Razer Core X Chroma Aluminum External GPU Enclosure (eGPU): Compatible with Windows & MacOS Thunderbolt 3 Laptops, NVIDIA/AMD PCIe Support, 700W PSU, 4X USB 3.1, 1x Gbit Ethernet, Chroma RGB, Black

Like every Razer item I've purchased, it's top notch quality products and the best bang for the buck. The Razer Core X eGPU seemed quite expensive at first but if you factor in power supply, control board, and quality; it's a great bargain. I've assembled every Win PC gaming rig that I've owned and use Macbook Pros for work. I recently upgraded to 2x BenQ 4K displays since the price was right and the WFH situation made it the right time... which is how I discovered the Razer Core X / eGPUs.My Macbook Pro (15" mid 2015) is "kind of" capable of running 2 4K monitors but noticed performance issues when the 4K resolution is scaled to 1440p. macOS shows a warning for this under display settings when changing the resolution. It's either 1080p or 4K where it doesn't bog down. Well, we all know 4K on a 27" monitor is going to make everything very tiny and the 1080p resolution is going to be in yo face but the picture quality is amazing. I prefer the 1440p with the better image quality reason I went 4K rather than native 1440p. 5K is just still super expensive.Some folks will probably be like why dual 4K?! I'm a software engineer so the extra real estate for the IDE / Text Editor on one screen and the rest on the other is what I've always preferred. The 1440p in high def makes the text look amazing. I know, I know... folks be like, you got a 4K for TEXT and 2 of them?! ... Yes, my eyes are not the same as they were over a decade ago when I started my software development career.Anyway, back to how I got here. The MBP was sluggish due to the GPU. My specific model is described to work with 1 5K external monitor. Makes sense, it's a 5 year old laptop GPU powering dual 4K. I needed to upgrade my GPU and researched some solutions. I was disappointed finding out there's no native macOS support for Thunderbolt 2 and eGPUs but I found purge-wrangler.sh.After following the basic instructions from the purge-wrangler github page, it was plug and play. I installed an AMD RX580... YES, an AMD... I have not purchased a desktop AMD card ever since the whole Bitcoin mining phase, people were forced to turn to NVIDIA cards. It all works great on my MBP. Also, I have this connected to a 4 port DisplayPort KVM for dual monitors. It works, make sure to buy the official Apple TB3 to TB2 since it's bidirectional and get a TB certified cable to plug into the adapter.# Pros- Quality packaging as always (stickers swag) 👏- Quality product, paint, mesh, design, etc. 🙌- Works with MBP (15" mid 2015, and a 13" MB Air 2012) TB2 (with install scripts) - Apple's limitation 🤦‍♂️- macOS detected my monitors supported HDR and displayed an enable/disable checkbox in the display settings where as before it didn't 🤔- Might have the highest wattage support compared to other competitors at the time of this review. Can support most high end GPUs but double check the dimensions and power requirements! 🥇- The swivel / lock handle design - 👌- It can play games with the RX580 but nowhere close to what my 1070Ti on the PC can do. I'm upgrading to a 5700XT since I got a Prime Day deal on it.- Can play fortnite, cs:go, left4dead, etc. I suggest a better card since the Razer X is designed for some serious gaming GPUs. The RX580 is an insult for what this eGPU enclosure can support. However, if you don't care about gaming in high/ultra settings, software & web development, CAD, video editing etc. then a RX580 paired with this enclosure is a great upgrade.# Cons- Leaving idle state, the fans spin quickly causing some fan noise. It's only like a second or two. Not that big of a deal. Might be the GPU + Enclosure combo. Will find out with the 5700XT swap.# Neutral- Ventilation - can be used as a mini space heater for the winter by playing games at ultra settings. Not sure how much the office will warm up during the summer. It's fall.- Some people complained theirs "didn't power on". You have to plug in a TB3 cable. Most people will assume they would see some kind of light or power when flipping the PSU switch. Wasn't the case and it left me scratching my head a bit. My situation with purge-wrangler had me connect the cable during script install. Razers instructions were to plug in the TB cable THEN flip the PSU switch.- Wish it came with a longer TB3 cable but they sell longer TB cables separately. That's how they can keep the price low b/c a 6.6 FT TB2 cable cost me $45 so be glad it came with one.

About the Razer Core X.RecommendPros:- Well thought out. Open the case, pop in your video card, close the case- Quiet- Modern Mac “plug and play”- Not just another ugly black box, but it is a black box. (Just not ugly)- Will not scratch your desk- Repairable/upgradable components (like power supply)- 650 watt power supply can feed most video cards AND power your laptopCons:- Performance improvements from an eGPU are best for gaming.- The thumb screw for anchoring your video card to the chassis needed a screw driver (thumb is too big)- Metal to metal grounding (for static control) is limited by heavy ‘baked enamel’ finish- Big, but that is also good because it allows full sized cards and better cooling- Not a dock- Power and signal cables on video cards can have one scratching their head if the connectors don’t match. Not Razer’s fault.I was using a MacBook Pro 15-inch (Late 2016) and experienced no issues with the Razer. Add your video card and you are done. I wanted to write a balanced review but it was tough, as you can see by my weak list of “Cons.”I wanted to see if adding an eGPU would improve my video export times. I did see some improvements with DaVinci Resolve but I seldom use that software. Unfortunately, sending tasks to the eGPU and back to the CPU is enough overhead that it wasn’t worth the complexity for me. However, gamers just want the video signal to go through the eGPU to a monitor; for that it is great. Since I don’t game I returned my unit but I was really impressed with everything about the Razer Core X. I seriously considered keeping it just in case I decide to game when I retire but decided technology would march on in 18-months.Recommend - for gaming