macOS 10.13.4 Enables Support for External GPU (engadget.com)

With the latest release of macOS High Sierra, Apple has officially delivered on a couple of items in the works since WWDC 2017 last June. macOS 10.13.4 brings the external GPU (eGPU) support that lets developers, VR users gamers and anyone else in need of some extra oomph to plug in a more powerful graphics card via Thunderbolt 3. From a report: While that may not make every underpowered laptop VR ready, it certainly makes staying macOS-only more palatable for some power users. Another notable addition is Business Chat in Messages for users in the US. Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp and others have tweaked their services to enable customer service linkups and now Apple has its version available on the desktop. With it, you can interact with business representatives or even make purchases. Other tweaks include waiting for the user to select login fields before autofilling password information in Safari, a smoke cloud wallpaper that had previously been restricted to the iMac Pro and a Safari shortcut for jumping to the rightmost tab by pressing Command-9. Further reading: Gizmodo.

Comments

Hasn't this been possible for years?

[dryriver]

On 3D forums I frequent sometimes, Mac users have been using external GPUs for ages. What is new here? Or is Bana... I mean Apple merely making support official?

Re:Hasn't this been possible for years?

[AmazingRuss]

It worked... it just didn't work right. Hopefully it does now.

Re:Hasn't this been possible for years?

[Proudrooster]

Yes, eGPU has been working for years, however you could't hot-detach, switch always required a shutdown/boot.
If this supports hot-swap and works with a laptop, it will be welcomed by developers.

Re:Hasn't this been possible for years?

[jd]

External CPUs and GPUs have been around since the mid 1980s. Most were unpopular or unusable.

Re:Hasn't this been possible for years?

[willy_me]

Most were unpopular or unusable.

Which is why having support built into the base OS is a big deal. Almost impossible to get it working well when support is an afterthought or third party addition. Fundamental changes to the OS and APIs are required to allow applications to work without rebooting while the underlying hardware is swapped out. It is a big deal, and the only reason why I can accept it being posted on Slashdot --- unlike most point updates which should not be posted.

Bug with Samba/Linux?

[AncalagonTotof]

I installed the latest macOS on my MBP this morning, and since, I unable to access my Samba server.
It's still working from a Mini running 10.9.5 and a MBA under 10.11.6.
Anybody else having this problem?

Re:Bug with Samba/Linux?

[KixWooder]

No problems here on my MBP with my local servers.

Re:Bug with Samba/Linux?

[AncalagonTotof]

Weird, after an installation of Netatalk on my server, and the 3rd or 4th reboot of my MBP today, I got _both_ Netatalk and Samba working. What the hell has been going on in the while? Will never know? Sorry for the comments pollution!

The CPUs are still a problem

[rsilvergun]

in those tight enclosures. Good cooling design helps, but it can only do so much. Also Mac users are going to find out that their laptops don't last for decades when they run their CPUs at full bore for 3-4 hour gaming sessions.

Re:The CPUs are still a problem

[jecowa]

The MacBook TouchBar has pretty good cooling with the motherboard wrapped around two fans.

Re:What lag does it have?

[rogoshen1]

I've had an akitio node for the past 6 months or so, paired with an asus 501vw laptop and GTX 970; and the external GPU has worked fantastically.

There's a bit of a performance hit as parent said, but 30% seems a bit high; I think it's largely dependent on your screen resolution and what FPS you're hitting.

At this point if you're shopping for a new gaming computer; it's probably in your interest cost/benefit wise to go with a desktop. BUT, if you have either a spare video card lying around and want a second gaming computer; or if you only want a single computer and need it to be portable -- eGPU's are good compromise.

In related news ....

[timholman]

In related news, Apple also announced the MacBook Ultra Pro, which features no internal GPU or graphics card. As an accessory, users may purchase the GPU dongle with an associated external graphics card for the low, low price of $1499.

Rumors are also swirling about the anticipated MacBook Mega Ultra Pro laptop, which is rumored to feature no screen or keyboard, and handles all I/O through the Touch Bar. Users can purchase optional dongles for attaching a keyboard and screen to the single USB-C port. Users can also purchase a matching keyboard and screen with a special Apple carrying case for just $999.

Re:In related news ....

[R3d M3rcury]

While amusing, you made one mistake.

Apple wouldn't call it a "MacBook Ultra Pro" or a "MacBook Mega Ultra Pro." They would just call it a "MacBook Pro." This way, you'd have no idea what you were buying...

