Can you upgrade the graphics card on a mid 2012 MacBook Pro?
The GPU chip is part of the logic board so cannot be upgraded. As others have discussed it is possible to connect an external box via Thunderbolt into which you can fit a standard PCIe vide card.
Can I use external GPU for Mac?
Your Thunderbolt 3-equipped Mac running macOS High Sierra 10.13. 4 or later can access additional graphics performance by connecting to an external graphics processor (also known as an eGPU). An eGPU can give your Mac additional graphics performance for professional apps, 3D gaming, VR content creation, and more.
Can you use an external GPU on a MacBook Pro?
Starting with macOS Mojave 10.14, you can turn on Prefer External GPU in a specific app’s Get Info panel in the Finder. This option lets the eGPU accelerate apps on any display connected to the Mac—including displays built in to iMac, iMac Pro, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro: Quit the app if it’s open.
Can a MacBook Pro graphics card be upgraded?
As others have discussed it is possible to connect an external box via Thunderbolt into which you can fit a standard PCIe vide card. Some software will take advantage of this e.g. DaVinci, Final Cut Pro X, and some will not. Your MacBook Pro being a 2012 model is now five years old and therefore considerably slower than current models.
Why do I need an external GPU for Final Cut Pro?
You won’t see this option if an eGPU isn’t connected, if your Mac isn’t running macOS Mojave or later, or if the app self-manages its GPU selection. Some apps, such as Final Cut Pro, directly choose which graphics processors are used and will ignore the Prefer External GPU checkbox.
How much RAM does a 2012 MacBook Pro have?
Your MacBook Pro being a 2012 model is now five years old and therefore considerably slower than current models. On top of that it is only an i5 CPU rather than an i7. As you have 16GB you already have the maximum amount of RAM it supports.