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Surprised there are still no comments about the Blackmagic eGPU and BM eGPU Pro! And these are not even mentioned in the blog entry. These are the sleek semi-o

Surprised there are still no comments about the Blackmagic eGPU and BM eGPU Pro! And these are not even mentioned in the blog entry. These are the sleek semi-official, Apple-design contributed eGPUs for the macbook line. Like the LG monitors Apple helped out with. But with less scandal. I have been using the Blackmagic on my Macbook Air 2018 for several months and I really, really like it. I have a _single_ USB-C cable from the MBA to the Blackmagic. This powers the macbook, but also offers a bunch of ports and HDMI out to my P2715Q Dell. They allow me to use HD Audio USB speakers, a webcam, a pro mic and a few cables to charge stuff with. There are almost no stability issues with yanking the cable and putting it back in. I do this almost every day--often not having the patience to use the official "disconnect" process on the system tray icon. Not only does improve OS graphics stuff, like moving between spaces at 4k, but small things like Messages animate more smoothly on this large high res external monitor. I only very occasionally play DOTA 2, and you can get some really great graphics performance out of this eGPU that is not possible on the machine alone. Plus, and very important to me--the Blackmagic eGPU is silent! It is not a cheap add-on but if you have a home office and go portable sometimes an eGPU especially the Blackmagic is really awesome. It is more expensive, but it just works, looks great and idk I dig it. Glad to have a thread I could pipe up about it in.

lobotryas 7y ago
Wait, MBA? How are you avoiding thermal issues? Are you using a fan pad or something similar? I’m considering a similar setup, but I worry the underpowered Y-series chip in an MBA will just become a bottleneck instead if I attack an eGOU.
- bredren 7y ago
  I heard about this bottleneck a lot, but I just haven't noticed it--I do not have thermal issues. I run in clamshell in a cheap vertical lap top stand. I rarely hear the CPU come on when I'm docked with the standard BM eGPU. I run scaled 'looks like' 2560 x 1440. I run tons of apps and browser tabs in multiple spaces. I only notice the CPU is weak when I'm encoding with something that isn't aided by GPU. One case I do hear the fan come on is near the end of a 200+ step unit test in pycharm on my primary personal web app. But that is just about the only time I can think of it comes on and it shuts back down as soon as my tests complete. (hopefully all passing!) A bit more on my specific setup: - 2018 MBA (maxed out) - Dell P2715Q monitor - Blackmagic eGPU - Edifier S880DB (USB HD Audio) - AT2020 USB+ mic - Logitech C920S webcam - Vertical Laptop stand - Magic keyboard / trackpad This setup is probably the best I've ever had, because the portability is great and the docked situation is just very, very good. All those peripherals off a single connection to the laptop. I am hoping that the ARM mac will have much better graphics, but I think it is likely at least the first two generations of it will still be majorly improved even by the 580 in the current blackmagic. It is worth mentioning that I do try to use the software disconnect of the eGPU and have had that just stall out or not complete. I have not tried the trouble shooting someone suggested here though--and it is so stable w the BM that I don't worry about yanking the cable anymore.

lobotryas 7y ago

Wait, MBA? How are you avoiding thermal issues? Are you using a fan pad or something similar? I’m considering a similar setup, but I worry the underpowered Y-series chip in an MBA will just become a bottleneck instead if I attack an eGOU.

bredren 7y ago
I heard about this bottleneck a lot, but I just haven't noticed it--I do not have thermal issues. I run in clamshell in a cheap vertical lap top stand. I rarely hear the CPU come on when I'm docked with the standard BM eGPU. I run scaled 'looks like' 2560 x 1440. I run tons of apps and browser tabs in multiple spaces. I only notice the CPU is weak when I'm encoding with something that isn't aided by GPU. One case I do hear the fan come on is near the end of a 200+ step unit test in pycharm on my primary personal web app. But that is just about the only time I can think of it comes on and it shuts back down as soon as my tests complete. (hopefully all passing!) A bit more on my specific setup: - 2018 MBA (maxed out) - Dell P2715Q monitor - Blackmagic eGPU - Edifier S880DB (USB HD Audio) - AT2020 USB+ mic - Logitech C920S webcam - Vertical Laptop stand - Magic keyboard / trackpad This setup is probably the best I've ever had, because the portability is great and the docked situation is just very, very good. All those peripherals off a single connection to the laptop. I am hoping that the ARM mac will have much better graphics, but I think it is likely at least the first two generations of it will still be majorly improved even by the 580 in the current blackmagic. It is worth mentioning that I do try to use the software disconnect of the eGPU and have had that just stall out or not complete. I have not tried the trouble shooting someone suggested here though--and it is so stable w the BM that I don't worry about yanking the cable anymore.