Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Back in June , when Applegave us a prevue of the new Mac Pro , the ship’s company read it would transport “ later this twelvemonth . ” Here we are , just a few days timid of 2014,and the new Mac Pro has arrived . Apple hollo it the Mac Pro ( previous 2013 ) ; a snarky commentator might call it the Mac Pro ( Almost 2014 ) . Whatever you call it , it ’s the fellowship ’s newfangled flagship computer — itshalo automobile , if you will — and we ’ve been set it through its stride . Does it live up to its name as aprofessional’sMac ?
The unforesightful solvent is , “ It depends . ” When the unexampled Mac Pro was announced this past summer , the initial reactions were , to put it gently , polarise . Some mass thought the novel computer was a splendid design that embrace current trends in in high spirits - end computing . Others recall it was a slap in the face of “ real ” pro substance abuser . Both side of meat can make a honorable case : Depending on your particular exercise and need , the new Mac Pro may be on the button what you want ( a state - of - the - art , multi - core - processor , workstation - GPU estimator that does n’t waste place and resources on expandability you may never use ) , or nothing like what you need ( a workhorse column with slews of bays and slots for expansion ) .
I ’m not here to tell you which horizon is right or wrong , because substantial people with real jobs and real needs hold each . The best I can do is recite you what the raw Mac Pro is , what it does , and how well it does those things . You ’ll have to decide if Apple ’s newfangled access is right for you .
Small and Space Gray
If you ’re reading this , chances are you have intercourse all about the new Mac Pro ’s designing , but here ’s a refresher . Apple has done away with the monumental inclosure of the 2012 - and - earlier Mac Pro : The new Mac Pro is alternatively a low cylinder with a beautiful , unibody outside made from a single pulley block of Al . As we observe in ourfirst imprint , while Apple ’s PR videos and images make the fresh Mac Pro face like a dark , metallic gray — almost black — it ’s really closer in colour to the new Space Gray goal of Apple ’s current iPhone and iPad models . It even looks somewhat silvery in bright ignitor .
The cylinder is just 9.9 inches grandiloquent and just 6.6 column inch in diameter . Apple says the young modelling is about 1/8 the size of the 2012 Mac Pro , but that bit does n’t really attain home until you see the new Mac Pro sit down next to one of its precursor , ornext to something else that give you some sizing view .
It truly is a lilliputian computer given its capabilities . Apple achieve this size reduction in part by doing off with many things professional - level computers have traditionally reserved inner place for : multiple bays for hard drives , multiple slots for graphics and enlargement cards , and outer space for an optical - cause ( or two ) . rather , the 2013 Mac Pro offers most of its expansion options on theoutside : Turn the cylinder around , and you ’ll find a succinct panel thathosts a flock of ports and connectors : four USB 3.0 port , six Thunderbolt 2 ports ( two each on three independent controllers ) , two gigabit ethernet ports , an HDMI 1.4 ( audio+video ) port , a 1/8 - in parallel / optical - digital bank line - out jack , and a 1/8 - inch headphone / headset jack .
But Apple also reduced the Mac Pro ’s sizing with some cagy engineering . Traditionally , each heat - producing component in a desktop computer — CPU(s ) , graphics chips , retentiveness , and so on — has had its own hotness sink , and sometimes even its own sports fan . Fitting all these component into a case , and create good airflows to make trusted each can adequately cool , want a comparatively tumid enclosure . It ’s also an ineffective use of materials , because each high temperature sink is only cooling its respective component(s ) part of the metre .
The Mac Pro ’s unified thermic core .
Of course , not having traditional hard drives , PCI expansion batting order , honkin’-big PCI - card GPUs ( graphics processing units — a.k.a . , “ video cards ” ) , and the like inside does wonders for internal temperatures . But the young Mac Pro also incorporates what Apple calls aunified thermal core . This is essentially a large , triangular , extruded - Al frame in the midsection of the new Mac Pro that acts as both the social organization for the computing machine and a central warmth swallow hole . The inside of the triangle looks like a traditional heat sink , with thin slats to increase surface sphere . copulate straight to each of the three sides of the trigon are , respectively , the Mac Pro ’s CPU and each of its two GPUs . The solvent is a single warmth sink that service the intact computer . Apple tell the design allows the component to partake in the kernel ’s caloric efficiency , as it pulls heat out from each of those element and distributes it evenly across the core . Even when working severely , the outside of the Mac Pro ’s aluminum case feel only fond , not hot — it wo n’t heat up your office like old models .
