George Garside Blog

A place of many ramblings about macOS and development. If you find something useful on here, it's probably an accident.

I've spent days trying to get my eGPU working in Boot Camp. On macOS, all it took was plugging it in. The same can't be said for Windows. I've finally got it to a state that it's working for me. I want to share the solutions that worked for my problems, so others don't have to go through the same.

What’s the setup?

MacBook Pro 2017 15-inch

A MacBook Pro 2017 15-inch with AMD Radeon 555 dedicated graphics.

The external graphics on this computer makes the next steps far more difficult than Mac models that only have integrated graphics.

A common Mac for eGPU is the Mac mini, but also the integrated-only MacBook Pro 13-inch (various years). I prefer the flexibility of built-in dedicated graphics alongside the option to use an eGPU when on my desk, and hot-swapping works perfectly in macOS.

Razer Core X enclosure

Razer Core X (Amazon affiliate) external graphics card enclosure.

This eGPU enclosure works perfectly for me on macOS without any additional drivers or software, which is crucial in a cross-OS setup and ensures the enclosure has the most chance working after macOS updates and in developer betas of macOS.

XFX AMD Radeon RX 590 Fatboy 8 GB

AMD Radeon RX 590 (Amazon affiliate) graphics card to put in the eGPU enclosure.

I chose AMD for the best compatibility with both macOS and Windows. Since there are no Nvidia drivers for macOS, an AMD card is what you need to also use your eGPU on macOS, as described in an Apple support article Use an external graphics processor with your Mac.

What didn’t work?

Not interested in what didn’t work? Jump to What did work?

egpu.io is a great site with lots of guides and information, but unfortunately I found none of it helpful. I spent days scouring the site for solutions, and these are the things I tried that were unsuccessful:

What I triedWhat happened to the eGPU
Downgrade Windows 10 to 1903 18362.30Error 12 (also not good staying on an old version of Windows forever)
Plugging in the eGPU before boot, after boot, during Windows logo, between Startup Manager and selecting WindowsError 12
Copying pci.sys from 1903 and replacing the one in System32Error 12
Disabling devices in Device Manager to ‘rearrange PCIe assignment’Error 12, and I tried all sorts of directions and bottom-/top-first, no change
Installing official AMD Radeon graphics driversInstaller had error 173: No AMD Graphics Hardware Has Been Detected in Your System Configuration.
Installing drivers from bootcampdrivers.comError 12
…and disabling/uninstalling the dGPU in Device ManagerError 12
automate-eGPU EFIOn boot to the EFI, flashes the right GPUs but the text scrolls away instantly, and this loops until the machine is powered off. Turns out this isn't compatible with Catalina, maybe…?
apple_set_os.efi loaderThe integrated graphics shows up in Device Manager instead of the AMD dGPU. Installing the Intel graphics drivers causes a black screen. System Restore to undo that, and trying with the eGPU gives error 12.

What did work?

Prepare Windows

  1. Install Windows 2004, either through an ISO of that version or upgrading an older version.
  2. Install the Boot Camp drivers from the WindowsSupport folder.
  3. Install all the Windows updates. I really mean all of them. In Settings → Update and Security → Windows Update, install all the updates and restart. Then reopen that page, click Check for Updates, and keep installing updates until there's none left. I've had numerous occasions where I want to install the one update later, but because of another update that also needed to be installed, the one update relating to the eGPU somehow disappears.

Prepare drivers

  1. Download the official AMD Radeon™ Graphics Drivers for Windows from amd.com/en/support.
    Do not use the Auto-Detect and Install, as this will detect the internal dGPU instead of the eGPU.
    I've had success with both the WHQL and Optional versions, and the Optional drivers gave me better game performance, but if you have trouble with one try the other.
  2. Extract the drivers somewhere, e.g. C:\AMD (default location). Open this folder and find the Config folder, then InstallManifest.json.
  3. Unfortunately the drivers don't detect the eGPU correctly and pretend they can't be installed. To fix this, we're going to edit the InstallManifest.json file. Add "EnableFalcon": "true" to the BuildInfo section of the file, not forgetting the comma on the previous line.
{
    "BuildInfo" : {
        "WebBrowserURL": "AMD",
        "WorkaroundInstall": "false",
        "EnableFalcon": "true"
    },
    "Packages" : {
        "Package" : [
Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

Don't install the drivers yet though! We need different drivers first…

Prepare dGPU

If your MacBook doesn't have a dGPU, you can skip this section.

  1. In Device Manager, find the AMD Radeon 555 or equivalent dGPU in the list under Display adapters.
  2. Right-click on the dGPU and choose ‘Uninstall device’.
  3. Check ‘Delete the driver software for this device’ and select Uninstall.
    The screen should flash black as the drivers reload and the performance should be degraded afterwards.

