX-int | 400W | 15W | 375W | 12.60/32.0 | ✖ | ✖ | 1 & TI83 | 2015 DSL6540 |
1@x4 |
25.1 ✔ | 50 | link |
| - | OWC Mercury Helios 3 |
 |
✖ | $200 | user | ✖ | ✖ | 2.69 |
1.40/3.08 | AC-ext | 90W | 15W | 25W | 7.75/19.6 | ✖ | 10Gbps | 2 & TI83 | 2015 DSL6540 |
1@x4 |
✖ | 50 | link |
| - | Zotac AMP Box Mini |
 |
✖ | $220 | link |
link | link | 4.17 | 0.85/1.87 |
AC-ext | 180W | 15W | 150W |
7.87/20.0 | ✖ | 5Gbps | 1 & TI83 | 2015 DSL6540 |
1@x4 |
26.1 ✔ | 50 | link |
| - |
Lenovo Legion |
 |
✖ | $230 |
discuss | link | link | 13.31 | 8.50/18.74 |
ATX-int |
500W |
100W |
300W |
12.60/32.0 |
✖ | 8Gbps x2 |
1 & TI83 |
2016 JHL6540+ JHL6240 |
1@x4 |
?? |
70 |
link |
| - | PowerColor Gaming Station |
 |
✖ | $250 | ✖ | link | link | 13.71 | 3.60/7.92 |
SFX-int | 550W | 87W | 375W | 12.20/31.0 |
✖ | 5Gbps | 1 & TI83 | 2015 DSL6540 |
1@x4 |
?? | 50 | link |
| - | Sapphire GearBox |
 |
✖ | $259 | link | link | link | 8.45 |
3.30/7.30 |
fATX-int | 500W |
60W |
300W |
10.50/26.6 |
✖ | 5Gbps |
1 & TI83 | 2016 JHL6540 |
1@x4 | 41.41 ✔ | 50 |
link |
| - | AKiTiO Thunder3 |
 |
✖ | $250 | ✖ | link link |
link link |
2.64 |
2.00/4.39 | AC-ext | 72W | 15W | 25W | 7.87/20.0 | ✖ | 10Gbps | 2 & TI82 | 2015 DSL6540 |
1@x4 |
✖ | 50 | link |
| - | Mantiz Saturn Pro |
 |
✖ | $299 |
link | link | link | 14.57 | 5.70/12.54 |
ATX-int | 750W | 100W | 550W | 12.99/33.0 |
✖ | 5Gbps | 1 & TI83 | 2016 JHL6540+ JHL6240 |
1@x4 |
44.4 ✔ | 70 | link |
| - | PowerColor Devil Box |
 |
✖ | $300 |
user | link | link | 16.65 | 3.60/7.92 | fATX-int | 500W | 60W | 375W | 12.20/31.0 | ✖ | 5Gbps | 1 & TI83 | 2015 DSL6540 |
1@x4 | 25.101 ✔ | 50 | link |
| - | HP Omen Accelerator |
 |
✖ | $300 |
link | link | link | 16.00 | 5.50/12.10 | ATX-int | 500W | 60W | 300W | 11.42/29.0 | ✖ | 5Gbps | 1 & TI83 | 2015 DSL6540 |
1@x4 |
25.25 ✔ | 50 | link |
| - | Lenovo TB3 Graphics Dock |
 |
GTX1050 | $325 | link | link | link | 0.74 | 0.69 / 1.51 | AC-ext | 170W | 65W | - | - | 2xDP,HDMI | 5Gbps | 1 & TI83 | 2016 JHL6540 |
1@x4 |
v003 ✔ | 50 | link |
| - | AKiTiO Node Pro |
|
✖ | $349 |
link | link | link | 12.82 | 3.40/7.40 | SFX-int | 500W | 60W x2 | 400W | 12.60/32.0 | ✖ | 10Gbps | 2 & TI83 | 2016 DSL6540 |
1@x4 |
23.1 ✔ | 50 | link |
| - | ASUS XG Station Pro |
 |
✖ | $330 | link | link | link | 8.23 | 2.95 /6.50 |
AC-ext | 330W | 15W | 300W | 12.24/31.1 |
✖ | 10Gbps | 1 & TI83 |
2016 JHL6540 |
1@x4 | 29.1 ✔ | 150 | link |
| - | PowerColor/ VisionTek mini |
 |
RX560 |
$350 $480 |
link |
link | link | 2.30 |
0.85/1.90 |
AC-ext |
240W |
45W |
150W |
6.89/17.5 |
2xDP, 2xHDMI, |
5Gbps |
1 & TI83 |
2016 JHL6540+ JHL6240 |
1@x4 | 40.1 ✔ | 50 |
link |
| - |
Cooler Master |
 |
✖ | $350 | unbox | link | link | 9.7 |
5.20/11.50 |
SFX-int |
550W |
60W | 375W | 12.79/32.5 |
✖ | 5Gbps |
1 & TI83 |
2018 JHL7440 |
1@x4 | 59.1 ✔ | 50 |
link |
| - | AKiTiO Node Duo |
 |
✖ | $370 |
link | link | link | 10.54 |
5.00/11.00 | AC-ext | 150W | 60W+15W | 25W x2 |
8.66/22.0 | ✖ | 10Gbps | 2 & TI83x2 | 2015 DSL6540 |
2@x2 |
33.3 ✔ | 200 | link |
| - | AORUS/ Gigabyte Gaming Box |
 |
RX580 GTX1070 GTX1080 RTX2070 |
