By launching Mac Pro, Apple has transitioned to Apple silicon across the whole Mac lineup. If you see the last few years, you can see that the company has released only three new Mac Pros. Its latest version is available at $6,999, the most expensive rate of any Mac Pro model to date.
The 2023 Mac Pro is its first type that comes with Apple silicon. Whereas every previous model had Intel processors. The machine does not have support for eGPUs, but it is two times more powerful than the earlier top-tier Mac Pro . It maintains a modular design and comes with 7 PCIe slots. Let’s see the breakdown for every new feature and improvement added with every Mac Pro compared to its direct predecessor:
Mac Pro Buyer’s Guide:
Mac Pro (Apple Silicon Tower, 2023):
The model comes with non-upgradeable memory and a 32-core Neural Engine. It is equipped with an Apple M2 Ultra chip, 24-core CPU & up to 76-core GPU. The model supports up to 192GB of unified memory.
This one has a media engine that is mainly for hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW. In addition, there are four video encoding engines, 2 video decode engines, and four ProRes encode & decode engines.
It has 7 PCI Express expansion slots, 8 Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports, and three USB-A ports. Besides, the 3.5 mm headphone jack provides support in advance for high-impedance headphones. Moreover, there is an HDMI 2.1 port giving support for multichannel audio output.
The model is compatible with up to eight 4K displays, six 6K displays, or three 8K displays. Besides, it supports Bluetooth 5.3 and 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E. The weight of this model is 37.2 pounds (16.86 kg) or 37.9 pounds (17.21 kg). Its starting price is $6,999.
Mac Pro (Intel Tower, 2019):
This one comes in a silver tower design. It is equipped with Intel Xeon W processor. This model supports up to 28-core CPU & up to AMD Radeon Pro W6800X Duo GPU.
This model has a maximum of 8TB storage & 1.5TB memory. While there are 8 PCI Express expansion slots, you can find up to twelve Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, upto two HDMI 2.0 ports and two USB 3 ports. It is compatible with up to 12 4K displays, six 5K displays, or six Pro Display XDRs. The model supports only the 5.0 Bluetooth version. As a tower, its weight is 39.7 pounds (18.0 kg), whereas as a rack, it will be 38.8 pounds (17.6 kg). $5,999 is the starting price of the model.
Mac Pro (Intel Cylinder, 2013):
This 2013 version is equipped with a thermal core, one impeller fan & illuminated ports. It comes in a space Black cylindrical design. Whereas this Max Pro model comes with an Intel Xeon E5 processor and user-upgradeable memory. This model supports a maximum 12-core CPU, 64GB memory, and Dual AMD FirePro D700 GPU. Compute units are 64 in total.
The maximum storage capacity is 1TB. It features four USB 3 ports, six Thunderbolt 2 ports, and HDMI 1.4 Ultra HD port. There also exists a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
The model’s weight is 11 pounds (4.9 kg). It supports Bluetooth 4.0. This one is also compatible with a maximum of 3 dual-cable 5K displays or 6 Thunderbolt displays. $2,999 is its starting cost.
Upgrade to the 2023 Mac Pro?
Users can experience a huge performance improvement from the M2 Ultra chip over the Intel Xeon W processors of the 2019 Mac Pro. The early benchmarks say that the model is capable of delivering two times faster CPU performance compared to the Intel-based Mac Pro , which features a 28-core Xeon W processor.
It can deliver an exceptional benefit with M2 Ultra’s 32-core Neural Engine for machine learning procedures. Regarding video editing workflows, you can get many advantages from its media engine. It is compatible with 8K external displays. This one includes newer Wi-Fi & Bluetooth specifications. In addition, it contains two USB-A ports. There exist high-impedance headphones. The new Mac Pro is the best choice for those who are willing to have a top-quality future-proof machine that can offer the ultimate performance and comes with Apple silicon & modern specifications.
Do you want to stick With the 2019 Mac Pro?
Every 2013 or 2019 Mac Pro users should not upgrade their models to the new version. The main thing you should notice is that the model has an Intel chip. Although Apple silicon can give you far better benefits in professional workflows, legacy software & a few niche applications can work well on Intel architecture. A few users like to boot Windows two times using Boot Camp. But it will not be possible on the new Mac Pro .
Do you need support for extra graphics cards? Intel-based Macs only can do this. It indicates that the new Mac Pro’s PCIe slots can give you benefits such as digital signal processing (DSP) cards, serial digital interface (SDI) I/O cards, extra networking, & default storage. People willing to have eGPUs should go with the 2019 Mac Pro .
The maximum memory capacity of this new Mac Pro is 192GB. Have you used the 2019 model? Then, you must know that the earlier model supported eight times of this amount. People who want a lot of memory should use the 2019 model. The older model is compatible with four more 4K displays than the newer one. In addition, there were four more Thunderbolt ports.
If it comes to talking about price, some people like to go with the 2019 Mac Pro. We should know that Apple has now completely moved away from machines based on Intel. Intel-based Macs could lose support for macOS’s recent versions. Several people need the older model’s features, such as eGPU support or an Intel architecture. In that case, the older model can only help out for so long.
Conclusion:
If you use the 2013 Mac Pro , you will know that the version can support only updates up to macOS 12 Monterey. It indicates that the model doesn’t include new features of macOS Ventura & macOS Sonoma. Therefore, people using the 2013 model must upgrade it and the 2019 or 2023 Mac Pro models are viable options. However, people who have gotten used to the 2013 Mac Pro model’s lack of PCIe slots as well as reliance on wired peripherals, you can choose the Mac Studio, the starting price of which is $1,999. This is all that you need to know about Mac Pro Buyer’s Guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the Mac Pro so expensive?
The Mac Pro is expensive because of these reasons:-
- the premium status of Apple,
- the top-quality parts used for MacBooks,
- the Mac OS X’s unique features, and
- the outstanding customer service provided by Apple.
Why is the Mac Pro better than the Air?
The main difference between these two models is the display technology. The Macbook Air comes with an LCD Liquid Ratina display. Whereas, the MacBook Pro comes with a mini-LED Liquid Ratina XDR display.
Who is the Mac Pro for?
It refers to a series of workstations & servers which professionals generally use. Apple Inc. designed and developed this in 2006 and has been marketing since then. This model is considered as the most powerful computer that Apple offers.
