I think this demonstrates the need for a modular Mac Pro.
Or a desktop Mac at a reasonable price.
I look at it this way if somebody is thinking about an external GPU they made a terrible mistake at some point in their Mac purchase. At this point I actually believe that if you need a good discrete GPU buying any Mac is a mistake.
It just biggles the mind that Apple can’t grasp the need for a broad range of GPU capabilities in Macs. This has gone on for years even with their supposed interests in technologies that will leverage and in some cases require high performance GPUs. Examples: 1. Virtual Reality 2. GPU compute (any science or engineering based acceleration ) 3. Games (not a big deal for me but certainly an issues). 4. Video /graphics 5. AI
these are just five off the top of my head that highlight just how poor the Mac platform is these days. Even the Mac Pro with its outdated GPUs is pretty much worthless for a GPU centered world.
I own the 2018 Mac mini. I knew going in that the graphics performance was going to suck. I have it attached to two Apple TB2 monitors at the office. The 6-core i7 is a beast. I just wished Apple went that one extra inch and install a decent discreet GPU. It doesn't even need to be the latest, and greatest, but just something that would work well within the mini's thermal constraints and provide anything better than what Intel offers. I already had the monitors and didn't want to invest in an iMac, especially since they haven't been updated recently.
I hope someone makes an eGPU housing that mimics the size and shape of the Mac mini. Something I can stack on top of it. These giant eGPU enclosures are interesting, but too big both physically and aesthetically for me to have an interest in it.
I have a suspicion that the next version of the Mac mini will have an AMD GPU.
What is not mentioned by AI is that some of us do not want an all in one. For some that is a preference and for others it is a security requirement.
From a hardware standpoint we can point out weaknesses in comparisons to other models. What we can't do, is run down every possible use case.
At one point there were reports that Apple was looking at a monitor with an internal GPU which would seem to be a good idea for anyone buying any Mac limited by Intel integrated graphics. As someone else mentioned, many of us do not need a bleeding edge GPU but want/need something more than vampire video. I fall into that category and a Mac mini with a decent GPU would fit that really well. What I have seen of eGPUs is not that special and they are quite expensive.
A monitor not thermally limited by Jony Ive’s obsession with skinny edges could host an internal GPU and could share power supplies and the cable. I would gladly buy a modern version of the LED Cinema Display, especially if it had the option of an internal GPU. I think such a display with an eGPU would be attractive to MacBook Air and 13” MBP customers as well as some Mac mini owners.
My point on all in ones is that there are many businesses and people who will not buy an iMac because of the built in mike and camera. You can unplug a USB mike or camera, but there is no good option with an iMac.
What is not mentioned by AI is that some of us do not want an all in one. For some that is a preference and for others it is a security requirement.
From a hardware standpoint we can point out weaknesses in comparisons to other models. What we can't do, is run down every possible use case.
At one point there were reports that Apple was looking at a monitor with an internal GPU which would seem to be a good idea for anyone buying any Mac limited by Intel integrated graphics. As someone else mentioned, many of us do not need a bleeding edge GPU but want/need something more than vampire video. I fall into that category and a Mac mini with a decent GPU would fit that really well. What I have seen of eGPUs is not that special and they are quite expensive.
A monitor not thermally limited by Jony Ive’s obsession with skinny edges could host an internal GPU and could share power supplies and the cable. I would gladly buy a modern version of the LED Cinema Display, especially if it had the option of an internal GPU. I think such a display with an eGPU would be attractive to MacBook Air and 13” MBP customers as well as some Mac mini owners.
My point on all in ones is that there are many businesses and people who will not buy an iMac because of the built in mike and camera. You can unplug a USB mike or camera, but there is no good option with an iMac.
For conversation's sake, there are places that you can send an AIO to to get the mic and FaceTime cam permanently disconnected. That does probably count as "no good option" though.
Would be cool if a GPU enclosure could match the footprint of that Mac Mini, like you get for external storage. Not sure how practical that is, or whether there's enough market for it though.
