Today I am going to talk about how to spend a little money
Can greatly upgrade your existing Mac
It will be very helpful for the following people
1. You feel your mac is a bit slow
Especially when doing video editing
2. You want to play some games with your mac
But maybe your mac is too old
Or the graphics card inside is overwhelmed
3. Or you are like me
Because of needs or preferences
Like to use a lighter laptop
But there is also a need for audiovisual editing
eGPU (external graphics card)
Is your only option except to change computers
Unless you are using an expensive mac pro
Otherwise, the mac in the past five years
Except some iMac / Mac mini
Can be upgraded in addition to internal memory and storage capacity
You have absolutely no way to upgrade other hardware inside
In terms of my current usage
My 2017 13-inch MacBook Pro
4K editing is already very difficult
Especially if I want to add some special effects to the movie
Basically it often gets stuck
Not to mention exporting and spreading
To move is to take off in almost an hour
Originally I was thinking about whether I need to replace with a new computer
But for MacBook Pro
The one with discrete graphics is only 16 inches
Not to mention that I just do n’t like to take a big computer
The price is not cheap
Based on my current residual value of about 30,000 to 40,000 (more than $ 1,000)
I have to post at least another
50,000 to 60,000 ($ 1-2,000 USD)
To change to the right
So another option
Is eGPU
A Thunderbolt 3 graphics box
About 8,000 to 10,000 ($ 300-400 USD)
Graphics card can be chosen according to your budget
Jue new is too expensive, you can also buy second-hand
I basically lock the two RX580 and RX5700 XT
Are all officially supported by Apple
RX580 is in good condition, about 2,000 to 4,000 ($ 80-130 USD)
RX5700 XT because it is relatively new
So the new one will cost more than 9,000 to 10,000 ($ 300-500 USD)
Second hand depends on luck
The whole group is between about 15,000 and 25,000 ($ 500- $ 800 USD)
No matter how it is equipped, it is much cheaper than replacing a 16-inch one.
The bigger advantage is that it can still be used after changing the computer
Old graphics cards can also be sold separately
To buy a new upgrade
Unlike if I bought a 16-inch one now
When it does n’t feel enough after two years
You still have to face the need to replace the entire unit
Or the option to buy eGPU
So I finally decided to try eGPU first
Come to actually experience and share the experience
I will compare the differences before and after use in detail
Advantages and possible problems
And compare the above two graphics cards
Differences between RX 580 and RX 5700 XT in actual use
I hope to help you choose a more suitable upgrade method for you
Let's unpack the external box and graphics card first
The external box I chose is Akitio Node Titan
It's the latest price of 115,000 ($ 380 USD)
There are many reasons for choosing this
The total power supply can reach 650W
So the RX5700 XT, which seems to be more powerful, also supports
In addition, the power supply to the laptop is supported to 85w
This means that even with a 16-inch MacBook Pro
You can work while charging
The reason why I chose AkiTio is actually because of OWC
OWC is an American company specializing in Apple computer peripherals
Should be regarded as the biggest one around Mac
I used to buy their peripherals when I upgraded my 15-inch
And the Thunderbolt 3 Dock I currently use is also OWC
Used for three years without any problems
OWC bought Akitio early last year
AkiTio's original product line is very close to OWC
Also specializes in Mac peripherals
The product design language is also very Apple
So now OWC is in the eGPU part
Is to follow the AkiTio brand
Maybe I ’m a little bit of a brand myth
I think an external box designed for Mac
Don't worry about compatibility
Let me teach you how to install the video card
It's actually very simple
Even people like me who have no experience in assembling PCs
No need to read the manual
No tools required for installation
There is a hidden handle on the upper cover
Very practical
After the back two turn away, you can slide the cover
You can see the graphics card slot and the power cord inside
Here I have two graphics cards to test
The first one is Sapphire Pulse's RX580 8GB
Brand new on Amazon is $ 179 USD
Be compared to the previous generation graphics card
But it is also one officially supported by Apple
The other one is Gigabyte's Gaming OC RX5700 XT 8GB
About NT $ 10,000 ($ 330 USD)
It is cheaper in RX5700 XT
When installing, turn the two screws inside by hand
Remove the back version
Insert the card
Retract the screws
Power supply part
RX580 has eight holes
All use 6 pin and 2 pin each
After aligning the shape of the hole, you can insert it
Come back to cover
Lock the back screws
Plug in the power cord and the included Thunderbolt 3 cable
Boot
Just plug in your Mac
You will see such an icon on the toolbar of the Mac
It means there is a link to eGPU
The part of the external screen is connected from the graphics card behind the eGPU
The hardware installation part is like this
Then comes the software settings
To the software you want to use eGPU
Right click to select get information
You will see the option of "prefer external GPU"
Just check it
Final Cut can now be selected directly in the software
So go to Fina Cut ’s system preferences
Then go to the "Playback" project
See the "Render / Share GPU" section
You can choose which graphics card to use
Of course, choose the one you connected
In this way, the hardware and software parts are roughly set up
Let's take a look at the running points first
Geekbench 5 Metal score
This part is because there is information on the Internet
So I will also add a 13-inch MacBook Pro for 2020
