Review: $399 Razer Core X Chroma eGPU - a "light" upgrade for the Mac's best eGPU
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- The Razer Core X Chroma eGPU brings several new additions to the original Razer Core X, including USB ports and RGB lighting. Should you consider it over the original? Find Razer Core X Chroma (amzn.to/2PJWPvI) and Razer Core X (amzn.to/2GZaqNd) on Amazon.
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#egpu #thunderbolt3 #mac
Update: Razer has acknowledged the Ethernet issue, and provided me with an Ethernet driver for macOS. I installed the driver, and can confirm it now works. Razer says that it will update its support page with a driver download for Mac users.
Buddy, can u pls send an Amazon link of your Video Card? Thank you so much
when we will get the update? Can you send me the driver aswell?
YES! please share the update if possible - just got my unit and ethernet does not work. thanks for the video! Now i know it's not just my machine! thanks!
dude really! Send me please that update file! One Cable away makes my life easier :)
9to5Mac does the PSU start when it’s plugged in and switched on but the thunderbolt cable is not connected to a laptop? Plz answer. I need to know badly.
RGB Increases efficiency by 100%
MYSTIC KNIGHT 23 increases frame rate by 50% for 4k gaming
happios damm right
Rgb= 999999999999999999fps on 16k resolution and ultra settings with rtx on
I ended up getting a Mantiz Venus. It has really great I/O (I think the best for eGPUs right now). I love everything about it except the fan. I switched it to a quieter fan and now have zero complaints.
Or...Buy a cheaper Egpu and stick a Philips Hue strip inside it.
Works with Hue sync which is even better (And works with mac).
And maybe replace the fans with RGB ones.
(Seriously though, is it possible?)
Interesting idea ! Where would you connect it ?
@@ReikensEolys That is an excellent question! I'm guessing it would require some modding, maybe cut a hole in the back of the chassis. Or maybe letting the cable pass through the hole that is used to free the GPU's ports could be enough.
@@DamonDraven I'm thinking about this possibility or just buying the Razer Tomahawk mini. It would be my first real PC ! But the eGPU possibility is really interesting too... I'm hesitating :p
@@ReikensEolys The Tomahawk mini-ITX is much more cost-efficient for sure, since the Core X alone costs $299 without the GPU. If you're looking for a cheap solution, go for it.
I'm theorizing a fully upgradable mobile setup which consists of the Clevo N350TW + an eGPU, but that alone would cost me up to €1400 without counting peripherals. I can hear my wallet screaming in pain just by thinking about it...
Something to consider here: the USB ports on this enclosure might perform better than on others. USB ports on eGPUs are known to sometimes exhibit flaky behavior, even with low bandwidth peripherals. Razer started using a separate controller to remedy this issue with the Core v2, and they continue to use it on the X Chroma.
Not sure if I want to share the bandwidth with ports. Core X makes more sense to me.
True
Guys, the io doesn't affect the performance of the gpu due to the new dual thunderbolt 3. So, if you use peripheral that connect to the chroma, your gpu would have less bandwidth latency because you don't share the same bandwith as the io one. The features on this chroma is for the purpose of single cable on the thunderbolt3. If you guys wanna learn more, check eGPU.io website. Those websites is also contributing upom this development because it shows that there is a market for egpu in the world.
I’m not saying you’re wrong but...I tested it directly numerous times and saw worse performance when benchmarking while an SSD was in use when compared to when an a SSD was not in use. What explains that?
@@9to5Mac i am not saying you're wrong either. The peripheral such as usb for mouse, keyboard and ethernet wouldn't consume so much bandwidth. However, with ssd it's different cases. The best possibility is to connect it into another i/o port rather than to the chroma..
I’m glad someone acknowledges this! The Core X Chroma uses a separate controller which helps regulate the bandwidth with the eGPU. With low bandwidth accessories (mice, keyboards, microphones, speakers), the GPU should perform as if nothing is connected.
I like either or. Being a cheap o, I would get the less expensive one as it'll do just fine for performance improvements. (:
Then, I'll dream of having the RGB one. LOL
You are mistaken about the power distribution the card gets 550 watts and the io gets 150watts more than enough to run a external hd and mouse keyboard and headphones.
Thanks for your review, I appreciate it. You did a great job.
