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MP All Models Introducing... The Mac?
- Thread starter Flint Ironstag
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I just read about that too in the Bloomberg article. Yeah, it’s an Apple Silicon version.
“Apple engineers are currently developing a new Mac Pro that looks like the current design at about half the size. It’s unclear if that Mac will replace the current Mac Pro or if it’s an additional model. Apple’s chip designs could help the company reduce the size of its computers due to increased power efficiency, but the current Mac Pro is large, in part, to fit components like additional storage drives and graphics chips.”
Perhaps it will be a new less expensive model. At about half the size I wonder if it will still feature PCIe or MPX slots.
“Apple engineers are currently developing a new Mac Pro that looks like the current design at about half the size. It’s unclear if that Mac will replace the current Mac Pro or if it’s an additional model. Apple’s chip designs could help the company reduce the size of its computers due to increased power efficiency, but the current Mac Pro is large, in part, to fit components like additional storage drives and graphics chips.”
Perhaps it will be a new less expensive model. At about half the size I wonder if it will still feature PCIe or MPX slots.
Its getting a little discussion at the end of this thread
AMD RDNA 2, 6800, 6800 XT, 6900 XT MPX Modules
AMD RDNA 2, 6800, 6800 XT, 6900 XT MPX Modules
I was hoping for a modified Mac Pro announcement for months after the 7,1 release - one with maybe half the PCI slots, etc.. Pretty hard to justify a $6,000 (or in my case over $12,000) upgrade for working mostly in Adobe CC products all day. I make enough to pay for it, but it really eats up a freelancer's bottom line - I am not working just to feed Apple and Adobe!
I finally gave in and got a 7,1 in July, fully aware that it had also just been deemed obsolete. Part of my justification is that Adobe is so far behind taking advantage of multiple Intel cores anyway after all these years, there was no way to expect them to do a much better job on a new platform before I die!
That said, as it turns out, I needed all but one PCI slot already in the 7,1. As far as AS possible power saving, they cannot even get the OS to handle "sleep" issues in Catalina after a year, so again why would I think things would improve moving forward.
I finally gave in and got a 7,1 in July, fully aware that it had also just been deemed obsolete. Part of my justification is that Adobe is so far behind taking advantage of multiple Intel cores anyway after all these years, there was no way to expect them to do a much better job on a new platform before I die!
That said, as it turns out, I needed all but one PCI slot already in the 7,1. As far as AS possible power saving, they cannot even get the OS to handle "sleep" issues in Catalina after a year, so again why would I think things would improve moving forward.
Maybe it's me, but I was hoping to see some benchmarks comparing actual real world professional grade apps running on Mac ARM against the current 7,1 before I would even think of dreaming of a Mac Pro ARM (mini)...
Hopefully it is the mythical xMac alongside a continuing full-size Mac Pro, possibly called Mac. I would love a Mac with more flexibility, but cannot justify the expense of a Mac Pro as it is beyond my performance needs (I could use the power, but it would make little difference apart from app builds taking a little less time), so a smaller and cheaper model would be excellent.
I don't see them dispensing with the current eight-slot big box form factor when so many of those using 7,1s are making use of some or all of the extra expansion. I have seen claims that sales are slow- well, it is expensive, it is a bit of a dead end on account of Intel's issues and the big AS switch, and it is too much machine for some users, but at the same time it's clearly made a lot of the user base very happy indeed. MPX is not going to be a one-off either. Building a smaller tower and going back to the two-tier PM 8600 & 9600 days would make a lot of sense. There's a big hole in the Mac desktop line at the mo (well, there has been since 2006, but it's bigger now…), perhaps they'll fill it.
7,1 but
- 4 double wide slots that accept MPX (nix all the single wides)
- 2 spinners
- fewer RAM slots
- $2.4k with only the integrated Apple Silicon GPU
- obviously, be called the "Mac".
- will be a tantalizing taste of its big brother's capabilities
- charge your iphone by placing it on top
sells like wildfire. I hope the aftermarket is quick with a rackmount kit.
- 4 double wide slots that accept MPX (nix all the single wides)
- 2 spinners
- fewer RAM slots
- $2.4k with only the integrated Apple Silicon GPU
- obviously, be called the "Mac".
