OpenCore (OCLP) x Purge Wrangler for eGPU TB1 support

[brdeveloper]

Hello.

I have an eGPU enclosure (Wikingoo) which works well with my Mac Mini 2018 running Monterey, so I'm planning make it work with my rMBP early 2013 and a 2012 Mac Mini. Both of them are Thunderbolt 1 capable devices. Since my GPU enclosure needs bus power, I'll probably get a TB3 dock to achieve this requirement. The most concerning part to me is patching my old Macs to get eGPU support on TB1-2 interfaces. Since my rMBP is my daily driver laptop, I'm afraid of installing OCLP or Pure Wrangler on a machine which needs dealing with enterprise work and banking. I know, my salary should be better so I could buy a newer Mac, but I live in Brazil, exchange rates are not favorable and I want making my rMBP more useful for some gaming and video editing.

What do you think? Are OCLP and Pure Wrangler safe enough? If so, which one would be the best option? I don't want upgrading macOS, I just need eGPU support.

Thanks in advance.

 

[brdeveloper]

Ended up using Purge Wrangler. Now my early-2013 15" rMBP (Thunderbolt 1) drives an eGPU through an Elgato TB3 dock (by using a TB3-2 adapter and a TB cable). The only issue is when connecting a display directly to the eGPU — screen goes black. Don't know if it's an issue with the internal discrete graphics (Geforce 650M), since my Mac Mini 2018 easily accepts a display connected directly to the eGPU.

Anyway, there was a performance improvement on games. The 650M runs Beach Buggy Racing 2 at 50-60fps while the eGPU runs at 100-120fps. If it supported a display connected to the eGPU, I would probably achieve better results.

 

[carylee2002]

You screen going blank maybe that you need to go to your settings and make your monitor the primary vs secondary.

 

[brdeveloper]

You screen going blank maybe that you need to go to your settings and make your monitor the primary vs secondary.

If I remember well, it had to do with the internal dGPU. It's straightforward on my Mac Mini 2012, but not on my rMBP 15" early-2013. Also, Ventura drops support for some eGPU features, so the best OS and hardware for an eGPU is Monterey on a non-dGPU Mac.