White screen with EGPU only connected

I have the same problem but after updating to 10.14.6 (Mojave). I have to load up on HDMI then plug in the eGPU and disconnect the HDMI, very annoying. It worked fine before.

Exact same problem, hardware and “solution”. Radeon rx580 and sonnet box. I have found an online forum that has talked about this issue through multiple beta versions ... so it’s been known for a long time but not addressed (or resolved at least) by Apple before the official release.

I just called Apple Support regarding this issue (Sonnet Breakaway 550, Radeon RX 580). The rep couldn't find any information about the issue on their boards, so she talked with a senior supervisor. After that, the rep told me they were surprised it was working with Mojave because "the website" said it was only supported through High Sierra. I'm not sure what "the website" is because Sonnet's website clearly says Mojave (10.14), which makes me think they didn't really dive into the issue. They said I should contact Sonnet to see if there is an updated driver.

In other words, Apple said it wasn't their problem.

My suggestion is to call Apple Support. If they get enough calls, someone may actually look at the problem.

Sonnet couldn't replicate this issue on their Mac mini so this may be an upgrade issue. Until someone reinstalls from scratch we may not know. I'm more debating waiting for the update that usually comes in the first few weeks.

I did a full reinstall from scratch to an empty drive. This does not solve the problem, after installation the first thing I am greeted with was the dreaded white screen of death.

Also, the first 15.1 dev beta does not seem to fix the problem. :(

It also doesn’t work (tried it) as Catalina pushed a firmware update. I should add this was a full fresh from external USB install of Mojave so it is 100% the new firmware. Is there any way to roll the firmware back on Mac OS? I doubt that is easy but worth asking!

I too have had this problem since the security update to Mojave, as I won’t be ready to switch to Catalina for a while, but for me, I have to boot with the HDMI cable connected directly to the mini, then hot-swap it to the Sonnet Breakaway Box 500w with AMD RX 580. The Apple logo appears, which never used to happen, then the display blinks to black and nothing happens, and I have to turn off the computer by holding down the power button. The fan goes into hyperdrive only occasionally when the HDMI cable is attached to the EGPU when booting.

With help from the Apple tech, we booted into safe mode, which was supposed to fix the problem, but nothing happened. Additionally, the option to prefer EGPU still isn’t available within the Displays options. The tech help at Apple insisted that it was a hardware issue with the box and GPU. If nothing was wrong before the security update, how is this a hardware issue? Any help is appreciated! Peace.

It isn't a fault with the hardware as sole the mini works fine. I'd be interested to know if the official Apple eGPU box using RX5 series is having the same issue. Plus I'm not being funny but taking a whole eGPU setup to an Apple store knowing this is a driver issue as part of a firmware upgrade I have zero faith they can do anything about it! It will require a fix from Apple software team at firmware level. Hopefully this thread will sort get noticed (especially now it is happening with Mojave latest update as well!)

Yes...I spent an hour on the phone with several of their 'experts'. They were clueless at that time and claimed that no one had put in a ticket request. I am hoping that most of the people that use the forums have done so by now as this was right after the Catalina debut. The only way this will ever get fixed is to complain directly to Apple. I doubt they pay much, if any attention to the forums.

macOS 10.15.2 just broke my Mac mini with Razer EGPU and AMD Vega 56 card. It was working perfect before. Now I have to unplug the hdmi form the EGPU, plug directly into the Mac mini and once the mini reboots then I can plug the hdmi back to the gpu. I have reset the pram and nvram and it started successfully. I am afraid to reboot it since it is working for now. Please apple fix this.

It seems like Apple managed to somehow worsen the situation with the latest update. With 10.15.2 I just got a blank black screen and no boot logo (ut least until now there was a boot logo and the white screen of death). Mac Mini 2018 + RX570.

You wouldn’t have an issue that way but you’re also losing a lot of value using an eGPU. The most efficient way of using any eGPU is directly connected to the monitor rather then with the Mac mini in the middle.

Also having this issue. I'm using the Razer Core X and an RX 570 on a Mac Mini running 10.15.2. White screen on boot when only displays connected are through the eGPU. FileVault is turned off as I know it has issues with eGPUs on boot.