Mac Pro

 

Apple's new modular Mac Pro designed for professionals.

At a Glance

On December 10, Apple launched its latest high-end high-throughput Mac Pro. It begins at 5,999 dollars, so this system is for the most serious advanced users only.

2019 Mac Pro Specs

• Xeon chips with up to 28 cores
• Up to 1.5TB memory
• Eight PCIe expansion slots
• Up to 2 Radeon Pro II Duo GPUs
• Four GPUs total supported
• Lattice design for thermal regulation
• Modular and upgradeable
• Pro Display XDR

The 2019 Mac Pro

Apple unveiled an updated Mac Pro in December 2019, marking the first new Mac Pro since 2013, when Apple introduced the "trash can" cylinder-shaped computer that never saw any updates after dual GPUs dropped out of favour and shifted focus to more powerful single GPU options.

The new Mac Pro is a high-end high-throughput computer built for the technical user base of Apple. Apple has learned from its failures and the thermal shortcomings of the 2013 Mac Pro design and the latest Mac Pro features a design that is identical to the 2012 Mac Pro rectangular, concentrating heavily on upgradability and expansion.

Although the 2019 Mac Pro has a more conventional PC shape than its predecessor, with a stainless steel frame and an aluminium housing offering 360-degree access to the device, it's still Apple-esque. Optional wheels may also be put on during or after purchase.

To make the Mac Pro simple to manoeuvre around, handles are built into the frame, and it adopts a lattice style that some have likened to a cheese grater. The lattice pattern maximizes airflow and enables quiet efficiency, Apple says.

Pricing begins at $6,000 on the Mac Pro, so this is a computer that was unquestionably created for professionals who need the very best possible output. With all the hardware upgrade options available, the price of the Mac Pro is over $52,000.

The Mac Pro uses Xeon workstation-class processors with up to 28 cores with 64 PCI Express lanes, up to 1.5 TB of high-performance memory, eight PCIe expansion slots, and two Apple MPX modules housed in the high-end, dual Radeon Pro Vega II Duo GPUs, which Apple says offer revolutionary graphics expansion architecture, Thunderbolt integration, and over 500 W of power. That's four total Vega GPUs.

New to the 2019 Mac Pro is the Apple Afterburner, a $2,000 accelerator card that allows three 8K ProRes RAW video streams to be played simultaneously.

Alongside the Apple Pro Display XDR, a 6K 32-inch display with its own premium price point, $4,999, plus an extra $999 for the stand, the Mac Pro is being offered.

After securing tariff exemptions from the United States, Apple is making the Mac Pro in Texas. With suppliers in states including Arizona, Maine, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Vermont, the Mac Pro is equipped with components designed, manufactured, and assembled by more than a dozen American businesses. In the United States, only Mac Pro models sold in North America are assembled, with other Mac Pro models sold worldwide being assembled in Europe.

The new Mac Pro and Apple Display XDR from Apple became available for purchase starting on December 10, and orders began arriving on December 16 for customers.

First Impressions

Apple gave some of the devices to influential tech YouTubers to try out before the release of the Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR, and their first impressions, overviews, and unboxings of the Mac Pro are now online.

With the Mac Pro and Pro Monitor XDR, MKBHD, iJustine, and Jonathan Morrison were each able to spend a few weeks using the setup for video editing workflows. Higher-end machines with 28-core Intel Xeon W processors, 384GB RAM, 4TB SSD, an Afterburner Card, and two AMD Radeon Pro Vega II GPUs were supplied to YouTubers. Below, for those interested in a hands-on look at the Mac Pro, we have posted their videos.

An initial first impression overview of the Mac Pro has also been made by iFixit, including a look inside the device's aluminium casing.

Design

The latest 2019 Mac Pro from Apple features an entirely new design that is fresh, but reminiscent of older Mac Pro models as well. Apple designed the latest Mac Pro to be modular, upgradeable, flexible, and able to handle some of the highest-end components available on the market, learning from previous experiences.

It utilizes a typical design in the tower style, but with an Apple flare. Apple says the Mac Pro was designed to change the needs of an individual, starting with a stainless steel frame that supports the overall device and provides mounting points for the interior components.

The Mac Pro was developed by Apple so that full access to the device is possible when the aluminium housing is removed. To make it easy to connect and remove sections to the Mac Pro, Apple made the logic board dual sided. On one hand, the processor, graphics, and expansion are located, while on the other are the storage and memory.

