Blackmagic eGPu
A graphics boost with Apple’s help £599 FROM Blackmagic Design, blackmagicdesign.com FeatuRes Radeon Pro 580 graphics processor, 8GB of GDDR5 memory, 2x thunderbolt 3 ports, 4x uSB 3 (type-A) ports, HDMI 2.0 port
the fan is impressively quiet – we could barely hear it in a near-silent environment
External graphics processors, or eGPUs, offer a lifeline to boost the graphics capabilities of Thunderbolt 3-equipped Macs beyond what’s built in. This one differs from Razer’s Core X (see last issue) in that it’s ready to go, rather than needing you to choose and install a card.
Blackmagic has opted for a Radeon Pro 580, a mid-range processor that costs about £300 as a removable card. Note that, unlike the Core X, the card here isn’t replaceable.
Getting rid of heat generated by graphics processors is a concern for some pro work. The eGPU chucks heat out of its top, but its fan is impressively quiet at doing this. It’s so effective that we were surprised to barely hear it even in a near-silent environment, so it’s no bother that the bundled cable is 0.5m long. In contrast, the Core X is more audible.
The vertical nature of Blackmagic’s case means there’s a smaller footprint here – the eGPU stands 29.4cm tall and 17.7cm wide and deep, making it just 4.3cm taller and 9.3mm wider than Apple’s compact 2013 Mac Pro.
There are two Thunderbolt 3 ports on the back. Whichever you connect to your Mac delivers up to 85W of power, making the eGPU suitable for a 15-inch MacBook Pro. The other port can be used to connect an external display, possibly with an adapter, if the built-in HDMI 2.0 port is unsuitable.
There are also four Type-A USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports. This enables the eGPU to work like a dock: you connect just one cable to use an external display, peripherals and power.
Performance boost
We compared performance with a Sapphire Pulse Radeon Pro 570 card, also equipped with 8GB of memory, installed in the Core X. In Geekbench 4’s test with Apple’s Metal graphics tech, performance between the two was very close, with Blackmagic a small but acceptable amount behind on 117,667 points (compared to 119,748).
Our DaVinci Resolve test, which exports a 150-second, effects-laden timeline to H.264, revealed a similar picture: Blackmagic took 17 minutes 35 seconds against 17 minutes 6 seconds from our Core X configuration.
We ran Rise of the Tomb Raider’s built-in benchmark, set to high quality and tested at 1920x1080 and 3840x2160 (4K) resolutions. The results were close, though very slightly in Blackmagic’s favour this time: 57.3 frames per second versus 57.2 at the lower resolution, and 23.4fps versus 23.0 at the higher one.
Blackmagic’s eGPU is competitive on cost with the Razer Core X, and its USB ports and quietness are welcome bonuses. Its downside is lack of upgradeability. If your work would benefit from even more power and you can afford an extra £210 – and deal with increased fan noise – the Core X with a Vega 64 card is tempting. Remember that apps may need an update to use any eGPU, or at least be on a display that’s connected to the eGPU.