I’ve had a MacBook Pro 15” 2017 for the past two years and love it. I boot into Windows on an external Samsung T5 SSD to play my games. Was thinking of changing to the new MacBook Pro 16” to get the better gaming experience but it seems to make more sense financially to go with an external GPU since I no longer commute hours on a train and and not gaming on the run. I can just upgrade the GPU as the system gets older. That being said, I didn’t really understand what the difference between Core X and Core X Chroma were and your explanation was perfect. Thanks.
The thunderbolt interface is upadated too. Its not using the same controller.
So your saying I connect this with a thunderbolt cable and my Mac will become a gaming computer!
Too bad that there is no second Thunderbolt port to chain it, especially since you have additional USB and ethernet ports.
When Firewire (400 and 800) was out, most of the peripherals were build with two ports to chain them.
Use Parallels app so you get window right on the MacBook Pro at the same time!
The extra $100 is worth it for the ports and better fan. You can also position the Razer Core vertically to save space. This will also help the short Thunderbolt cable reach a MacBook on your desk if the eGPU is on the floor.
Are you saying they both can be positioned vertically or just the Chroma (extra $100)?
Most thunderbolt docks with gigE & usb3 & Video our around $100-$200
So if you needed both for a 1 cable solution it will be more than the CoreX chroma. But it is missing audio jack which is a bummer. Means you have use a usb audio device to connect speakers and keep the 1 wire docking.
Also you didn’t cover if it sends power back to the Mac and how much or a comparison with a monitor vs laptop screen or test that an SSD affects performance. :(
I just got the Razer Huntsman Elite TKL Tournament edition and its so nice, most responsive switches I have ever tried...but I also play on Mac and Synapse is not available. Synapse 3 is still in beta for Windows users so Mac users are nowhere near to getting it. Just hope its not some stupid Electron wrapper app.
The io power is totally separate from the GPU power it's an improvement razer added for the chroma x.
Can that improve my intel mac’s performance and be way faster and I won’t see the beach ball loading cursor?
Purchased the Razer core x chroma awhile ago. I can confirmed that the ethernet port is not working on the mac. however, it will work natively on windows. It is very misleading that this product is advertised as both mac and pc. Would have go for the original core x if I knew. Had contacted Razer support for maybe drivers to install for the ethernet to work on mac. however, they had not been responsive. Did a bit of research. Found out that another Razer Egpu (razer core v2) with similar IO have this ethernet issue too.
egpu.io/razer-core-v2-review-think-inside-box/
Under the testing and benchmark section of the article, there's a link for the ethernet driver called AXIS AX88179 . I installed it. MacOS immediately get connected with the lan. however, the speed drop tremendously and it's unusable. At the time of writing, I am still waiting for Razer response on this.
The ethernet requires a driver from Asix website.
Yeap. But the connection isn’t stable. 😂
I'm actually running into issues with the ethernet as well but on windows. The connection seems to drop all the time.
David T windows for me is still ok. But I did not test it extensively to the point which I can say it’s stable
@@jarronpmg what device are you using for windows?
Did they ever fix the compatibility with the Mac?
What eGPU will work with my 2016 15 inch MacBook Pro?
processor: 2.9 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
Memory: 16GB 2133 MHz LPDDR3
Graphics: Radeon Pro 460 4GB Intel HD Graphics 530 1536MB
Is not for gaming it’s to edit 1080p and maybe some 4k videos on FCPX.
Do you see a performance difference between the razor and sonnet options?
Why these companies making fool out of everyone? $499 for what? Empty box? These egpu enclosures shouldn't cost more than $70-$200 based on what grade of PSU they are using.
But it isn't just a PSU, is it?
Congratulations on 400K subs. You guys deserve a whole lot more
Can you use an nvidia card with the Mac through boot camp? Or the expulsion case in the first place?
You can use it in windows for macbook, that is for sure.
Purchased The Chroma version +AMD 580 for my macbook pro so that building simple levels in unity wont be such a nightmare. Ill prob upgrade the GPU in a year or two when i need something more heavyweight.
Hey man.. really appreciate your eGPU videos. I have an iMac and looking to get started using an eGPU for a bit more power. Any thoughts? Should I grab an external monitor to use with the eGPU? I'll be doing all video stuff and heavier graphics work like after effects, Maya, etc. Thanks for the vids!
Razor you could write a system preference pane to control the lighting as a work around! That is sweat Logitech have been doing with their stuff for years now!