There’s such a bottleneck for PCIe lanes over thunderbolt that in my humble opinion (or at least for my use cases) egpu really only makes sense as a first choice solution for a laptop docking station with a performance boost. Anything other than that is a work-around for apple’s lack of products that meet certain consumer needs. That said, work-arounds are largely all we have at the moment.
The Mac Mini is an ideal machine for the pro audio industry, since audio software leans completely on the CPU and receives no practical benefit from the GPU. I work in that industry, and there was a lot of excitement at the introduction of the latest Mac Mini, since it now has the most powerful processor in the <$5K Mac lineup, for a fraction of the price of similarly equipped Macs with discrete GPUs.
Actually this is the first mac, that i am comfortable using with idea of expendability on a budget. I use bunch of 4k Eizo's and Thunderbolt extendability is a Godsend. Actually if you are not a gamer, the performance drop in eGpu is not big problem at all. Pair this with good external SSD and you are rocking it. Not to mention 64 gb ram option. This mini is the first apple product since 2013 that i can recommend with clear heart.
Would be cool if a GPU enclosure could match the footprint of that Mac Mini, like you get for external storage. Not sure how practical that is, or whether there's enough market for it though.
There’s such a bottleneck for PCIe lanes over thunderbolt that in my humble opinion (or at least for my use cases) egpu really only makes sense as a first choice solution for a laptop docking station with a performance boost. Anything other than that is a work-around for apple’s lack of products that meet certain consumer needs. That said, work-arounds are largely all we have at the moment.
When the new Mac Pro's come out they will meet desktop requirements. The only downside is going to be price.
The mini is pretty amazing for what it is and at most price points more efficient than the iMac. I'm not sure the Vega 64 is optimal for eGPU...you're paying for a performance premium that you're going to lose much of.
I own the 2018 Mac mini. I knew going in that the graphics performance was going to suck. I have it attached to two Apple TB2 monitors at the office. The 6-core i7 is a beast. I just wished Apple went that one extra inch and install a decent discreet GPU. It doesn't even need to be the latest, and greatest, but just something that would work well within the mini's thermal constraints and provide anything better than what Intel offers. I already had the monitors and didn't want to invest in an iMac, especially since they haven't been updated recently.
I hope someone makes an eGPU housing that mimics the size and shape of the Mac mini. Something I can stack on top of it. These giant eGPU enclosures are interesting, but too big both physically and aesthetically for me to have an interest in it.
I have a suspicion that the next version of the Mac mini will have an AMD GPU.
Comments
I look at it this way if somebody is thinking about an external GPU they made a terrible mistake at some point in their Mac purchase. At this point I actually believe that if you need a good discrete GPU buying any Mac is a mistake.
It just biggles the mind that Apple can’t grasp the need for a broad range of GPU capabilities in Macs. This has gone on for years even with their supposed interests in technologies that will leverage and in some cases require high performance GPUs.
Examples:
1. Virtual Reality
2. GPU compute (any science or engineering based acceleration )
3. Games (not a big deal for me but certainly an issues).
4. Video /graphics
5. AI
these are just five off the top of my head that highlight just how poor the Mac platform is these days. Even the Mac Pro with its outdated GPUs is pretty much worthless for a GPU centered world.
A monitor not thermally limited by Jony Ive’s obsession with skinny edges could host an internal GPU and could share power supplies and the cable. I would gladly buy a modern version of the LED Cinema Display, especially if it had the option of an internal GPU. I think such a display with an eGPU would be attractive to MacBook Air and 13” MBP customers as well as some Mac mini owners.
My point on all in ones is that there are many businesses and people who will not buy an iMac because of the built in mike and camera. You can unplug a USB mike or camera, but there is no good option with an iMac.
There’s such a bottleneck for PCIe lanes over thunderbolt that in my humble opinion (or at least for my use cases) egpu really only makes sense as a first choice solution for a laptop docking station with a performance boost. Anything other than that is a work-around for apple’s lack of products that meet certain consumer needs. That said, work-arounds are largely all we have at the moment.
When the new Mac Pro's come out they will meet desktop requirements. The only downside is going to be price.
The mini is pretty amazing for what it is and at most price points more efficient than the iMac. I'm not sure the Vega 64 is optimal for eGPU...you're paying for a performance premium that you're going to lose much of.