Mac Pro first look
SPECS, PRICES AND EVERYTHING ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT APPLE’S HIGH-END DESKTOP COMPUTER
The Mac Pro ( go.macworld.com/ pr0m) is Apple’s workstation. It’s designed for professionals who need a powerful and flexible machine, and is ideal for applications that use as many processing cores as possible— video-editing applications, image-editing software, 3D programs, and the like.
The Mac Pro is getting a revival of sorts. The company released a brand-new, redesigned Mac Pro in December 2019, after years of stagnation with the previous, cylindrical Mac Pro.
Apple doesn’t offer standard configuration choices for the Mac Pro. It’s really meant to be customized by the customer. To give you an idea of where pricing starts: if you configure the Mac Pro with the base components, it’s $5,999. Learn more about the Mac Pro by reading about its main features below.
PROCESSOR
Apple uses Intel Xeon W processors, starting with a 3.5GHZ 8-core CPU. Apple also offers 12-, 16-, 24-, and 28-core processors.
MEMORY
The Mac Pro uses DDR4 ECC memory, and has 12 DIMM slots. However, the memory configurations that Apple offers don’t always fill all of the slots. Here’s what Apple offers:
> 32GB (four 8GB DIMMS)
> 48GB (six 8GB DIMMS
> 96GB (six 16GB DIMMS)
> 192GB (six 32GB DIMMS)
> 384GB (six 64GB DIMMS)
> 768GB (six 128GB DIMMS or 12 64GB DIMMS)
> 1.5TB (12 128GB DIMMS; for models with a 24-core or 28-core processor)
GRAPHICS
The Mac Pro has room for two graphics cards. Apple has three different AMD cards from which to choose.
> 8GB AMD Radeon Pro 580X
> 32GB AMD Radeon Pro Vega II
> 64GB AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo According to the Mac Pro ordering page, Apple will be offering soon a 16GB Radeon Pro W5700X, and a 32GB Radeon Pro W5700X Duo.
DISPLAY
Along with the new Mac Pro is a new display, the Pro Display XDR ( go.macworld.com/xdrp). There are two models available: one with standard glass (glossy) for $4,999, and one with nano-texture glass (matte) for $5,999.
The Pro Display XDR doesn’t include a stand, however. That’ll cost an addition $999. If you want a Vesa mount, it’s $199.
STORAGE
The Mac Pro has room for two SSD modules. You can get a single 256GB SSD, or you can get 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, or 8TB of storage that’s installed as a pair of SSDS.
AFTERBURNER
Apple offers a special component with the Mac Pro called Afterburner. This is an accelerator card with a Fieldprogrammable Gate Array (FPGA) designed for video production. According to Apple, Afterburner can handle up to six streams of 8K Prores RAW video at 30 fps; up to 23 streams of 4K Prores RAW video at 30 fps; and up to 16 streams of 4K Prores 422 video at 30 fps.
If you want Afterburner, it’s a $2,000 option.
EXTERNAL PORTS
The Mac Pro has an I/O card installed in its half-length x4 PCI Express slot. This card provides two USB 3 ports and two Thunderbolt 3 ports. The Mac Pro also has two 10Gb ethernet jacks. All of these ports are accessible on the back of the Mac Pro.
On top of the Mac Pro, there are two Thunderbolt 3 ports. Apple also says there’s a headphone jack, but by looking at the photos of the Mac Pro, we can’t find it. It’s probably somewhere on the front of the machine.
INTERNAL EXPANSION SLOTS
Inside the Mac Pro are eight PCI Express expansion slots. You can install up to two MPX modules, or up to four PCI Express cards. There are also three full-length PCI Express gen 3 slots (one x16 slot and two x8 slots) and a half-length x4 PCI Express gen 3 slot, but that’s used by an Apple I/O card that provides two USB 3 and two Thunderbolt 3 ports.
WIRELESS
802.11ac Wi-fi and Bluetooth 5.0 come built-in.
SPEED
Apple says that the new Mac Pro is “designed in pursuit of performance,” capable of handling 8K video editing, 3D applications, software development, and other production-oriented tasks.
Apple’s Mac Pro website shows only benchmarks for the highest-end 28-core model. They claim the new Mac Pro provides three times the performance in Prores
transcoding over the previous 12-core Mac Pro using Final Cut Pro X. Apple also says you’ll see more than triple the performance in task performed in Adobe Photoshop 2020, Autodesk Maya, Logic Pro X, MATLAB, and Wolfram Mathematica.
Popular Mechanics has an article on how the Mac Pro’s cooling system works ( go.macworld.com/ csys), enabling the computer to maintain a high level of performance.
WHO IS THE MAC PRO FOR?
The Mac Pro provides processing power that the most demanding users need. We’re talking about production environments, like TV and audio recording studios, animation houses, and software developers. If you feel like you can never have enough power, you’re probably the professional the Mac Pro is aimed at.
If you’re more of a “prosumer” than a professional—someone who is an expert Mac user, but doesn’t use high-end apps—the Mac Pro is overkill. You’re probably not going to be able to take advantage of what the Mac Pro has to offer. You also should take a look at an imac Pro ( go.macworld. com/prim).
HOW TO BUY A MAC PRO
Ready to buy a Mac Pro? Go to the Apple Store ( go.macworld.com/bypr). ■