The new Mac Pro also contains only a single fan . settle just below the top of the cylinder , this fan sucks melodic line up from vents at the bottom of the computer , and over the thermal center to cool it , and then pushes the now - warm air out the ringing at the top of the enclosure . rather of the current of air - tunnel - like noise tier you ’d sometimes hear with premature Mac Pro models , the 2013 Mac Pro ’s fan is generally very placid . In fact , in normal use , it ’s most unsounded : If you put your pinna next to the vent on the top , you hear only a quiet hum . ( Apple told us the computer bring out only about 12dB of noise at jobless , and roughly 17dB under load . ) In my muted office , I could n’t hear the Mac Pro ’s fan over the noise of my 2010 iMac , even when live - rendering some effects on 4 K video in Final Cut Pro X. That ’s not to say you ’ll never hear the fan , but you should expect a much quieter experience than with premature mannequin .
The top of the Mac Pro without its forbidden aluminum casing . Air sucked through the bottom of the figurer flows through the Mac Pro and escapes through the ring of vents on top .
Combine all that technology with the Mac Pro ’s compendious size of it , and you get a surprisingly dense computer : While it ’s one - eighth the size of the 2012 Mac Pro , it ’s over one - fourth the system of weights . Pick it up by its handle — the flange around the fan exhaust ring on top — and it feels sullen and solid . But thanks to its diminutive visibility and attractive design , this is clearly signify to be a computerforyour desk , rather than something you hideunderyour desk .
Pricing and configurations
Apple sell two stock configurations of the 2013 Mac Pro , each running OS X 10.9 Mavericks . One , the $ 2999 manikin , uses a 3.7GHz quad - essence Intel Xeon E5 processor with 10 MB of floor 3 cache and includes 12 GB of 1866MHz DDR ECC memory ( RAM ) , dual AMD FirePro D300 art C.P.U. ( each with 2 GB of GDDR5 TV RAM ) , and 256 GB of PCIe - based jiffy entrepot . The other , the $ 3999 role model , apply a 3.5GHz six - core Intel Xeon E5 central processor with 12 MB of floor 3 cache , plus 16 GB of RAM , dual AMD FirePro D500 graphics processors ( each with 3 GB of VRAM ) , and the same 256 GB of PCIe - based flash storage . Each model also includes 802.11ac Wi - Fi ( compatible with 802.11a / b / GB / n ) , Bluetooth 4.0 , and a built - in verbaliser ; you also get copies of iPhoto , iMovie , GarageBand , Pages , Numbers , and Keynote , along with the standard OS ecstasy apps .
Apple declare oneself a slew of configure - to - rescript ( CTO ) options for each . For fledgeling , you could elevate the $ 2999 Mac Pro to fit the $ 3999 model ’s processor ( $ 500 ) , RAM ( $ 100 ) , or GPUs ( $ 400)—do all three , and you ’ve got the $ 3999 example . ( The $ 3999 Mac Pro is only the $ 2999 example with stock ascent . ) But you could keep going : Another $ 1500 gets you a 3.0GHz , 8 - core processor with 25 MB of L3 cache , and another $ 1500 beyond that get you a 2.7GHz , 12 - gist CPU with 30 MB of L3 hoard .
On either model , once you get to 16 GB of RAM , another $ 400 bumps you up to 32 gigabyte , and an additional $ 800 take you to 64 GB . A $ 300 premium get you 512 GB of PCIe - based ostentation storage ; tack on on another $ 500 and you get 1 TB . Finally , a $ 600 agio over the double AMD FirePro D500 GPUs fuck off you threefold AMD FirePro D700 GPUs ( each with 6 GB of VRAM ) . Neither mannequin includes a display , keyboard , or any other remark twist .
The Mac Pro ’s tabu casing easily slides off , giving you approach to the inner components .
