I don't do video processing and my MP 6,1 has D300s. What type of improvement will I get it I add a more powerful eGPU?
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MP 6,1 Any benefit from adding an eGPU to MP 6,1?
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Not enough information. You say what you don't do, but don't say for which apps you wish to see improvement.
Good point. I use my MP for the following 3 major types of tasks:
1. Photo processing: Lightroom, Luminar, Portrait Pro, Topaz, On1
2. Office work: MS Office, Zoom and WebEx calls
3. AI/ML software development on AWS/Azure/GCP: need a fast and responsive browser
I also spend a lot of time researching stuff on the net. This needs a responsive browser as well.
Officially, eGPUs are only "supported" on Intel machines, with TB3. You've researched the jiggery-pokery necessary to make it work with a TB2 machine?
Yes, I have. The "Constant Geekery" channel on YouTube did a series of videos about it. But if I don't do video editing nor playing computer games, I am not sure if there is benefit for me to do that. That's why I asked the question.
Unless you have specific apps that can make use of external graphics, then probably not. For example, IIRC Affinity Photo can use an eGPU for metal compute tasks etc. Arguably the biggest improvement over the D300 with a bigger GPU, would be viewport display performance when multiple display are connected, if you use apps that need to show a 3D workspace, but the balance is whether you're then going to hit a chokepoint on the TB bus getting data to and from the eGPU. In terms of pure display throughput, even on a TB3 bus, something like the RX580 is limited to only ~1/2 of its display potential, vs what it can drive when in a standard slot.
Enabling eGPU on a MP2013 is actually straightforward - you need Apple's TB2-TB3 adapter (only one that will work) and the purge-wrangler script.
Lightroom does make a modest use of the GPU in the Develop module and can make the browsing through images smoother/swifter but that's something that hasn't been too reliable with some versions breaking what previous ones brought.
I'd say it is probably not worth the trouble and expense if you're not currently limited in your photo processing. Video/3D/gaming would be different of course.
Lightroom does make a modest use of the GPU in the Develop module and can make the browsing through images smoother/swifter but that's something that hasn't been too reliable with some versions breaking what previous ones brought.
I'd say it is probably not worth the trouble and expense if you're not currently limited in your photo processing. Video/3D/gaming would be different of course.
BlackMagic Vega eGPU is very hard to find. It has been discontinued.2 immediate benefits from my 6.1 and black magic Vega egpu.
1. Driving a 5k super ultra wide with room to spare.
2. Little to no use of the d700’s that apparently can be toasted with over use.
ignoring the cost it’s a great set up
What applications do you see improvements for driving your 5K monitor compared to D700s? My MP 6,1 has only D300s. For my intended applications stated above, I am not sure that I would see benefits.
The connections on the 6,1 won’t drive most 5k monitors so i needed the black magic to drive the LG.
In terms of applications, I use Gamemaker and 3D software with games and the egpu runs really well whilst the d700s stay cool.
Despite it being out of stock their are units (sometimes new) that appear on eBay.
Still it is a specific use case and you may prefer a bespoke egpu as that has other advantages.
I genuinely have no regrets with mine.
In terms of applications, I use Gamemaker and 3D software with games and the egpu runs really well whilst the d700s stay cool.
Despite it being out of stock their are units (sometimes new) that appear on eBay.
Still it is a specific use case and you may prefer a bespoke egpu as that has other advantages.
I genuinely have no regrets with mine.
I wouldn't bother with an eGPU. You only get 4 lanes at PCIe 2.0 speed over the TB2 bus. The internal GPUs are using 32 lanes at PCIe 3.0. If you need more powerful graphics I think it would be better to get a new Mac.
True but PCIe bandwidth is not always the bottleneck with GPU, and new Macs with more powerful graphics aren't exactly cheap. eGPU may be a band aid to give a bit more life to an aging MP6,1.
I've been running such setup with Vega Frontier for past 1.5y, but I'm using it for applications that do take advantage of eGPU. It does help keeping internal GPUs cooler, however given the cost (eGPU enclosure, TB adapter, GPU) I'd be very careful today whether this is a route you ought to pursue. Pretty sure next year M1X or M2 based Mac is going to wipe the floor with my 8-core both in computational as well as graphical performance.
