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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.
It worked... it just didn't work right. Hopefully it does now.
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.
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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.
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.
No problems here on my MBP with my local servers.
I hate fat people.
The Apple Tax is a fee paid to Apple, not by them...
APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
External CPUs and GPUs have been around since the mid 1980s. Most were unpopular or unusable.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
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.