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After owning it for 5 months, I could not be happier with my experience on Mac with this eGPU. Frame rate, graphics, reflections and so on are stellar. It is worth noting that in Final Cut Pro, it only utilizes the eGPU when exporting a video, but not when editing.
It does have its limitations. It needs to be plugged into your mac in a very specific way to function on windows. I have it set up through a thunderbolt port. I tried installing windows today, and it wasn't functional. I couldn't start up the windows operating system with it. I was a little alarmed.
If you only intend to use this for mac purposes, I fully recommend it. Just be careful if you intend to use it for Windows as well.
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eGPU Breakaway Pucks Radeon RX 5500 XT for Macs
Sonnet Technologies
Product Description
NOT COMPATIBLE WITH M1 Macs | Portable All-in-one eGPU Docks that Support Thunderbolt Monitors.
NOT COMPATIBLE WITH M1 Macs | Pro Portable Graphics - eGPU Breakaway Puck Radeon RX 5500 XT | Radeon RX 5700
Serious Desktop GPU Power
- Connect up to three 4K displays
- Connect LG Ultrafine 4K/5K or Apple 6K Thunderbolt display or Dell Ultrasharp Curved 5K Monitor
- Two USB Ports
Compatible with a Thunderbolt 3 Mac with an Intel CPU and macOS 10.15.7 & macOS 11.
Not compatible with an Apple M1 Mac, Thunderbolt 1 Mac or Thunderbolt 2 Mac. No support for Apple Windows Boot Camp, not fully compatible with a Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4 Windows PC - see Sonnet product page > Tech Specs for more information
In an eGPU chassis, these cards are compatible with macOS 10.5.7 - macOS 12.2, macOS 12.3 is temporarily not compatible with eGPUs
Portable External GPU (eGPU) Docks for Intel-based Mac Computers with Thunderbolt 3 Ports
Do you have an Intel-based MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, iMac or iMac Pro with Thunderbolt 3 ports? If you need to run pro editing, rendering, color grading, animating and special effects apps, you need a graphics processing (GPU) power boost. Whether your computer completely lacks a discrete internal GPU or has a GPU without enough power to adequately support the needs of your current workflow, Sonnet has a pair of solutions that will instantly boost your computer’s graphics performance anytime and anywhere you need it. Why not pack a Puck?!
Supports Thunderbolt Displays
Supports Up to Three 4K Displays – Including One Thunderbolt Display
One DisplayPort 1.4 port, one HDMI 2.0 port, and one Thunderbolt 3 monitor port. Supports 4K, 5K, and even the 6K Apple Pro Display XDR.
Not Compatible with Windows or Windows Bootcamp
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TWO MODELS: eGPU Breakaway Puck Radeon RX 5500 XT
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TWO MODELS: eGPU Breakaway Puck Radeon RX 5700
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Puck Compatibility - IMPORTANTCompatible with a Thunderbolt 3 Mac with an Intel CPU and macOS 10.15.7 & macOS 11: Not compatible with an Apple M1 Mac, Thunderbolt 1 Mac or Thunderbolt 2 Mac. No support for Apple Windows Boot Camp, not fully compatible with a Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4 Windows PC - see Sonnet product page -> Tech Specs for more information. |
MacBook Pro Application Acceleration - Adobe Premiere Pro
2019 MacBook Pro 15" (15,1) - 4K Project Export Accelerated Effects
Longer bars better
MacBook Pro Application Acceleration - DaVinci Resolve
2019 MacBook Pro 15" (15,1) - Timeline Playback Spatial Noise Reduction
Longer bars better
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A GPU, Dock and Charging Station All in OneCharges Your Computer Provides 60W through the included Thunderbolt 3 cable to power and charge your computer! |
USB Peripheral SupporteGPU Breakaway Pucks include two USB Type A ports, enabling you to connect peripherals such as a keyboard, mouse, or even a software license authorization key dongle to your computer without using another port on the computer. |
Ready to Go Right Out of The BoxPlug and Play Ready! Thunderbolt 3 Cable Included |
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A Perfect Mac mini eGPUConnecting an eGPU Breakaway Puck delivers a significant graphics processing boost to the top video editing, visual effects, and modeling applications, cutting rendering times and enhancing VFX and color correction workflows. |
Optional VESA Mounting BracketZero Desktop Footprint Using the PuckCuff VESA mounting bracket kit (sold separately), attach the Puck to the back of a monitor with a VESA bracket. |
Small and Highly PortableToast Not Included Measures 6 inches wide by 5.1 inches deep by 2 inches tall. External GPU to Go! Takes up little space on the desktop, fits easily into a computer bag or backpack |
Reviews with images
Well-Made, Small Footprint, Revives My Mac Mini and Intel NUC
These have been heavily-reviewed on the Mac side with benchmarks and all of that, so I'm not gonna go there. If you're looking at this, you probably know that this is for laptops/computers with on-chip Intel graphics that are mediocre at best. It definitely makes a difference - even in every day computing tasks. Web page scrolling and OS animations were all noticeably smoother right out of the box. I have this connected to my 2018 Mac Mini with two 1440p monitors connected directly to the eGPU - and it works great. I've tried it with games and emulators, as well as Lightroom and Photoshop - it's detected and utilized by all. And it does all this without taking up a huge spot on my desk - which a typical eGPU enclosure certainly would.Now for the quirks. The fan is quiet when not under load, but it cycles on and off regularly. In a quiet room this is noticeable and could be annoying. When you start pushing the GPU, the fan speeds up and is definitely louder - but not so much that it can't be drowned out by turning up your speakers. It gives off a lot of heat all the time, even when idle. With the Mac Mini, if you connect your display(s) directly to the eGPU, you will have no video until the login screen. Normally this is not an issue, but when it comes time for a macOS update, it becomes one. During one of the restarts, the Mac will not boot if there are no physical displays connected directly to it - either via HDMI or USB-C/Thunderbolt. With a MacBook this is not an issue because there's always a physical display attached. But with the Mini, if your monitors are connected directly to the eGPU, you have to fumble behind it and move one of the cables over to the Mac in order for the update to