M1 Mac Models Will Work With eGPUs, But Hardware Acceleration Is Disabled For Now

During Apple’s November event, we were relieved to see that the M1 Mac Models unveiled by Apple feature a Thunderbolt. Unfortunately, it was later discovered that none of the models have eGPU support, which means you can’t connect an external GPU. This does not mean that your existing external GPU enclosure is useless, as a recent finding reveals that it still might be useful.

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A new image shows that it is possible to connect an M1 Mac with the Pro Display XDR via the Blackmagic eGPU. The GPU was even detected, which was an RX 580. It leads to the conclusion that the new M1 Macs can easily detect the eGPUs, but it’s the lack of driver support that prevents users from using the eGPU.

Apple believes that their 5nm M1 chip is capable of performing several tasks as the tests also show that the 8-core GPU outperforms the GTX 1050 Ti and RX 560 in a wide array of graphics-intensive tests. Moreover, the M1 chips also outperform the 2019 iMac Pro featuring Vega 56 graphics in Final Cut Pro X video export tests. Apple’s claim that the M1 features the fastest iGPU shows the extent to which Apple believes in their integrated solution.

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Despite the awesome results, the iGPU isn’t reliable for gaming.The limitations of the iGPU are the reason why we can’t expect decent frames at high resolution. To solve this, Apple is developing a desktop-class A14T chipset for the iMac that will feature a custom GPU solution.

We will have to wait until 2021 to see the ARM powered iMacs in action.

Via Mac4ever