MP All Models How many of you will buy the next Apple Silicon Mac Pro?

[Cromulent]

I'm curious how many people will buy the new Mac Pro. I have the M1 Max Mac Studio and was waiting for the M2 Mac Studio to upgrade to the M2 Ultra model, but the more I think about things, the more waiting for the Apple Silicon Mac Pro is the right choice. It comes down to price and performance, but I think that is the route I will take. It'll also free up my Mac Studio for other tasks. I spend most of my programming on the computer and running virtual machines in VMWare Fusion Pro 13.

What do you do, and why do you want the new Mac Pro?

 

[avro707]

I'm curious how many people will buy the new Mac Pro. I have the M1 Max Mac Studio and was waiting for the M2 Mac Studio to upgrade to the M2 Ultra model, but the more I think about things, the more waiting for the Apple Silicon Mac Pro is the right choice. It comes down to price and performance, but I think that is the route I will take. It'll also free up my Mac Studio for other tasks. I spend most of my programming on the computer and running virtual machines in VMWare Fusion Pro 13.

What do you do, and why do you want the new Mac Pro?

What will you do if the next Mac Pro turns out to be Intel powered?

I have a 7,1 which is more than enough for my needs and can be upgraded to 28 core 2.5ghz and a pair of W6800X Duo MPX modules. It runs Windows 11 natively - much easier than messing around with VM software and subscription fees.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if Apple Silicon could do that? Technical breakthrough almost…

 

[Cromulent]

What will you do if the next Mac Pro turns out to be Intel powered?

I have a 7,1 which is more than enough for my needs and can be upgraded to 28 core 2.5ghz and a pair of W6800X Duo MPX modules. It runs Windows 11 natively - much easier than messing around with VM software and subscription fees.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if Apple Silicon could do that? Technical breakthrough almost…

I wouldn't mind if the new Mac Pro were Intel, but the chances of that happening are vanishingly small. I need RAM and CPU with slightly less GPU. So either an M2 Ultra or whatever comes with the new model. Also, storage is an important aspect; I'd like to be able to add more storage later on.

 

[GMShadow]

What will you do if the next Mac Pro turns out to be Intel powered?

I have a 7,1 which is more than enough for my needs and can be upgraded to 28 core 2.5ghz and a pair of W6800X Duo MPX modules. It runs Windows 11 natively - much easier than messing around with VM software and subscription fees.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if Apple Silicon could do that? Technical breakthrough almost…

There are these neat things called PCs that also run Windows 11 natively. Often for a little less up front cost.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

I won't since I have a gaming PC and already have a 14 inch Macbook Pro. I don't need a second desktop.

Though one day I do wanna get it, assuming it's at a good price and not $6000 for base spec lmaooooooo. Otherwise I'll just get the Studio

 

[prefuse07]

There are these neat things called PCs that also run Windows 11 natively. Often for a little less up front cost.

There is this neat little operating system called macOS that only runs on specific hardware, and fits in with some people's workflows. Perhaps you may have heard of it?

 

[avro707]

There is this neat little operating system called macOS that only runs on specific hardware, and fits in with some people's workflows. Perhaps you may have heard of it?

We are supposed to junk our Mac Pro machines and go away - the Apple Silicon crowd would prefer we didn’t exist. Seems that way.

I’ve got three computers on this desk, all Mac Pros, why would I want a PC when the machine I’ve got does that job well… they just don’t get it. And there is no more space.

When Apple kills off Mac Studio this will all quieten down.

 

[MisterAndrew]

I think it's difficult to answer the question because we don't know the specifics about the new Mac Pro yet. I don't think Apple Silicon is ready to replace the Xeon + AMD setup yet. In 5 to 10 years? Yeah, possibly, but it's also possible the performance gap will increase between AS and x86 in the future (favoring x86). If that happens what will Apple do? Go back to x86 or discontinue Macs altogether and focus on iOS/iPadOS mobile devices?

Apple Silicon is a gamble and it's hard to say if Apple will win or lose rolling the dice. Seems like a pretty risky move for a big company. They're putting all their cards in one deck. They're betting on huge gains, but it could turn out to be huge losses.

 

[ChrisA]

My solution to ruining Windows on Mac was to buy a used, off least Xeon workstation. You can get a good HP Z420 for $600 with 64GB of ECC RAM installed. I put Linux on it then I installed the free version of VMWare. VMware can run Windows and push the graphics over the network using VNC. The Xeon/Linux is headless and lives in a corner under a table. This allows me to have a fast X86 based Windows 11 desktop on any computer I own. Even an iPad. VMware can run any OS so it is very good for testing.

My next ste is to remove Linux and run VSphere. This is a bare metal hyperviser and VMWare has a free version. This has lower overhead and can put a Windows desktop on any device you have. And again it can live in a closet or under a table.

 

[avro707]

Yeah, possibly, but it's also possible the performance gap will increase between AS and x86 in the future (favoring x86). If that happens what will Apple do? Go back to x86 or discontinue Macs altogether and focus on iOS/iPadOS mobile devices?

I’m not sure mobile devices are the answer either.