$420 $500 $670 $650 |
link link link unbox |
link | link | 3.30 |
2.35/5.19 | fATX-int | 450W | 100W | 225W | 6.65/16.9 | AMD:3xDP,HDMI Nvidia:DP,HDMI, 2xDVI-D, USB-C (RTX) |
5Gbps | 1 & TI83 |
2015 DSL6540 |
1@x4 |
F1.1 ✔ F1.0 ✔ F1.0 ✔ F1.0 ✔ |
50 | link link link link |
| - |
Netstor |
 |
✖ | $429 |
link |
link |
link | 8.98 |
3.40/7.40 |
fATX-int |
400W |
15W |
350W |
12.60/32.0 |
✖ | ✖ | 1 & TI83 | 2015 JHL6540 |
1@x4 |
33.1 ✔ | 50 |
link |
| - | Netstor Hercules HL23T |
 |
✖ | $435 | link | link | link | 8.16 | 2.70/5.94 | fATX-int | 300W | 15W | 300W | 12.60/32.0 | ✖ | 10Gbps | 2 & TI83 | 2015 DSL6540 |
1@x4 |
25.1 ✔ | 100 | link |
| - | Razer Core V2 |
 |
✖ | $500 | link | link | link | 7.65 | 4.95/10.89 | fATX-int | 500W | 65W | 375W | 11.81/30.0 | ✖ | 5Gbps | 1 & TI83 |
2015 DSL6540 x2 |
1@x4 |
26.1 ✔ | 50 | link |
| - | ASUS ROG XG Station 2 |
 |
✖ | $550 |
link | link | link | 20.03 | 5.10/11.22 | fATX-int | 680W | 100W | 500W | 12.20/31.0 | ✖ | 5Gbps | 1 & TI83 | 2015 DSL6540 |
1@x4 |
v25 ✔ | 50 | link |
| - | Blackmagic eGPU | Pro |
 |
RP580 Vega56 |
$699 $1199 |
link |
link | link | 9.64 |
4.60/10.20 | custom-int |
400W | 85W |
✖ | ✖ | HDMI TB3/USB-C |
5Gbps |
2 & TI83x2 |
2018 JHL7540 |
1@x4 |
26.3 ✔ | 50 |
link link |
| N/A | Mantiz Venus |
 |
✖ | ended |
link | link | link | 11.56 | 3.60/7.92 |
SFX-int | 550W | 87W | 375W | 13.00/33.0 |
✖ | 5Gbps | 1 & TI83 | 2015 DSL6540 |
1@x4 |
25.1 ✔ | 50 | link |
| Rank 6mo |
Thunderbolt 3 Enclosure |
Design | Included GPU |
Price US$ |
Review | User builds |
User builds macOS |
Size (L) compare |
Weight (kg/lb) |
PSU type |
PSU max power |
Power delivery (PD) |
GPU max power |
GPU max length (in/cm) |
GPU |
I/O ports bandwidth |
USB-C ports & ctrl |
TB3 |
slots @width |
Updated firmware |
Cable cm |
Vendor page |
All Thunderbolt 3 enclosures released in 2018 are macOS compatible. The bigger compatibility unknown rests on the graphics card. Apple only provides native eGPU support to select AMD GPUs shown below. They are currently the latest generation of Radeon Polaris 10/20 and Vega 56/64 cards. As a precaution, Vega 64 GPUs demand a lot of power and therefore the eGPU enclosure should have at least a 650W power supply. Polaris GPUs such as the RX 570 are more efficient and can work with almost all eGPU enclosures.
| Radeon Pro | Radeon RX |
| Pro WX 9100 | RX Vega 64 |
 |  |
| RX Vega Frontier Edition | RX Vega 56 |
 |  |
| Pro WX 8200 | RX 480 / RX 580 |
 |  |
| Pro WX 7100 | RX 470 / RX 570 |
 |  |
Once you have the whole kit together, it’s plug-and-play with a Thunderbolt 3 Mac. Hot-plug and surprise removal of the external GPU has been working since 10.13.4. Occasionally the system may notify you it has to force-eject the eGPU. I’ve seen less of these notifications in Mojave 10.14. This macOS version also has much better support for multiple eGPUs. In High Sierra, there appeared to be a limited number of eGPU the system could handle based on the host computer’s Thunderbolt 3 controllers. macOS Mojave 10.14 raises this multiple eGPU support to four units.