If this all sounds a bit confusing , think of it this way : Apple essentially tender a baseborn Mac Pro model for $ 2999 , along with options for upgrade its processor , GPUs , RAM , and photoflash storage . ( If you ’re curious , amaxed - out 2013 Mac Pro , complete with a 12 - core central processing unit , 64 GB of RAM , 1 TB of flash storage , and dual FirePro D700 GPUs , will place you back a coolheaded $ 9599 . )
Of naturally , if you ’ve got an older Mac Pro with lots of PCI cards , tough ride , and other upgrades , you ’ll require to factor in the price of the various adapter , enclosures , and PCI physique needed to integrate those components into your newfangled Mac Pro system , or the cost to replace those intersection — if it ’s actually necessary — with newer one that are compatible with the Mac Pro .
The new Mac Pro was availablefor orderin the itty-bitty hours of the morning of December 19 . orchard apple tree toldMacworldthat the earliest orders were in reality shipped out later that day , but by breakfast metre here on the West Coast , shoppers were seeingshipping estimatesof February 2014 .
Multi-core is where it’s at
When we review a unexampled Mac , we favour to retrospect the bag model(s ) , and then we buy one or more CTO models for benchmarking purposes . However , the Mac Pro Apple loan us for review was a CTO role model with a 3.0GHz , 8 - core Xeon E5 central processing unit ; 32 GB of RAM ; dual D700 GPUs ; and 512 GB of flash storage . ( The cost , if configure on Apple ’s online computer storage , would be $ 6799 . ) And because new orders are n’t send until February , and Apple retail stores do n’t have Mac Pros in pedigree , we have n’t yet been able to purchase either of the nucleotide models . We ’ll test those simulation as soon as we can get them .
Wepublished our first benchmark of our review role model , and the results were in some ways surprising : The eight - core 2013 Mac Pro was only 8 percent quicker in our Speedmark 9 bench mark suite than a CTO 2013 iMac maxed out with a musculus quadriceps femoris - Congress of Racial Equality 3.5GHz Core i7 processor , a 3 TB Fusion Drive , 8 GB of RAM , and Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 M graphics ( a $ 2699 configuration ) . In the case-by-case tests that make up our Speedmark bench mark , the iMac actually beat the young Mac Pro in a Finder run , the iMovie tryout , the iTunes test , the Aperture test , the Parallels test , and the Cinebench OpenGL test . It also beat the Mac Pro in GeekBench 3 ’s single - core benchmark .
Speedmark 9 scores
However , the new Mac Pro hands down beat the iMac — and every other Mac we ’ve ever tested — in our Final Cut Pro X test , the iPhoto test , the HandBrake examination , the Photoshop tests , the Cinebench CPU test , the Mathematica test , and several graphic - engine tests . It also squash most other Macs in GeekBench 3 ’s multi - core benchmark .
The Mac Pro ’s Final Cut Pro X carrying out was peculiarly impressive , as it finished our rendering test in half the time of the next - truehearted Mac , and about a quarter of the time it took on two 2012 Mac Pros ( a quad - essence and a two-fold six - core ) . An Apple demonstration toMacworldstaff was likewise striking , as it involve Final Cut Pro X expose 16 dissimilar angle of 4 K Multicam TV at the same time , while live - depict 4 K picture with multiple , complex effects use . This demo was , of course , design to show the Mac Pro in the best illumination , but it ’s a demo few computers could do at all . Similarly , the user - run Final Cut Pro X internet site fcp.compublished its initial testsbased on a Mac Pro standardised to ours . In one mental test , the site put a Red Raw 4 G cartridge clip in a 4 K project and sum up 18 effects ; the clip rendered and play in real time without knock off figure .
The disparate results of our individual trial mull over my real - worldly concern experiences with the new Mac Pro . When performing canonical computer science tasks , such as put to work in the Finder , channel-surf the Web , working with iTunes , and the like , the new Mac Pro of course feel a good deal faster than the heavily upgrade 2010 iMac in my authority , but not needs $ 4000 and three old age faster . But when I start playing with filter on high - res video in Final Cut Pro X , and transcoding telecasting using HandBrake , the new Mac Pro showed just how much more brawny it really is . For exercise , it took just over 12 minutes for HandBrake to win over a two - hour motion picture from a ripped .dvdmedia software to an H.264 file , and this was while the figurer was downloading and installing about 1.5 GB Charles Frederick Worth of software system updates and I was browsing the Web . On my 2.93HGz Core i7 iMac with Fusion Drive , the same conversion took or so 40 hour .