Prepare eGPU

  1. With the eGPU in the enclosure and the enclosure turned on with the switch, connect the Thunderbolt 3 cable between the enclosure and MacBook Pro. Windows should make the connection noise and show a notification that it is installing the device. Wait for Windows to set up the device, which might take a couple of minutes.
  2. Open Settings → Update & Security and look for an update regarding AMD Display drivers. Download and install the update. Restart if prompted, keeping the eGPU connected.
AMD Display update 26.20
Windows 10 update for Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. - Display - 26.20.12028.2
  1. In Device Manager, choose View → ‘Devices by connection’.
    Device Manager View Device by Connection
  2. Find the eGPU in the list, under
    • ACPI x64-based PC
    • Microsoft ACPI-Compliant System → Pci Bus
    • Intel(R) Xeon(R) E3 - 1200/1400 v5/6th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) PCIe Controller (x4) - 1909 (or x8 for left TB3 ports)
    • PCI Express Upstream/Downstream Switch Port (various)
    • Radeon RX 590 Series
  3. Right-click on the Radeon RX 590 or equivalent eGPU and choose ‘Update driver’.
  4. Browse to the folder you extracted the AMD drivers to in step 5, then find and select the Packages\Drivers\Display\WT6A_INF folder.
  5. Continue the wizard to install the new drivers.

Check Task Manager and confirm your eGPU shows correctly! You're all done 🎉

Task Manager showing eGPU

On every boot

After every boot, the internal display doesn't progress from the Windows logo with a stuck spinner. Using Windows-P, you can toggle the display mirroring from Extend/Mirror to the primary display only. This will need to be repeated after each boot.

Fix eGPU error 12 in Device Manager

If you get error 12, disconnect the eGPU, use DDU to uninstall all your drivers (‘clean and restart’ option) and try the above steps again. Don't install the bootcampdrivers version of the drivers, as this will start up your internal dGPU and take resources that the eGPU needs.

What still doesn’t work?

There's no streaming tab in the Radeon software. This means I can't use AMD Link since I get an error that ReLive is unavailable. I'd really like to fix this, but I haven't found a solution yet.

Leave a Reply to JiuC Smith Cancel reply

3

Thank you so much

It worked

MacBook Pro 15 (2017)

Gigabyte rx 5700 xt

ADT-Link R43SG-TB3

What went different (if that helps anybody):

didn’t need windows 2004, used current latest iso (20h2)

there was no update on step 11

no gpu name on step 13 it stayed as “Microsoft Basic Display Adapter” until driver installed

Reply
1

Did you have 2 Microsoft Basic Display Adapter in device manager? Or only one?

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2

This is so helpful! I think you should post this somewhere with a larger audience that need this kind of help, like Reddit or egpu.io, or even the bootcampdriver forums.

Reply
1

Sad.

It still doesn't work

MacBook Pro 13 (2020)

ASUS DUAL RX6600XT

Uninstall the drivers through DDU multiple times

But it still Code 12

Reply
0

I use akitio Node EGPU

It not support PCIE3.0 x8

Only support PCIE3.0 x4

Is that so ?

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0

Sharing that I followed these instructions, and they helped me through several roadblocks; the additional thing that ultimately worked well was using the unified Boot Camp driver from AMD here: https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/release-notes/apple-boot-camp

By the point I tried this, I had gone through deleting drivers for the internal discrete 560x card and installing the Adrenalin 22.2.1 Optional driver from AMD for the RX 6800 in my Razer Core X. Windows 10 recognized the 6800 but did not seem to be using it properly. Graphics applications showed poor performance, and AMD Settings reported a conflict between the driver version and the settings, and would not launch, so something was wrong. Next thing I tried was trying to reinstall Apple's Boot Camp drivers to bring the 560X back but that was also failing, so that's when I tried the unified Boot Camp drivers from AMD. It installed Radeon Pro AMD settings software, and recognized both cards. My system (2018 15" MacBook Pro) is working really well now. I don't know if installing that driver from the start would have worked, it may have, but I went through the process above before trying it. Hope it helps somebody in a similar situation.

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0

Hi!

Trying to make it work on

MacBook Pro 16 (2019)

and

Razer Core X Chroma

But it does not detect in Windows at all. Even USB hub is not working.

Funny thing is that it works when I choose the disk to load (Mouse and keyboard connected to it), but in Windows just stops working.

So no update on step 11 and only one Microsoft Basic Display Adapter in Device manager. Any ideas?

Reply
0

this tutorial is perfect,u should post more!

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0

Is this method permanently disabling the dGPU? Or will the drivers get re-installed once the eGPU drivers are installed?

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0

This trick also work on non-Mac:

cjscope Z-530 GX (2018)

Gigabyte rx 5700 oc

Akitio Node

20H2,

do not contain dgpu,

no update in step 11,

got the gpu name before installing driver.

Reply
0

I get the message “ A current driver on your PC may be better than the driver we are trying to install. will keep trying to install” for the update called “ Windows 10 update for Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. – Display – 26.20.12028.2”...

Even the newer version 1034.6 won’t install...

Any tips how to do this?

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0

Does definetely not work for dGPU Macbooks (at least on T2).

Still Error 12.

Reply
0

how to fix this?

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0

This worked great for me. Mac Mini (2018 / Catalina), Core X, XFX 5700 XT III.

I had it working with the May insider release, but tried to upgrade to 2004 as I heard it was fixed and stable. No luck, no matter what I tried (Error 12). Wiped everything, did a clean install with these steps, and no issues whatsoever.

Reply
0

How did you get it to work? I have a Mac Mini 2018 on Catalina 10.15.7 and my RX 6800 doesn't show on step 13, only as Microsoft Basic Display Adapter. When I installed the drivers and restarted, I have to unplug my eGPU or else my screen gets no signal and won't show after windows logo appears. Then I get error 12.

Reply