continue. Thankfully this is not usually a frequent occurrence so it's mostly a minor inconvenience. I've been using the Puck this way for 5 months now and it's been great. I definitely recommend it for anyone still on an Intel Mac as it will easily extend the useful life of it by a long time.So... I enjoyed the overall experience of this thing so much that I bought a second one! Yeah, I'm crazy. I was thinking of building a dedicated PC for game console emulation and other casual gaming. It was to sit in my TV stand in the family room for use on the big screen. I watched a few of ETA Prime's YouTube videos about mini PCs with awesome APU graphics and was all set to start building one. But then it dawned on me - I already had a 10th gen i7 Intel NUC whose main purpose was a Plex Server (I chose the i7 for transcoding and higher core count). So why not promote that to some casual gaming usage!? To build a new PC was easily gonna cost me $500 and would not have the same graphics performance as the NUC would with this eGPU connected to it. Plus the NUC was already powered on 24/7, so my electricity usage would only increase while gaming. The experience on Windows is pretty great, too. The driver software is a little clunky - I had an AMD pop up that got stuck and could only be cleared by rebooting the PC. But I've now disabled that and haven't had the issue since. My only "modern" game is Forza Horizon 4 and I've attached some Benchmark Mode screenshots to this review. It did pretty well! Visually it looked no different to me than it did on my Xbox Series S when I had it and the numbers seem to match up. I noticed a few FPS penalty when connecting the TV to the NUC's HDMI port instead of the eGPU directly. It seems this will handle medium to high 1080p 60fps gaming with relative ease. If you crank it up to 4K, which at normal viewing distances on a 75-inch TV is not really necessary, it suffers a bit and hovers around 30fps. For me, it's more than enough because I'm not a hardcore gamer and really just wanted a little more than the integrated GPU can provide - in either machine!So that wraps it up for me. I'm pleased with my purchase(s) and hope that these last for a few years without any issues. For the one connected to my Mac, I'm sure I'll get an Apple Silicon-powered computer in the future which will render it useless. But for now, it has given me a few more years with my Mac Mini - which I otherwise love and have no real reason to upgrade other than new gear FOMO. With the ever-swinging price of GPUs these days, I think this is a solid purchase if you have a compatible computer and need something more than Intel Graphics can provide.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2021
Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2021
FIRST OFF IGNORE THE ONE REVIEW STATING IT WAS A WASTE AND THAT A DIFFERENT ONE WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER. I have no idea how someone who uses a mac and purchases this doesn't know how to actually switch to a different graphics card in the finder options. If you want the real review keep reading.
I'm using a 2020 Macbook Air with this (yes the one that is plagued with "overheating" issues). I've been using it as an ultraportable. After having various gaming laptops and not really having much time to game anymore I went to a 2020 Macbook Air. I'm just looking to boost the graphics quality when doing extremely light gaming, video editing, and some photoshop. However, let's be clear... This thing is NOT designed for hardcore gaming. I attached two pictures. One of the stock Intel Iris Heaven benchmark and the other was using the Sonnet Puck... I have to say. There was a WORLD of a difference when benchmarking it.
I've been researching getting one of these pucks for the portability for the past years since owning the 2020 Macbook Air. I wanted something that I could pack up in and travel with separately if needed because of the amount of traveling I do. I was sort of mislead with the pictures of the device and once I finally got it I am def going to need to change my EDC bag. I desperately needed a better setup so that I could do some 3D rendering and not having to worry about the processor constantly thermal throttling.
While I was originally going to get the RX 560 last year I am def glad I waited to get this one. The features of it compared to the 560 made it worth it.
Ignore the one review that states they returned it.
Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2021
Let's get one thing straight here. If you do your research on WHY you would need to get this EGPU then you should know how to use it.Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2021
FIRST OFF IGNORE THE ONE REVIEW STATING IT WAS A WASTE AND THAT A DIFFERENT ONE WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER. I have no idea how someone who uses a mac and purchases this doesn't know how to actually switch to a different graphics card in the finder options. If you want the real review keep reading.
I'm using a 2020 Macbook Air with this (yes the one that is plagued with "overheating" issues). I've been using it as an ultraportable. After having various gaming laptops and not really having much time to game anymore I went to a 2020 Macbook Air. I'm just looking to boost the graphics quality when doing extremely light gaming, video editing, and some photoshop. However, let's be clear... This thing is NOT designed for hardcore gaming. I attached two pictures. One of the stock Intel Iris Heaven benchmark and the other was using the Sonnet Puck... I have to say. There was a WORLD of a difference when benchmarking it.
I've been researching getting one of these pucks for the portability for the past years since owning the 2020 Macbook Air. I wanted something that I could pack up in and travel with separately if needed because of the amount of traveling I do. I was sort of mislead with the pictures of the device and once I finally got it I am def going to need to change my EDC bag. I desperately needed a better setup so that I could do some 3D rendering and not having to worry about the processor constantly thermal throttling.
While I was originally going to get the RX 560 last year I am def glad I waited to get this one. The features of it compared to the 560 made it worth it.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2021
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2022
Top reviews from other countries
Eddy Jable
Richtiger Beschleuniger für den MacBook Pro
Reviewed in Germany on April 12, 2021
CMG
Grafica egpu de calidad y eficiencia en espacio reducido
Reviewed in Spain on March 13, 2021