We also execute the Blackmagic Disk fastness Test on the Mac Pro to see what kind of I / O functioning the PCIe - based flash store allow for . The utility show up write speed of 952.8 MBps and show speeds of 920.5 MBps — both impressive numbers , though standardized to what we ’ve seen on Apple ’s latest Retina - display MacBook Pro , which also utilize PCIe flash storage .
Behind this circuit board is the Mac Pro ’s processor , fight tightly against the reckoner ’s thermal pith ( a central heat sink and ventilating system system of rules ) .
Performance explained
You might find our overall outcome confusing , but in many ways they confirm what we ’ve find with other Macs in late eld : When it comes to apps and tasks that can take advantage of multiple mainframe cores , GHz matters , but multi - core matter just as much — or more . For apps and tasks thatdon’tbenefit from multiple cores , the processor ’s clock pep pill becomes more important . Thus , a 3.5GHz space - core iMac beats a 3.0GHz eight - core Mac Pro at affair like Finder and iTunes tasks ; the Mac Pro , on the other hand , easily bests the iMac in Final Cut Pro X , HandBrake , Mathematica , and Photoshop .
Indeed , if you look atApple ’s webpage on carrying out , the company touts the new Mac Pro for TV redaction , 3 - D modeling and brio , photography , design and layout , audio production , and science — all areas of cypher where multi - core processor and/or gamey - end , high - answer display are key .
( It ’s also worth noting that the non - Xeon processors in current and recent MacBook and iMac model incorporateIntel ’s QuickSync engineering , which is specifically design to accelerate the transcoding of video ; the Xeon central processing unit in the Mac Pro miss this feature . iMovie accept advantage of QuickSync , which explains why a maxed - out 2013 iMac bested the Mac Pro in our benchmark . The iMovie trial in act boosted the iMac ’s overall Speedmark score comparative to the Mac Pro : If the 2013 Mac Pro had scored even identically to the souped - up 2013 iMac in the iMovie test , the Mac Pro ’s Speedmark score would have leap from 312 to 342 , outdo the iMac overall by 54 points , rather than 24 . )
Like previous Mac Pro models , the new Mac Pro should also tender performance advantages ( compare to Apple ’s other computers ) in an area that our Speedmark scores do n’t really show : sustained peak execution . Intel ’s current mainframe , include the Xeon CPU used in the Mac Pro and the i5 and i7 processors used in Apple ’s other calculator , have a feature calledTurbo cost increase . When more computer science execution is needed , Turbo Boostcan increase the central processor ’s clock frequency ( up to a particular upper that ’s check by both the processor itself and its number of core group ) . However , Turbo Boost is define : The C.P.U. can rage up its carrying out only as long as the C.P.U. stays below special temperature , king - consumption , and current - consumption limits .
In desktop and laptop computer computers , it ’s in general theTDP ( thermic invention power)—the highest amount of heat the processor is allow to father before performance is restrict — that ’s the limiting factor for Turbo Boost . Asnoted by Marco Arment , the Xeon processors used in the 2013 Mac Pro have a TDP of 130W , while the TDP of the i5 and i7 CPU used in Apple ’s MacBook Air , MacBook Pro , Mac mini , and iMac line of credit have TDPs swan from 15W to 84W. In addition , the Mac Pro ’s unified thermal sum providesmuchmore cool off capacity than the bantam rut sinks and small fans found in Apple ’s other computers . merge these capabilities , and the Mac Pro can supercharge its processor cores for much longsighted periods . The result should be significantly better sustained maximum performance for the Mac Pro , even if , say , a 3.7GHz i7 iMac can best the Mac Pro in short , single - essence task .
TDP also explain why , when choosing central processing unit options for the Mac Pro , clock speed go down as the number of cores go up : The 12 - core Xeon mainframe used in the Mac Pro has the same TDP as the 4 - core version , so the root clock hurrying must be lower for the 12 - core CPU .
What does this think of for you ? A couple of things . First , even if you ’re shop for execution , unless you regularly use software that either takes advantage of multiple core or subjects your Mac ’s processor to maintain heavy loads ( or both ) , you ’re belike better off with an iMac or a MacBook Pro . These computers offer competitive individual - core carrying into action , often at higher base clock speeds ; they ’re even competitive at particular nonsustained multi - core project . Second , even if you do need a high - goal , multi - core processor , you ’ll want to view howfrequentlyyou ask the full multi - core capability . Unless you will regularly be task all the centre of a 12 - core processor , you ’ll be well off with fewer cores running at a higher foot clock speed .
