In a landmark technology achievement, an American AI developer proved that the NVIDIA RTX graphics can now be used externally with an Apple MacBook Pro M3 for high-end computations. The proof-of-concept goes against the centuries-old legacy of Apple Silicon and macOS regarding eGPU (external GPU) support limitations. The external RTX card was connected via USB4/Thunderbolt 4 and facilitated AI inference workflows on the MacBook Pro; now the doors are open for Mac-based AI developers.

In Essence, the External GPU Setup Function on Apple Silicon.

The installation of a Thunderbolt 4 or USB4 dock, which carries PCIe lanes to a external GPU enclosure, would allow the M3 chip of the MacBook to communicate with the RTX for AI computation rather than graphics output. Custom drivers and frameworks were used for this purpose by doing model inference tasks by the RTX card. Note: this is compute-only; you cannot use the setup to drive an external display or traditional gaming graphics.

Consequences of External GPU on Apple Mac Laptops

For those working in AI and large-language models or machine-learning pipelines, this now means that, perhaps, the MacBook ecosystem could actually be an alternative to those high-end Windows desktops or even cloud instances. MacBooks have always had the reputation for their build quality and portability; now, with external GPU support, they could take a lot of that workload off-site, or at least more locally. At this point, the solution is niche, but serious implications for Mac-first AI workflows.

Limitations and Warnings Before Trying the Setup

With respect to external GPU integration, there are some caveats. The drivers are unofficial, requiring SIP safeguard removal for macOS, which of course comes at the cost of security and stability. Additionally, the maximum capacity for throughput is less than that of a desktop PCIe x16 slot. Thus, raw performance is limited. Habitual tinkerers, not quite ready for general farm deployment, might be the best candidates for this application.

This Will Probably Change the MacBook Development Environment.

This idea starts to challenge the old belief – that Apple Silicon laptops are locked into the integrated GPUs. A more appropriate distribution of MacBooks could now support professional-grade compute workloads without switching platforms. Developers who favor macOS are still exposed to powerful external GPU resources. To Apple, this may signal the beginning of broader compatibility shifts — though official support remains to be seen.

The use of an external NVIDIA RTX GPU for deep learning workflows is proven by an AI developer that a MacBook Pro M3 could utilize for professional compute on a Mac-based platform. While largely experimental and requiring careful setup, this marks serious headway toward gaining hardware capabilities for Mac users that were once restricted to custom-built Windows rigs.

You may Like: Apple Reportedly Prepping MacBook That’s ‘Well Under $1,000

News Source: Pcmag.com