Apple's new M1-equipped MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini do not appear to be compatible with eGPUs, including the Blackmagic eGPU that Apple has promoted alongside other Macs and that is available through the online store.
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As noted on Twitter, under the lists of accessories compatible with the new Macs, the Blackmagic eGPU is not listed. In the image above, the eGPU is listed as compatible with the Intel MacBook Pro models still available, but not compatible with the M1 models.
I assumed the M1 Macs would support eGPUs since they have Thunderbolt ports but I was wrong. Maybe a software update can bring back eGPU support to Apple Silicon Macs? https://t.co/M0ixmEkeKz — Steve Moser (@SteveMoser) November 10, 2020
The same is true for the Mac mini, which also comes in both M1 and Intel varieties. MacBook Air models have all been replaced with M1 chips, and none of those machines support eGPUs.
With no eGPU options available at the current time, the new Macs will have to reply on their own M1 chips with built-in GPUs. All M1 chips feature an 8-core GPU with the exception of the M1 chip used in the entry-level MacBook Air, which has a 7-core GPU.
Update: Apple has confirmed to TechCrunch that the M1 Macs do not support eGPUs.
Top Rated Comments
Actually eGPUs were relatively popular on the Mac Mini given it was quite a powerful little machine with the option of 64GB RAM and 10Gb Ethernet.I guess if you need an eGPU you wouldn’t start out with a MacBook Air, low end pro or the mini anyway. Assume the more high end arm models will support it
And less appealing to professionals.No Windows Bootcamp support, no egpu support... This gets less and less appealing to gamers.
The mini was one of the first touted platforms for the eGPU.I guess if you need an eGPU you wouldn’t start out with a MacBook Air, low end pro or the mini anyway. Assume the more high end arm models will support it
We're going to need a source for this claimThe information in this article is false. Macs with Apple Silicon, including the three announced today, support eGPUs.