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OWC Mercury Helios FX
Thunderbolt 3 External GPU (eGPU) Expansion Solution with AMD Radeon RX 580 Video Card
Open Box
Mfr P/N: HELFXRX580 OWC SKU: OWCHELFXRX580O
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Transform your Thunderbolt 3 computer into a robust editing and gaming system with workstation-class graphics power.
- Improves video, 3D, & AR/VR project performance
- Enable, accelerate, and enhance Metal, OpenCL, OpenGL capabilities
- Elevate gaming performance
- Mac and Windows PC compatible
- macOS 10.13.x and later plug ‘n play, enjoy 10.14.x “Mojave” optimizations
- Exceed AVID Media Composer system requirements
- HDMI, DisplayPort and DVI connectivity
- Utilize multiple displays
- For desktops and notebooks – even powers/charges notebooks!
- Thunderbolt cable included
- 3 Year OWC Limited Warranty
Desktop Class Graphics. No Problem.
Transform your notebook, iMac, or Mac mini with ease into graphics processing beasts with the Mercury Helios FX. Featuring a high-end AMD Radeon RX 580 8G card that has 36 compute units and up to a whopping 6.2 TFLOPs of performance, your Mac or Windows PC will never be the same again. With support built-in to macOS 10.13 and Windows 10, adding this processing power is as simple as plugging the Mercury Helios FX into your computer's Thunderbolt 3 port.
Work Faster, Play Faster
The Mercury Helios FX is a workhorse for the latest graphic intensive programs, video and VR/AR software. With the graphics processing power of the Radeon RX 580, you'll experience shorter rendering times and faster effects operations with Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Avid, Adobe, and other video suites. When you need to take a break from the work, the same horsepower delivers incredible gaming graphics and higher FPS at higher resolutions. With full support for Apple Metal as well as OpenGL/CL, there's no limit to what you can accomplish and experience.
Designed for Excellence
Keeping this much graphics processing power cool and quiet is a tall order, but Mercury Helios FX delivers. With a large variable speed, temperature-controlled fan, the Mercury Helios FX plays nicely even in the most noise-sensitive environments. Minimal noise is only part of the equation, reducing the number of cables going into your computer is part of a clean and distraction free workspace. The Mercury Helios FX provides up to 87W of power to a connected notebook computer, freeing up a Thunderbolt 3 port and letting you keep your power adapter in your bag for life on the move.
Boost Even the Latest Models
The latest computer models and even models with discrete GPUs can experience a performance boost with the Mercury Helios FX and Radeon RX 580. With more dedicated memory, more processing cores, and higher clock speeds, this external GPU can take your computer further.
Includes
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- (1) OWC Mercury Helios FX External GPU (eGPU) Expansion Solution
- (1) Thunderbolt Cable
- (1) Power Cable
- (2) 6+2 Pin Internal Power Cables for GPU requiring 6- or 8-pin power
- (1) Quick Start Guide for OWC Mercury Helios FX
- (1) External GPU (eGPU) Information for macOS (download only)
- (1) External GPU (eGPU) Information for Windows (download only)
- (1) GPU Compatibility Guide for OWC Mercury Helios FX (download only)
- 3 Year OWC Limited Warranty
Specs
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- For easy setup OWC recommends cards that are 28 cm in length or less. Longer cards may require extra steps to remove the power supply, or may not fit at all depending on shroud design.
- Not compatible with Boot Camp.
Host Interface Requirements
- Thunderbolt (USB) port
8.0GB GIGABYTE RadeonRX 580 Gaming 8G PCI-E ATX Video Card
- Audio output through HDMI or DisplayPort will not work in a Mac. For PC, use HDMI 2.0 or DisplayPort for best audio quality.
Total Capacity
- 8.0GB
Chipset
- AMD
Card Interface
- PCIe
PCIe Lanes
- x16
PCIe Version
- PCI Express 3.0
Video Memory
- 8GB 256-bit GDDR5
- 8000 MHz
Certifications
- RoHS
- WEEE
Resolution
- Maximum: 7680 x 4320
Mac OS Compatibility
- Not compatible with macOS
PC OS Compatibility
- Windows 10 32-bit Edition
- Windows 10 64-bit Edition
- Windows 8.1 32-bit Edition
- Windows 8.1 64-bit Edition
- Windows 8 32-bit Edition
- Windows 8 64-bit Edition
- Windows 7 32-bit Edition
- Windows 7 64-bit Edition
Other Requirements
- Motherboard with one or more PCI-Express x 16 slot
- 2GB system memory (4GB recommended)
- Optical drive for software installation (CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive)
Dimensions
- Height: 4.0 cm (1.6 in)
- Length: 23.2 cm (9.1 in)
- Width: 11.6 cm (4.6 in)
Weight
- 862.0 g (1.90 lbs)
OWC Mercury Helios FX Thunderbolt 3 External GPU (eGPU) Expansion Solution
- For easy setup OWC recommends cards that are 28 cm in length or less. Longer cards may require extra steps to remove the power supply, or may not fit at all depending on shroud design.
- Not compatible with Boot Camp.
