In June 2017, Apple announced that it would add support for external GPUs to macOS. Now, an official support is available. The latest update to macOS High Sierra makes it possible for one to connect different graphic cards to the Mac through a Thunderbolt 3 port and use that additional power to speed up demanding processes and that includes games and video editing. The specific use for VR has been highlighted by Apple.
There however are a few limitations to what a person can do with external GPUs. One of them is, only select models are supported officially. Apple is only supporting some of AMD’s Radeon cards which it only includes in certain Macs. This does not in real sense mean that a GeForce card won’t work but it means that you’ll be gambling if you continue to hope it will keep working.
It also means that you also won’t be able to use external GPUs on Windows through Boot Camp. Also, developers have to enable support for an external GPU plugged into your computer when it’s running macOS before it can make anything happen. Lastly, one will need a recent model of the available Macs considering that external GPUs depend on super speed provided by Thunderbolt 3. This includes MacBook Pros from 2016 and 2017, 2017 iMacs, and the iMac Pro.
If you have a new machine and are using apps that support it, this is a great additional feature and an unexpected one at that since external GPUs have really been popularized by the gaming community which does not exist on the Mac. An outstanding benefit of incorporating Thunderbolt 3 ports is allowing for a powerful flexibility. Now, for those people who have the volition of spending more than a few hundred extra dollars can get an even more capable computer than what they bought which can be useful particularly for people with MacBook Pros who want a smaller package on the go and more power when they plug in at home or the office.