The Mac Pro uses high-end components that draw a lot of electricity, so with an amazing thermal design, Apple designed the computer. There are three impeller fans that force air over the CPU and GPU, and there is a blower on the opposite side to pull air through the memory, storage, and vent it out of the back through the power supply.

An aluminium housing that Apple built to be more than just a decorative shell is covering the Mac Pro. It serves as a seal for the inner cavity, and it helps maintain the air pressure that keeps the Mac Pro cool, combined with the fans and blower. The Mac Pro runs silently with this device, and when put under a desk, Apple claims it's even quieter than the iMac Pro.

A lattice pattern of three-dimensional interlocking hemispheres is covered by the aluminium housing, which Apple bases on a natural phenomenon in molecular crystal structures.

The lattice pattern increases the surface area of the enclosure of the Mac Pro, which optimizes the airflow while offering a rigid structure as well. A huge heat sink keeps things cool around the processor, and heat pipes steer air away from the chip.

Stainless steel handles at the top make it easy to get to the interior to remove the housing. The handles were built by Apple to be part of the frame, so when raised or shifted, the Mac Pro is secure. A twist latch that secures the enclosure to the frame is at the top of the Mac Pro, and for quick access, there is a power button and two Thunderbolt 3 ports.

To make it easier to transport from one place to another, there are optional wheels that can be attached to the Mac Pro, but prospective buyers should be aware that no wheel locks are included.

The Mac Pro measures 20.8 inches in height, 17.7 inches in length, and 8.58 inches in width. With its optional wheels, it's 21.9 inches wide in all. At 39.7 pounds, the Mac Pro weighs in.

Internals

The Mac Pro features the most powerful components ever put into a Mac by Apple, and the device's design makes it versatile and upgradeable to suit the needs of any pro user.

Up to two MPX modules or four PCI Express card slots are allowed, plus there are three full-length PCI Express Gen 3 slots and one half-length Apple I/O card PCI Express Gen 3 slot for a total of eight PCI Express expansion slots to deal with.

Mac Pro Expansion Bays

Two Mac Pro expansion modules, or MPX modules, which house the GPUs of the Mac Pro, are supported by the Mac Pro. Each of the MPX Modules' two MPX bays supports x16 gen 3 graphics bandwidth, x8 gen 3 Thunderbolt bandwidth, video routing for DisplayPort, and up to 500W capacity.

Alternatively, one full-length, double-wide x16 gen 3 and one full-length double-wide x8 gen 3 slot are provided by MPX bay 1. Two full-length double-wide x16 gen 3 slots are provided by MPX bay 2. Using two 8-pin connectors, both provide up to 300W of auxiliary capacity.

An industry-standard PCI Express connector with additional PCIe lanes for Thunderbolt integration, a first for graphics cards, is included in each MPX module that fits within the MPX bay. A power capacity equal to the entire previous-generation Mac Pro is the 500W of power each MPX module has.

Processors

The Mac Pro uses Xeon W processors from Intel, ranging from 8 to 28 cores. 28 cores is the most ever made available by Apple on a Mac, although there are many other lower-end options as well.

Specific details on each processor option are listed below:

• 8-core - 3.5GHz Intel Xeon W, 8 cores/16 threads, Turbo Boost up to 4.0GHz, 24.5MB cache.

• 12-core - 3.3GHz Intel Xeon W, 12 cores/24 threads, Turbo Boost up to 4.4GHz, 31.25MB cache.

• 16-core - 3.2GHz Intel Xeon W, 16 cores/32 threads, Turbo Boost up to 4.4GHz, 38MB cache.

• 24-core - 2.7GHz Intel Xeon W, 24 cores/48 threads, Turbo Boost up to 4.4GHz, 57MB cache.

• 28-core - 2.5GHz Intel Xeon W, 28 cores/56 threads, Turbo Boost up to 4.4GHz, 66.5MB cache.

The standard version of the Mac Pro comes with an 8-core processor, with the other chips available at an extra cost as optional upgrades.

The new 8-core, 12-core, and 16-core Mac Pro processors deliver performance close to the processors in the 2017 iMac Pro models based on Geekbench 5 benchmarks.

For instance, the base Mac Pro with an 8-core Xeon W chip has a single-core score of 1008 and a multi-core score of 7606, which is beaten by the single core score of 1076 and multi-core score of 8120 of the 8-core 2017 iMac Pro.

