eGPU with MBP in 2019

kitkat9933 · 16 Nov 2019 at 17:29

I am about to upgrade my dead 2016 15” MBP for a 16” model due to arrive shortly.

As the CPU in the 16” trashes my Alienware Laptop, I was thinking about buying a Razer Core X Chroma eGPU (currently use alienware amplifier) and booting into windows via boot camp for gaming.

I’ve read that for mac and Windows compatibility I’ll need to get an AMD gpu, but I’ve read so many mixed reports about this setup working reliability or seamlessly inside windows via boot camp when your MacBook has a dGPU.

has anyone tried this with any success ?

Combat squirrel · 16 Nov 2019 at 17:42

iv got a MBP 2016 and mac mini 2018 and the egpu works on either in windows with boot camp (its a vega 56), does take some tweaking but its possible, the egpu io website has guides - mine is also the razer core model, standard so just egpu.

As for general computing now, i dont think there is anything else i could possibly want now, windows pc's make no sense now all this works so well, saying that also a heads up, depending on the games you play (i like divinity sin 2 mostly) - it now runs absolutely amazing on Mac OS, not sure what catalina did, but yeah hitting 60fps easily and the touch bar is programmed in this game to be used so its just a wonderful laptop gaming experience.

kitkat9933 · 16 Nov 2019 at 19:19

Combat squirrel said:
iv got a MBP 2016 and mac mini 2018 and the egpu works on either in windows with boot camp (its a vega 56), does take some tweaking but its possible, the egpu io website has guides - mine is also the razer core model, standard so just egpu.

As for general computing now, i dont think there is anything else i could possibly want now, windows pc's make no sense now all this works so well, saying that also a heads up, depending on the games you play (i like divinity sin 2 mostly) - it now runs absolutely amazing on Mac OS, not sure what catalina did, but yeah hitting 60fps easily and the touch bar is programmed in this game to be used so its just a wonderful laptop gaming experience.

when you say takes some tweaking ? Is it a one of tweak or a constant pain type of tweaking ?

Combat squirrel · 16 Nov 2019 at 20:02

kitkat9933 said:
when you say takes some tweaking ? Is it a one of tweak or a constant pain type of tweaking ?

Just follow the guides on that website and once its done it just works then - the only ongoing thing you have to do is boot into boot camp WITH THE GPU ATTACHED, so the hardware of the system remains the same, you can boot into windows on the internal GPU but then you have to restart BEFORE adding the egpu its not just plug and unplug as you want as in Mac OS, in short any time u change graphics chips your better off shutting down, and then restarting and booting in to book camp - mac os is no bother.

kitkat9933 · 16 Nov 2019 at 20:05

Combat squirrel said:
Just follow the guides on that website and once its done it just works then - the only ongoing thing you have to do is boot into boot camp WITH THE GPU ATTACHED, so the hardware of the system remains the same, you can boot into windows on the internal GPU but then you have to restart BEFORE adding the egpu its not just plug and unplug as you want as in Mac OS, in short any time u change graphics chips your better off shutting down, and then restarting and booting in to book camp - mac os is no bother.

thanks, appreciate the help.

JamesM · 17 Nov 2019 at 18:43

It works.

Running a 2018 MacBook Pro here with a Razor Core X and a 5700XT.

You loose some performance in gaming (approx 30%) but if you don't game much then it can work well. The latest windows update screwed eGPU users so you have to read about what versions not to update to and drivers are only really available from one person online.