- will be a tantalizing taste of its big brother's capabilities
- charge your iphone by placing it on top
sells like wildfire. I hope the aftermarket is quick with a rackmount kit.
*if*
*iiiiiif*
such a thing is in design or consideration, it's not going to be named just "Mac" - Mac is a category, the nomenclature is Mac-something, or something-Mac, as a function designator.
iMac was the "Internet Mac", named for its built in modem and ethernet, and bundled signup software for the market leading ISPs in each territory in which it shipped (I was at the launch partner ISP for the OG Bondi iMac, we went to the local Apple campus for an alien autopsy disassembly demonstration on a stainless steel table in the centre of a round room, by men in white gloves, and pizza).
Mac Game, Mac Game Pro, Mac Pro SE, Mac SE, Mac Station, Mac Station Pro, Mac One, Mac Plus etc.
Actually knowing Apple's love of torturing grammar, it'll probably be "aMac" (Apple-Silicon Mac), and we can watch people lose their sh#t over the correct use of the phrase "I have an aMac".
*iiiiiif*
such a thing is in design or consideration, it's not going to be named just "Mac" - Mac is a category, the nomenclature is Mac-something, or something-Mac, as a function designator.
iMac was the "Internet Mac", named for its built in modem and ethernet, and bundled signup software for the market leading ISPs in each territory in which it shipped (I was at the launch partner ISP for the OG Bondi iMac, we went to the local Apple campus for an alien autopsy disassembly demonstration on a stainless steel table in the centre of a round room, by men in white gloves, and pizza).
Mac Game, Mac Game Pro, Mac Pro SE, Mac SE, Mac Station, Mac Station Pro, Mac One, Mac Plus etc.
Actually knowing Apple's love of torturing grammar, it'll probably be "aMac" (Apple-Silicon Mac), and we can watch people lose their sh#t over the correct use of the phrase "I have an aMac".
Photographers, web designers, graphic designers, illustrators, 3D artists, content creators all want this machine. A proper Mac without the encumbrance of a built in display and the dreaded AIO form factor. Just a simple, back to basics Mac without the price tag of the Mac Pro and the flexibility to connect whatever we want to it.
For the consumer and prosumer who don't need a lot of internal expansion - this is totally do-able with Apple Silicon as they are able to shrink their components. That means less heat and therefore smaller heatsinks. So two small intake fans and a smaller power supply.
All peripherals are now on one side only with half the available expansion slots of the 7,1 (i.e. 6 x DRAM slots instead of 12 slots and 4 x PCI 4.0 cards instead of 8).
Apple will offer internal GPU with the ability to add an MPX GPU for pro needs (similar to the dual GPU setup of MacBook Pros).
I think this would be what the general Apple fans are waiting for if only Apple can make it happen.
All peripherals are now on one side only with half the available expansion slots of the 7,1 (i.e. 6 x DRAM slots instead of 12 slots and 4 x PCI 4.0 cards instead of 8).
Apple will offer internal GPU with the ability to add an MPX GPU for pro needs (similar to the dual GPU setup of MacBook Pros).
I think this would be what the general Apple fans are waiting for if only Apple can make it happen.
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No way Apple makes another spinner system. The T2 will be in every mac going forward (or integrated into the ASi chip) and the T2 requires an SSD to work. Fusion drives are dead.
Pretty sure they will show some benchmarks of the usual PS filters that just happen to be fully multithreaded unlike 99.99% of the rest of the app. (Up to) 7x times faster... you know the drill.
Off topic, but am I the only one thinking of breast implants when I see the words “Apple silicone”?
You're the only one thinking about it, bud.
I think Apple still needs to make a concession for internal spinners. Solid state storage is not there yet on price/capacity.
I would bet (if anything) on it being two MPX slots (with the power sockets - although a VERY Apple-y thing to do would be to only provide one set of aux power connectors), and one has to come pre-filled with a GPU from Apple.
Afterburner uses PCI Express x16 card slot - so its not really MPX module (I am lost the brain). So new Mac Pro Mini probably will have this pci slot. This means two MPX slots and several x16slots? Do they get rid of x8 slots or let one pci slot take both size cards...? Which saves most money and space to go 1/2 size of unit?