Nice Thinking To Buy It and Use It In Asus Rog G752Vy gtx980M
Razer app is nativly compatible with Macos
i think i will wait for next generation to any manufacture that would integrate a eGPU box with intel 10GB Ethernet chipset.
i find it annoying to have to keep buying expansion boxes for each external device.. think about it..cost..cables..power bricks...
Maybe additional expansion slot??
Why would you want to put USB and ethernet through a single thunderbolt 3? Seems like a waste of GPU bandwidth to me.
They are ALTERNATE modes of USB.
Will this work with an auctual iMac computer and not just the macbook laptops?
Hi I really hope u can make a video comparison between razer core X Vs sonet breakaway or list of the best egpu in market
More ports and the power supply sounds great. Never been a big fan of RGB features myself though. For something like this, which I would likely stash under my desk, out of sight, it's not needed. I know I'm a minority in this as I've seen people putting entire PC towers & other hardware on top of the desk, which is just wasted desk space, imo. Rather have a plant or something in the space.
Soooo the thing itself is useless if I don't buy a GPU separately?
Za Rodina Think of it as a big beefy TB3 to PCIE adapter
It’s a box. They’ve all been boxes since they debuted.
I'm interested in getting the Razer Core X Chroma, but I was just wondering if there was a way to tell which graphics card I should buy to put in it?
egpu.io :) or just straight up get the AMD vega 64, apple also has a dedicated page on their website
I’d say it’s the better option for Macs because of the USB ports alone.
I'll pay the extra. I want a razer stealth. It only has one USB c so I would want the one cable
1999; Mac is not for gamers.
2019; You can play apex on this.
Mr.roast lol
With an egpu..... Gg apple gg
It’s not just a light Upgrade it has more cutouts
Do you know how can we get the software update?
Is the Ethernet issues on Macs fixed? I'm considering buying one to share 3 screens between work Mac and personal PC.
Just wondering if your using one Thunderbolt port on the Mac with the EGPU will that connections be considered x16?
Will this work with the older Apple 27 inch Cinema MC914LL/A Display? using a gaming PC laptop with type C , Hdmi, and USB 3 ports. Does not have DP or mini port. Able to use on all my Apple devices, would like to use Apple cinema on PC laptop to eliminate swapping out all the time switch from Mac to PC .
Thanks for Benjamin's review! It's pity that Mac users are not able to RGB function...
The RGB lights work, they cycle normally, you just can't change the animations without the Synapse app.
@@10veryintelligentlevels35 Thanks for your clarification!
Does the CHROMA can be test it without a graphic card or being connected to a laptop? like I can see if at least turns on? I am wanting to buy one from a friend but he don't have a graphic card or a laptop to show me if at least turns on, Thanks!
Love the way you create videos ❤️
5 years later it's still the best option. But it now costs around 500$.
$100 for some pretty lights and an ethernet port .. seems like an easy decision which one to get
What is the best way to use an MBP and an eGPU with an SSD?
I want to store a Final Cut Pro X library or an Adobe Premiere Pro Library on an external SSD but I've heard that can reduce the performance of the eGPU. Does it make a difference to plug in the external SSD directly to the MBP?
Does this have enough power to run the new AMD Radeon VII graphics card?
would also love to know this
I use one with it, and it works.
Yes
Yessiree!
Question: If you have a laptop that requires 230W Power adaptor, can you power it solely off this eGPU, since technically it's only the HD/ CPU that requires the 100W?
The extra I/O ports make sense for me with just 2 TB3 ports on MacBook Air so I just ordered it. Thanks for the review 🙂
If anyone is interested in a very slightly used Core X for a discount, contact me please.
Hi, i have macbook pro with USB 3.0 (not have thunderbolt 3 port), i want to use eGPU razer Core X which is thunderbolt 3, so how do i connect them?
Can someone tell me if macbooks require an external screen to use a eGPU? Can i use a eGPU and just use the macbooks native screen?
You do not need a external screen to use a eGPU, but you would lose a lot of performance. The data needs to go both ways that would limited the bandwidth significantly.
Has this been updated by razer to use the RGB on Macs. I have a mini I’d like to use it on.
CONGRATS!!!!!
400K!!!!!
Hah, just saw that. Thanks!
@@9to5Mac You're welcome sir, great video.
Keep up the great work!