The most exciting feature is the ability to accelerate a Mac’s internal display with the eGPU. In previous macOS builds, the external GPU could only provide acceleration to OpenGL tasks rendered through an external monitor. There’s now a checkbox to set the eGPU as the preferred graphics card for all tasks in 10.14 regardless of whether an external monitor is attached. This mode forces eGPU loopback to the internal display of a MacBook Pro or iMac. In my opinion, an eGPU pane inside System Preferences would be a better tool.
Community Support
What’s the status of native eGPU support in macOS for Nvidia graphics cards? What about those of us with older Macs that are not Thunderbolt 3? Apple’s support is dead in the water. As a long-time Mac user and owner of a 2013 Mac Pro trashcan and 2015 15″ MacBook Pro, I’m disappointed by this. So are thousands of others in the same situation. Our community has been relentlessly providing unofficial eGPU support for these Macs Apple deemed unworthy. The main developers are Goalque, Mac_Editor, and Fr34k. Without their selfless contributions eGPU for Macs would not be as popular as it is today.
There are currently two primary approaches to facilitate eGPU support on older Macs and Nvidia graphics cards. One solution is to make a Thunderbolt 1/2 Mac behave like a Thunderbolt 3 Mac. The other solution is to make an eGPU behave like an internal PCIe graphics card. Thunderbolt 3 Mac users that want to use Nvidia cards can also benefit from these two community solutions. Keep in mind Mac computers with the Apple T2 chip (iMac Pro and 2018 MacBook Pro) have tighter security in place. In order to implement these solutions, Secure Boot must be off and external source booting must be enabled.
Purge-Wrangler by Mac_Editor is currently the easiest solution to enable eGPU access to your Thunderbolt 1 or 2 Macs. This workaround also incorporates patches that enable compatibility with Nvidia and older AMD graphics card. The prerequisites are for SIP to be disabled and modifications made to system files. The table below lists the Thunderbolt version of Mac computers built from early 2011 to late 2015. You can either use a Thunderbolt 2 enclosure for external graphics or use a Thunderbolt 3 enclosure via a Thunderbolt 2 cable + Apple Thunderbolt 3/USB-C to Thunderbolt adapter.
| Unsupported Macs | PCIe Speed |
| Thunderbolt 2 | 16 Gbps |
| Mac Pro (Late 2013) * iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015) * iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Mid 2015) * iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014) * iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015) iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015) iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2014) iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2015) Mac mini (Late 2014) MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014) * MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013) * MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014) MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013) MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015) MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2015) |
|
| Thunderbolt | 10 Gbps |
| iMac (27-inch, Late 2013) * iMac (27-inch, Early 2013) * iMac (27-inch, Late 2012) * iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011) * iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2013) iMac (21.5-inch, Early 2013) iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012) iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2011) Mac mini (Late 2012) Mac mini (Mid 2011) MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2011) * MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2011) * MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Early 2013) * MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2012) * MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012) * MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2011) * MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011) * MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2013) MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012) MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012) MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011) MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2014) MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2013) MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2012) MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2011) MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2014) MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2013) MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2012) MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2011) |
|
| * Indicates a Mac with discrete graphics card as standard equipment | |
EFI automate-eGPU solution by Goalque is a cleaner approach in that all patches happen on the fly during macOS booting process. The software can be installed on an external boot volume such as a USB thumb drive or a small partition of your Mac’s internal hard drive. The former is strongly encouraged so that there’s no risk of corrupting your drive and losing data. Using an external drive for each boot is not convenient, but it’s well worth the effort if you’re not willing to disable SIP and modify system files for eGPU support.
The table below shows some of Nvidia and unsupported AMD graphics cards that can work in external mode once you implement one of the two community eGPU solutions. While AMD cards have drivers in macOS Mojave 10.14, we still need Nvidia to provide web drivers for their GeForce cards. We have tested these solutions extensively and are confident they will work as long as compatible drivers are available in a timely manner. The typical turnaround for Nvidia web drivers is 24 hours from when Apple releases a new macOS update to the public.
| Nvidia GeForce | AMD Radeon |
| Titan Xp | Pro WX 5100 |
 |  |
| GTX 1080 Ti | Pro WX 4100 |
 |  |
| GTX 1080 | R9 Fury X |
 |  |
| GTX 1070 | R9 Fury |
 |  |
| GTX 1060 | R9 Nano |
 |  |
| GTX 1050 Ti | RX 460 / RX 560 |
 |  |
Boot Camp Support
Many Mac users who are interested in eGPU want to use it for gaming in Windows. We were hoping eGPU improvement in macOS Mojave 10.14 would also mean better support for Boot Camp mode. The reality is that Apple still considers eGPU use in Windows a non-priority. We had seen beta builds of macOS Mojave 10.14 directly affect the way eGPU worked in Boot Camp. Unfortunately there’s no one clear solution. It’s easier to set up an eGPU with Boot Camp in iGPU only Mac computers; dGPU-equipped Macs such as the 15″ MacBook Pro pose a challenge. My Boot Camp eGPU setup guide provides more technical information and the step-by-step process for Thunderbolt 3 MacBook Pro users.
