BlackMagic eGPU
Radeon Pro 580 GPU in a Thunderbolt 3 external enclosure
“A single large fan at the bottom of the unit ensures the GPU runs cool under load but doesn’t sound like a jet engine.”
Thanks to the immense computing power of modern graphics cards, using them to accelerate tasks in professional creative applications is becoming a popular way to increase workflow performance. Unfortunately, the simultaneous trend of thin and light laptops that simply can’t pack a beefy GPU inside without spontaneously combusting mean those popular devices miss out on the magic of GPU acceleration. Blackmagic’s new eGPU bridges that gap — allowing any Mac with a Thunderbolt 3 port to enjoy the processing power a fullblown GPU brings.
The eGPU is what it says it is — an external GPU. Blackmagic chose an 8GB AMD Radeon Pro 580 to install inside the beautifully designed metal chassis. A single large fan at the bottom of the unit ensures the GPU runs cool under load but doesn’t sound like a jet engine. At the rear are a few USB 3.1 ports that act as a USB hub. The eGPU will even charge your USB-C laptop at 85W.
Installation is easy. Hook the eGPU up to a Thunderbolt 3 port (and Thunderbolt 3 only — Thunderbolt 2 will not work), plug in the power cable and you’re done. MacOS ships with the drivers already installed, so as soon as the eGPU is connected and powered up, it’s ready to use. Gamers take note — the eGPU will not render 3D graphics on a laptop’s internal display. If you plan on using the eGPU for gaming, you’ll need to connect an external monitor the eGPU’s HDMI 2.0 port.
For applications like Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve, the benefits of an eGPU hooked up to a laptop that lacks a discrete GPU (i.e: Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Pro) are easy to spot. Colour correction, grain reduction and real time effects are all enhanced, taking the load off your CPU for a much more responsive workflow. Adobe applications see less of a benefit however, as they’ve focussed on supporting Nvidia’s CUDA technology. Premiere doesn’t support eGPUs at all, Nvidia or AMD. Final Cut Pro will take advantage of the eGPU, but only when used with a secondary display.
The eGPU’s chassis is gorgeous and well-designed, but can’t be opened by an end user. When the Radeon Pro 580 becomes obsolete, the entire Blackmagic eGPU unit will need to be replaced. The other disappointment is shoddy Windows support. Technically, the Blackmagic eGPU should work in Windows providing your PC has Thunderbolt 3. However, Blackmagic do not support it on Windows yet.
Apple collaborated with Blackmagic to develop the eGPU and it shows. The unit is good looking, quiet and simple to install. The downside however, is that practical uses for the eGPU are few and far between. The hardware is here, but software support currently extremely niche. Best to wait and see if their favourite software picks up eGPU & GPU acceleration support in the near future before buying.