Apple-recommended AMD Graphics Cards for eGPU Use - macOS High Sierra 10.13.4+

[MAD AUDI SCIENTIST]

Also there's AMD Raedon Pro with is just like the Quadro line, so I'm not really following that "AMD gives the whole package in their consumer GPUs as their professional cards" logic.

truth!

 

[centre23]

I can confirm, a AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 8GB now works OOB with 10.13.4

 

[curiexr]

Is the Sapphire Pulse RX570 4GB version also natively supported, or only the 8GB?

 

[Bergier3K]

Maybe the first post should be edited with the added RX470 and RX480 .... For people on a budget it might be a slightly better option than the 570 & 580 (at least with the actual prices).

Source :
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208544

 

[UtterDisbelief]

You know I can't help but wonder what these eGPU "caddy"s, or whatever they will be, will look like? I take it Apple will spec the design?

As I understand it so far, these attachments exist already (links some examples) and allow the addition of a standard, retail PCI-e card externally.

Doesn't that sound so completely un-Mac like? A great box of electronics open to the air and coffee-spills or careless elbows?

I'm probably wrong and there will be some svelte, aluminium contraption for buyers to spend their hard-earned on.

Using these to allow more powerful GPUs than the built-in one seems an admission of failure somehow. I can understand cards for in-parallel usage. For professionals that makes more sense. These aren't for gaming.

However, I suppose it really doesn't matter to us, here, because we just want drivers!

 

[JozoR]

As I mentioned elswhere, I can confirm RX 480 works OOB, no Whatevergreen, no RadeonDeInit, nothing. 4 GB version. There is no reason RX 570 4 GB shouldn't work (curiexr).

UtterDisbelief: yes, it's un-Mac like. However, at the same time, it's completely Apple like. If you watch a history of Macs and have used them in past (I used a LOT of them between a generations, not bad for guy from Central Europe), you would know that adapters and converters and boxes are like tied to many of them. It's pretty usuall Apple changes connectors between generations, sometimes between a small updates of same model. Or completely removes interface on which many users rely (like FireWire, or Ethernet). If you saw a "miracle" display adapter for PowerMac 6100 you would know. Now they at least use standard connectors, albeit for price of removal of the others, like that missing Ethernet or multiple ports on Macbook, just for a sake being Hipsterish.

Sometime I have to wonder looking on these adapters and boxes, who in Apple has a huge stock reserve in these companies.

 

[Rogarth]

You know I can't help but wonder what these eGPU "caddy"s, or whatever they will be, will look like?

As you mention, they already exist, and indeed have existed for quite some time now. That's what they look like.

I take it Apple will spec the design?

No. Apple has nothing to do with them, aside from writing software so they function on Macs.

Using these to allow more powerful GPUs than the built-in one seems an admission of failure somehow. I can understand cards for in-parallel usage. For professionals that makes more sense. These aren't for gaming.

They're made for computers (notebooks mainly) that aren't upgradable. Gaming is certainly one of the specifically advertised functions, probably the main function actually. This doesn't really have anything to do with Apple, it's a Windows computer thing that Apple finally got around to supporting. It's pretty niche to begin with, no way would the market exist just for Macs.

 

[UtterDisbelief]

As you mention, they already exist, and indeed have existed for quite some time now. That's what they look like.



No. Apple has nothing to do with them, aside from writing software so they function on Macs.



They're made for computers (notebooks mainly) that aren't upgradable. Gaming is certainly one of the specifically advertised functions, probably the main function actually. This doesn't really have anything to do with Apple, it's a Windows computer thing that Apple finally got around to supporting. It's pretty niche to begin with, no way would the market exist just for Macs.

Thanks for the info. So perhaps Apple will have to supply a list of supported GPUs?

 

[Rogarth]

Yep:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208544

 

[hackmefrancis]

Does the RX460 works OOB too? I mean without WEG+Lilu or RadeonDeinit?