No more new graphics cards?

[tony3d]

I guess with this new Mac Pro, Apple just killed any hope of any new graphics cards coming for the current Mac Pro. Was really hoping to see something we could have used. On well, what else can one expect from a 1 year old machine with Apple's name on it, but planned obsolescence.

 

[bsbeamer]

This new Mac Pro cylinder design is actually what probably spurred the "official" Mac versions of the graphics cards to be released recently. I hope driver support continues through to 10.9, or else a lot of people will be staying with 10.8.x for a LONG time to come, or else running dual OS versions on their machines.

 

[KBS756]

considering it has dual firepros, should mean related drivers should be coming to older Macs as well right?

and I am reserving judgement till it actually launches, but it does look like it will be a powerhouse at launch

Only things I am really worried about are only 4 ram Slots and only 1 CPU, if they had pushed this to 2 and 8 doubt there would be much to complain about
Harddrive space is outwardly expandable, only question remains if graphics boards will be replaceable, maybe they will get enough throw back for need of CUDA that they offer Titan based GPUs as well

 

[The-Pro]

considering it has dual firepros, should mean related drivers should be coming to older Macs as well right?

and I am reserving judgement till it actually launches, but it does look like it will be a powerhouse at launch

Only things I am really worried about are only 4 ram Slots and only 1 CPU, if they had pushed this to 2 and 8 doubt there would be much to complain about
Harddrive space is outwardly expandable, only question remains if graphics boards will be replaceable, maybe they will get enough throw back for need of CUDA that they offer Titan based GPUs as well

There are 2 CPU's. Up to 12 cores they say. 4 ram slots is a pain, but still 64GB isnt too bad, its just more expensive to have more RAM then before
The HDD's expandable externally is a deal breaker for me, i hat cable clutter and with that machine there is no way to go around it.

Doubt the GPU's are upgradable, due to apple own thermal design im sure the GPU's have no heatsinks that came with the card, they also look rounded from the images and not as long as the standard GPU's. I guarantee you that they will not be user replaceable.
As they are releasing it with dual GPU's, 10.9 most likely has driver support for that so maybe older Mac Pro's will get those too.

It'll be a beast of a computer, especially in that size, but a pitty everything will have to be external.

 

[netkas]

I guess with this new Mac Pro, Apple just killed any hope of any new graphics cards coming for the current Mac Pro. Was really hoping to see something we could have used. On well, what else can one expect from a 1 year old machine with Apple's name on it, but planned obsolescence.

new cards still can come out from 3d parties, like sapphire and vga.

 

[KBS756]

There are 2 CPU's. Up to 12 cores they say. 4 ram slots is a pain, but still 64GB isnt too bad, its just more expensive to have more RAM then before
The HDD's expandable externally is a deal breaker for me, i hat cable clutter and with that machine there is no way to go around it.

Doubt the GPU's are upgradable, due to apple own thermal design im sure the GPU's have no heatsinks that came with the card, they also look rounded from the images and not as long as the standard GPU's. I guarantee you that they will not be user replaceable.
As they are releasing it with dual GPU's, 10.9 most likely has driver support for that so maybe older Mac Pro's will get those too.

It'll be a beast of a computer, especially in that size, but a pitty everything will have to be external.

I will be keeping my current pro, but I also really want one of these, will use my Current Pro to render in conjunction.

The images show only 1 CPU probably a 12 Core Intel Xeon... now if only they made a version with dual 12 Core Xeons = 24 Cores

For graphics cards, to me it looks like those boards can be detached and removed, you probably would have to buy a new board with another GPU to upgrade though.

I hope apple prices these aggressively though I am not sure if I can see it happening.

 

[pastrychef]

As new Macs are released, they will use newer generations of video cards. When that happens drivers will accompany them. An example would be when the iMacs with GTX 680s were released, we got drivers for Nvidia's 6-series cards.

 

[The-Pro]

I will be keeping my current pro, but I also really want one of these, will use my Current Pro to render in conjunction.

The images show only 1 CPU probably a 12 Core Intel Xeon... now if only they made a version with dual 12 Core Xeons = 24 Cores

For graphics cards, to me it looks like those boards can be detached and removed, you probably would have to buy a new board with another GPU to upgrade though.

I hope apple prices these aggressively though I am not sure if I can see it happening.

they do show 1 CPU, correct, i missed that
Intel hasn't released a 12 core e5 yet though right? atleast I cant find anything about it. dual 8 core e5's would be beastly aswell

Look at the edges of the GPU boards. They are rounded, no GPU board im aware of have that. And they are short then standard boards. Unless someone starts producing boards that fit and socketed GPU's (never heard of that before either) then yes we will be able to upgrade them.Also the PCI-e connector seems to be on the inside of the board and not the edges like normal..
They will definitly be detachable, since they have to get them in somehow

but hey, up to 12GB or VRAM, thats pretty mental.

 

[eponym]

There are 2 CPU's. Up to 12 cores they say.

No, just one CPU. That's why there's only 4 RAM slots. The new Xeon Ivy Bridge E chips, which aren't out yet (recently announced), go up to 12 cores.

