The birth, life, death, and possible resurrection of the Thunderbolt eGPU in macOS

While Apple embraced Thunderbolt 3 eGPU technology for years, it doesn't have the same love for the upgrade option for its Macs since the launch of Apple Silicon. Here's how Apple's relationship with eGPUs started, matured, died — and could come back.

Mike Wuerthele and Malcolm Owen 4 years ago 14

The macOS 12.3.1 update fixed bugs affecting PCI-E GPU performance

An update issued to macOS Monterey Thursday morning has resolved most of the issues impacting PCI-E graphics cards in eGPU enclosures and the Mac Pro.

Darryl Boxberger 4 years ago 1

macOS 12.3 update causing problems for some PCI-E GPU owners

Apple's update to macOS Monterey 12.3 is causing problems for handful of Mac users, with some PCI-E GPU cards not delivering the speed that they used to in not just eGPU enclosures, but in the Mac Pro as well.

Malcolm Owen 4 years ago 12

Sonnet DuoModo Review: Modular & compact Mac mini PCI-e and eGPU expansion

On Tuesday, Sonnet announced the DuoModo expansion system that can enclose your Mac mini, and either PCI-E expansion cards or a video card, in a compact space not much larger than just an eGPU enclosure itself — and we've been creating content with it for a month.

Mike Wuerthele 4 years ago 10

Sonnet refreshes portable eGPU Breakaway Puck line with more powerful processors

Sonnet has announced a pair of eGPU Breakaway Pucks for Thunderbolt 3 Intel-based Macs which can greatly improve performance compared to built-in GPUs.

Wesley Hilliard 5 years ago 8

Sonnet introduces two higher-powered Thunderbolt 3 eGPU Breakaway boxes for Intel Macs

The Sonnet eGPU Breakaway Box 750 and 750ex are Thunderbolt 3 eGPU expansion systems with the biggest available power supply on the market at 750W.

Wesley Hilliard 5 years ago 7

Apple Silicon M1 Mac detection of Thunderbolt 3 eGPU gives hope for future support

The lack of support for external GPUs in Apple Silicon M1 Macs may only be temporary, as a connected eGPU is still detected, but doesn't do anything.

Malcolm Owen 5 years ago 50

Apple Silicon M1 Macs do not support eGPUs

While Apple was touting the improved graphical capability of the new Apple Silicon Macs, they neglected to mention during the event that the M1 chip does not support eGPU technologies.

William Gallagher 5 years ago 80

Apple silicon Mac documentation suggests third-party GPU support in danger

Some Apple support documentation seems to suggest that Mac shift to Apple silicon will drop support for non-Apple GPUs.

Mike Peterson 5 years ago 86

Best Thunderbolt 3 eGPU enclosures for macOS

On Friday, Blackmagic announced it has discontinued their Vega 56-powered Thunderbolt 3 eGPU Pro. However, there are excellent — and upgradeable — options, that won't break the bank.

Mike Wuerthele 6 years ago 17

How AppleInsider staff work from home and what gear we need to do it

AppleInsider staff work all around the world, and most of us have home offices. If you're looking for the ideal desk setup, we can show you that there isn't one — but here are eight favorites that help us get our work done.

William Gallagher 6 years ago 24

AMD Radeon RX 5700 works in macOS Catalina 10.15.1 beta 2

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.

Malcolm Owen 6 years ago 10

Apple's macOS Catalina causing problems with select eGPU setups

Despite overall feature and performance improvements for external GPUs, the new macOS Catalina is now failing to work correctly with certain combinations of Mac and GPU card.

William Gallagher 6 years ago 48

The best Thunderbolt 3 eGPU enclosures for the 2019 13-inch MacBook Pro

We've been talking about external GPUs for a while, even before Apple decided to launch official support for the technology. As a result, we've used them all, and have a few we'd like to recommend if you're getting into the technology for the first time with your new 13-inch MacBook pro or MacBook Air.

Mike Wuerthele 6 years ago 41

Apple clarifies which PCI-e GPU cards are suitable for which eGPU enclosures

Updated support documents from Apple add new specific recommendations for eGPU enclosures and graphics cards, plus some new notes on usage.

William Gallagher 6 years ago 5

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