However, the two work hand in hand and the faster and more efficient the processor at delivering information to the graphics card, the better the results. Processor chips like the M1 chip process the data the they receive whereas graphics cards are responsible for the graphics output. The M1 is a processor chip (also known as a CPUs) whereas eGPUs are graphic cards (also known as GPUs). This is probably the most important question of all.įirstly it’s important to understand that there’s a difference between a processor chip and a graphics card.

There’s absolutely no motivation for Apple to developer eGPU drivers for M1 Macs since it would argue, the M1 chip delivers better performance than any eGPU out there. While eGPUs do work with widely used Intel chips in Mac built before mid 2021, the M1 chip is an entirely different architecture and there are no drivers which work with them. The problem is that the drivers to make eGPUs work with the Apple Silicon ARM M1 chip do not exist. However, even if your M1 Mac recognizes the eGPU, it won’t work with it. In fact, if you connect an eGPU to an M1 Mac Mini, MacBook Air or M1 MacBook Pro, it will recognize that it’s connected in macOS. M1 Macs have Thunderbolt 3 connections which can be connected to an eGPU PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) that are used on all the best eGPUs including the Blackmagic eGPU. In theory, there’s no reason why eGPUs can’t support M1 chips.

Do You Even Need an eGPU With an M1 Mac?.

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