In the workweek and months before , we ’ll be do extra public presentation testing , both with this particular Mac Pro configuration and with other Mac Pro fashion model as we get them .
Apple also swash the 2013 Mac Pro ’s get-up-and-go use . We measure the power draw of this 8 - core 2013 Mac Pro versus a 12 - pith 2012 Mac Pro . With its stock voiceless drive , the 2012 Mac Pro drew 257 Watt at startup , 147W at idle , 220W at sustained load , and 256W at peak . We observe that the processors were being underutilized in the 2012 Mac Pro , as the surd drive in the system was shin to keep up . swop over to anOWC 480 GB Mercury Accelsior E2 PCIe SSDinstalled internally in the 2012 Mac Pro helped rid of the storage bottleneck and allowed the processors to work harder , promote the sustained draw to 260W and peaking at 320W. The novel Mac Pro take up only 156W at startup , and just 58W at idle ; however , it drew around 330W under free burning load , and 367W at peak .
GPUs vs. CPUs
Another sphere where the 2013 Mac Pro assure performance benefits — and an region our bench mark may not fully recognize — is inGPU computing(aka , “ GPU compute ” or “ world-wide - function computing on GPUs ” ) . Many things you do on a reckoner do n’t command the full processing power of the GPU , which signify that some of the GPU ’s capabilities go unused . GPU calculation provide applications , in the main usingOpenCL , to station discrete instructions and calculation to the computer ’s GPU for processing . Given that today ’s GPUs are extremely fast , practice many cores , and offer material data point throughput , they ’re often capable to process more — but smaller — bits of independent instruction , in parallel , than CPUs . ( Engadget hasa dear primer on the topic . )
Apple has designed the Mac Pro with a heavy nidus on GPU compute , and the fact that every configuration of the Mac Pro let in treble workstation - stratum GPUs means that developer can count on having substantial GPU resource available . In fact , the Mac Pro in reality connectsalldisplays to one GPU , depart the second GPU available to focus exclusively on GPU - cipher tasks . ( This also means that the 2d GPU can power down when it ’s not being used for such tasks . )
you may see the benefits of GPU computer science in some of our bench mark tests : Version 10.1 of Final Cut Pro X includes updates specifically made to take vantage of the 2013 Mac Pro ’s duple GPUs ; and Mathematica isdesigned to profit dramatically from GPU calculation . Any app that employ OpenCL and OpenGL should instantly profit from the Mac Pro ’s improved GPU - compute performance , and we mistrust that pro - tied apps that do n’t yet practice OpenCL will be update to do so , now that developers can depend on meaning GPU - compute resources .
Upgradable inside, expandable outside
easy the most controversial aspect of the novel Mac Pro is what itdoesn’thave : traditional intimate expansion . You canupgrade the RAMto 64 GB ( that ’s the prescribed limit — I suspect that third - political party vendors will eventually offer solutions for more ) ; you canupgrade the built - in PCEe - based newsflash storage ; and you’re able to even put back the removable GPUs — assuming that , at some point down the road , Apple or a third - party vendor provides compatible GPUs that extend improved carrying into action . And getting to those component is numb - simple : You just skid a small lock switch on the back panel of the figurer , and then slither the Mac Pro ’s aluminum shell up and off , let out the component part within .
A lock shift ensure the out typeface to the Mac Pro itself .
But once inside , you wo n’t determine any PCI - visiting card one-armed bandit , empty hard - drive bay , or a position to add a new optical drive . ( You do n’t get an optical drive at all — this is 2013 Apple we ’re talking about . ) This is a dramatic variety from the Mac towers of the past decade : The 2012 Mac Pro , for example , offered four hard - drive bays , two optic - drive bays , and four PCI Express one-armed bandit ; you could even add a RAID card to set up an internal RAID array .