You will also see similar scores in the higher-core Mac Pro versions as well. A single-core score of 1090 and a multi-core score of 11599 were won by the 12-core Mac Pro, while the 16-core computer received a single-core score of 1104 and a multi-core score of 14285.

However as the iMac Pro does not offer 24 and 28-core alternatives, the higher-end Mac Pro models outperform the iMac Pro models.

T2 Chip

The Mac Pro features a T2 Protection Chip that guarantees that the lowest programme levels are not abused and that only macOS is loaded at start-up. There is a Protected Enclave that offers secure boot functionality and encrypted storage.

RAM

Up to 1.5TB DDR4 ECC memory is provided by the Mac Pro in 12 user-accessible DIMM slots, configured in various ways depending on the amount of RAM used.

• 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 (24 or 28-core processor required)

The 8-core processor from Apple operates at 2666MHz, while the 12-core to 28-core processors run at 2933MHz with memory. Thanks to the dual access feature of the Mac Pro, all RAM is conveniently accessible for upgrading purposes. The Mac Pro provides up to 140GB/s memory capacity at the high end.

RAM is user-upgradeable and for those who do not want to buy Apple's stock RAM options, additional RAM can be added after purchase.

Graphics

Up to four GPUs can be equipped with two Mac Pro Expansion (MPX) modules, with Apple offering the AMD Radeon Pro 580X, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II, and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Pair.

Featuring 8 GB of GDDR5 memory, two HDMI 2.0 ports, four DisplayPort connections, the AMD Radeon Pro 580X offers support for up to six 4K displays, two 5K displays, or two Pro View XDRs. The Radeon Pro 580X comes with a half-height MPX module that fits in an MPX bay and allows additional expansion of the PCIe slot 2.

Featuring 32 GB of HBM2 memory with 1 TB/s memory bandwidth, four Thunderbolt 3 ports and one on-card HDMI port, two DisplayPort connections, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II supports up to six 4K displays, three 5K displays or two Pro View XDRs.

A full-height MPX module comes with the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II, which fills an MPX bay and uses additional power and PCIe bandwidth.

At the high end, Apple offers two Vega II GPUs, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo, linked to an Infinity Fabric Link with 64 GB of HBM2 memory (32 GB per GPU), each with 1 TB/s memory bandwidth, four Thunderbolt 3 ports, one HDMI port on the card, and two DisplayPort connections. Up to eight 4K displays, four 5K displays, or four Pro Display XDRs are supported.

A full-height MPX module comes with the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo, which fills an MPX bay and uses extra power and PCIe bandwidth.

Up to 56 teraflops and 128 GB of high-bandwidth memory are supported by the dual Radeon Pro Vega II Duo configuration available on the Mac Pro.

Apple Afterburner

Apple also included a RAW accelerator card from ProRes and ProRes that it calls Afterburner. In Final Cut Pro X, QuickTime Player X, and other third-party applications that use ProRes, the PCI Express x16 card is designed to accelerate ProRes and ProRes RAW codecs.

The Afterburner supports playback of up to 3 8K ProRes RAW streams or 12 K ProRes RAW streams.

As of March 2020, Apple is offering a separate purchase of the $2000 Mac Pro Afterburner Card, enabling it to be purchased after purchase. Previously, when configuring a new Mac Pro, the Afterburner Card had to be bought as a build-to-order option.

Storage

Up to 8TB of SSD storage that provides up to 2.6GB/s sequential read and 2.7GB/s sequential write output can be optimized with the Mac Pro. The T2 chip encrypts all Mac Pro storage.

A 256GB SSD comes with the base Mac Pro, which can be upgraded to 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, or 8TB. Apple states that SSD replacements must be carried out at an Apple Store or an Apple Approved Service Provider, however, as seen in the video below, additional SSD storage space may be added alongside the built-in SSD.

Apple launched Mac Pro SSD upgrade kits with 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB storage modules in June 2020, allowing users to upgrade their SSDs without having to rely on a service provider. Starting at $600, kits are priced.

Ports

The Mac Pro features two USB-A ports (up to 5Gb/s transfer speeds), two Thunderbolt 3 ports (up to 40Gb/s TB3 and 10Gb/s USB-C) with DisplayPort support, and two 10Gb Ethernet ports in the half-length PCI Express slot accessible via an I/O card.

On top of the Mac Pro's enclosure, there are an additional two Thunderbolt 3 ports. With the MPX Modules, up to 12 Thunderbolt 3 ports are available at the high end in total.