What cable is best to hook the gpu up to a tv, Ive tried hdmi to hdmi and display port to hdmi already and it hasn’t worked... I’ve seen online to use usb c but there’s only one port for it on the gpu and it’s used to connect to my Mac mini, have I missed something or am I being stupid? Haha
I’m also getting the dreaded display error on boot camp with the amd Radeon driver but I’m guessing that’s because it’s not hooked up to the tv properly?
is the Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 580 compatible with razer core x and macbookpro
Hi, have you tried using Core X Chroma connecting to an average laptop’s USB Type C? Does it works? I plan to purchase Core X but if the Core X Chroma can serve as a normal dock for my work laptop It will make sense for me to pay the extra.
Would this work with my All-in-One PC by Acer? It has Intel i5 8250U @ 1.60Hz-1.80Hz
i never got the V2 to work on my mac tbh
New to this gadget. Is it just the the external casing? And need to buy a separate GPU? Kindly enlighten me. Thank you.
yes, yes
Lose bandwidth and perhaps add latency with those usb and lan? 100 dollar for rgb? I see a bad designed and priced product. Btw - I loved the non rgb one.
Good call Jeff. They’re happy to make money from Mac users but give us less functionality. We should boycott this one until they give us the actual features of the RGB
MacOs is not their core target, plus eGPUs are difficult on mac unless you use bootcamp.
great video again. still waiting for my razer to deleviery.
have you tried if you can power a windows in a VM with that Razer epgu? So you can play some games?
You can. Parallels recommended though. However, you will get much better performance by running Windows in Bootcamp.
@@bosonbreeder okay thanks :)
What is the best GPU to use in the Razer Core X Chroma with both OSX and Windows 10 right now?
That depends on how much budget you have and what kind of performance you are looking. Personally for me, I'd say either the AMD Radeon 5700 XT or the Nvidia RTX 2060 Super. If you can spend a little bit more, Nvidia RTX 2070 Super is a worthy option.
Just picked one up from eBay for $250!
Will a GeForce RTX 2080 fit in the regular Razer Core X (non-chroma)
Yes, you can. Dimensionally, it didn't change much.
How is the PSU cooled? 🤔
Can I replace the ram with an RGB fan?
jeff did you have any issues with the macbook pro keyboard?
what if your gpu only has only one 8 pin connector?
Just bought a Razer Core X Chromas eGPU and using a HP Spectre X360 2-in-1....had a few questions about starting up and shutting down hoping someone here can help. 1) I'd like to start my laptop while it's closed...walk up with it off and plug in the thunderbolt and then have it boot up from the egpu display without opening the laptop. is that possible? 2) the egpu fan defaults high when plugged in while laptop off and also when shutting down and cable still plugged in. Is that correct? 3) hot plugging in the egpu the external display doesnt get any signal although laptop recognizes the core x. that right? Thanks in advance.
So what does it actually do
Can the core x fit a gigagbyte master 3090 GPU?
this might be a dumb question, but what is the use of the usb ports when laptops already have usb ports
Macbooks have USB-C ports only :(
Second fiddle sucks. As an orchestral musician, I can attest that seeing those poor bastards sit there and do nothing doesn't look like much fun.
Is it possible to connect apple old thunderbolt displays to this eGPU?
Nope, just Thunderbolt 3 only.
Does the house come with the chroma
I have a question, t
he core x and the core x chorma have the same performances?
Beyond lights and extra doors, does something change in performance?
No. Same performance
50watts more I believe
The lighting doeast do anything for me. I’d rather have a better fan or some other item that improves performance.
So performance?
dust filter?
So and SSD uses a lot of bandwith,.. what if for a macbook pro I use a dongle which slips in both thunderbolt ports,.. and onto that dock i connect the core chroma and to the usb dedicated port on the dongle I insert an SSD,... how would that function?
Jonathan Opsomer depends on the dongle, if it passes through one TB port unaffected it could work
It would work, but why? That just seems like a clunky setup. Why not just plug in 2 cables, one for the eGPU and one for the SSD?
AbuBakr Akram could work as well, just technically thinking haha but you have a point indeed
I got a mac book pro how would this help me and what does it do thanks
It is an empty box. You can put graphics cards in the box. That will give to a lot more graphics horsepower, allowing you to play games and edit video more easily.
Who said RGB has a stigma? RGB is the best thing ever.
