2016 MacBook Pro with Thunderbolt eGPU?

[jeffnesh]

I am considering an external GPU (along the lines of Akito Node or Mantiz) for my 13" MacBook Pro w/Touchbar.

Pretty confident I can get the eGPU running, probably with an NVIDIA 1060 or so. However, has anyone used something like this with Lightroom CC? Will I see improved performance?

Thanks for any experiences.

 

[Victoria Bampton]

Welcome to the forum Jeff. Interesting question. I haven't come across anyone using such a setup, but there may well be someone out there. I think it's rare enough that only Google will turn them up though.

 

[oleleclos]

From what I read here and elsewhere, Lr GPU acceleration is quite critical of driver support, so the external GPU Setup you describe would seem vulnerable. Besides, performance gains from GPU acceleration appear to be monitor dependent, so you should check first that your 13" MBP will benefit. More here: https://petapixel.com/2015/05/08/wh...ally-be-slower-with-the-new-gpu-acceleration/

 

[Jinook Yoo]

I have tested it yesterday but unfortunately, not available yet.
It is possible to use egpu(Akitio node + GTX1060) with my Macbook Pro(Touch bar 13inch 2016) both bootcamp and Sierra.
and got a reasonable result in 3D games.
but Lightroom did not detect egpu on Sierra -_-;(Did not check on Bootcamp)

 

[jeffnesh]

Thanks, that's exactly the insight I was looking for. I think it's getting easier to get eGPUs up and running in MacOS, and some of the new boxes are appealing. The new Mantiz Venus is only a small bit more in price than a thunderbolt3 dock, provides 5 USB ports, a mount for an internal ssd drive, and ethernet, plus the obvious option for a full GPU card. That's a nice option. I was worried though that with Adobe's current approach to GPU usage it might not work. Sounds like that's the case. Thanks for the test.

 

[Opa]

MacOS 10.13.4 now officially supports eGPU's. Curious if anyone has tried one recently with this version and if they've noticed any improvement.