While both AMD and Nvidia have made great strides in eGPU support for Windows, Apple does not adhere to the ways Windows computers interact with Thunderbolt 3 eGPUs. I’ve been testing the 2018 15″ MacBook Pro. The Mac firmware and Apple T2 chip are big hurdles to successfully set up an external GPU in Boot Camp. The only saving grace is that it has Large Memory allocation to help with error 12 when adding an Nvidia eGPU. As seen in the screen capture, adding an AMD eGPU in Boot Camp can wreak serious havoc to the system. Both the Radeon Pro 555X dGPU and RX 580 eGPU got yellow-banged with driver conflict and lack of resource issues.
2018 15 Macbook Pro Error 12 on RX 580 eGPU & Error 43 on Pro 555X dGPU
Microsoft has done Apple a huge favor with Windows 10 Spring Update. Version 1803 introduced Windows Hybrid Graphics that allows the external GPU to work with a discrete GPU for internal display acceleration. This is beneficial for Mac computers because Apple firmware has a tendency to disable the Intel-integrated GPU in favor of the AMD Radeon discrete GPU. Without an active iGPU, AMD XConnect and Nvidia Optimus can’t leverage eGPU acceleration to the internal display. As seen in the Graphics Settings of Windows, you can set your preference for a given software or game to use the higher-performing external graphics card.
2018 15 Macbook Pro Asus Xg Station Pro Gtx 1080 Ti Egpu Device Manager Large Memory
2018 15 Macbook Pro Asus Xg Station Pro Gtx 1080 Ti Egpu Graphics Settings
Closing Thoughts
Mojave 10.14 has shown positive progress for eGPU Mac users. Hot-plug capability, internal display acceleration, and multiple eGPU support can truly transform an ultra-portable MacBook Pro into a powerful workstation. Our community remains committed to providing eGPU support for Nvidia and older Thunderbolt Mac users. We’re also hopeful Apple will improve its Mac firmware to make eGPU in Boot Camp a more straightforward process.
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How safe is it to upgrade if I’m using an Nvidia card in Bootcamp with a 13inch 2017?
@Eightarmedpet Your configuration should remain unchanged in Bootcamp after Mojave update. I no longer have a 2017 MBP to test so I’m basing this on my experience with the 2016 15″ MacBook Pro.
I am using my 1080 for about 2 months now in Bootcamp with Mojave installed. Never experienced any problem. I use the 15″ 2018 model but that shouldn’t be so much difference. Except your internal display should work as well (mine stay black because of the dGPU)
@nanoBit Do you boot up with the eGPU connected? I’ve found hot-plugging an Nvidia eGPU in Boot Camp with the 2018 15″ MacBook Pro would allow the dGPU and internal display working. I wait for Windows to load fully into the Desktop then hot-plug eGPU to the right Thunderbolt 3 port closest to the hinges. It may take a couple minutes to initialize and load Nvidia drivers. Once it does, you can set Windows Hybrid Graphics to use the eGPU for internal display acceleration.
@nanoBit – FYI, I was able to make the built in display no longer black by simply uninstalling the AMD drivers that Bootcamp installs. So, Windows thinks it’s an unknown display adaptor but it seems to work fine regardless. I do not use it for any display acceleration instead using an external display with my Titan X. But it works fine for having a web browser, YouTube, etc up on the laptop display while gaming or what not on the external display.
Edit – Clarification, I didn’t use DDU or anything only went through the standard Windows uninstall programs and removed the AMD stuff.
Enjoying the native support. Just plush and have fun with TB3+AMD.
Can’t edit to see what the future holds for eGPUs
Hello! I have heat and fan noise issues (CPU heating?) with my GTX 1080/eGPU in Bootcamp with my 2019 MacBook Pro 15” i9. What about you? Also noise and heat issues while playing? If not, did you change any configuration in Windows to avoid these issues? Thanks!
Thanks for the info chaps… will update… fingers crossed it all goes smoothly…
For what its worth, when I got the email survey from apple about my 2018 MacBook pro, I explained that lack of nvidia egpu support and lack of bootcamp egpu support were the 2 things I really wanted to see improved on the mac platform. I really hope they do expand on their existing egpu implementation. Especially now with the entire gpu market potentially in flux regarding features like hardware ray tracing etc.
Sorry but I did not quite understand from the text – is it safe to upgrade for 2013 MBP with 750GTM? To use with purge-wrangler?
@reptilianbrain Non-Thunderbolt 3 MacBook Pro + Nvidia eGPU configuration falls under community support. While the two solutions from @goalque and @mac_editor should work, Nvidia has not releases Mojave 10.14 compatible web drivers so it’s best to wait.