On the side note, I also know a lot of people just trash on rainbow RGB to make themselves look "different, cool, refined", which they don't, they just look like clowns doing so.
has anyone tried synapse 3 with wine bottler?
good job bro
Is it working with pc notebook flawesly? (Spectre x360)
John Guns if it got thunderbolt then probs
Does the Gpu come included in the package?
no
mac users: ser, lemme buy the more expensive sh*t plz
I’m not sure what this product actually does. Would it help improve performance on Final Cut Pro if I’m using a MacBook Pro?
Yes, unless you have a Vega 20 MacBook Pro, it will improve the FCP performance quite substantially - especially when using an external monitor. I've used it on an older MacBook Pro as well - with Thunderbolt 2, and got some great results. Just search RUclips for benchmarks. I'm sure Jeff/9to5Mac did some as well a while back.
What is a GPU?
Björn Höglund I see. So this is more of an upgrade on the graphics side not so much on the performance...for example. It’s not going to let me render faster, correct?
@@SamuelRiveraFilms Not sure if you're trolling or not. Just do some research if you're interested in the subject. RUclips has plenty of videos where eGPUs are tested also associated with different kinds of rendering (3d, videos).
tubeMonger no I’m not trolling and I’ll definitely look up those videos. Thanks for the help
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hello please I need help,
I dedicate myself to project live videos in events and by mobility issue with the company I would like to know if I can stop using my current video server and use my macbook pro with an eGPU box to use 3 outputs of Simultaneous video I am not sure that with this combination I managed to manage my live videos stable and for 8 hours constant. Cheers
Does it comes with a graphics card?
No it doesn't
Can an rtx 2080 ti fit in there ?
Yes. One benefit of the Core X is that it can hold even massive triple slot cards.
I edit 4K footage. Is it worth it if I have a 2017 27” 5k iMac 4.2 i7 570 Pro 2tb 960 evo pro(internal) 24gb of ram? Or should I just invest in my ram?
depends, what kinda of work are you doing? eGPU are nice if working with lots of 3d , but if that's not the case, the ram could be better.
Your card is already pretty nice, I think this would make more sense if you were using a laptop
Bruno Patricio Rocha right on and thank you for your advice.
Both
@@bbrunorocha I have a Razor Core X with a Vega 64 on my MBP 2018 i7 6 core, it sounds like a great spec for 3D work ( C4D, Blender etc. ) but it's not, for a couple of OSX related reasons.
1. all of the industry standard GPU renderers ( Octane, Cycles, Redshift etc ) all work on Nvidia GPU's and CUDA. Not AMD cards. AMD has ProRender but it's not all that to be honest.
2. Apple have recently dropped support for Open CL and GL in favour of their proprietary Metal ( which hardly anyone seems to support ) there's a new API arriving called Vulkan, but that's also not natively supported by Apple either.
Basically it boils down to the fact that if you're doing any kind of VFX/3D/motion graphics work then Macs are NOT the machines to use, you need a PC.
Back to @Shenron Z question, if you're editing on Davinci resolve, then yes you will benefit somewhat from an eGPU, I'm only getting minimal boosts with Premiere though.
Final cut might be a different story, but I don't use it.
@@billB101 thanks a LOT for your response !
I've been thinking each day about upgrading but most of the times, it's coming down to size.
Right now, one of the best "perks" of being a videomaker is the ability to travel and work "on the go" if i want to.
Most of the times i spend editing home, so a desktop makes more sense, so i was going to get a pc. But i'm traveling around for like, a couple of days a month and having a laptop has really saved me.
Maybe having a simple laptop for the road and a nicer PC at home might be the best idea, but until I move 100% to Davinci Resolve, I can't really do that.
I'm thinking on buying the MBP 2018 15 inches this year (maybe a refresh version?) and start the transition to davinci resolve and then go full windows (or even a hackintosh) when time comes.
Will have to wait to see what apple will unveil this year
As you can see.....
I think RGB lighting is a ridiculous waste of electricity, money, technology and parts. There are lights in EVERYTHING, and modern gaming PCs look like a mix between a tacky strip-club and a Chinese souvenir store. If the ligt serves no purpose, it's just redundant decoration and useless clutter. The only thing LEDs are good for in a PC, is showing you if something is working or not. Change my mind.
Yeah, if i was smoking dope like in 1970s....wouldn't mind it. Listening to the doors