The upcoming new Mac Pro is anticipated to have the same roomy modular design as the previous model, but there are new worries about its lack of upgradeability. Creative workers like the Intel Mac Pro that Apple currently sells due to its highly upgradeable, modular design.
Up to 1.5TB of high-performance memory and Xeon CPUs having 28 cores and 64 PCI Express lanes are supported. Additionally, it features 8 PCIe expansion slots, and the APX Modules support up to six distinct GPU configurations. After purchase, all of the parts are upgradeable.
A new M2 Ultra chip, which really is essentially 2 M2 Max chips joined together and has up to a 24-core CPU, up to a 76-core GPU, as well as at least 192GB of unified memory, is anticipated to be used in Apple’s upcoming high-end M2 Extreme chip, which has apparently been scrapped. Prospective owners are beginning to question the modularity of the Mac Pro due to this uniform architecture. The forthcoming iteration of the Intel-based Mac Pro, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, won’t have user-upgradable RAM because it is connected directly to the motherboard of the M2 Ultra, he said earlier this month.
Storage is the sole remaining user-upgradable portion of the Mac Pro, leaving only room for networking and media cards. Gurman thinks that the ostensibly vast free space in the unchanged tower case could be used to house a bigger cooling system, which might set it apart from the Mac Studio by enabling noticeably quicker performance.
It’s important to note that Gurman seems to have come to this conclusion about non-upgradable GPUs based on logic instead of specific insider knowledge. But if it turns out that he is right, it might discourage potential customers from spending so much money on a piece of equipment that does not provide the same level of expandability that is future-proof.
The Mac Pro now has a starting price of $5,999, but custom combinations might push the price up to almost $52,000. The high-end Mac Studio with the M1 Ultra, which starts at $3,999, is virtually guaranteed to cost less than the entry-level Apple silicon Mac Pro with the M2 Ultra.
Regardless of the reports, the first Apple silicon Mac Pro is surely coming as Apple has already hinted at its release. In fact, Apple has already begun testing a new Mac Pro model, which is running a beta version of the upcoming macOS Ventura 13.3 operating system. The release of macOS Ventura 13.3 is anticipated for March or April, which means the Mac Pro could potentially go on sale around this time.