Looks like 10.14 completely broke compatibility w/ my 1080 and 2018 15″ MBP. Bummer! Reinstalled/ran purge-wrangler and patched the necessary Nvidia driver, but no dice. Boot Camp appears to still work fine.
Luckily it’s not a huge deal for me, but I’d be wary of upgrading until all the kinks are ironed out. If anyone has suggestions to get this setup functional again, I’d be super grateful!
@fork_bomb This is expected. We need to wait for Nvidia to release compatible web drivers.
Just upgraded to 10.14 on my 2012 MBP with AMD RX 460 eGPU using purge-wrangler. No problems as expected and after uninstalling and reinstalling the patch and rebooting the eGPU works great. It even fixed my hot-plug issues.
@nu_ninja Thanks for the update. Did you upgrade from HS or Mojave beta?
Can you please inform us if fcp x works and if eGPU is used for rendering and exporting?
I am using MBP 13 2015 /tb2 with mojave latest beta and everything works smoothly. I however use fcp x 10.3 works perfectly with the egpu.
@tsakal I upgraded from High Sierra. FCP (I tested 10.4) works with eGPU for rendering/exporting after checking “Prefer External GPU” checkbox in “Get Info”. I wasn’t able to use set-egpu.sh for this, only the finder checkbox.
Screenshots of GPU activity:
Before setting egpu:
After:
BruceX test time went from about 108 seconds before to 77 seconds after.
@nu_ninja
Thank you. Which fcp version are you using ?
Version 10.4.3 I think
@nu_ninja
Can you check please
thank you
@tsakal Just checked, I’m running FCP version 10.4.3
@nu_ninja
Thank you
@nu_ninja Good to hear 🙂 You needn’t uninstall. Just install again after an update and it should be taken care of.
Great update & summary of the current situation. Thanks itsage and all for your amazing work letting us all use eGPU’s.
@itsage did it work out of the box with your MBP? I just tried it and all I get is a BSOD which says there’s a problem with “ks.sys”…
@nanoBit Are you using the default Apple Boot Camp graphics drivers? I’d recommend uninstalling them with DDU then install drivers from Bootcampdrivers.com.
Yeah, I’m using the default drivers. Thanks for the hint. I’ll try it out when I need the second display but for now I don’t want to risk my working setup. Crashed the old one too many times with such workarounds 😅
@sharpnl sounds good! But I use the dGPU often when I travel, so it needs to be accelerated and I’m curious if there are any performance differences without the AMD driver. Would you mind running a benchmark (Cinebench preferably) without your eGPU being connected? Just to see if there’s a performance loss.
I would wait a couple of releases to install on my prod drive as I see that there are some performance issue with GPU in general.
This is a playback of the same clip in Davinci Resolve 15
performace.png
@Shrapnl Uninstalling the drivers isn’t necessary. Just disable it in the Device Manager and it should do the trick. Then one can enable easily on the go.
Problem solved! Disabled the dGPU, rebooted and it works! Both display work. Booting with the disabled dGPU and an unplugged eGPU is possible, too. Unfortunately hotplugging is still not working, showing the same error again. (BSOD, ks.sys being the cause) Interestingly it is not possible to change the resolution of the internal display 🤨
@nanoBit Hotplug should work if you plug in to the right hand side port, and have anything else unplugged. If you plug in something to the remaining right side port, eGPU may disconnect. After hot-plugging eGPU, you can plug in stuff on left side ports. This also means no need to disable dGPU.
You can read more about the investigation from this post onwards.
Got some good news! Since the Windows fall update the dGPU and the eGPU work perfectly together. Radeon and nVidia drivers are running side by side. Really awesome! (I connected the eGPU to the lower right port and an USB-C-HUB with Power Delivery to the upper right port)
What implications does this have for everyone with TB1/TB2 connections? Is this the Windows fall update that is getting a lot of attention for additional TB3 optimizations? Are we expecting these optimizations to trickle down to the TB1/TB2 peeps? Also, I assume this is a bootcamp install of windows?
Nothing I guess. I didn’t write anything about TB1/2 Macs so I don’t really understand what you want to hear.
And yes, Bootcamp (See signature)
So can one boot with the eGPU plugged in (from the start) with this update? That’s what I typically do since I don’t need the internal display. Everything works fine otherwise and hot-plug works normally.
Guys, any of you use razer synapse on macos?
is it functional on mojave, only thing holding me back right now
I have a Razer Naga Chroma I use in boot camp and macOS, alongside my Razer Core v2 which can be RGB configured in windows only (tho you can sort of cheat and configure it in parallels by connecting it’s usb device to the VM). Before Installing Mojave I ran the uninstaller and completely removed synapse. I installed the new version from razer’s website after installing mojave. There was an additional step of going to the security & privacy control panel in system preferences, going to accessibility and putting a check next to rzdeviceengine. This is due to new whitelisting preventing unapproved software from interacting with the UI subsystem.