Instead , you get the aforementionedexternal port and connection , locate on a venire in the nates . In a prissy tactile sensation , that panel lights up whenever the computer is moved — Apple evidence us that many Mac Pro possessor expend their reckoner in dark studios , so the company added this feature to make it easier to see the board . However , while Apple ’s advertizing establish how easy it is to spread out the Mac Pro to get to the dialog box , in real - world employment it ’s not always such a seamless mental process : Unless all your cables are long enough ( and flexile enough ) to let you change state the reckoner around , you ’re going to have to arrive at behind the computer ( or unplug those cable television first ) , just as you had to with an quondam Mac Pro .
This new approach will definitely present challenge — both logistic and financial — for some citizenry . For appetizer , since the Mac Pro ’s interior entrepot clear out at 1 TB , many pro will involve to spring for some international drives , or inclosure for be drives . At the other extreme , some users will need to pony up for a Thunderbolt - ground PCI expansion chassis to handle require PCI card . ( For those who used a PCI - notice slot in an old Mac Pro for a workstation - course GPU , the young Mac Pro ’s GPUs may make that finicky card unnecessary . )
The expert news is that Thunderbolt 2 should be decent from a public presentation perspective for many such use : Each Thunderbolt 2 porthole provides up to 20Gb / s of bandwidth to each connected machine , and you may daisy - chain up to six devices on each port wine for a total of 36 international Thunderbolt peripheral machine ( include video display ) . And USB 3.0 is a less expensive choice for bulk reposition where carrying into action is n’t important .
The uncollectible news , of course , is that such peripherals supply to the toll of buying a young Mac Pro . But have ’s be honest : Many of the people who really , truly need the Mac Pro and are willing and able to compensate for it wo n’t pause too much to pay for the necessary accouterment and add - ons . ( Apple wo n’t come out and say that , but I ’m sure more than a few hoi polloi at the ship’s company have thought it . )
Still , while that may be genuine , the question some people are asking is “ Why ? ” Why this striking change from what we ’d get to wait from a “ pro ” computer ? Apple ’s take is that the unexampled Mac Pro is looking forward , not back , by embracing current trends in computation : multiple processor kernel , solid - state store , GPU compute , external expansion that ’s as tight as inner options , and so on . And this design abbreviate wasted distance and resources .
If you have ADHD - ons you want to utilise with the Mac Pro , you ’ll have to trust on the machine ’s Thunderbolt 2 and USB 3.0 connective .
The company has some valid points . For example , there are good intellect for separating storage and other elaboration peripherals from the estimator itself , include size , heat , and stochasticity . Apple say that some of its pro users — for model , those work in recording and production studio — actually want to get raging , noisy components ( such as hard drives and RAID regalia ) off from the computer and the work surface area . likewise , many pros utilize a SAN — often located in another room — for bulk data reposition , and with older Mac Pros , this often require a fibre - TV channel posting for connecting to the SAN . So even though your memory board was elsewhere , you still had a big , loud , hot computer sit next to you . Apple expects Thunderbolt 2 to deal such connection on the 2013 model , so your workspace contain only a little , restrained , and relatively cool - running data processor .
How much of this is PR whirl , and how much is Apple actually solving job in new manner while embracing new technologies ? I suppose it calculate on how much you ’ve got empower in “ old ” technologies and how much additional capital you ’re going to have to use to convert your work setup for full compatibility with the new Mac Pro . But I do think that once people get over the initial shock , many will be gain over by the Mac Pro ’s plan of attack .
I say this in part because , despite the affection I still have got for my old Mac Pro with gobs of drive space and upgrades , over the past hebdomad of using the new model , I came to treasure many things about it : That it takes the same amount of outer space as one of my speakers . That I could n’t hear it over the external hard campaign under my desk . That after using it for an entire 24-hour interval , my power was no warmer . And that I could shut it down , unplug a few cable television , pick it up with one paw , and take it to a different location . ( Of naturally , this also raises question about security system — the car does n’t have any kind of lock or security time slot . ) Say what you will about the lack of internal expansion , there ’s something pretty special about this design in many other esteem .
All that articulate , few Thunderbolt peripherals are yet available , in part because this is the first Mac Pro to ( finally ) get Thunderbolt . I expect we ’ll be seeing more PCI flesh , maraud configuration , stand - alone drive , and the like in the months to come . Macworldwill be testing these peripherals as they become available , and we ’ll be put out a identification number of article on the selection for , and functioning of , bolt geartrain for pro .
Two of the four computer memory slots in the Mac Pro .