For comparison with the 16-inch MacBook Pro in 2019
The first one is the running part of Geekbench 5 Metal
You can see that running points after adding eGPU
Outperform all the latest MacBook Pro
Even the cheaper RX580 is a victory
As far as my own 13-inch
Running points
eGPU with two external monitors> one external monitor> no external monitor
But this is only the part of running points
Wait for more tests to see if they all have the same phenomenon
The next thing we look at is Unigine Heaven
Let's compare if you want to play games
How much upgrade the eGPU brings
This part of the running score will be reflected in actual use
Here it seems that the RX5700 XT still has a very significant help
For those who need to play games, you can measure it yourself
Not worth the extra money to buy this graphics card
You can also see in performance
The best performance is when there is at least one external screen
But there is no obvious difference between connecting two external screens
Next let ’s compare Final Cut Pro
This part of the comparison is the most practical part for me
Also the biggest reason I bought eGPU
Let's compare the parts of BruceX 5K first
Because this is a benchmark
I can take other people to use the 2020 MacBook Pro
The output values ​​are compared for you
You can see in this section
Even if you use RX580 to compare with the latest 2020 13-inch high-end models
Still have a relative advantage
RX5700 XT is almost 3.5 times faster
Let's take a look at my 2k and 4k video announcement and output comparison
Here it seems that eGPU really has a very significant help
Take the 4K video I edited most often
The dyeing speed only takes a quarter of the time
It only takes one third of the output time
But for RX5700 XT at double the price
The performance is roughly the same as the RX 580
Why is this so?
One way of speaking is
Although macOS Catalina
And Final Cut already support this graphics card
But Apple has only recently started to make choices on Mac Pro
So the driver must be optimized
As a result, the performance of this graphics card has not been completely liberated
I also compared the test without connecting the external screen
And connect two external screens to test
Time on output
There is no obvious gap between these three combinations
Now take a look at the advantages / disadvantages / precautions for use
Look at this result
After receiving eGPU, it is really a very meaningful upgrade
When I was making a movie,
Because we have to take into account the system's load
And output time
On the one hand, the film cannot be too long
Need to cut out a lot of details or explanations
On the other hand, the colors and special effects are also very conservative
Many ways of presenting are restricted because of this
Before cutting any 4K video
I have to switch to Proxy Media first
Otherwise, it will be very abruptly cut
After applying special effects, it is even worse
Even if you do n’t switch to Proxy Media, it ’s smooth.
Secondly, it saves a lot of time on output
4K movie with a bunch of special effects and layers
It can also be output in 1: 1 time
It means a 4K movie with a bunch of special effects for 11 minutes
It only takes 11 minutes to output
At least 50 minutes more than before
So this performance is very satisfying to me
If the shortcomings
In fact, it is this combination that you are unlikely to bring out
But I always do it at home when editing
So this has been considered before
As for my previous research in foreign forums
Some people occasionally run into crashes and flash problems
But I really have n’t encountered it once
It may be related to the compatibility of the graphics box and the graphics card.
Plus maybe because I am not playing games
Anyway, the current use is no different from the original system
There is really nothing to pay attention to in use
May be when you want to unplug the graphics box
Remember to click on the toolbar to launch this graphics card
Then shut down again after exiting (graphic box)
That's fine
Let me talk about the purchase combination I suggest
In the external box
I suggest buying enough power
Can support simultaneous charging of graphics cards that consume electricity
Same in size
At least like my Akitio Node Titan level
If you want to upgrade the graphics card in the future, you will not be restricted
As for the graphics card
If your purpose is the same as mine
Is used with Final Cut clips
Take the two RX580 and RX5700 XT I have
Performance
I think the RX580 CP value is really high
RX5700 XT may be after Apple updates the driver
You can completely liberate its effectiveness
But for now
Nearly 3-5 times the price difference
I still recommend using a second-hand RX580 first
After that, when Apple really updates and optimizes the RX5700 XT
First determine whether the performance has been liberated
It ’s not too late to consider whether you need to upgrade
Second-hand prices will also drop
If you think RX580 is in good condition, it is not easy to find
You can also consider the RX570
After testing with netizens abroad
Found that the difference between Final Cut performance and RX580 is very small
If you want to play games
Then RX5700 XT may be more suitable
If your Mac does not have a Thunderbolt 3 connector
But with Thunderbolt 2
In fact, it can still be used
Just need to buy an adapter
There are more settings for Mac
You can refer to Pony's video
He has taught step by step
I will put the link here and below
There are also many resource links about external graphics cards
I will also put it below for reference
Most are foreign
So if you want to see it, you can go and see
Do you have any experience with eGPU
Or you can leave a message below
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See you next time
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