confusion over eGPU and hyper-threading implementation

[scrunchy]

Doubts about hyper-threading:

• Some people on this forum claim apps need to be written specifically to take advantage of hyper-threading (on i7 version of the new Macmini).
  I read on here Handbrake is faster than Compressor because Handbrake can use hyper-threading, while Compressor can't.
• Others claim the complete opposite: that MacOS is always using hyper-threading when it's needed - regardless of the app.

Anybody knows for sure whether hyper-threading is app-specific or used across the board?
Maybe some actual tests?

Doubts about e-GPU:
I've just run into this review of the Blackmagic eGPU. Apparently, the eGPU only works if a monitor is daisy-chained to it. (see 12:05 in the video).

I've taken a look at this Apple Support page and it has confused me even more.

• Could someone tell me if really eGPUs don't work in Windows-BootCamp, if High Sierra 10.13.4 or later is installed?
• From the sound of it, apps and games need to be coded to support eGPUs. Do most games / popular video apps support eGPUs at the moment? I know FinalCut doesn't, and it got me worried.

Thanks a lot everyone,

Really, if hyper-threading and eGPUs are supported only by some apps, it's difficult to call the MacMini a Pro machine.

 

[F-Train]

If you haven't seen it already, Max Yuryev's 3 month review is worth watching:

[doublepost=1541379545][/doublepost]Re your comment about Final Cut, there is a widespread view that Mojave resolves the issue with Final Cut, but I've not yet seen any testing.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Could someone tell me if really eGPUs don't work in Windows-BootCamp, if High Sierra 10.13.4 or later is installed?

It's really not supported. Does it work? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Maybe. But if it doesn't - or doesn't after an update or whatever - it's up to you to figure out. Apple and BlackMagic won't help.

 

[tubedogg]

Doubts about e-GPU:
I've just run into this review of the Blackmagic eGPU. Apparently, the eGPU only works if a monitor is daisy-chained to it. (see 12:05 in the video).

I've taken a look at this Apple Support page and it has confused me even more.

• From the sound of it, apps and games need to be coded to support eGPUs. Do most games / popular video apps support eGPUs at the moment?

As the support page says, if you have a monitor plugged into the eGPU, games automatically utilize it, no developer support required. In the case of a mini where you have an eGPU, I don't know that it makes sense not to plug the monitor into the eGPU instead of the mini itself, unless you really want to use the iGPU for some reason, in which case the capabilities of the eGPU are irrelevant.

Pro apps need to be designed to be able to utilize multiple GPUs in order to utilize the external GPU, since they make use of the GPU in a different way than simply pushing pixels to the screen.

 

[smbu2000]

"Could someone tell me if really eGPUs don't work in Windows-BootCamp, if High Sierra 10.13.4 or later is installed?"

I think that the "Blackmagic eGPU" isn't supported in Windows as they haven't made drivers for it.

As far as other eGPU boxes, well I've been using mine without any problems in Win10 (bootcamp). I have my 2017 15" MBP hooked up to a Razer Core V2 with a GTX 1080 connected to a 31.5" 4K Eizo monitor. I've played some games without any problems, run benchmarks, etc.

I haven't tried it in macOS (mojave) as I have an Nvidia GPU and it takes quite a bit of work getting them to run in macOS, or so I've read. AMD GPU like the RX series/Vega series should work okay in macOS as drivers are built in (because of the iMac/iMac Pro.)

I'm planning on picking up a new Mini and will be hooking up my Razer Core V2 to it instead of the MBP.

 

[androo4519]

I'm finding the eGPU issue pretty confusing. I'd maybe consider it if there was one that was plug and play and matched the size an shape of the Mini so I could stack them. But the more I look at it, the more complications there are. It's not very Apple.

 

[Broken Hope]

Apps don’t need to support hyper threading but they do need to be written for multiple core CPU’s which more and more apps are these days, mostly encoding apps.

 

[tubedogg]

As far as other eGPU boxes, well I've been using mine without any problems in Win10 (bootcamp)

Thanks for this. I'm considering an eGPU for my new mini and was a bit concerned about not being able to play games in Windows with it. Glad to hear it's just a driver issue with their preferred models.