Blackmagic eGPU

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  • Overview

    Get desktop-class graphics performance on your MacBook Pro with the Blackmagic eGPU. Featuring the Radeon Pro 580 graphics processor, the Blackmagic eGPU is built to make any Mac with Thunderbolt 3 ports a graphics powerhouse. Enjoy remarkably smooth gaming, accelerate graphics-intensive pro app workflows, and enable VR experiences or content creation. Built-in I/O connections drive a Thunderbolt 3 display, support multiple accessories and charge your MacBook Pro at the same time.

    Pair the Blackmagic eGPU with the stunning resolution and immaculate visuals of the LG UltraFine 5K Display for the ultimate Mac setup.

    Highlights

    Compatible with Mac with Thunderbolt 3 ports

    Radeon Pro 580 graphics processor with 8GB of GDDR5 memory

    Two Thunderbolt 3 ports

    Four USB 3 ports

    One HDMI 2.0 port

    85W power delivery

    What’s in the Box

    Blackmagic eGPU

    Thunderbolt 3 Cable (0.5 m)

    1.8 m power cable

    Tech Specs

    Cable type: Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C)

    Cable length: 1.64 ft. / 0.5 m

    Connections: HDMI, Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), USB

    Power Source: AC

    Height: 11.59 in./ 29.44 cm

    Length: 6.96 in./ 17.68 cm

    Width: 6.96 in./ 17.68 cm

    Weight: 9.92 lb

    System Requirements

    Operating System: macOS 10.13.6 High Sierra or later.

    Manufacturer Information

    Part Number

    UPC or EAN No.: 812497035751

  • 3.0 Average
    3 out of 5 stars
    Number of stars Percentage Number of reviews
    5 Stars(Read all reviews)
    18%
    		5reviews
    4 Stars(Read all reviews)
    25%
    		7reviews
    3 Stars(Read all reviews)
    7%
    		2reviews
    2 Stars(Read all reviews)
    25%
    		7reviews
    1 Star(Read all reviews)
    25%
    		7reviews
    Write a review
    • 2.0 out of 5 stars

      Mediocre for Gaming

      I bought this to use with my 2017 15" MacBook Pro to play fortnite with. It can run Fortnite on medium/low settings at about 50 FPS but honestly not worth $700. I bought this to use with my 2017 15" MacBook Pro to play fortnite with. It can run Fortnite on medium/low settings at about 50 FPS but honestly not worth $700. I definitely do not believe that it creates "super smooth gaming" like advertised. Im very sad, I was hoping that Apple finally created a gaming solution to their computers!

      • Written by Alec H from FRUIT HEIGHTS

      506 of 712 people found this useful

      Is this review useful?Mediocre for Gaming

    • 1.0 out of 5 stars

      final cut pro will NOT use this when its exporting

      final cut will use the external card while you are editing but NOT while you are exporting if you are using the new 10.4version ���� this was the main reason final cut will use the external card while you are editing but NOT while you are exporting if you are using the new 10.4version ���� this was the main reason for the purchase

      • Written by Daniel S from brooklyn

      335 of 418 people found this useful

      Is this review useful?final cut pro will NOT use this when its exporting

    • 5.0 out of 5 stars

      Great plug-and-play eGPU for LG Ultrafine 5k Display

      I've considered and examined various eGPU options for my 2016 Macbook Pro for some time, as even the highest-end option (Radeon Pro 460 at the time) is simply n I've considered and examined various eGPU options for my 2016 Macbook Pro for some time, as even the highest-end option (Radeon Pro 460 at the time) is simply not sufficient to run the two 5k TB3 displays without a quite noticeable slowdown on the GUI and associated tasks. However, until last week, all options for eGPU acceleration of TB3 displays were limited, since the displays still had to be connected directly to the computer. This eGPU finally solves this problem by offering a direct connection to the TB3 display, sitting between the computer and monitor! Finally a product that again lives up to the old Apple motto of "just works" -- no additional drivers or software needed, and the internal USB3.1 hub is an added bonus. And, while the Radeon Pro 580 is admittedly not a top-of-the-line card compared to some other options currently available, for the price it's a reasonable deal (eGPU enclosures start at $300 without a card), especially considering the unique TB3 connectivity option for the display itself -- this is, quite simply, the *only* functional option for those using a macbook pro and the LG Ultrafine 5k. The eGPU (Radeon Pro 580) reliably runs the primary display, and the internal discrete card (Radeon 460) is dedicated to the secondary one. My only gripe is that the included cable is so short, it should almost be called a dongle. For $699 they could have at least included something closer to the 0.8m length. Overall, very satisfied with my purchase.

      • Written by Joshua W from Studio City

      246 of 316 people found this useful

      Is this review useful?Great plug-and-play eGPU for LG Ultrafine 5k Display

    • 4.0 out of 5 stars

      It works but.....

