Blackmagic's new eGPU accelerates Resolve workflows
July 12, 2018

Blackmagic's new eGPU accelerates Resolve workflows

FREMONT, CA — Blackmagic Design (blackmagicdesign.com) has introduced the Blackmagic eGPU, a high performance graphics processor for professional creative software, such as DaVinci Resolve, 3D games and VR. Designed in collaboration with Apple, the Blackmagic eGPU features a built-in AMD Radeon Pro 580, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, HDMI 2.0, 85W of charging power and four USB 3.1 connections. It comes in an integrated design that brings high-end desktop class graphics processing to MacBook Pro for professional video workflows, 3D games and immersive VR. The Blackmagic eGPU is available now for $699, exclusively on Apple.com and in select Apple retail stores worldwide.
 
Designed to address the needs of professional video editors, Hollywood colorists and visual effects artists who need to remain mobile, but want the power of a desktop class GPU added to their MacBook Pro, the Blackmagic eGPU is flexible and simply plugs in via Thunderbolt 3, so users can benefit from improved graphics performance and acceleration of computational tasks. It’s well suited for speeding up professional creative application workflows, including editing, color correction and visual effects with Blackmagic Design’s own DaVinci Resolve.

The Blackmagic eGPU adds the performance customers need to make the latest 3D games and VR look more realistic than ever. That means customers will get higher resolution images, higher frame rate gameplay, better lighting and more detailed textures for truly immersive experiences, even on a laptop computer. Featuring an elegant, textured finish design, Blackmagic eGPU is extruded from a single piece of aluminum and features a thermal cooling system that’s been designed to balance the airflow and dissipate heat very efficiently. The cooling system also enables extremely quiet operation as low as 18dB.
 
The Blackmagic eGPU features a Radeon Pro 580 graphics processor that delivers high-quality graphics and impressive computational performance. Users get 8GB of GDDR5 RAM, 256-bit memory bandwidth and 36 discreet compute units for up to 5.5 teraflops of processing power. In addition, the Blackmagic eGPU supports Metal graphics technology from Apple, which provides near-direct access to the GPU for maximizing graphics and compute performance with games and applications.
 
Customers running DaVinci Resolve 15 can expect increased performance for editing with more realtime effects, color corrections with more nodes, and ResolveFX such as film grain, light rays and blurs. DaVinci Resolve 15 also fully supports multiple GPUs, as well as Metal, so it’s the best way to get the full benefit of the Blackmagic eGPU. Customers can download DaVinci Resolve 15 now free of charge from the Blackmagic Design W

In addition to graphics and computational acceleration, the Blackmagic eGPU is also a docking hub for connecting devices such as keyboards, mice, Thunderbolt monitors, big screen HDMI televisions, high speed storage and more. It features two 40Gb/s Thunderbolt 3 connections, a built-in four-port USB hub, and HDMI which supports 4K output. Plus, the connections are ergonomically spaced, making it easy to connect and disconnect peripherals.
 
“The Blackmagic eGPU is the world’s first eGPU designed specifically for accelerating professional video workflows with DaVinci Resolve,” says Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic Design. “It also adds the performance customers need for truly immersive, more realistic looking 3D game and VR experiences. Best of all, the Blackmagic eGPU gives you desktop class graphics performance on a laptop computer!”