Official Apple user support for external Thunderbolt 3 GPUs not coming until Spring 2018
While Apple did announce official support for Thunderbolt 3 eGPU implementations, a footnote nestled deep in the High Sierra preview page declares that user support in a non-beta fashion won't be available to users until Spring 2018.
Apple's note on the matter springs from the "Virtual reality for Mac" section. In the section, Apple notes that the HTC Vive VR headset is supported on Mac with "the new iMac with Retina5Kdisplay, the new iMacPro coming in late 2017, or any supported Mac paired with an external GPU."
Following that sentence, is a link to footnote 3 on the same page, noting that the external GPU expansion capability is "planned for spring 2018."
AppleInsider has briefly examined eGPU support in macOS High Sierra, and has discovered that third-party hardware and video cards work the same as the developer's kit should. There are notable pre-release testing issues according to Apple's developer notes, including:
To go along with Apple's VR and eGPU initiative, Valve launched its own first beta of SteamVR for the Mac on Monday, giving early testers the ability to sample virtual reality experiences on compatible Macs.
AppleInsider will be examining the Apple eGPU developer's kit and will further examine support in the coming days. MacOS High Sierra's first release to the general public is expected in the fall of 2017.
Apple's note on the matter springs from the "Virtual reality for Mac" section. In the section, Apple notes that the HTC Vive VR headset is supported on Mac with "the new iMac with Retina5Kdisplay, the new iMacPro coming in late 2017, or any supported Mac paired with an external GPU."
Following that sentence, is a link to footnote 3 on the same page, noting that the external GPU expansion capability is "planned for spring 2018."
AppleInsider has briefly examined eGPU support in macOS High Sierra, and has discovered that third-party hardware and video cards work the same as the developer's kit should. There are notable pre-release testing issues according to Apple's developer notes, including:
- Lack of support for mirrored displays
- No "clamshell mode" support
- No support for HDMI audio
- AutoLogin failure when EGPU is attached
- No acceleration of internal display on iMac, MacBook Pro
- 60W of charging power, not 87W
- No support for USB-C displays
- No sleep support for attached mac -- but display sleep is fine
To go along with Apple's VR and eGPU initiative, Valve launched its own first beta of SteamVR for the Mac on Monday, giving early testers the ability to sample virtual reality experiences on compatible Macs.
AppleInsider will be examining the Apple eGPU developer's kit and will further examine support in the coming days. MacOS High Sierra's first release to the general public is expected in the fall of 2017.
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