AMD has revealed the specifications of the new Radeon Pro 5000M-series GPU options available in the just-launched 16-inch MacBook Pro, with the Radeon Pro 5300M and 5500M offering better graphics performance and an option for up to 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM.
Apple is extending its support of AMD GPUs to macOS Catalina, with the second developer beta for macOS 10.15.1 enabling Radeon RX5700 compatibility with the operating system, possibly as a first step ahead of support for the Mac Pro's Radeon Pro Vega II and Duo cards.
The second developer beta of macOS Catalina 10.15 has seemingly revealed a list of unannounced AMD Radeon graphics cards, with eight references to GPUs bearing the "RX" and "Pro" prefixes, including seven under "Vega 20."
AMD has launched three new cards in its Radeon RX 5000 range that all use 7-nanometer processes for the GPU, with the Radeon RX5700, XT, and 50th Anniversary Edition providing over 10 teraflops of performance as a more value-oriented alternative to the Vega cards.
AMD has detailed the Radeon Pro Vega II, the graphics processing unit included in the new Mac Pro in standard single and "Duo" configurations, with the 14.2-teraflop 7-nanometer chip providing considerable performance for the creative workhorse.
AMD has teased its next generation of graphics cards using the Navi GPU as the RX 5000-series, offering performance and power improvements over its Graphics Core Next offerings, with the first RX 5700 card in the range set to arrive this July.
Apple CEO Tim Cook mentioned that Apple took about a five percent hit on Mac revenues because of constraints on Intel processors, and the company can't seem to break the 10nm process barrier. The last two times that a chip supplier couldn't keep its promises, Apple made a big move to another architecture — and this is just another sign on the road to an ARM Mac coming relatively soon.
A less expensive external GPU option for Thunderbolt 3 Macs, the Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Puck Radeon RX 560, is now available through Apple's online store and may soon hit some physical outlets, but there are options for buying now.
Now available at retail, AMD's Radeon VII graphics card can be used in a Thunderbolt 3 eGPU enclosure with the latest macOS Mojave beta.
The Khronos Group has ratified and publicly released a provisional specification for OpenXR, an open standard for AR and VR platforms, but while many major firms are supporting the effort, Apple does not appear to be publicly offering its own support.
AMD's Radeon VII graphics card may offer considerable performance, but at launch it isn't able to be used on either a PCI-E Mac or in a Thunderbolt 3 enclosure, as a driver that allows the card to work in macOS is still under development.
Apple just doesn't allow modern Nvidia GPUs on macOS Mojave, and this is a dramatic change from only six months ago. Given that a new Mac Pro is coming that could support Nvidia cards, and there are already eGPUs that should, it's time that Apple did.
AMD on Wednesday announced its next flagship graphics card, the Radeon 7, which it touted as the world's first 7-nanometer gaming GPU.
AMD could be extending its lines of Radeon Pro Vega GPUs that could be used in a future Mac refresh early in 2019, according to identifiers in a recent macOS Mojave update.
Apple has started to offer the 15-inch MacBook Pro to customers with updated graphics options, with configurations of the notebook using AMD's Radeon Pro Vega GPUs now available to purchase from Apple directly.
Apple's eGPU support extends beyond consumer-grade cards. AppleInsider takes a look at the AMD Radeon Pro WX 9100 GPU workstation card, inside a Sonnet eGFX 650 Breakaway Box.
AMD this week published Mac versions of its Radeon ProRender plugins for 3D creation mainstays Blender and Maya — enabling Macs with compatible hardware to take advantage of ProRender for physics-based rendering.
The release of macOS 10.13.4 brings with it official external GPU support by Apple, but the company is recommending specific enclosures/chassis and cards, excluding ones some people might hope to use.
The identification of the "Meltdown" and "Spectre" vulnerabilities in Intel- and ARM-based processors — including chips used in Apple's Macs, iPhones, and iPads — can be credited almost entirely to a Google security researcher in his early 20s, Jann Horn.
Intel's latest processor launch is a collaboration with long-time rival AMD, with the two chip firms working together to create a pair of 8th generation Core processors that are equipped with Radeon RX Vega M graphics, with the onboard AMD GPU potentially helping with the creation of more powerful notebooks or small form-factor computers like the Mac mini that do not require a dedicated GPU.
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Malcolm Owen
William Gallagher
Roger Fingas
Mike Wuerthele
William Gallagher and Mike Wuerthele
Max Yuryev
