Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1081428
www.postmagazine.com 47 POST JAN/FEB 2019 REVIEW Cut Pro X and performed some bench- mark tests. Oddly, I got some very strange results, especially with Apple Final Cut Pro X. After manually configuring each appli- cation, I was able to get Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve working properly, but FCPX refused to fully utilize the eGPU. While it does officially support eGPUs, MacOS High Sierra (V.10.13) provides no method of selecting which GPU to utilize. However, additional testing showed similar issues with MacOS Mojave (V.10.14), despite a new option to select which GPU to use, so the issue appears to be FCPX-based rather than the specific MacOS version. BENCHMARKING THE EGPU For my benchmark testing, I used a 2018 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro with fairly standard specifications (2,6GHz Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, ATI Radeon 560X with 8GB VRAM) running MacOS High Sierra V.10.13.x. For testing within DaVinci Resolve 15.2, I created three 1080p timelines utilizing a variety of color controls and effects: Basic, Medium and Intense. I exported a H.264 using the YouTube 1080p preset and compared the results between the built-in GPU and the eGPU. On the most basic tests (two nodes of simple color correction), I saw a negligible difference, but after adding more intensive effects (such as Spatial Noise Reduction), the eGPU quickly starts to illustrate its usefulness, improving the render time by over three minutes (159 percent faster). Continuing to add additional effects (such as Glow and Contrast Pop, along with some temporal noise reduction), the per- formance difference between the eGPU and my laptop's built-in GPU is quite significant: A 16 minute improvement in render time (181 percent faster). If you use DaVinci Resolve for anything beyond the basics, it's clear the eGPU provides some nice performance improvements. Beyond improving render times, the eGPU allowed me to work at realtime, 24fps when my Macbook's built-in GPU was dropping frames left and right. Working at realtime allows you to stay in a creative mindset, so it can be a night and day difference for a creative professional. For testing within Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2018, I used the same timeline as my Resolve tests but utilized Premiere's built-in effects instead of Resolve. Since I saw little performance improvement after adding additional effects (as I did in DaVinci Resolve), I tweaked the bench- mark test to focus on different resolution and export types. Within Premiere, I saw improvements across the board when utilizing the eGPU. The basic test (a 1080p sequence exported using the YouTube 1080p H.264 preset) shows an improvement of over a minute (147 percent faster). Adjusting the export codec to HEVC H.265, the performance improvement grows slightly to 158 percent faster. The most stressful test (a UHD sequence ex- ported using the Youtube 2160p preset) yielded a significant difference between the built-in GPU and the eGPU, complet- ing the render over 11 minutes sooner (275 percent faster). With Apple's own nonlinear editor, Final Cut Pro X, I was unable to properly test the eGPU. Throughout testing, FCPX recognized and utilized the eGPU while working on the timeline, but refused to utilize it for exports. While this is some- what helpful (as it assists with playback performance while editing), I consider it a dealbreaker, as it doesn't even touch the eGPU for exports, even if you send it to Apple Compressor. For a product co-designed by Apple, it's certainly disap- pointing. Hoping this improves with future versions of FCPX. FINAL THOUGHTS The Blackmagic eGPU is an interesting piece of hardware, but hard to recommend to all but a fairly specific market: Creative professionals who are operating primarily on Apple laptops and who require additional horsepower when not mobile. It looks right at home next to an iMac or MacBook, it runs cool and quiet, and improves performance in DaVinci Resolve and Adobe Premiere. But, is it worth the $699 price tag? If you're in that specific market, it's certainly worthy of your consideration. VITAL STATS MANUFACTURER: Blackmagic Design PRODUCT: Blackmagic eGPU PRICE: $699, Blackmagic eGPU; $1,199, Blackmagic eGPU Pro WEBSITE: www.blackmagicdesign.com • 1x HDMI 2.0 port; 4x USB Type A ports; 2x Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports • AMD Radeon Pro 580 GPU, 8GB video memory • 85W of power COMPANY STATEMENT The Blackmagic eGPU was designed to address the needs of professional video editors, colorists and visual effects artists who need to remain mobile, but want the power of a desktop class GPU added to their MacBook Pro. It features a unique thermal cooling system that's designed to perfectly balance the airflow and dissipate heat more efficiently. While the design does not allow for the graphics card to be replaced, it does so to enable an extremely quiet operation as low as 18dB, which is vital for those working in video produc- tion and audio engineering environments. While most eGPUs run very hot and noisily, the Blackmagic eGPU runs at consistently low noise levels and maintains very cool temperatures, even throughout a heavy day of usage. The Blackmagic eGPU is designed to operate at maximum efficiency, with the lowest noise levels and temperatures possible, with simple plug and play operation. For users looking for a faster graphics processor, the Blackmagic eGPU Pro is available. Designed to accelerate creative software such as DaVinci Resolve, 3D games and VR, the Blackmagic eGPU Pro delivers nearly twice the performance of the original Blackmagic eGPU model and up to 22x faster performance than the built-in graphics on a 13-inch MacBook Pro. — Blackmagic Design