I'm a sucker for old Macs so it's not a big deal for now
I'm a sucker for old Macs so it's not a big deal for now
Today's M1 already wipe the floor with the 8-core MP6,1 CPU - it even does with the 12-core E5 2697v2. I would almost be disappointed if next year's Mwhatever does not obliterate every other desktop or even workstation-class CPU out there.
The GPU challenge is much bigger though. I am really intrigued to see if/how Apple Silicon will challenge the best dedicated cards. Maybe Apple will decide they won't need as much raw GPU power now that they also have a neural engine? Different uses I guess...
In fact, I almost wished they failed in scaling up GPU perfs, which could mean dedicated AMD cards in ARM Macs, which in turn would mean ARM drivers... and the door open for eGPUs.
They'll probably do what they always do for a technology they own, but which is less performant than alternatives on the market - expect the whole world to pause progress for 18-36 months, so their technology evolution can catch up to where everyone else was.
Rationing the future to a drip feed, is Apple's primary business model.
I had an eGPU for my 2012 cMBP in the studio for a while. I made an "unofficial" low power one out of an OWC Helios and WX4100. All Topaz Labs software will take full advantage of an eGPU.
IMO if you're using the Topaz Suite and are stuck with the D300, grab a cheap enclosure and an even cheaper RX 580 and you're gold.
IMO if you're using the Topaz Suite and are stuck with the D300, grab a cheap enclosure and an even cheaper RX 580 and you're gold.
Thanks all for the comments. My plan is to get a new Mac with the Mx processor down the road when they get most issues resolved. I don't want to be Apple's tester in their transition.
I just bought a Blackmagic Pro eGPU with Vega 56 from eBay. I'm also getting the Apple TB2/TB3 adapter, as it is the only one that allows two-way communication that I can find.
Does Lightroom allow you to select which GPU to use? I have down graded LR to V9.4 as the V10.x slows down LR drastically and I have heard Adobe is fixing it now. But with LR V9.4, it is still a bit sluggish. For example, after I make some adjustment in the gradient tool, it takes some time for the effect to render.
I just bought a Blackmagic Pro eGPU with Vega 56 from eBay. I'm also getting the Apple TB2/TB3 adapter, as it is the only one that allows two-way communication that I can find.
Does Lightroom allow you to select which GPU to use? I have down graded LR to V9.4 as the V10.x slows down LR drastically and I have heard Adobe is fixing it now. But with LR V9.4, it is still a bit sluggish. For example, after I make some adjustment in the gradient tool, it takes some time for the effect to render.
It's Lightroom, expect nothing.
I'm still on 6 and the eGPU once detected will be an option.
Well, it turned out the eBay seller canceled my order today. My guess is that he sold the unit to another person for a higher price. I wanted to leave a negative feedback on the seller so future potential buyers are aware of it. But there is no place to leave the negative feedback. Then I contacted eBay support and was told that I am not able to leave feedback if the seller cancels the order. IMO, this is a bad eBay policy that enables sellers like that. Guess I'll contact BBB and leave a negative feedback on eBay.
Or maybe this is a message that I should not continue to invest on my old Mac Pro?
Or maybe this is a message that I should not continue to invest on my old Mac Pro?
Radeon RX 5700 XT, macOS Catalina, 2013 Mac Pro
real world speed test results for performance minded Macintosh users
barefeats.com
Lou
As long as you received your money back there is no issues you should be concerned about. I've canceled orders before. Once because I dropped the rx580 card I sold when packing it. The other time because buyer had a weird shipping need and I didn't want to deal with it.
I am not sure that I would agree with that. The issue I have is that eBay does not allow me to leave a feedback on the seller. This is not fair to potential buyers. I understand eBay does not want potential buyers to know any negative feedback about the sellers. But I have wasted a week due to eBay's policy and the seller's behavior. So I am going to leave a complaint on BBB on eBay and the seller. It will become a public record and searchable.
I've been selling on eBay since 2008 both on my own and for ecommerce employers both big and small. What I've learned is that yes things can happen on the sellers end but the buyers are the ones we have to worry about. Ebay will ALWAYS side with the buyer in a dispute unless the seller has a paper trail of what happened.
Realistically don't even sweat it unless you didn't get your money back, ebay is a million times safer in buying used electronics than say someone off Facebook or Craigslist.