If x86 ends up getting much quicker then Apple will have to either try to innovate it’s own chips more or get back to Intel or AMD.

Or it could say Macs are outdated legacy devices that are no longer relevant and scrap the Mac for good. Who knows?

 

[prefuse07]

Or it could say Macs are outdated legacy devices that are no longer relevant and scrap the Mac for good. Who knows?

Hopefully Timmy resigns before that happens! (supposedly 2025?)

 

[JazzyGB1]

I've waited for an Apple tower since 2012, but Apple completely shafted me (when announcing in 2017 they were making a new Mac Pro and eventually releasing it in 2019), by increasing it's pricing point by over 100%.
A model that cost $2499 in 2012, shouldn't be $5999 in 2019 - that's just taking the piss.
So Apple have left me behind and there's not a chance in hell I'll be getting the new Mac Pro, which is a shame as I'd really love an Apple tower, but I refuse to be complicit in validating their massive price hikes by buying one.
Allowing for inflation $2499 today would be $3250, so if Apple bring a Mac tower out that's less than $4000 I'd probably go for it, but we all know that's never going to happen, so no new Mac Pro purchase for me!

 

[rpmurray]

If the next Mac Pro is going to be as limited as the Mac Studio then it won't be something I'd want.

 

[prefuse07]

I've waited for an Apple tower since 2012, but Apple completely shafted me (when announcing in 2017 they were making a new Mac Pro and eventually releasing it in 2019), by increasing it's pricing point by over 100%.
A model that cost $2499 in 2012, shouldn't be $5999 in 2019 - that's just taking the piss.
So Apple have left me behind and there's not a chance in hell I'll be getting the new Mac Pro, which is a shame as I'd really love an Apple tower, but I refuse to be complicit in validating their massive price hikes by buying one.
Allowing for inflation $2499 today would be $3250, so if Apple bring a Mac tower out that's less than $4000 I'd probably go for it, but we all know that's never going to happen, so no new Mac Pro purchase for me!

In 2012, The cMP was actually selling for a little more, $2,999, and taking inflation into account -- it actually comes out closer to $3,909.10 (see THIS), add taxes and you are looking at about ~$4,000 (I live in CA), but you do have a valid point that the starting price of $5,999 is unreachable for most, especially since computers are supposed to become cheaper as technology matures, but on the flip side, this is their flagship product.

Why not buy one used? They can be had in the $3k range on eBay (I've even seen some sell for $2,800 recently with shipping included. You just need to have patience.)

If the next Mac Pro is going to be as limited as the Mac Studio then it won't be something I'd want.

If the next Mac Pro is anything like the Mac Studio then it should no longer be called "Pro"

 

[JazzyGB1]

In 2012, The cMP was actually selling for a little more, $2,999, and taking inflation into account -- it actually comes out closer to $3,909.

You are mistaken - it started from $2499.
Here is a link to the Apple Store of the time as proof...
Apple Store 2012
That comes to approx $3250 Adjusted For Inflation - that's a long way from $5999!

 

[avro707]

You are mistaken - it started from $2499.
Here is a link to the Apple Store of the time as proof...
Apple Store 2012
That comes to approx $3250 Adjusted For Inflation - that's a long way from $5999!

When I got mine with Radeon 5870, 1TB HDD and 8GB ram and 3.2ghz quad-core Xeon and the 27” LED Cinema Display it was just over AUD$6000 back in 2010, a whopping amount of money. I still have the original receipt for it.

The 7,1 of today cannot be compared to the old 5,1 - even a base model 7,1 offers far more scope to upgrade. It’s much better designed.

The 5,1 now hits problems the moment you want a newer (large) GPU, a thunderbolt card and a card for running NVME drives: hardly any room left inside.

I have two 5,1 machines, a 6,1 and a 7,1 so this comparison isn’t just theoretical.

 

[JazzyGB1]

When I got mine with Radeon 5870, 1TB HDD and 8GB ram and 3.2ghz quad-core Xeon and the 27” LED Cinema Display it was just over AUD$6000 back in 2010, a whopping amount of money. I still have the original receipt for it.

The 7,1 of today cannot be compared to the old 5,1 - even a base model 7,1 offers far more scope to upgrade. It’s much better designed.

The 5,1 now hits problems the moment you want a newer (large) GPU, a thunderbolt card and a card for running NVME drives: hardly any room left inside.

I have two 5,1 machines, a 6,1 and a 7,1 so this comparison isn’t just theoretical.

Well I'd expect any machine that's 7 years newer and almost twice as much to purchase as it's predecessor, to be more expandable than one from 2012.
Just like the Mac Pro from 2006 was much more expandable than the models that preceded it
I didn't compare them anyway, I simply stated Apple shafted me when they (eventually) replaced the 2012 tower with another tower in 2019 by doubling the purchase price. A kick in the teeth for those (like me) who'd patiently been waiting 7 years for the new tower Mac to arrive.
It's not reasonable to expect a new Mac to cost twice as much as the model it replaced.
Also I'd point out that the base model 2019 Mac Pro shipped with a quarter of the storage of the 2012 model (256GB in 2019 compared to 1TB in 2012), so the real cost of buying the 2019 model is actually even higher.

