iMac 27 Late 2013 and Razer Core X eGPU Dilemma

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Level 1

8 points

iMac 27 Late 2013 and Razer Core X eGPU Dilemma

Hey Everybody!

I've got an iMac (27-inch, Late 2013) and I'm thinking about purchasing the following eGPU for it - Razer Core X - with this video card - AMD RX Vega 56 or 64, 8GB - to boost up my work/game performance on Mac OS and Windows 10 via Bootcamp - not looking into Nvidia Cards, since they're not currently supported in Mac OS.

The problem is, I was not able to find anyone on the net who's done the same and verified that it will work as expected. I could've easily tested it on my end, but by purchasing smth that will not work - is not the best feeling.

So my question is, has anyone, across this amazing Apple Community had a similar experience and can point me in the right direction?

Thanks in advance for anyone, who'll reply to this post!

Kind Regards,

Alex

P.S. If needed, my iMac (27-inch, Late 2013) specs:

3,5 GHz Intel Core i7
32 ГБ 1600 MHz DDR3
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M 4096 МБ
27-inch (2560 x 1440)
Fusion Drive 3TB
macOS Mojave, 10.14.3

iMac 27", 10.14

Posted on Feb 9, 2019 11:36 AM

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Answer 1

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BachyWachy Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 9, 2019 12:07 PM in response to BachyWachy

Sad Update: For anyone looking to add an eGPU to your Macs with Thunderbolt 2 Ports - unfortunately, that would not be possible, even with the Thunderbolt 2/3 Adapter from Apple - got an official answer from OWC.

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Answer 2

SeaPapp

Level 7

26,492 points

Feb 9, 2019 11:50 AM in response to BachyWachy

Alex take a look at and talk to the people at OWC, they are Mac specialists https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/owc-mercury-helios-fx/thunderbolt-3

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Answer 3

archieny

Level 3

901 points

Feb 9, 2019 11:49 AM in response to BachyWachy

If you want to connect a Thunderbolt 3 device to a Thunderbolt 2 device you will need the adapter. Note, in the picture I show, TB2 and TB3 have different shaped connectors. (Ignore the X, best picture I could find)

Also, TB2 is slower than TB3 so you wouldn't get the full speed that you would get plugging the TB3 cable into a TB3 port.

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Answer 4

BachyWachy Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 9, 2019 11:42 AM in response to archieny

Hey archieny!

Thanks for replying to my post.

Quick question - do you think it may be a problem that the Razer Core X is connected via Thunderbolt 3 cable and my iMac (27-inch, Late 2013) only has Thunderbolt 2 ports? Apple does offer Thunderbolt 3 to 2 adapter but not sure if the performance will be affected by this or not.

Kind Regards,

Alex

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