MacBook Pro eGPUs gain full clamshell mode and hot-plug capabilities in Apple's macOS 10.13.4 beta

AppleInsider testing has shown significant improvement in eGPU implementation in Apple's new macOS 10.13.4 beta, boasting a dynamic clamshell mode working as expected regardless of monitor configuration, and a new menu on the desktop allowing users to disconnect from a connected enclosure without necessitating a logout.

The new menu item at the right hand side of the menubar is simple — it only has two options. Either there is no "removable GPU" or there is, and it can be ejected.

Under the new beta, an external GPU can be connected while the machine is running, and it will not pop up a notification to logout to enable the GPU. Rather, it connects automatically, and shifts to the previous configuration.

Before High Sierra 10.13.4, clamshell mode was partially implemented. If the displays were mirrored to begin with, if you shut the lid on a MacBook Pro it would turn off that display. However, if you had two workplaces, the workspace on the MacBook Pro's screen would remain active, even with the lid shut.

With the new release, Clamshell mode implements properly on lid-shut, even with a workspace spanning the MacBook Pro's internal display in conjunction with external displays.

AppleInsider has tested the improvements and new functionality on the Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Puck with RX 560, the Sonnet and AMD RX 580 developer's kit that Apple briefly sold during the initial beta releases of High Sierra, and the Mantiz MZ-02 with a Vega 56 PCI-E card.

Apple's support for external Thunderbolt 3 enclosures containing a PCI-E GPU began following the 2017 WWDC. The feature, while present in all High Sierra builds, is still considered a beta. Apple has announced that support for external GPUs will be fully supported in the spring.

18 Comments

keithw 20 Years · 156 comments

About 6 years ago

Looking forward to the nVidia support that won't require the kernel hack to use it with either a laptop or a desktop system.

Mike Wuerthele 8 Years · 6906 comments

keithw said:

Looking forward to the nVidia support that won't require the kernel hack to use it with either a laptop or a desktop system.

I would very much like to see this as well, but I am concerned that there will be "blessed" configurations. Apple opened up 10.13.4 a very little with slightly wider AMD card support, and way better Vega drivers -- but there is nothing suggesting so-annointed nVidia card support, even with the web drivers that nVidia has for PCI-E cards.

Mike Wuerthele said:

keithw said:

Looking forward to the nVidia support that won't require the kernel hack to use it with either a laptop or a desktop system.

I would very much like to see this as well, but I am concerned that there will be "blessed" configurations. Apple opened up 10.13.4 a very little with slightly wider AMD card support, and way better Vega drivers -- but there is nothing suggesting so-annointed nVidia card support, even with the web drivers that nVidia has for PCI-E cards.

And that's the rub- they need to be "agnostic" about graphics cards- or at least vendors- the way Microsoft is. Why should they care which EGPU somebody uses?
I can and do use the nVidia web drivers as well as the kernel hack, but they need to be manually updated each dot release.

tipoo 14 Years · 1122 comments

It's nice to see support for this pushing forward steadily at last. I'd really like to see in depth testing of Metal 2 with direct to display, vs DirectX 12 at some point, maybe even developer impressions.

macxpress 16 Years · 5913 comments

keithw said:

Mike Wuerthele said:

keithw said:

Looking forward to the nVidia support that won't require the kernel hack to use it with either a laptop or a desktop system.

I would very much like to see this as well, but I am concerned that there will be "blessed" configurations. Apple opened up 10.13.4 a very little with slightly wider AMD card support, and way better Vega drivers -- but there is nothing suggesting so-annointed nVidia card support, even with the web drivers that nVidia has for PCI-E cards.

And that's the rub- they need to be "agnostic" about graphics cards- or at least vendors- the way Microsoft is. Why should they care which EGPU somebody uses?
I can and do use the nVidia web drivers as well as the kernel hack, but they need to be manually updated each dot release.

Yeah I accidentally ran the Security update on my 2012 Mac Pro and forgot I had the NVIDIA 970 installed. Had to revert back to the ATI Radeon 5770 it came with until NVIDIA releases an updated driver. This I cannot stand. You can't install the driver ahead of time because its not supported by the current OS and yet you video craps out once you do the installation until you install the updated driver.

I wish all video cards were natively produced for Windows and/or Mac, meaning they had full boot menu support as well as full driver support.