      I bought this to go with a new i7 Mac Mini linked up to a 4k 32" 4K monitor. Whilst most of my use is general web browsing, I do sometimes spend time with appl I bought this to go with a new i7 Mac Mini linked up to a 4k 32" 4K monitor. Whilst most of my use is general web browsing, I do sometimes spend time with applications like Lightroom for photos and Resolve for Video so the addition of the eGPU meant I had a much needed boost on the odd occasions I needed better graphics performance than offered out of the box with the Mac Mini. apps like iMovie with 4K video did run just fine with the built in graphics BTW so if your needs are simple video taken with your iPhone at 4K, don't be put off by the internal Intel HD630 graphics. So I have run various tests with various applications and there is no question, this makes a huge difference when a GPU is needed to accomplish various tasks so it really does do what it claims. I did also look at the roll your own solutions buying a Sonnet enclosure and fitting a graphics card inside. The argument for that is you can upgrade the GPU later. The problem here is that you can't just but the base spec enclosure as it would not have a big enough PSU to run say a Vega64 later on if you did upgrade so buying an enclosure with a big enough PSU for future upgrades and a Radeon 580 today costs A LOT more than the Black Magic device on day one. On top of that, the other external GPUs have many many fans on them and are very noisy. The Black Magic is silent at all times. In my nice quiet office, this matters. So I therefore have an eGPU that is cheaper than an upgradable and quiet. Sure I can't just swap out the graphics card at a later date but I am sure many iMac users will tell you they don't loose sleep on that count either (think about it). If you want a machine you can upgrade each year as new games come out, perhaps a Mac isn't the right machine for you in the first place. So why only 4 stars? I wanted to place the Black Magic eGPU inline between my Mac Mini and monitor. In MACOS you can configure individual applications to use the eGPU but you have to do each one individually. If the eGPU is inline with the primary then everything uses it plus traffic doesn't have to leave the mac, go to the eGPU, travel back to the Mac and then output on a different port (HDMI or ThunderBolt). THIS CONFIGURATION IS NOT SUPPORTED ON THE MAC MINI! This titbit of info is buried on a support page deep on the Apple website. Because of the T2 chip, you can't have the eGPU inline at boot. It gets locked out. The solution from Apple is to either switch off File Vault (hard drive encryption) on the Mac OR boot the Mac with the monitor plugged straight into the back and then unplug the display from the Mac and plug it into the eGPU instead once you are logged in which means reaching behind the machines every time you boot the Mac and swapping the cable. A total pain and when I tried this, the output often maxed out at 4K 30Hz not the 4K 60Hz I normally get. With the eGPU inline the performance is even better but in real life, that is not a convenient setup and Apple is all about convenience isn't it? I don't want to be messing around swapping cables after every reboot. So in conclusion (because this is a very long review now), this thing does what it claims, is no more expensive than other solutions and makes a big difference to "some" applications but could be even better is Apple sorted out a couple of niggles.

      • Written by Mark R from Spalding

      2 of 2 people found this useful

      Is this review useful?It works but.....

    • 2.0 out of 5 stars

      The Potential is there but its not quite ready, crashes and lockups blight

      Having sold my MacPro 5,1 and bought a 2018 13" Macbook I was reasonably happy, although I missed the additional drives etc, (a Caldigit TB3+ dock sorted that o Having sold my MacPro 5,1 and bought a 2018 13" Macbook I was reasonably happy, although I missed the additional drives etc, (a Caldigit TB3+ dock sorted that out), but the integrated graphics felt a bit slow after the GTX1080 in my MP, so after reading about the EGPU, I determined to buy one, popping into the Regent Street Store to pick it up. The Good news, is it plugs in and works (Mojave 10.14.3), and using iStatmenus I can see what its doing, strangely it is almost always using 80-90% of the 8GB Memory on the card? Which seems odd. Performance is more sprightly when plugged directly from EGPU into a 4K display, (BTW TB3 to Displayport cables do work with it!) Games are accelerated and the general system feels a bit less laggy. BUT, it crashes, it locks up and it does it at the worst possible times, mainly after I have left the Mac with the screensaver running (if I switch the display off as I walk away 100% it will have crashed when I come back). I get around 1 crash or lockup every 12-18 hours. The slight performance benefits are not at this time worth the cost, so it will be returned, I am gutted, as I hoped it would be so much more stable, so much better.

      • Written by Michael S from Canvey Island

      3 of 4 people found this useful

      Is this review useful?The Potential is there but its not quite ready, crashes and lockups blight

    • 2.0 out of 5 stars

      Didn't see a benefit.

      First off, the Thunderbolt 3 cable it comes with is 1 foot. If you are using a Mac Mini and more than one display it might be an odd set up. A longer cable is $ First off, the Thunderbolt 3 cable it comes with is 1 foot. If you are using a Mac Mini and more than one display it might be an odd set up. A longer cable is $39. Secondly this item did nothing to improve my mouse lag in Photoshop CS6 or CC. It's just not for me, so I will be returning this item.

      • Written by Jason D from Chicago

      9 of 12 people found this useful

      Is this review useful?Didn't see a benefit.

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