Folding Forum

Has anyone run across this issue and has a solution? I'm trying to set my eGPU an AMD Vega 64 in the FAHControl "Slot" to process the WU downloads though each time it doesn't detect the eGPU. The Sonnet box is attached to my MacMini running macOS Catalina 10.15.4 Beta (19E258a) and is seen by MacOS but not with the FAHControl. I've tried changing the values from the default -1 to 0 and 1 but these fail. When I check the MacOS System Report it doesn't show a SLOT for either the internal Intel graphics nor the eGPU (bus on eGPU shows as PCI-E and the Sonnet box is connected over Thunderbolt 3). Am I missing something to get FAHControl 7.5.1 to work with my eGPU?

SYSTEM REPORT: GRAPHICS
Intel UHD Graphics 630:

Chipset Model: Intel UHD Graphics 630
Type: GPU
Bus: Built-In
VRAM (Dynamic, Max): 1536 MB
Vendor: Intel
Device ID: 0x3e9b
Revision ID: 0x0000
Metal: Supported, feature set macOS GPUFamily2 v1
Displays:
DELL P2415Q:
Resolution: 3840 x 2160 (2160p/4K UHD 1 - Ultra High Definition)
UI Looks like: 1920 x 1080 @ 30 Hz
Framebuffer Depth: 30-Bit Color (ARGB2101010)
Display Serial Number: G3D7F69H0FLL
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Rotation: Supported
Adapter Type: DVI or HDMI
Automatically Adjust Brightness: No
Adapter Firmware Version: 2.19

Radeon RX Vega 64:

Chipset Model: Radeon RX Vega 64
Type: External GPU
Bus: PCIe
PCIe Lane Width: x4
VRAM (Total): 8 GB
Vendor: AMD (0x1002)
Device ID: 0x687f
Revision ID: 0x00c1
Metal: Supported, feature set macOS GPUFamily2 v1
GPU is Removable: Yes

SYSTEM REPORT: Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt Bus 0:

Vendor Name: Apple Inc.
Device Name: Mac mini
UID: 0x000182335C39EE00
Route String: 0
Firmware Version: 47.4
Domain UUID: 831A7574-97AF-9B5E-8E8D-A25F17994665
Port:
Status: Device connected
Link Status: 0x2
Speed: Up to 40 Gb/s x1
Current Link Width: 0x2
Receptacle: 2
Cable Firmware Version: 0.9.0
Link Controller Firmware Version: 1.34.0
Port:
Status: No device connected
Link Status: 0x7
Speed: Up to 40 Gb/s x1
Current Link Width: 0x1
Receptacle: 1
Link Controller Firmware Version: 1.34.0

eGFX Breakaway Box 650:

Vendor Name: Sonnet Technologies, Inc.
Device Name: eGFX Breakaway Box 650
Vendor ID: 0x8
Device ID: 0x3D
Device Revision: 0x1
UID: 0x00085F31A4B0C200
Route String: 1
Firmware Version: 25.1
Port (Upstream):
Status: Device connected
Link Status: 0x2
Speed: Up to 40 Gb/s x1
Current Link Width: 0x2
Cable Firmware Version: 0.9.0
Link Controller Firmware Version: 0.36.0

Under macOS GPU folding is not supported, just folding on your CPU. This might work if you set up an alternate boot system to run either Linux or Windows, but there have not been many reports by persons using an eGPU.

Joe_H wrote:Under macOS GPU folding is not supported, just folding on your CPU. This might work if you set up an alternate boot system to run either Linux or Windows, but there have not been many reports by persons using an eGPU.

Thank you for clarifying. I wasn’t aware that the application doesn’t support GPU on MacOS. Hopefully it’s added in the near future since offloading the computations to the GPU especially high end GPU is more efficient.

It was intended to be an option.
For some years Apple's version of OpenCL worked differently than any other version so you could not write a single Core for it and the Windows anf Linux PCs.

By the time this was resolved Apple had moved to using the Intel Graphics in CPUs, and no Intel graphics have ever been supported.

Even today Macs with AMD graphics are rare, too rare to make writing a core for them to be time well spent.

On laptops with Intel and Nvidia graphics, F@H has difficulties diciding NOT to use the Intel GPU, which crashes folding. (your mac still has an Intel GPU)

Should Apple start making a mass market Mac with AMD graphics, and fund a new development effort at F@H, I believe there are no technical issues.

If you dual boot into another OS and it can still see your AMD card, your could fold in that OS. That is a lot of ifs.