The total number of available Thunderbolt 3 ports depends on the graphics configuration of the machine.

Other Features

Input Devices

A silver and black Magic Keyboard with a Numeric Keypad and a silver and black Magic Mouse 2 are supplied with the Mac Pro. As an add-on, a silver and black Magic Trackpad 2 is available.

With a power cord, USB-C to Lightning cable, and a 1.4-kilowatt power supply, the Mac Pro also ships.

Audio

The Mac Pro features built-in speakers along with a 3.5mm audio jack.

Build to Order Options

There are several upgrade options available for the Mac Pro, including the processor, RAM, GPU, and SSD. Below, we have listed all the upgrade options available that can be added to the Mac Pro entry-level, which is fitted with an Intel Xeon W 3.5GHz 8-core processor, 32GB RAM, Radeon Pro 580X, 256GB SSD, no Apple Afterburner, and no wheeled frame.

Processor Options

• 3.3GHz 12‑core Intel Xeon W, Turbo Boost up to 4.4GHz - +$1,000

• 3.2GHz 16‑core Intel Xeon W, Turbo Boost up to 4.4GHz - +$2,000

• 2.7GHz 24‑core Intel Xeon W, Turbo Boost up to 4.4GHz - +$6,000

• 2.5GHz 28‑core Intel Xeon W, Turbo Boost up to 4.4GHz - +$7,000

RAM Options

• 48GB (6x8GB) of DDR4 ECC memory - +$300

• 96GB (6x16GB) of DDR4 ECC memory - +$1,000

• 192GB (6x32GB) of DDR4 ECC memory - +$3,000

• 384GB (6x64GB) of DDR4 ECC memory - +$6,000

• 768GB (6x128GB) of DDR4 ECC memory - $14,000

• 768GB (12x64GB) of DDR4 ECC memory - $10,000

• 1.5TB (12x128GB) of DDR4 ECC memory - +$25,000

GPU Options

• Radeon Pro W5500X with 8GB GDDR6 memory - +$200
• Radeon Pro W5700X with 16GB GDDR6 memory - +$600
• Two Radeon Pro W5700X with 16GB GDDR6 memory each - +$1600

• Radeon Pro Vega II with 32GB of HBM2 memory - +$2,400

• Two Radeon Pro Vega II with 32GB of HBM2 memory each - +$5,200

• Radeon Pro Vega II Duo with 2x32GB of HBM2 memory - +$5,200

• Two Radeon Pro Vega II Duo with 2x32GB of HBM2 memory each - +$10,800

Storage Options

• 1TB SSD storage - +$400

• 2TB SSD storage - +$800

• 4TB SSD storage - +$1,400

• 8TB SSD storage - +$2,600

After purchase, all the components in the Mac Pro can be updated, so there is an opportunity to buy third-party pieces. However, installation must be performed by Apple or an AASP when it comes to the SSD, since it is connected to the T2 chip in the computer.

Apple Afterburner

It costs a further $2,000 to connect an Apple Afterburner card to the Mac Pro. The Apple Afterburner is a PCIe accelerator card that in applications such as Final Cut Pro X discharges the encoding of ProRes and ProRes RAW video codecs. The Afterburner can be added to the Mac Pro when a new purchase is configured or purchased at a later date on a standalone basis.

Other Upgrade Options

It costs $400 to add a stainless steel frame with wheels to the Mac Pro, as a frame with feet is the standard option. The spokes, which is something to be careful of do not lock in place.

With the wheel add-on package, which is priced at $700, it is possible to purchase wheels after a Mac Pro has been ordered. Apple provides a $300-foot kit for Mac Pro owners who bought wheels and would like to have feet.

OWC offers the Rover Pro wheel package, which is priced at $199, for those looking for a more affordable Mac Pro wheel option. Rather than removing them, the wheels are designed to stick to the stock Mac Pro feet, and they can be mounted in just a few minutes.

The Mac Pro comes with a Magic Mouse 2, but for an extra $50, it can be upgraded to a Magic Trackpad 2. For $149, Mac Pro buyers will get both the mouse and the trackpad.

A Mac Pro rack mount option costs an extra $500, starting at $6,499. In mid-January, Apple launched the Mac Pro Rack Mount.

As of June 2020, Apple is offering Mac Pro-designed 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB SSD upgrade kits to allow users to upgrade the machine's internal SSD storage space. Upgrade kits vary from $600 to $2,800 in price.