It works (for me) as well as it did in High Sierra. The DPI settings and button mappings do not match between windows and macOS, so I immediately put the mac synapse offline. Additionally, it does not normally configure or detect my naga til I open the MacOS Synapse window and unplug and plug in the mouse after logging in. If I do not do this it uses the default dpi and button mappings. I have read horror stories about the razer driver causing issues on mojave during login for certain razer devices but aside from the above mentioned quirks its been fine for me.
More idle curiosity than anything else, as I’ve moved on, BUT… is there a definitive answer on how many eGPUs MP 6,1 supports under Mojave yet?
As a general stability comment, Mojave has worked pretty well with AMD GPU in testing. Behavior / stability similar to 10.13.4+. Only thing I noticed was it can take longer to eject the eGPU so don’t shut it down and pull the TB3 cable until the eGPU screen goes totally blank and the main screen resumes focus.
10.14.1 Beta 1 is available to developers. No significant changes at first glance. Build is 18B45d.
Also Mojave has faster Metal drivers, I get better fps in all games, same thing with the old OpenGL.
FCP 10.4.3 is stable.
The performance in the edition is worse than 10.3. The export is something better, tested with Bruce X and GH5 4K project
@nanoBit Would you share more information on how Windows 10 Fall update improves eGPU in Boot Camp? In Win10 1803 Spring update, it’s possible to use Nvidia eGPU with AMD dGPU in the 2018 15″ MacBook Pro for internal display mode acceleration.
@mac_editor and @itsage today the disappointment: when I wanted to test a few things like hotplugging it didn’t work anymore. I have no idea why. I plugged the egpu in when Windows was completely booted, BSOD like before the update. Then I started the Mac with the eGPU plugged in like I did yesterday…. but the internal display stays black. But the Radeon driver is running anyway and Windows recognizes the eGPU, but not the internal Display.
I also tried some other configuration of external devices: USB-C-Hub plugged in to left side, no USB-C Hub… but always the same result.
Since yesterday there are a few more “Other devices” in the device manager: Basic System Device, NCM Control, NCM Data, PCI-Device, Unknown Device.
Plus the Intel Gigabit Network Connection couldn’t be started (error 10) but I had this issue before the update. I can solve it when I use the USB-C hub with the left sided ports. Seems like there’s not enough PCI capacity.
I have a problem, when activating the standby of my macbook 13″ 2018 with the rx 480 egpu attached. When activating it again after standby it will always freeze the whole system and a hard restart is necessary. Has someone the same problem or a solution?
I’m using the HP omen accelerator with the rx 480.
Bootcamp eGPU support works great for me and remains unaffected by Mojave. I managed to get NVIDIA eGPU support to work with purge-wrangler, however the external display is black and does not appear. This issue goes away in safe mode.
@Enzdude
what do you mean by safe mode exactly? 🙂
Hi, I was looking exactly for what you posted and I wasn’t just wondering if you could tell me what your set-up is? And did you just straight update from high sierra to mojave?
Many thanks
@vinhdiesel https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201262
https://devtalk.nvidia.com/default/topic/1042279/cuda-setup-and-installation/cuda-10-and-macos-10-14/
It appears that Nvidia support in Mojave is not as simple as waiting for updated drivers…
It is that simple. Your link focuses on CUDA, not the web drivers. CUDA is not necessary to run Nvidia eGPUs in macOS. In another thread Nvidia confirmed they’re working with Apple to get Mojave support for the web drivers.
I believe Octane Render and several other other GPU-accelerated apps require CUDA?
Not necessarily if they support Metal or OpenCL. I think I misunderstood you because they were talking about basic Mojave support, not special apps that require CUDA
It will have to be Metal, since Apple has decided to drop OpenCL moving forward.
Sadly, I need CUDA right now for Octane
Not with Mojave. They just stopped the development for OpenCL for now, but it’s still supported until next summer.
Unfortunately running CUDA on Mojave is impossible right now 😕 Maybe a downgrade to High Sierra might be an option?
I’m most likely gonna downgrade to High Sierra again. I only upgraded for the wanted Dark Mode.
OToy is porting octane to metal fyi… and they think it might end up being as fast or faster then CUDA… this could get interesting.
https://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1425897
wow that is interesting.. however it was posted in March 2018 and there hasn’t been any chatter since. Not going to get my hopes up for it happening anytime soon.
some of this will all go away with GPU’s in the cloud and such or RNDR with blockchain… etc. so right now.. physical hardware is an issue but long term I could so see OToy’s model of Seti@home approach to GPU sharing and selling being a great back end for apple’s AR/VR ambitions.. I just hope they don’t get bought and octane shut down.. like what happened with face shift so we could use Animoji etc. 😉 it was a great available face motion capture setup.. then apple bought them and POOF.. gone.
RNDR is very cool info. thx for sharing.
But we now have Animoji! Most important iPhone feature ever!!!
Hi Everybody,
please can somebody make this clear for me:
Is it possible to run a Nvidia card (in my case Aorus Gaming Box 1070) on a Macbook 2016 with touch bar in Mojave right now or not?