 

[mode11]

The 7,1 of today cannot be compared to the old 5,1 - even a base model 7,1 offers far more scope to upgrade. It’s much better designed.

The 5,1 now hits problems the moment you want a newer (large) GPU, a thunderbolt card and a card for running NVME drives: hardly any room left inside.

How many 3.5" HDDs and optical drives can you fit in a 7,1?

Form factors change over time, to accommodate contemporary requirements. If the 5,1 were able to space its PCIe slots out further, with no further changes, it could already offer significantly more possibilities for expansion e.g. multiple triple-slot GPUs. My point being this wouldn't require the machine to cost significantly more.

 

[m1maverick]

I'm unsure whether I will be staying with Apple going forward as I am not a fan of their locked down systems.

My most demanding Mac Pro level task is virtualization. For that I have an HP Z840 workstation with dual 22 core processors and 1TB of RAM.

 

[MrScratchHook]

New Mac Pro is so far out my equation. say you buy the basic version at $5000, 1tb ssd, whatever video card is stock for it, 8 core. will cpu be upgradable? i highly doubt it with an m2/m3/m max chip(whatever they're going to use) pcie /nvme?.... unless your doing rediculously large projects i dont see the need to take a loan out on your mortgage for it. so thats a 'HARD NO FOR ME DOG'. 😂

 

[Ryan P]

I’ve been waiting for an Apple Silicon to upgrade to, but got impatient and have started upgrading the 2019 Mac Pro. Bought it for day trading, but also doing video editing now. I tried running my Davinci projects on a M2 1TB iPad Pro, thinking I could do some editing there, but boy is it slow.

My 12 Core, 192GB, 5800 wasn’t great but much much better. I just put in a OWC 8TB raid and Adterburner, and boy what a difference. I’ve been rendering everything in place, and was using 1700% CPU just to play back the timeline and not very well at that, after Afterburner is 100% CPU and smooth as butter, even when shuttling at high speed. My Resolve ram usage also dropped from 40GB to 4GB! What a diff to actually see what your edits are vs guess.

On the fence about 6800 DUO…big $$$ it’s mostly the fusion effects slowing me down. I’m not entirely clear where my bottlenecks are, but I’m thinking Apple Silicon would struggle with this.

My third video edit ever annd it about killed me and the Mac Pro….but looking forward to the next one with the new SSD and afterburner.

 

[PowerMike G5]

I’ve been waiting for an Apple Silicon to upgrade to, but got impatient and have started upgrading the 2019 Mac Pro. Bought it for day trading, but also doing video editing now. I tried running my Davinci projects on a M2 1TB iPad Pro, thinking I could do some editing there, but boy is it slow.

My 12 Core, 192GB, 5800 wasn’t great but much much better. I just put in a OWC 8TB raid and Adterburner, and boy what a difference. I’ve been rendering everything in place, and was using 1700% CPU just to play back the timeline and not very well at that, after Afterburner is 100% CPU and smooth as butter, even when shuttlng at high speed. My Resolve ram usage also dropped from 40GB to 4GB!

On the fence about 6800 DUO…big $$$ it’s mostly the fusion effects slowing me down. I’m not entirely clear where my bottlenecks are, but I’m thinking Apple Silicon would struggle with this.

My third video edit ever annd it about killed me and the Mac Pro….but looking forward to the next one with the new SSD and afterburner.

I'm currently using an off the shelf RX 6800 XT. No MPX GPU currently installed and it has been flawless. That would give you big boost in GPU performance without spending much. Something to consider.

Yes I like my Afterburner card as well.

 

[Ryan P]

I'm currently using an off the shelf RX 6800 XT. No MPX GPU currently installed and it has been flawless. That would give you big boost in GPU performance without spending much. Something to consider.

Yes I like my Afterburner card as well.

Funny just testing renders….every article says after burner would not help with that, but with a timeline of all render in place clips I am getting 120-130fps on a 4K timeline, vs 20s before…. my memory interesting too the cached files went up to 130GB cached in memory.

pretty awesome….I’m ok with doing lots of renders in place of gets this kinda performance. No 8K, but I had as many as 7 4K60 video layerings…. So impressed! Without it the afterburner the edit was so painful.

 

[PowerMike G5]

Funny just testing renders….every article says after burner would not help with that, but with a timeline of all render in place clips I am getting 120-130fps on a 4K timeline, vs 20s before…. my memory interesting too the cached files went up to 130GB cached in memory.

pretty awesome….I’m ok with doing lots of renders in place of gets this kinda performance. No 8K, but I had as many as 7 4K60 video layerings…. So impressed! Without it the afterburner the edit was so painful.

Yeah it's a really useful card if you work in ProRes. Because it can handle all decoding, it allows for a really smooth editing experience. It also frees up the CPU & GPU completely for your realtime effects acceleration.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

Depends on how you can configure it.

If the options are there to configure it to the users needs - that is I can optimise it for music production and not video production - then yes. But if it's any more locked down than what it is currently, then no.