On June 3rd Apple revealed its new high-end 2019 Mac Pro, a beautifully designed system that is sure to impress any tech enthusiast.
You might remember Apple’s 2013 Mac Pro “trash can” that never took off. Well now they are back with a new design focused on performance, modularity and upgradeability, with updated features for pro-users who want a top performance machine. If you have the $5,999 to drop on it (and that’s the starting price), the new system will be available for purchase in stores this fall.
Appearance wise, the 2019 Mac Pro takes us back to a rectangular shape similar to the 2012 Mac Pro and to the traditional computer console—but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t still look like something out of the future. The stainless steel frame and lattice cover are not only visually appealing, but they also maximize airflow for better control of the machine’s thermal regulation with the help of three large fans. The lattice design is also conducive of quiet performance that Apple says will top prior Mac Pros.
The system can also be mounted on either regular stands or casters for easy transportation. The casing also lifts off for a full view of the interior system, hitting that focus on modularity that Apple is intent on introducing with this version of the Mac Pro.
Specs:
- 14TFLOPS of performance with the new AMD Radeon Pro Vega II cards
- 1TBps of bandwidth
- 32GB of Ram, which can be upgraded up to 1.5TB of memory
- Radeon 580X graphics card
- 256GB SSD
- Intel Xeon CPU with up to 28 cores
- 64PCI express lanes
- 8PCIe expansion slots
- At the rear: expansion slot for I/O ports including two USB-C/Thunderbolt 3, two USB-A and a headphone jack.
- On top: two Thunderbolt 3 jacks and two 10GBps Ethernet ports
- Over 500W of power
- Pro Display XDR
It is true that graphics upgrades will only be possible if Apple updates its current line of MPX Modules, and storage is capped at 4TB. However, there are twelve DIMM slots to increase memory, and buyers can opt for up to two Radeon Pro Vega II Duo GPUS, which with two GPUs per card, would give 128GB of memory.
Artists should also be rejoicing. People in animation, video editing or digital environment modeling will enjoy the ability to run up to six 6K displays, which means more than 122MP resolution. The system is also outfitted with the Apple Afterburner: an accelerator card that allows simultaneous playback of three 8K resolution video streams or twelve streams at 4K resolution.
Sound artists will like to know that up to a thousand audio tracks can be loaded using the Logic Pro X.
While the Mac Pro system is nearly $6,000 itself, it will be sold alongside the Pro Display XDR—a 6K external monitor—that will run for $4,999, as well as a Pro Stand for $999. If quality and a high-end system are what you want, though, it might just be worth the price.