Almost all of Apple’s Macs have moved to domestic Apple Silicon, eliminating the company’s dependence on Intel processors. But there’s still one foreclosure left: the Mac Pro. The current generation Mac Pro launched in his 2019 and hasn’t received any meaningful updates since. However, a new version is in the works that will eventually move to Apple Silicon.
Earlier this month, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman hinted that the new Mac Pro would support modular graphics thanks to expansion ports on the motherboard. However, Gurman reversed that claim yesterday, suggesting that the Mac Pro “may not have a user-upgradeable GPU.” Apple’s current Mac Pros feature Intel Xeon processors and AMD Radeon Pro W6000X series RDNA2 graphics cards. There was no explanation for this retraction from his original report, but that’s not the only bad news.
The following Mac Pros may not have user-upgradeable GPUs in addition to non-upgradeable RAM. Apple Silicon Macs do not currently support external GPUs, so you’ll have to use configurations purchased from Apple’s website. But the Mac Pro GPU is powerful with up to 76 cores.January 26, 2023
Gurman also says that the new Mac Pro will not support external GPUs. If this report is accurate, customers should carefully consider their future graphics needs when purchasing. In this case, the new Mac Pro’s GPU is said to be available in up to 76-core configurations or double his of what is available in the largest M2 Max SoC available in his new 2023 MacBook Pro.
We already knew that the Mac Pro doesn’t have user-replaceable RAM, so adding a GPU to the mix would be bitter pills for Apple enthusiasts to swallow. , you still have the option to upgrade your SSD storage via two internal slots or an external Thunderbolt 4 port.
The Mac Pro’s limited upgrade options make for an interesting comparison to the equally upgrade-phobic Mac Studio. Mac Studio is currently available for M1 Max and M1 Ultra SoC and may receive upgrades to M2 Max and M2 Ultra SoC soon. Apple may reserve a high-end 76-core version of the M2 Ultra for the Mac Pro.
Mac Studio starts at $1,999 for M1 Max SoC ($3,999 for M1 Ultra) and Mac Pro starts at $5,999. The Mac Pro comes fully equipped with a 28-core Xeon W processor, 1.5B of DDR4 memory, dual Radeon Pro W690X GPUs, an Afterburner card, and an 8TB SSD for around $54,000.
