Dos_Box Posted March 4, 2016 Posted March 4, 2016 They have a point though: VR on Macs when Apple makes a 'good computer' - BBC News Apart from the Mac Pro there is currently not a cats chance in hell that a laptop or iMac would ever have the graphical grunt to make one work. Not that the competition is giggling at this either! Oculus's stance is at odds with HTC which has said that its Vive headset would work with Linux and Mac machines from "day one". However, a VR testing tool released by HTC partner Valve last week currently only works on Windows.
Arthur Posted March 5, 2016 Posted March 5, 2016 Apart from the Mac Pro there is currently not a cats chance in hell that a laptop or iMac would ever have the graphical grunt to make one work. That's only a short term issue. When Apple adds Thunderbolt 3 port(s) to their Macs you would be able to connect an external graphics dock containing a more capable graphics card. http://i.imgur.com/eBFnRIc.jpg Apple are waiting on Intel in order to update the Mac Pro so once the new model is released that should be classed as 'good' then. The current Mac Pro is ancient!
rich_tech Posted March 7, 2016 Posted March 7, 2016 (edited) That's only a short term issue. When Apple adds Thunderbolt 3 port(s) to their Macs you would be able to connect an external graphics dock containing a more capable graphics card. http://i.imgur.com/eBFnRIc.jpg Apple are waiting on Intel in order to update the Mac Pro so once the new model is released that should be classed as 'good' then. The current Mac Pro is ancient! Alienware started the ball rolling on the externals a while back I noticed, would be interested in a solution like this for my Macbook pro, though if its TB3 it will mean a new mac, despite mine being a late 2013 sad times there. Edited March 7, 2016 by rich_tech
synaesthesia Posted March 7, 2016 Posted March 7, 2016 Wow, upgrades for Apples. Whatever next, proper computers you can upgrade to your heart's content suiting your exactly requirements? Oh, hang on...
Norphy Posted March 7, 2016 Posted March 7, 2016 Wow, upgrades for Apples. Whatever next, proper computers you can upgrade to your heart's content suiting your exactly requirements? Oh, hang on... If my requirements include OS X, a BYO isn't going to meet them, is it?
localzuk Posted March 7, 2016 Posted March 7, 2016 Not surprising. Apple have certain strengths and weaknesses with their PCs. Graphics has always been a weakness.
Arthur Posted March 7, 2016 Posted March 7, 2016 Apart from the Mac Pro there is currently not a cats chance in hell that a laptop or iMac would ever have the graphical grunt to make one work. Apple are rumoured to be working on their own VR and/or AR headset so it probably doesn't matter about the Oculus Rift. Apple users are just going to buy Apple's headset. http://www.macrumors.com/2016/01/29/apple-virtual-reality-headset/
DalekSec Posted March 7, 2016 Posted March 7, 2016 Apple are rumoured to be working on their own VR and/or AR headset so it probably doesn't matter about the Oculus Rift. Apple users are just going to buy Apple's headset. Apple Has Secret Team Working on Virtual Reality Headset - Mac Rumors When you say apple, do you mean they have brought out a VR company and said they have done all the work again? That's normally what happens.
Dos_Box Posted March 7, 2016 Author Posted March 7, 2016 Apple are rumoured to be working on their own VR and/or AR headset so it probably doesn't matter about the Oculus Rift. Apple users are just going to buy Apple's headset. Apple Has Secret Team Working on Virtual Reality Headset - Mac Rumors The iEye's? 2
ICTDirect_Dave Posted March 7, 2016 Posted March 7, 2016 Alienware started the ball rolling on the externals a while back I noticed, would be interested in a solution like this for my Macbook pro, though if its TB3 it will mean a new mac, despite mine being a late 2013 sad times there. I read about using thunderbolt to connect an external GPU on a mac a year or two ago. Even with a reduced bandwidth you still get excellent performance. However if your Macbook has a discrete GPU in addition to standard Intel graphics, then you'll not be able to use the external card.
abillybob Posted March 7, 2016 Posted March 7, 2016 If Apple where to add support for an external GPU bay so you could put int any graphics card they would also have to add drivers in the OS for every graphics card to make sure they'd all work. I can't see it happening to be honest. It doesn't just have to be ThunderBolt powered either, Razer have made a GPU enclosure for their new laptop that uses USB-C.
Norphy Posted March 7, 2016 Posted March 7, 2016 Razer have made a GPU enclosure for their new laptop that uses USB-C. The enclosure uses a USB C connector but it is using Thunderbolt 3 to do the heavy lifting. The USB C connector is the one that Thunderbolt 3 uses rather than mini-DP. Razer Blade Stealth Ultrabook and Razer Core External Graphics Dock. The relevant bit is about 2/3 of the way down the page.
mowgli82 Posted March 7, 2016 Posted March 7, 2016 Not surprising. Apple have certain strengths and weaknesses with their PCs. Graphics has always been a weakness. Shame they make some of the nicest screens.....ok ok I know Apple don't actually manufacture the panel
rich_tech Posted March 7, 2016 Posted March 7, 2016 I read about using thunderbolt to connect an external GPU on a mac a year or two ago. Even with a reduced bandwidth you still get excellent performance. However if your Macbook has a discrete GPU in addition to standard Intel graphics, then you'll not be able to use the external card. Iris pro only here on mine, didn't want to pay extra for what was on offer at the time and iris pro handled wow decent enough for me, as I'm non raiding
Arthur Posted March 7, 2016 Posted March 7, 2016 If Apple were to add support for an external GPU bay so you could put in any graphics card they would also have to add drivers in the OS for every graphics card to make sure they'd all work. I can't see it happening to be honest. I can. OS X drivers are already available to download from Nvidia's website so you could either use those or just boot into Windows. It doesn't just have to be Thunderbolt powered either As @Norphy mentioned above Razer's enclosure uses Thunderbolt 3. All Thunderbolt 3 devices use USB-C. That's one of its best features. Razer have made a GPU enclosure for their new laptop that uses USB-C. The Razer Core enclosure is what's pictured in the second post.
ICTDirect_Dave Posted March 8, 2016 Posted March 8, 2016 Iris pro only here on mine, didn't want to pay extra for what was on offer at the time and iris pro handled wow decent enough for me, as I'm non raiding Well if you fancy a project... https://www.techinferno.com/index.php?/forums/topic/7667-2014-15-mbp-iris-gtx97016gbps-tb2-akitio-thunder2-win81osx1010-dschijn2/ I apologise for the terrible music on the youtube vid!
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