Three 4K (or pick six)
The new Mac Pro provides impressive exhibit funding . You canconnect up tosixnon–4 K DisplayPort displays , including any mix of Apple Thunderbolt Displays , Apple LED Cinema Displays , or third - party Mini DisplayPort displays . Alternatively , you’re able to connect three massive4 K displays . require to combine ? The Mac Pro can address , for object lesson , one 4 K showing and four Mini DisplayPort displays . ( The options dissent slenderly forWindows running via Boot Camp . ) Apple says that for the best public presentation , if you have only two or three display , you should connect each to a different Thunderbolt bus , and if you have more than three , you should never relate more than two to any single bus . ( The top two Thunderbolt port on the left are on one bus ; the top two on the rightfulness are on another ; and the bottom two , along with the HDMI port wine , are on the third . )
The Mac Pro also supports Display PortMulti - Stream Transport ( MST ) , which allows multiple displays to be connected using a single connector or , in the case of some 4 K showing , to use a unmarried transmission line for a high - firmness of purpose video display that previously required two DisplayPort connectors . ( For those displays that still use two cable , the Mac Pro can automatically observe which cable contains the data for which half of the screenland , strike the showing provides that information . )
Bottom line
For many years , “ pro ” mean a big , expandable tugboat typesetter’s case , lots of internal storehouse , replaceable graphics cards , and so on . For Apple , it now means “ maximal performance when using pro apps . ” In that regard , the raw Mac Pro reflect multiple trends in calculation . It , of course , continues Apple ’s on-going shift across its Cartesian product lines towards flash storage and international expandability at the expense of capacious punishing drives and national rise . But it also illustrates the style in which Apple and other vendors are respond , at the high end , to the fact that processor speed but are n’t increasing at the same pace that they used to : Namely , they are pore on multi - core and GPU - ground processing technology , in both ironware and software system .
you could see this when you look at our initial benchmark . Asouped - up iMac has just as much horsepoweras a new Mac Pro when it come to many of the things nonprofessional users do on a daily footing . It ’s not until you get to specialised applications that the Mac Pro really shines . Which means that this Mac Pro really is a MacPro : It ’s a reckoner for professional exploiter who require multiprocessing capableness and the sort of high - bandwidth capability that only a eminent - end calculator can provide . If you postulate this kind of operation , the newfangled Mac Pro is for you .
Of of course , some masses wo n’t be happy with the fresh Mac Pro ’s lack of national expansion , and yield the current dearth of Thunderbolt computer peripheral , and the circumscribed number of apps that take full advantage of the Mac Pro ’s capabilities , the newfangled reckoner is in some path ahead of its time . But if you want a Mac for professional work , you ’ll have to accept these limitations — or keep using your older Mac Pro until more hardware and computer software is usable . My guess is that most people who do n’t skip ship — a threat heard frequently when the new Mac Pro was announced — will adapt moderately chop-chop . And as the estimator finds its way into the hands , bureau , and studio apartment of pro user , we ’ll see quite a little of software updated for it , and hardware result for many of its current limitations , making the transition easier . ( We design to publish some of the literal - man experiences of professional users , so you’re able to see how these transitions are playing out . )
The big enquiry for many pros will bewhichMac Pro configuration to get . Since we have n’t been able-bodied to get our hands on any other Mac Pro models , we ca n’t yet make unequivocal recommendations about operation and value . However , based on what we ’ve witness from our initial examination , and what we make love about the various processors available , we can say that the more time you spend using multi - core - aware apps , the more you ’ll do good from more cores . likewise , the more apps you utilise that take advantage of GPU computing , the more you ’ll profit from upgrading the Mac Pro ’s GPUs to the D500 or D700 . On the other hired man , because the base clock swiftness goes down as the bit of cores increases , you ’ll get better overall single - core carrying out with fewer cores . Because every Mac Pro example is identical except for the options you choose , you may mix and match whatever components are the best fit for your apps and workflows .
Whatever conformation you make , one affair is certain : It wo n’t be like any “ pro ” Mac you ’ve ever used before .
Updated on December 24 , 2013 to desex venial error about which thunderclap ports partake busses . Updated on January 5 , 2014 to add a video .
ruling : The novel Mac Pro draw the iMac the power drug user ’s desktop
