Question: Nvidia 3080 eGPU on MacBook Pro 2017?

Skulcar · 23 Oct 2020 at 22:38

Hi there!

I have a big question bothering me and I thought I could find an answer here

I recently received an unexpected news: I have to go abroad for at least two or three months for work, although I just bought a new pc (via overclockers) with a fantastic Nvidia Asus Tuf 3080. My goal was to properly enjoy videogames, such as Cyberpunk

Now, I have a Macbook Pro 15", 2017 model, 2.9GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, 16GB of 2133MHz LPDDR3. This one will travel with me, it's my working laptop.

My question is: if I buy something like a Razer Core and use my 3080 as eGPU with this MacBook, do you think it will be enough to enjoy such videogames in a nice way? Playing at 1440p on an external monitor? Or, given my MacBook specs, is it just a waste of time?

I know I won't be able to unleash the full power of the 3080, nor I'll be able to play at 144hz. I'm just wondering if it's good enough.

Thanks guys, much appreciated

MiSJAH · 24 Oct 2020 at 16:28

Anecdotal research suggests that the RTX 2070 performs similarly to the GTX 1650 in an eGPU with a mobile Core I9. In theory I'd expect your 3080 to perform at a level between the 2060 and 2070 (tolerable for 1440p) with the mobile I7 in your Macbook.

Skulcar · 25 Oct 2020 at 11:37

Wow. That's a big drop, isn't it?

chanjy · 25 Oct 2020 at 16:29

There is a drop off but it nowhere as bad as that. You typically lose 20-30% of performance but it’s a ridiculously powerful card to start with. It would be fine with a 1440p monitor, I wouldn’t recommend it with a MBP and using the internal screen though it’s very fiddly to set up to get working. As long as you have an external monitor you’ll be good to go!