best video graphics card for mac pro 2010

Best Video Graphics Card Pro 2010 Install A New

Theres just a single Thunderbolt 3 port on the back that lets you connect the Core X to your Mac, but no other ports or connectors at all (and the video connectors for external monitors will be part of the graphics card that you supply yourself).

In this article we explain the advantages of using an external graphics card with your Mac or MacBook, and round up the best buying options currently available.

But, in the past couple of years, Apple has started to recognise that Macs need a bit of a graphics boost in order to tackle tasks such as virtual reality and augmented reality.

Apple has also announced a gaming subscription service thats due to arrive later this year - which suggests that its finally waking up to the Mac games scene at last - and there are rumours that its developing a VR headset that will require plenty of 3D graphics power to run properly.

An integrated graphics processor is a small graphics chip that is actually part of the Macs main processor (CPU) - rather than having a dedicated graphics card (or GPU - graphics processing unit), which is a completely separate graphics card that works alongside the main CPU in order to give graphics performance a much bigger boost.

Best Video Graphics Card Pro 2010 Install A New

And, of course, none of the current Mac range has any internal expansion slots that would allow you to install a new GPU in order to upgrade your graphics performance (although Apple has recently been dropping hints about a new modular Mac Pro design that is due later this year).

If youve got a Mac with Thunderbolt 3 that is running High Sierra or the latest Mojave version of the macOS, then you can now connect your Mac to an eGPU - or external GPU - that allows you to have a powerful new graphics card that sits outside the Mac.

To be precise, an eGPU actually consists of two components that you normally have to buy separately.

However, current Mac models dont have any expansion slots inside them that would allow you to install the GPU into the Mac itself, so you have to install the GPU into an external box - often called an enclosure - that sits outside the Mac.

You can then simply insert your new graphics card into the expansion slot inside the enclosure, and then connect the enclosure to your Mac via one of its Thunderbolt 3 ports.

This means you have to budget a minimum of 250300 just to buy the empty enclosure on its own, and then add the cost of your new graphics card on top.

The process of installing the graphics card can be a little daunting as well - especially for Mac users who havent come across eGPU technology before.

These are more expensive than unpopulated enclosures, but theyre very quick and easy to install, and give you an instant plug and play upgrade that doesnt involve any work with a screwdriver.

However, the graphics card is fixed inside the enclosure, so you cant replace it and upgrade to an even faster graphics card in the future.

Apple recommends that you have Mojave running on your Mac, but it is also possible to use an eGPU with Thunderbolt 3 Macs that are running the older High Sierra (although it has to be version 10.13.4 or later).

Most eGPU enclosures have a standard Thunderbolt 3 interface, so they can be connected to any Mac or PC that also has Thunderbolt 3.

The PCIe expansion slot inside the enclosure is also a standard component, so it should allow you to insert any graphics card made by AMD or nVidia, the two big companies that dominate the GPU market these days.

Apples website currently lists these GPUs as being compatible with macOS.

Several big-name PC manufacturers make their own eGPUs, such as the Asus and Razer enclosures that we review here.

There are also specialist companies, such as Sonnet and Blackmagic, that just focus on making eGPU enclosures and other upgrade products for Macs and PCs.

In the meantime, heres our round-up of the best eGPU enclosures that can turn your Mac into a real graphics powerhouse.

And, at 230mm high, 165mm wide and 370mm deep, it will need plenty of desk space if you want to sit it beside your Mac (especially as Razers Thunderbolt cable is only 0.5m long, so youll have to buy a longer cable if you want to move the Core X down on to the floor).

Apple doesnt support nVidias GeForce graphics cards on macOS, but the Core X will work with a wide range of AMD cards when used with a Mac, from the low-cost RX 470 up to the professional-level Radeon Pro and Vega cards.

The sheer size of the Core X also means that it has room for a large internal power supply, which can drive even the most powerful graphics cards and still charge up a laptop at the same time.

Best Video Graphics Card For Mac Pro 2010