Broadcast Beat Magazine 2018 BroadcastAsia Special Edition | Page 30

another testing session, Morgan connected two
Thunderbolt 3-to-eGPU (PCIe) card expansion
chassis, each running a high-end GPU card, to an
iMac Pro, giving it the horsepower of three GPU
cards (counting the computer’s internal GPU). The
testing showed a significant performance boost –
up to three times the speed for some applications
– over the iMac Pro running only with its internal
GPU. 2
Evaluating Thunderbolt 3 External
GPU Chassis
Competing GPU expansion chassis are emerging
on the market, so it’s important to choose the chas-
sis carefully. The following criteria are important
for ensuring that the chassis not only performs at
an optimum level but also offers the flexibility to
support any type of on-location workflow.
• Certification for eGPU use. Thunderbolt eGPU
chassis are a subset of Thunderbolt-to-PCIe
card expansion chassis, and not all chassis are
suitable (or certified) for use with GPU cards.
Intel and Apple specifically certify certain
chassis that meet criteria for GPU card sup-
port over Thunderbolt. Choosing a chassis that
is not certified for GPU card use may result in
performance and support issues.
• Power supply. Can the box supply not only
adequate processing power for the GPU card
of your choice but also the GPU card you will
need next year? After adequately powering the
GPU card, can it also offer sufficient upstream
power for charging your notebook? The most
advanced GPU chassis on the market can now
deliver up to 650 watts, enough to power even
the air-cooled GPU cards and also overclocked
cards with high peak-power requirements.
the fan quiet enough for use in a noise-sensi-
tive working environment like an on-location
video production? The most advanced chassis
offer the option of replacing active fans with
water-block coolers, which are even quieter
and enable higher overclocking.
• Manufacturer Support. An eGPU chassis manu-
facturer’s understanding of specific compat-
ibility issues between computer models, GPU
cards and applications can go a long way to
minimize potential headaches and frustra-
tions. Check the manufacturer’s product and
support pages to get an idea of their knowl-
edge and understanding.
A Bright Future
The idea of Thunderbolt 3 expansion for exter-
nal GPU cards offers exciting potential for media
professionals of all types and even gamers – and
it’s just beginning to catch on. As GPU card manu-
facturers continue to enhance their driver support
for Thunderbolt, and as software becomes per-
formance-optimized to take advantage of GPUs,
the adoption of this new paradigm will acceler-
ate – especially as video professionals continue
to demand greater flexibility, mobility, and power
from their pro-video applications and the ability
to use them any time and from any location.
• Card support. For maximum compatibility,
the chassis should accommodate larger than
double-width cards and support the latest
Thunderbolt-compatible cards with popular
GPU chipsets.
• Adequate and quiet cooling. Does the chas-
sis offer a powerful-enough fan to keep even
the most hot-running GPU card cool, and is
2
Rob-ART Morgan, “What if the iMac Pro Had
THREE Vega eGPUs?”, BareFeats.com, Jan. 31, 2018
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