REVIEW: Blackmagic eGPU Pro connected to a 13-inch MacBook Pro
October 23rd, 2019 by rob-ART morgan, mad scientist
The Blackmagic eGPU Pro comes with the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 GPU. We were confident it would provide a signficant boost in graphics performance to our 3 year-old 13-inch MacBook Pro.
GRAPH LEGEND
Blackmagic eGPU Pro = Blackmagicdesign's Pro version of their eGPU with pre-installed Radeon RX Vega 56 (8GB)
Iris Graphics 550 = 2016 MacBook Pro 13-inch with Integrated Intel Graphics 550
TEST MULE: The 2016 MacBook Pro 13-in with 3.3GHz Core i7, 16GB of memory, 1TB flash storage, running macOS Mojave 10.14.6.
DaVinci Resolve Single Node Noise Reduction
Using the 1080p Candle Project, we applied the "1NR" preset and started playback. (HIGHER Frames per Second = FASTER)
DaVinci Resolve Triple Node Noise Reduction
(HIGHER Frames per Second = FASTER)
Final Cut Pro X 10.4.7
Exported the BruceX sample 5K project to ProRes 4444 XQ. (LOWER Time in Seconds = FASTER)
Motion 5.4.4
Performed a Render RAM Preview on the 600 frame Atmospheric-Open sample project. (LOWER Time in Seconds = FASTER)
TW: Three Kingdoms
Used the built-in Battle benchmark. (HIGHER Frames per Second = FASTER)
TW: Warhammer II
Used the built-in Skaven benchmark. (HIGHER Frames per Second = FASTER)
WHAT DID WE LEARN?
The Blackmagic eGPU Pro (with pre-installed Radeon RX Vega 56) improved the 2016 13-in MacBook Pro's DaVinci Resolve Noise Reduction real-time rendering by a factor of at least 14x.
The Blackmagic eGPU Pro improved the Final Cut Pro X transcoding speed by 272% and Motion RAM Preview render by 108%.
As for gaming, the eGPU Pro improved the framerates of Three Kingdoms by 4x and the framerates of Warhammer II by 3x.
That's what we call a win, win, win, win, win, win.
The Blackmagic eGPU Pro runs very quiet. The enclosure design reminds us of the 2013 Mac Pro cylinder design, featuring a large, quiet, low RPM upper exhaust fan which provides efficient convection cooling. The eGPU Pro is a sealed unit so upgrading the GPU is not an option.
CLICK HERE TO SEE IF THE BLACKMAGIC EGPU PRO CAN BOOST THE GRAPHICS PERFORMANCE OF AN iMAC PRO.
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copyright 2019 Rob Art Morgan
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