Expansion Slots
- (1) PCIe 3.0 x4 slot
Device Ports
- (1) Host Port - Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) up to 40Gb/s (5000MB/s)
Power Delivery
- One Thunderbolt 3 port with 85W power delivery
Transfer Rate
- up to 40.0Gb/s
Host Interface Requirements
- Thunderbolt (USB) port
Mac OS Compatibility
- macOS 10.13 High Sierra
PC OS Compatibility
- Windows 10 64-bit Edition
- Windows 11
Supported PCIe Cards
- Any driverless PCIe card or PCIe card with a Thunderbolt-aware driver
Power Supply
- Internal UL-listed universal auto-switching power supply
Wattage
- 550W
Housing Color
- Black
Housing Material
- Aluminum
Dimensions
- Height: 20.0 cm (7.9 in)
- Length: 34.0 cm (13.4 in)
- Width: 18.5 cm (7.3 in)
Weight
- 3.2 kg (7.10 lbs)
Ambient Temperature
- Operating: 32°F to 95°F (0°C to 35°C)
Compatibility & Installation Videos
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Notes:
- eGPUs are supported by any Mac with an Intel processor and Thunderbolt (USB-C) ports running macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 or later. Mac models with Apple silicon, including M1, M2, and later processors, do not support eGPUs. See the related Apple Support article for more on eGPU compatibility.
- Mac mini (2018): As of October 18, 2019, not recommended with 10.15 Catalina. See Rocket Yard blog for details. Mac mini (2018) owners can avoid potential problems by making sure the external display is connected directly to the Mac mini when booting. Once macOS desktop has loaded, switch the display cable to the eGPU.
MacBook Pro
MacBook Pro (Touch, 16-inch, Mid 2019)
Late 2019
Model ID: MacBookPro16,1
2.6GHz Core i7 & 2.3GHz & 2.4GHz Core i9
MacBook Pro (Touch, 13-inch, Mid 2019)
Mid 2019
Model ID: MacBookPro15,4
1.4GHz Core i5 & 1.7GHz Core i7
MacBook Pro (Touch, 15-inch, Mid 2019)
Mid 2019
Model ID: MacBookPro15,3
2.3GHz & 2.4GHz Core i9
MacBook Pro (Touch, 13-inch, Mid 2019)
Mid 2019
Model ID: MacBookPro15,2
2.4GHz Core i5 & 2.8GHz Core i7
MacBook Pro (Touch, 15-inch, Mid 2019)
Mid 2019
Model ID: MacBookPro15,1
2.6GHz Core i7 & 2.3GHz & 2.4GHz Core i9
MacBook Pro (Touch, 15-inch, Late 2018)
Late 2018
Model ID: MacBookPro15,3
2.6GHz Core i7 & 2.9GHz Core i9
MacBook Pro (Touch, 13-inch, Mid 2018)
Mid 2018
Model ID: MacBookPro15,2
2.3GHz Core i5 & 2.7GHz Core i7
MacBook Pro (Touch, 15-inch, Mid 2018)
Mid 2018
Model ID: MacBookPro15,1
2.2GHz & 2.6GHz Core i7 & 2.9GHz Core i9
MacBook Pro (Touch, 15-inch, Mid 2017)
Mid 2017
Model ID: MacBookPro14,3
2.8GHz & 2.9GHz & 3.1GHz Core i7
MacBook Pro (Touch, 13-inch, Mid 2017)
Mid 2017
Model ID: MacBookPro14,2
3.1GHz & 3.3GHz Core i5 & 3.5GHz Core i7
MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2017)
Mid 2017
Model ID: MacBookPro14,1
2.3GHz Core i5 & 2.5GHz Core i7
MacBook Pro (Retina, Touch Bar, 15-inch, Late 2016)
Late 2016
Model ID: MacBookPro13,3
2.6GHz & 2.7GHz & 2.9GHz Core i7
MacBook Pro (Retina, Touch Bar, 13-inch, Late 2016)
Late 2016
Model ID: MacBookPro13,2
2.9GHz & 3.1GHz Core i5 & 3.3GHz Core i7
MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2016)
Late 2016
Model ID: MacBookPro13,1
2.0GHz Core i5 & 2.4GHz Core i7
MacBook Air
MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2020)
Early 2020
Model ID: MacBookAir9,1
1.1GHz Core i3 & 1.1GHz Core i5 & 1.2GHz Core i7
MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2019)
Mid 2019
Model ID: MacBookAir8,2
1.6GHz Core i5
MacBook Air (13-inch, Late 2018)
Late 2018
Model ID: MacBookAir8,1
1.6GHz Core i5
iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Early 2019)
Early 2019
Model ID: iMac19,2
3.6GHz Core i3 & 3.0GHz Core i5 & 3.2GHz Core i7
iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Early 2019)
Early 2019
Model ID: iMac19,1
3.0GHz & 3.1GHz & 3.7GHz Core i5 & 3.6GHz Core i9
iMac Pro (27-inch, Late 2017)
Late 2017
Model ID: iMacPro1,1
2.3GHz Xeon W & 2.5GHz Xeon W & 3.0GHz Xeon W & 3.2GHz Xeon W
iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Mid 2017)
Mid 2017
Model ID: iMac18,3
3.4GHz & 3.5GHz & 3.8GHz Core i5 & 4.2GHz Core i7
iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Mid 2017)
Mid 2017
Model ID: iMac18,2
3.0GHz & 3.4GHz Core i5 & 3.6GHz Core i7
Mac Pro
Mac Pro Rack (Late 2019)
Late 2019
Model ID: MacPro7,1
3.5GHz 8-Core Xeon
Mac Pro Rack (Late 2019)
Late 2019
Model ID: MacPro7,1
3.3GHz 12-Core Xeon
Mac Pro Rack (Late 2019)
Late 2019
Model ID: MacPro7,1
3.2GHz 16-Core Xeon
Mac Pro Rack (Late 2019)
Late 2019
Model ID: MacPro7,1
2.7GHz 24-Core Xeon
Mac Pro Rack (Late 2019)
Late 2019
Model ID: MacPro7,1
2.5GHz 28-Core Xeon
Mac mini
Mac mini (Late 2018)
Late 2018
Model ID: Macmini8,1
3.6GHz Core i3 & 3.0GHz Core i5 & 3.2GHz Core i7
Videos
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