Re:Since it's Apple we're talking about here

[Anonymous Coward]

You're a fucking idiot.

Re:Since it's Apple we're talking about here

[BronsCon]

The Apple Tax is a fee paid to Apple, not by them...

Macs should be somewhat faster

[SuperKendall]

From the PCWorld article:

The proprietary cable itself carries data at x4 PCIe Gen 3 data rates. Thatâ(TM)s about 4GB/s. For comparison, a standard GPU connection on a desktop is a full x16 Gen 3 connection, which carries about 16GB/s.

The Thunderbolt 3 connection is good for 40 Gbps, or 5GB/s. The iMac Pro has four USB-C ports that have two separate buses, so theoretically you could even do 10GB/s, I'm not sure how Apple's eGPU box is wired up.

That's of course just the speed from the computer to the card, if you have.a display attached to the card then that does not factor into resolution or monitors supported.

Re:Macs should be somewhat faster

[Anubis IV]

One addendum to everything you said (which is correct): just because it has 25% as many PCIe channels doesn't mean the performance is 25% what it could have been. In practice, a GTX 1080 will still perform at about 70-75% of its capability when connected via x4 instead of x16. There won't necessarily be any delays, but the raw performance will be less than what the card is capable of.

One other minor note: Apple isn't selling an Apple-branded eGPU box at this time. It's possible they might when the new Mac Pro debuts later this year or next, since they've talked about going to a more modular design and this change would seem to lay that groundwork, but whether they will or won't remains to be seen.

True

[rsilvergun]

but Linux tech tips just benchmarked that new iMac pro and even with all it's cooling there was still some throttling. Laptops are always going to be a tradoff in that regard. Maybe if there was a special enclosure that opened the mobo to air...

That does not make sense

[SuperKendall]

Also Mac users are going to find out that their laptops don't last for decades when they run their CPUs at full bore for 3-4 hour gaming sessions.>

A large amount of cooling for games goes into cooling the GPU. So if you are running anything graphic intensive with an eGPU, the system will have a much easier time keeping the processor cool even if you are running it really heavily.

Also more modern Macs have really good cooling design. The iMac Pro hardly ever spins up fans to where you can hear them, only during gaming - and even then not at max.

They aren't selling one but they made one

[SuperKendall]

Apple is not selling one themselves yet to normal consumers, but they did sell a developer unit for $599 (includes Radeon RX 580 card).

Since the kit is just a Sonnet external Thunderbolt 3 box, it seems like it would be a safe bet to get one of those to work with the new release.

Re:Fix MacBook Amateur's emoji keyboard

[zantafio]

I can't imagine why anyone would still use wired headphones. The AirPods are fantastic in their ease of use and setup. And they sound great too. Not missing the jack at all, I will never go back to wires.

Re:whom the fuck makes this shit for apple

[Anonymous Coward]

It isn't really about portability. Apple has said the next generation Mac Pro moving on from the beautiful cylinder form factor will feature a "modular" design. By adding eGPU support now, we can take advantage of the installed base to beta test GPU over Thunderbolt 3 which is what is going to link the separate components. If there are bugs, people won't complain as loudly about a bonus feature added in an update compared to if they appeared in a newly released flagship machine. Managing expectations. They have some clever people in charge over there.

Re:Fix MacBook Amateur's emoji keyboard

[sandbagger]

When Staxx starts making bluetooth headphones, I'll consider it; otherwise you'll find that in pro environments direct connections with instant on, controlled by the board, are the way to go.

Here's another solution

[sandbagger]

Release another full-sized tower. The prices of Mac Pro 5,1s keep going up, Apple. Get the hint already.

Re:Since it's Apple we're talking about here

[BronsCon]

I was actually going for Informative, not Troll, as the AC to whom I was replying clearly did not know what rodrigoandrade meant by "Apple Tax". Someone should not have mod points today.

Re:Since it's Apple we're talking about here

[BronsCon]

And it was rodrigoandrade who said there was, not me; I was merely explaining what rodrigoandrade was talking about. I do see how you could be confused on that point if you have trouble following conversational flow. Do you have trouble following conversational flow?

Re: Fix MacBook Amateur's emoji keyboard

[HumanEmulator]

I like wireless headphones on my iPhone, but almost never used them with my Mac. Latency (lag) is a real problem for anything that requires audio to be synchronized with the screen. QuickTime solves this for video playback by slightly delaying the start of videos to sync with your headphones, but it only works for simple playback. Good luck trying to edit video when the audio never stays synced.