Here's the issue: Macs won't officially support external GPUs until macOS High Sierra. As such, Apple has historically trended toward putting in GPUs that balanced power with optimization: great for your laptop's battery life not so great for gamers, VR, or visual effects artists.Įnter external GPUs: Like external hard drives, these essentially allow you to stick a GPU in a Thunderbolt housing, where you can then connect it to your computer from there, when you run games, VR, and visual apps optimized for that GPU you should see significant performance improvements. VPN Deals: Lifetime license for $16, monthly plans at $1 & moreīut all that power comes at the expense of battery and optimization: Heavy-duty GPUs are frequent power hogs with lots of fan noise and problematic battery life.