Do I need to wait for updated NVIDIA Web drivers?
Thanks!
There are no drivers for Mojave yet.
This is confusing. If the Windows 10 update 1803 introduced Windows Hybrid Graphics that allows the external GPU to work with a discrete GPU, what is the remaining issue with MacBook Pros? It sounds error 12 is solved with the 1803 update?
Error 12 is not caused by Windows – it’s an issue of Apple’s firmware.
Hybrid Graphics can make it easier to use an eGPU in Windows together with another GPU – but it does not support every combination of GPUs. AMD + Nvidia for instance… all Hybrid Graphics can do with this combination is working with the Basic Display Device driver + the eGPU. It is still not possible to use AMD and Nvidia.
I have a Windows 10 1803 running with AMD Radeon 560X for the internal display and nVidia Geforce GTX 1080 Ti as eGPU, which can, in 1803 hybrid mode, accelerate the internal display.
Dear all,
I just have received an e-mail from Galax, the manufacturers of the KFS2/Galax GTX 1060 6GB eGPU, that confirms there is a firmware update to solve the half H2D issue with the T3 chips:
Thank you for reaching GALAX customer service. The new version of firmware (.bin file) and update software have launched
Update method:
1.) Unzip FwUpdateTool and thunderbolt driver.7z
2.) Confirm the version of thunderbolt driver. If it is lower than 17.3, you need to install the driver version contained in the unpacked folder.
3.) Run FwUpdateTool.exe and load the bin file update.
4.) After the update is successful, shut down, power off, and reboot.
Before buying this eGPU and a T2 to T3 adapter I prefer to wait until I have a new Mac with T3.
I am surprised this eGPU has not been considered here: Is it due to incompatibilities with Mac?
Regards,
Jaime
@jangoloti Thank you for sharing the firmware update news on KFS2/Galax GTX 1060 6GB eGPU. This eGFX is unfortunately available in a few EU countries only. Incompatibility with macOS is only a small factor. We have community support to enable the GTX 1060 in 10.13 and older. These solutions should work in 10.14 too but without Nvidia web drivers we can’t use it.
Thanks.
The Nvidia web drivers will come for 10.14 too? And apart from the driver issue, what are the other problems with this card?
It is a pity since this eGPU can be had for 259 EUR:
https://www.darty.com/nav/achat/mp/informatique/composant/carte_graphique/kfa2_snpr_geforce_gtx_1060_6_gb__MK1389893520.html?awc=7735_1541684837_7c8546ef6a31bcb76feb0e3202efdac3&dartycid=aff_269861_0_awin#ectrans=1
Regards,
JA
Hey peeps! Sorry I don’t post much (or really at all), but I was just wondering if anyone has had the chance to test the most recent NVIDIA macOS drivers – version 387.10.10.10.40.108 and Mojave?
Also man NVIDIA really loves their super long version/build numbers haha.
There are no drivers (web or CUDA) for 10.14 yet. Some debate in other places about whether there ever will be. Somewhat strong indications right now Apple is going to stick with AMD as its sole GPU partner. Sucks but is what it is. That said AMD has made announcements recently that point to promising new tech on the near-horizon, glass may end up more than half full. Will have to see.
Hey All!
Thanks for all the great info! I am totally fresh at this, so I would like to just make sure I got it right before investing in any hardware 🙂
I have a 15″ 2016 MBP with Mojave installed.
To run CUDA, mojave is out of the picture right? So if I downgrade to High Sierra, could I use CUDA with any of the NVIDA GPUs in the list above in an eGPU setup given that I follow the solution provided by @goalque?
Much appreciated!
Cheers,
Jens
Is anyone having an issue with their gfx card not being read? Im on mojave, using an akitio node with an rx 580 with a late 2016 15′ macbook pro but can’t get tit to read or come up or read?
Hi,
I have brought a AORUS Gaming Box (without the 1080) for my 2017 MBP 13 base line. I believed MSI Radeon RX 560 Aero ITX can be used with this enclosure. I am waiting both to be arrived next week. So, basically all I need to do is to install EFI automate-eGPU solution by Goalque, and I am good to go?Am I right? I can’t with to play some DOTA 2 with max settings!
@Eddiexx, I also have that same MSI card. As of 10.14.1 the RX560 is natively supported for EGPUs. Everything should be plug and play.
Hi
I have a 2017 13 inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar running Mac OS Mojave and I am planning to buy an eGpu specially for gaming on bootcamp. I might also use it for some video editing purposes in Mac OS. Right now I am stuck between the Aorus gtx 1070 gaming box and Gigabyte rx580 gaming box. Is the Aorus gaming box just plug and play on bootcamp ? (After installing the drivers) I have heard people having problems with their Nvidia egpus in bootcamp after updating to Mojave. I know the rx 580 will be plug and play in Mojave and therefore I consider buying it and save the hassle. If the gtx 1070 will work on bootcamp without any complicated steps, please let me know, because this is gonna be the deciding factor.
