Budget eGPUs for Mac Mini? [closed]

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I thought it sounded quite cool that you can connect an eGPU to a Mac Mini to boost it's performance, but had no idea just how expensive those things are!

Here is one I found recommended on a YouTube video, almost £800: https://www.amazon.co.uk/EVGA-08G-P4-2182-KR-GDDR6-GeForce-Graphics/dp/B07GQTRH9W

I've tried looking for alternatives but struggle to find any... are there just not that many eGPUs out there or something?

It would be good if I could find one for around £200–£300 — I would mainly be using it for the likes of Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and After Effects... maybe some 3D software too. I'm not after anything too hardcore, just something to improve on what I already have.

Are those really unrealistic expectations price-wise?

Answer 1

You already have a 'budget' GPU inside the Mini. I would expect the Intel integrated unit to be more than capable of your workload.

There is a danger that you spend a lot of money on a GPU and not notice any performance benefit.

You can always check Activity Monitor to see if your GPU is being 'overloaded' by your work, using the GPU History panel. It's worth checking to see whether any lack of performance is caused by the GPU, or whether it's just shonky Adobe code.