Settings for using an eGPU

[worrasf]

I just bought a Blackmagic eGPU which is working very nicely with Affinity Photo 1.7.2 and other photo apps I'm using.

I note that in the Performance settings Affinity shows it is using both the eGPU and the internal GPU which I expected from the release notes.

My question is that as Affinity is designed to work with eGPU's and multiple GPU's do I need to set the preferences in the "Get Info" section of the app to "prefer external GPU" or leave it blank ? I note that if I check or uncheck this box Affinity still shows it is using both GPU's so I assume I don't need to but would appreciate any definitive answer.

Thanks

Steve

[James Ritson]

Hi Steve, no, you shouldn't need to touch that option, Affinity Photo will automatically use any valid GPU devices. The easiest way to confirm this would be to add something like a Live Motion Blur layer to an image and click-drag on the canvas to make the radius value extreme. As you add/remove GPU devices this should speed up or slow down significantly. I believe Photo supports hot-plugging devices so you can add/remove your Blackmagic eGPU whilst in-app for a more direct comparison.

Hope that helps!

[worrasf]

Thanks James - exactly the info I needed 

regards

steve

[TomM1]

9 hours ago, worrasf said:

I just bought a Blackmagic eGPU which is working very nicely with Affinity Photo 1.7.2 and other photo apps I'm using.

I note that in the Performance settings Affinity shows it is using both the eGPU and the internal GPU which I expected from the release notes.

My question is that as Affinity is designed to work with eGPU's and multiple GPU's do I need to set the preferences in the "Get Info" section of the app to "prefer external GPU" or leave it blank ? I note that if I check or uncheck this box Affinity still shows it is using both GPU's so I assume I don't need to but would appreciate any definitive answer.

Thanks

Steve

If I may ask, what specific performance improvement  have you noticed from the eGPU in Affinity Photo?

[worrasf]

TBH so far just snappier exports, RAW development and adjustments. I’ve only had the eGPU 2 days so not done a huge amount on Affinity yet. I’ve not timed any differences but it certainly feels faster in use. By contrast I’ve not noticed any difference when using the Nik (DxO) plug-ins with Affinity.

However, DxO photolab performance is much improved with significantly faster adjustments and exports.

The irony is I actually bought the eGPU to improve the performance of Topaz Gigapixel AI (it was suggested by one of the Topaz CS guys I could expect about a 30% reduction in rendering times but (and I did time this) it’s actually only about 5%.

Hope this helps

steve

[TomM1]

Nice to know about DXO.

[worrasf]

10 hours ago, James Ritson said:

Hi Steve, no, you shouldn't need to touch that option, Affinity Photo will automatically use any valid GPU devices. The easiest way to confirm this would be to add something like a Live Motion Blur layer to an image and click-drag on the canvas to make the radius value extreme. As you add/remove GPU devices this should speed up or slow down significantly. I believe Photo supports hot-plugging devices so you can add/remove your Blackmagic eGPU whilst in-app for a more direct comparison.

Hope that helps!

Hi again James.

After doing some more research I have found that Activity Monitor can be configured to show real time GPU usage (GPU history). Using this neat tool it is apparent that in order for Affinity photo to use the eGPU it does have to have "prefer external GPU" ticked. I have found that if it is left blank then Activity Monitor shows no activity from the external GPU and all from the internal! Checking the box activates the eGPU and after so doing Activity Monitor shows full use of the eGPU and partial use of the iGPU. I tested this using the adjustment sliders and liquify on the same image.

 

Regards

Steve

[fantomac]

Hi,

I have also "prefer external GPU" activated  but I notice that internal GPU is prior used and egpu is not...

Can I missed something ?

Config : 

MacBook Pro 15  - 2016

Big Sur

Egpu : Razer Core X + Radeon VII