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I'd like to buy an eGPU for my MaxBook Pro to use for simple deep learning tasks. My setup is:

MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2017)
Graphics: Radeon Pro 555 2 GB
Intel HD Graphics 630 1536 MB
Version: Mojave 10.14.5

I understand for Deep Learning (i.e. use of tensorflow-gpu) this is not currently supported for my Mac. Due to previous disputes between Nvidia and Apple I assume that Nvidia's support is reluctant to offer any kind of hacky solution with their graphic cards. On saying that, I was recommended to purchase the NVIDIA TITAN RTX or NVIDIA Quadro® GV100, but they're quite pricey at 1000s of euros/dollars a piece. At first, I just want something to play around with.

I watched this and this to see how to configure the Mac with an eGPU that is CUDA supported.

What Nvidia eGPU would you recommend for simple i.e. not mega large data sets for DL processing? There seems to be so many models to choose from that it's not clear what would satisfy my needs. Would a GIGABYTE GeForce® GTX 1050 Ti OC 4GB suffice?

pymat
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    This site is for software development questions rather than hardware recommendations – auburg Feb 10 '20 at 07:24
  • Even if you get a eGPU, tensorflow does not support GPUs on Mac, so it would be pointless. – Dr. Snoopy Feb 10 '20 at 08:16
  • @auburg: I understand that, though I was just awarded 10 points plus a mark up of one, so the scope of the question must appeal to SW developers. Besides, since my aim is to ultimately use tensorflow-gpu for a Mac (Mojave) then one could be forgiven for asking about the HW configuration required to proceed with this. – pymat Feb 10 '20 at 08:25
  • @MatiasValdenegro: yes, but there is apparently a work around, even Nvidia themselves recommended the NVIDIA TITAN RTX or NVIDIA Quadro® GV100 (which are several 1000s of euros). I included links in my post, you should see these. – pymat Feb 10 '20 at 08:26
  • Might want to post here also: https://ai.stackexchange.com/ – auburg Feb 10 '20 at 09:23
  • @auburg: Thanks for the tip, I added a post. One thing I'm reading is that a downgrade to High Sierra is necessary, and you really must invest in one of two Nvidia products, like the NVIDIA TITAN RTX or NVIDIA Quadro GV100. I'm thinking would it be simpler just to buy a new laptop that has already a CUDA supported GPU. The price of a RTX 2080Ti start from 2K to 10K. – pymat Feb 10 '20 at 09:41

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I decided to ditch using my Mac for using an external Nvidia graphic card. There are apparently some hacky solutions but I figured - after reading a many forum posts and online articles - the best way to proceed is just to buy a new (gaming) Desktop PC. One reoccurring theme I did see come up was that in order to have an effective Deep Learning workstation, one should consider at least 16 GB Ram (32 or more is ideal, Intel i7 or better, and 0.5 TB of SDD).

pymat
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