Maximum Pricing

A maxed out Mac Pro costs $52,748 with all of the Mac Pro upgrades, including the Magic Mouse 2 and Trackpad 2 combo plus wheels. Add to that the maxed out Pro Show XDR, and you look at a price tag that's just shy of $60,000.

Pro Display XDR

Apple produced the Pro Display XDR, a 32-inch 6K display with a 6016 x 3384 resolution and more than 20 million pixels, to go along with the Mac Pro.

The monitor has a peak brightness of 1,600 nits and a sustained brightness of 1,000 nits, a super-wide viewing angle and a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1 for what Apple calls intense HDR.

The Pro Display XDR, with a lattice pattern that doubles as a thermal device, was designed to look identical to the Mac Pro. With a 9mm border, it has edge-to-edge glass and is sold alongside a Pro Stand that can switch from portrait to landscape mode.

How to Buy

On December 10, the Mac Pro was made available for purchase from the online Apple Store, with the first orders being delivered on December 16. In some stores, the base level machine, which is priced at $5,999, can be bought, but those looking for personalized options need to order from the Apple online store. A variant of the Mac Pro rack mount is also available for $6,499, and $2,000 is available for an Afterburner card.

Apple is selling the 2019 Mac Pro models at a discount from its refurbished store as of April 2020, which is a good buying choice for those who want to save some cash. Around 15 percent of the refurbished Mac Pros are discounted, which can mean thousands of savings depending on setup.

What's Next for the Mac Pro

According to Bloomberg, Apple is working on a redesigned Mac Pro that has a smaller form factor. It is said that the design looks identical to the current design, but with a more compact enclosure that is around half the size. An Apple Silicon chip will be adopted by the latest Mac Pro, but when it would be released, there is no word yet.

Apple plans to upgrade the entire Mac lineup with Apple Silicon chips, a phase that is expected to take two years, so the next Mac Pro will likely arrive in 2021 or 2022 at some point.

If the Mac Pro will be offered alongside the current Mac Pro or will replace the product entirely is not yet known.

Mac Pro Timeline

NOVEMBER2020

Nov 11Future Apple Silicon Macs Rumored to Include Redesigned 14-Inch and 16-Inch MacBook Pro, 24-Inch iMac, and Smaller Mac Pro

Nov 2Apple Working on Redesigned Mac Pro With Smaller Form Factor and Apple Silicon Chip

AUGUST2020

Aug 6OWC Quick-Change Wheel Kit for 2019 Mac Pro Available for Pre-Order for Just $199

JULY2020

Jul 9Should I Buy an Intel Mac Today or Wait to Buy an Arm-Based Mac?

Jul 1Apple Now Offering Radeon Pro W5500X for Mac Pro

JUNE2020

Jun 15Apple's User-Installable Mac Pro SSD Kits Now Available With Up to 8TB of Storage for $2,800

Jun 1516-Inch MacBook Pro Now Available With Up to 75% Faster Radeon Pro 5600M Graphics

MAY2020

May 27Sonnet's Fusion Flex J3i Mount Lets You Add Up to Three Internal Drives to Your Mac Pro

May 6Dramatic Unboxing of Apple's $700 Mac Pro After-Purchase Wheels Kit

APRIL2020

Apr 15Mac Pro Can Now Be Customized With Radeon Pro W5700X Graphics Cards

Apr 15Apple Offering $700 Kit to Add Wheels to the Mac Pro

Apr 102019 Mac Pro Now Available Through Apple's Refurbished Store With Up to $4000 in Savings

MARCH2020

Mar 18Apple Afterburner Card for Mac Pro Now Available as Separate Purchase

Mar 9Arm Processors with Mac Pro Level Performance Possible Today

FEBRUARY2020

Feb 26Mac Pro's $400 Wheels Have No Locks to Prevent Rolling

Feb 24Apple Shares Detailed Technical Overviews of Pro Display XDR and Mac Pro

Feb 12New Mac Pro Facing Lengthy Delivery Estimates, Possibly Due to Coronavirus

JANUARY2020

Jan 14Rack Mount Mac Pro Now Available for Purchase Starting at $6,499

Jan 3Mac Pro Hands-On: Adding Additional SSD Storage Using a PCIe Slot

DECEMBER2019

Dec 19Apple Now Offering $2,600 8TB SSD Upgrade Option for Mac Pro