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Are there eGPU options for an old Thunderbolt 1 MBP?

S

saotomefirst

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 16, 2012
108
1
Rio de Janeiro
I read this thread about a new Blackmagic eGPU for recent MBPs and I got quite interested in it. However, I have a mid 2012 MBP 13'' with 8 GB RAM, which features an old Thunderbolt 1 port, currently connected to an external monitor (1920 X 1080), and I bet this setup wouldn't be compatible with this product (if I'm wrong please do tell me!).

I was wondering if there is an eGPU in the market that I could use like that. It doesn't have to be super powerful, upgradeable or anything fancy. I just need it to be able to connect to my old mac so I can give it an extra life span, mostly for games.

I quite liked the idea of the Blackmagic GPU having additional USB ports, so I'd prefer a product like that, though this is not mandatory. Also not mandatory but highly desirable would be if actually worked on both MacOS and Windows, but I'm ok if it only works on one environment.

Finally, I'm not really looking into making my own external video card by buying and assembling loose parts, writing and compiling files for it to work, etc. I do work over 12 hours daily... If there is no other option, I could consider it, but I'd gladly pay more to not have this trouble.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.
 
an external GPU requires a lot of bandwidth. Even Thunderbolt 3 isn't really enough for higher end GPU's yet. Thunderbolt 1 will be a no-go to be honest with you.
 
christarp said:
an external GPU requires a lot of bandwidth. Even Thunderbolt 3 isn't really enough for higher end GPU's yet. Thunderbolt 1 will be a no-go to be honest with you.
Click to expand...

Yes and no.

If you use a decent GPU you will have plenty of video memory, which lessens the impact of the PCIe connection.

Even a low spec discrete GPU in a breakout box is massively faster than anything you can get internally in a macbook, especially one with Thunderbolt 1 or 2.

I have a friend who was doing eGPU with thunderbolt 1 back in 2011-2012 - on a macbook air. It worked great. Triple head gaming in stuff like Dishonored at 60 FPS using an original Titan. He has videos on youtube, i forget his youtube channel (kryzaach or something like that). No doubt he'll show up on an external macbook GPU search.
 
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Do you run games in macOS or windows?

For the price of the eGPU enclosure + an adequate GPU card + Thunderbolt cable/dongles, you may already be spending enough to build a custom gaming PC. Its specs may be just mid to low tier, but it will outperform a 2012 MBP with just Thunderbolt 1 where whatever eGPU is used the bandwidth is limited.
 
Chancha said:
Do you run games in macOS or windows?

For the price of the eGPU enclosure + an adequate GPU card + Thunderbolt cable/dongles, you may already be spending enough to build a custom gaming PC. Its specs may be just mid to low tier, but it will outperform a 2012 MBP with just Thunderbolt 1 where whatever eGPU is used the bandwidth is limited.
Click to expand...
While it can play games well, I get more productivity by being able to hook up 4 additional monitors and still use OS X
 
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dukebound85 said:
While it can play games well, I get more productivity by being able to hook up 4 additional monitors and still use OS X
Click to expand...

Exactly my thought. I do have a Windows bootcamp, but I just love my OS X for productivity.

So, by your reply, I presume your setup works on OS X as well as on Windows. Am I right?

Chancha said:
Do you run games in macOS or windows?

For the price of the eGPU enclosure + an adequate GPU card + Thunderbolt cable/dongles, you may already be spending enough to build a custom gaming PC. Its specs may be just mid to low tier, but it will outperform a 2012 MBP with just Thunderbolt 1 where whatever eGPU is used the bandwidth is limited.
Click to expand...

I'm not looking for a dedicated gaming setup - otherwise I'd be looking for a PS4. I'm looking to increase the life span of my existing setup. And chances are, when I upgrade this setup, this video card will still be better than whatever integrated graphics my next MPB comes with
 
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