eGPU for iMac

[Martinpa]

Hey guys,

Here are the specs of my iMac:

iMac (27-inch, Late 2013)
Processor 3.5 GHz Intel Core i7
Memory 24 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M 4096 MB

It is still a pretty capable machine (just annoyed by the black fogginess on the bottom of the screen), but I made the mistake of upgrading to macOS 10.14 Mojave and there are no drivers for my Nvidia card, which means that a lot of graphics intensive apps (Premiere, AE, ME, Motion, etc.) run no just slowly, but quite actually at a glacial pace. (i.e. I was changing some text in a Motion animation I made for a friend, and it would take up to 5 minutes for it to show the modification I made and let me do anything else... and don't get me started on export time...)

I don't have the financial means to upgrade my main computer at the moment, so I was wondering what were my options.

I've seen an article (link) about someone plugging in an eGPU with a Thunderbolt 2 connection (I don't even think I have thunderbolt 2 on my iMac... just 1) and was wondering what would be some of your advice regarding that. Is it feasible?

If I want to get something that would be good enough without breaking the bank, yet that would be somewhat future proof, what kind of enclosure should I get? What kind of GPU?

I'm thinking, even when I eventually upgrade my desktop, it could maybe still be useful with a laptop if I'm not working from home, so it could be an investment...

Please, if you have any thoughts or advice...

 

[wardie]

Downgrade from Mojave via your backup? Is that an option. Cheapest route, unless you must use latest macOS.

 

[Martinpa]

Unfortunately I don't have a backup with me (complicated story...).

Also, moving forward, can't depend on getting Nvidia drivers and I'd rather not be stuck on an older version of macOS forever. Hopefully the future Mac Pro will be worthwhile and the entry price won't be too prohibitive (if it is truly upgradeable, then I could start small and build on top of it as I get more money)

 

[nambuccaheadsau]

Tell us about the hard drive?

You do need a capable SSD in that iMac.

 

[Martinpa]

Tell us about the hard drive?

You do need a capable SSD in that iMac.

I have a 1TB Fusion Drive

 

[giffut]

You can use any eGPU case. With mac os 10.14 mojave you must choose an AMD card. The RX580 with 8GB ram ram is your best choice available right now regarding support.

You need to run this script to enable your thunderbolt 2 port for eGPU acceleration. Read here and enjoy:

https://egpu.io/forums/mac-setup/script-enable-egpu-on-tb1-2-macs-on-macos-10-13-4/

https://egpu.io/forums/mac-setup/state-of-egpu-for-macs-mojave-10-14-update/

Appel chose to disable eGPU functionality for any mac with thunderbolt 1/2 port via software lock starting with mac os 10.13 high sierra.