Thanks
Hey, question:
(I’m going to be very specific in this question)
How can I play CSGO in Mojave 10.14.2 with the Blackmagic eGPU pro? (Non bootcamp)
WITH a Samsung U28E590D monitor (Im wondering if I can game on the external monitor) Through the HDMI 2.0 (4k 60Hz)
I heard that eGPUs dont work with steam??
Please get back to me ASAP!
I was told yesterday by a Genius tech at an Apple Store that I could use the new eGPU Blackmagic Pro with a Thunderbolt 3-to-2 adapter and significantly speed up times in FCPX on my Mac Pro 2013.
Thoughts?
LC
not natively support.
I am far from familiar with eGPUs, but this seems to have worked for at least this guy: https://postperspective.com/review-using-egpu-apple-macbook-pro-thunderbolt-2/
Thanks.
L C
@L C While Apple does not provide native eGPU support for non-Thunderbolt 3 Macs, our community has solutions to enable eGPU feature on most Thunderbolt Macs including the trashcan. The quickest way to get start is @Mac_editor’s Purge-Wrangler. Hardware-wise, I’d recommend an RX Vega 56. You can pair it with a wide-range of enclosure. The best matching enclosure to the Mac Pro’s quiet operation would be the ASUS XG Station Pro. This is my build with the 2013 Mac Pro + RX Vega 56 eGPU from last year. For reference FCPX BruceX went from 24s with the pair of D500s to 13s with eGPU added to the mix.
Thanks itsage!
Did you see an appreciable change to your processing speed?
I’ll check it out.
L C
–the itsage
Just to confirm, will the eGPU you propose work under Mojave 10.14.2?
LC
My computer freezes upon hotplugging my RX 580 to my MBP. The eGPU icon shows up at the top of the screen before everything freezes. Unplugging the eGPU causes my system to crash and reboot.
Has anyone else experienced a similar issue? I’m running Mojave 10.14.2 on my 15″ Late-2016 MBP with the Touch Bar.
@Aidan Kelly bad or faulty GPU.
Would it be? It’s recognized in Device Manager when running Bootcamp. I’ve been strapped for time so I’m still working on solving Error 12 on that front.
Another potential issue would be badly seated GPU in the PCI slot.
I had this happen with my RTX.
Try re-seating your GPU.
J
This could be the case and makes for good troubleshooting.
Some hope to get the drivers relatively quickly:
@jangoloti The wording of that response makes it sound they are working on native macOS drivers in upcoming 10.14.3+ for Macs that have Nvidia dGPUs. I’m hopeful there will be Nvidia Web drivers for Mojave. However GTX 900 series compatible drivers took seven months and GTX 1000 series took 11 months. There was no public dispute back then so I highly doubt RTX series compatible drivers will be available in Q1 2019.
@Aidan Kelly had the same issue myself. Windows isn’t crashing as the GPU is not initialized (due to Error 12). If there was no Error 12 I would expect the system to freeze or crash. Best to test more or simply put it in a PC to check.
@itsage Past releases indicate that most major under-the-hood changes occur at the initial big macOS update and .4 update (since El Capitan). The earliest we may see something could be 10.14.4. Which is months away really. For the last few years I have kept a close eye on macOS build number patterns and the .4 release usually has a high intermediate build number (value after the letter, excluding special releases such as security updates and some betas that have an additional number appended, ex. 5 for iOS; Troubleshooting guide has a brief breakdown of the build numbers), meaning much longer development (almost twice as long assuming linearity). And if NVIDIA pulls it off for 10.14.3 then great for all of us.
Also, I recall one of the forum members emailing NVIDIA for 10 series drivers. They were initially not planning to develop any, but then did after reading it. That may explain the delay there.
Finally, if Apple and NVIDIA are working together, they might as well add full-on eGPU support for NVIDIA. It’s really not that difficult. Today we have issues with AMD+NVIDIA frame buffers – this wasn’t the case on Sierra. Funny.
I am on OSX Mojave 10.14.2. Still waiting on support for OSX Side, however; here is my results for Bootcamp side with Windows 10:
– MacBook Pro 2017 4 USB-C ports
– Razer Core V2 with Nvidia RTX 2080
When booting into Windows, you have to plug in the eGPU right when you see the windows logo. Then everything works just fine and it plays every game I have with no issues (Fortnite, OverWatch, Call of Duty Black Ops 4, etc).
Just in case anyone else was curious about this type of setup. Mojave shouldn’t break Bootcamp. 🙂 I can’t wait for support though on the OSX Side. 🙂
Are you on a 13 or 15inch MBP? And if 13 fancy sharing some FPS benchmarks in games?
@J M the user in that article uses macOS 10.13.3 – outdated even though the article is fairly recent. Since macOS 10.13.4+, purge-wrangler is necessary on TB1/2 Macs, hence it is not natively supported anymore.