Razer’s new eGPU enclosure is cheaper and works with macOS

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Razer Core X eGPU for Mac
The Core X is $200 cheaper than the Core V2.
Photo: Razer

Razer today updated its lineup of eGPU enclosures, adding a more affordable model that’s finally compatible with macOS. The Core X is $200 cheaper than its sibling, the Core V2 — and in some ways, it’s even better.

Apple’s latest MacBook and MacBook Pro certainly pack a lot of power into their slender aluminum unibodies, but without dedicated video cards, they’re not great for gaming. You could swap yours for a gaming laptop, but the vast majority are big and ugly.

An external GPU enclosure gives you the best of both worlds — a super-slim laptop you can take anywhere that’s powerful enough to play the latest games when you’re at your desk. And now you don’t have to spend so much for the perfect setup.

Razer Core X adds MacBook support

Razer’s new Core X enclosure is significantly more affordable than the Core V2 at $299. It’s also compatible with Macs that boast Thunderbolt 3 connectivity — so long as you’re running macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 or later. It also has some sweet advantages.

The Core X, unlike the Core V2, can support larger three-slot GPUs. It also has a 650W power supply built-in, and offers 100W pass-through charging over a single Thunderbolt cable so your MacBook doesn’t die during heavy gaming sessions.

The Core X does miss out on some things, though — as you might expect. It doesn’t have Chroma lighting like the Core V2, and it’s lacking USB and Ethernet ports. These things are nice to have, but most will happily live without them to save $200.

Core X officially supports AMD GPUs

Razer says you’ll need an AMD Radeon GPU that’s compatible with macOS to use the Core X with a Mac. Nvidia does provide macOS drivers for its latest cards, so you may find that those will work just fine, too — but Razer is pushing AMD instead.

Once you have the right card, and a compatible Mac, you can order the Core X from Razer’s online store.

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