Apple Begins Exclusively Selling 'Blackmagic eGPU' for $699, Aimed at New MacBook Pros

Thursday July 12, 2018 7:29 AM PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Apple.com today gained a new and exclusive external GPU aimed at the MacBook Pro, called the Blackmagic eGPU. According to TechCrunch, the unit's appearance exclusively on Apple's website comes in the wake of a partnership between the two companies as Apple aims to widen the eGPU market after launching support for eGPUs this past spring.

Running for $699.00, the Blackmagic eGPU provides desktop-class graphics performance on a MacBook Pro, through a Radeon Pro 580 graphics processor with 8GB of GDDR5 memory. The accessory connects via Thunderbolt 3, includes two Thunderbolt 3 ports, four USB 3.0 ports, one HDMI 2.0 port, and 85W power delivery. A Thunderbolt 3 cable also comes in the box.


With external GPUs, users can take advantage of smoother gaming experiences, boost graphics-intensive app workflows, enable virtual reality experiences, and even build VR content. Apple leaned into virtual reality as a selling point of eGPUs following the announcement of eGPU support at WWDC 2017, offering eGPU enclosures to developers who want to work on graphically intensive VR applications and games that run on macOS.

Those interested can purchase the Blackmagic eGPU today for $699.00, and the first units are expected to arrive in two days, on Saturday, July 14. Order pickup is also available at nearby Apple retail stores.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Tag: Blackmagic
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Neutral)
113 comments


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JesperA
18 weeks ago

I wonder if it works under bootcamp for gaming

Not according to Blackmagics website. Look there first, it answers all of the 19830 billion questions you had in this thread
Rating: 13 Votes
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Ice-Cube
18 weeks ago
I'm positive I don't need this to surf the net on my mac but I want one.
Rating: 11 Votes
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McG2k1
18 weeks ago
Ok, now make one with nVidia so I can use cuda like a normal modern person uses.
Rating: 9 Votes
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syklee26
18 weeks ago
I wonder how this will work with new mac mini?
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85w power delivery, is this a joke? That’s not anywhere NEAR enough. Even midrange GPUs require 110-120w, let alone the real high end. Why would you spend so much money on this, only to stick low power ATI crap in there?


I think this refers to USB power...
Rating: 6 Votes
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teeoh717
18 weeks ago
$699.00 for an AMD 580? Ouch. Hard to justify over an iMac, unless you absolutely need a mobile workstation that’s dockable. Fewer dongles with an iMac as well...

Either way, still sitting here impatiently waiting for this new Mac Pro.
Rating: 5 Votes
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killawat
18 weeks ago
This enclosure is actually pretty incredible because it looks like they've routed some DisplayPort lines to the Thunderbolt 3 ports on the hub, meaning that, for the first time, users can easily accelerate 5k USB-C displays like the LG Ultrafine via eGPU. This is huge.
Rating: 5 Votes
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Val-kyrie
18 weeks ago

85w power delivery, is this a joke? That’s not anywhere NEAR enough. Even midrange GPUs require 110-120w, let alone the real high end. Why would you spend so much money on this, only to stick low power ATI crap in there?


I wonder how this will work with new mac mini?
[doublepost=1531404009][/doublepost]

I think this refers to USB power...


Power delivery is how much power the eGPU provides to your connected device over TB3. In this case, it is able to power and charge a MBP, which requires 85W to charge, while it is plugged into the eGPU.
Rating: 4 Votes
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Dydegu
18 weeks ago

one thing that always bugged me... can these egpu use the macbook display, or they require an external monitor? if the latter... meh.


You can plug it right into your MBP without the use of an external monitor.
Rating: 4 Votes
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JesperA
18 weeks ago

I think this refers to USB power...

Yes it does. The maximum wattage for the enclosure is 315W which is enough for a 580
Rating: 4 Votes
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ikir
18 weeks ago

Ok, now make one with nVidia so I can use cuda like a normal modern person uses.

Nope, Nvidia is terrible at Mac drivers. AMD shines. Cuda is still widely popular but only works with Nvidia. Radeon is retaking the market, strategically has better mid and mid-high range, better eGPU support, better Linux and macOS support. in Mac land, Metal will become more important every year, Cuda will become less important. Blame Nvidia for terrible metal and macOS drivers. eGPU are Radeon based, also on Windows thanks to XConnect.
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Dumb. And useless. :D

You are just trolling. eGPU is an incredible handy tech for PROs, high end users and gamers too. Power, dedicated GPU, connectivity with one cable. I get 6x performance thanks to eGPU.
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God, Apple hardware is pitiful. $700 for a GPU that costs under $300... so $400 for a case? The thing is garbage too, makes more sense to get a Nvidia 1070 which consumes less power and runs faster.

It runs quite similar ut has better performance in Metal and OpenCL. Also macOS drivers are very good, compared to Nvidia. Yes eGPU box cost quite a lot, but it is like having PCI express eternal, you need ventilation, power delivery and also gives you many port and connectivity. It is not for everyone, but calling trash a really great solution is ap roof you don't understand its use our you are close minded "Nvidia only" which is not true since more than a year. And even if you are blind Nvidia fan, sadly you should blame them.
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They all can, apparently, but you need to hack some .plists and it’s finicky.

You mean OpenGL or forcing everything. Metal and OpenCl accelerate any display by default.
Rating: 4 Votes
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