Boost your Mac’s graphics prowess
Thunderbolt 3 external GPU now available
In the pas t, if you needed more graphics processing power for pro video editing or other demanding uses, you might swap out the graphics processing unit (GPU) in your desktop Mac for a more powerful card. But this is not possible in any of the current Mac range. At WWDC 2017, Apple announced an alternative: support for external GPUs, which it duly delivered almost 10 months later in the High Sierra 10.13.4 Combo Update. Now pro graphics company Blackmagic Design has released the Blackmagic eGPU, designed in collaboration with Apple, which has a Radeon Pro 580 graphics processor with 8GB of GDDR5 memory and connects over Thunderbolt 3. It is available for $699 exclusively through apple.com and Apple Stores worldwide. Apple suggests it can be paired with the LG UltraFine 5K Display “for the ultimate Mac setup.” The Blackmagic eGPU is not the first on the market, but it’s the first to be developed in conjunction with Apple itself, the first to support Thunderbolt 3 displays, and the first to be available on the Apple Store. It is compatible with any Mac equipped with Thunderbolt 3 (and High Sierra 10.12.4 or newer), but is aimed particularly at users of a new MacBook Pro who want “high-end desktop class graphics processing” for professional video editing and effects workflows, 3D games, and immersive VR. Blackmagic says the eGPU should boost graphics performance by as much as 2.8 times on the 15-inch MacBook Pro, and up to eight times on the 13-inch model.
The Blackmagic eGPU simply plugs in via Thunderbolt 3 between your Mac and your monitor to accelerate graphics processing, speeding up professional creative workflows including editing, color correction, and visual effects with apps such as DaVinci Resolve, part of Blackmagic’s award-winning color correction product range. For gaming and VR, it promises higher resolution images, higher frame rate gameplay, better lighting, and more detailed textures for truly immersive experiences.
In addition, the Blackmagic eGPU also acts as a hub for multiple accessories such as input devices, big-screen HDMI televisions, high-speed storage, and more. It features two 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 ports, four USB 3.1 ports, and an HDMI 2.0 port, which supports 4K output. It also provides 85W of downstream power via Thunderbolt 3 for charging laptop computers and powering peripherals.
The Blackmagic eGPU casing is extruded from a single piece of aluminum, with an elegant textured finish. It is compact, with a clever cooling system that means it’s very quiet (as low as 18dB), which is vital for video production and audio engineering environments. However, the eGPU’s all-in-one design means it is not itself upgradable, which is a shame.