 

[TheEasterBunny]

There are 2 CPU's. Up to 12 cores they say. 4 ram slots is a pain, but still 64GB isnt too bad, its just more expensive to have more RAM then before
The HDD's expandable externally is a deal breaker for me, i hat cable clutter and with that machine there is no way to go around it.

Doubt the GPU's are upgradable, due to apple own thermal design im sure the GPU's have no heatsinks that came with the card, they also look rounded from the images and not as long as the standard GPU's. I guarantee you that they will not be user replaceable.
As they are releasing it with dual GPU's, 10.9 most likely has driver support for that so maybe older Mac Pro's will get those too.

It'll be a beast of a computer, especially in that size, but a pitty everything will have to be external.

What if the external drives were designed to go under the unit in the same cylinder shape?
Would it still be a deal breaker for you?
Just curious.

 

[666sheep]

considering it has dual firepros, should mean related drivers should be coming to older Macs as well right?

They're already here. AMD drivers for 10.8.4 contain device ID for FirePro W7000. It should work. I don't have the card and don't want to spend $900 or so just to confirm it, though

 

[Topper]

new cards still can come out from 3d parties, like sapphire and vga.

Do you think a large card like a Nvidia GTX Titan will fit in there?

 

[jasonvp]

Do you think a large card like a Nvidia GTX Titan will fit in there?

The card itself? No. The components that make it up? Possibly.

Assuming 3rd parties are able to and allowed to make replacement GPU cards for the new Mac Pro, it shouldn't be an issue. The assumption, however, is that anything added would fit within the power supply's capacity and the chassis' thermal capacity.

Is Apple going to release the engineering bits and pieces to other companies so they can build cards? Or are they going to keep it all in-house and be the only supplier of Mac Pro GPUs? I suspect we'll find out within the next few months.

 

[Topper]

The assumption, however, is that anything added would fit within the power supply's capacity and the chassis' thermal capacity.

That is a huge question also.

 

[KBS756]

Do you think a large card like a Nvidia GTX Titan will fit in there?

I think it could be designed to work with Apples design if it was requested enough by the people who do matter, the people who buy these computers. I Bet there will be Nvidia Options available because I am sure that Apple will hear from people who depend on CUDA demanding Nvidia, Too bad Nvidia lags behind AMD in OpenCL or they probably would have been the choice?

They're already here. AMD drivers for 10.8.4 contain device ID for FirePro W7000. It should work. I don't have the card and don't want to spend $900 or so just to confirm it, though

I meant that there will be optimized pro drivers if this is the case because if Pro Workstation Graphics is a selling point on this Pro, and available directly through Apple I am sure they will do what they can to get the drivers right and leverage this capability

Ability to leverage dual GPU set ups also coming?

And when I say there could be future expandability I am obviously assuming that companies come out and design for this in partnership with Apple, because I there hasn't been anything of this form factor before and it will be new for everyone. We will see when it launches.

On a side note if anyone buys one and doesn't like it I'll take it off your hands

 

[MacVidCards]

Good news : 10.9 has best support yet for Titan, including OpenCl.

Bad news: If you think that there will be many 3rd party GPUs, you are dreaming.

Why was EVGA able to offer GTX285 and GTX680 for Mac? Simple, they are 100% identical to PC version. The 680 literally is, and the GTX285 is just missing an S-Video port and has a different EEPROM. So, same assembly line, no retooling, no special parts. Different story with these new cards.

The demand will be HUGE due to inability to run anything else, so maybe the ability to charge $800 for a single GTX770 (and you would need 2) will make the demand big enough to make the boards.

But you won't be driving to fry's and getting a PC card and booting up.

 

[bsbeamer]

Good news : 10.9 has best support yet for Titan, including OpenCl.

Any issues with the 5xx or 6xx series cards yet? The fact that drivers are present for Nvidia cards is a HUGE vote of confidence for many on this board. Thanks for your efforts, as always.

 

[The-Pro]

What if the external drives were designed to go under the unit in the same cylinder shape?
Would it still be a deal breaker for you?
Just curious.

Very good point.
I must say no then it most likely wouldn't. I used to have an external HDD in the design and size of my old Mac Mini. They were staked and therefore looked good.
If such an external HDD will be made for the new Mac Pro then I would consider it.
You just cant stack two many HDD's under the Mac Pro or it will get too top heavy. Wouldn't want that thing toppling over eh?

 

[TheEasterBunny]

Very good point.
I must say no then it most likely wouldn't. I used to have an external HDD in the design and size of my old Mac Mini. They were staked and therefore looked good.
If such an external HDD will be made for the new Mac Pro then I would consider it.
You just cant stack two many HDD's under the Mac Pro or it will get to top heavy. Wouldn't want that thing toppling over eh?

That's sorta where I got the idea, I remember those.
Point is, it can be done with some fore-thought. Since the new pro isn't very tall to begin with, you could add a good amount to the height before it would be top heavy. I think air-flow would be the thing to really plan for. since the new pro has air in-take and what seems like some exhaust on the bottom.

 

[The-Pro]

That's sorta where I got the idea, I remember those.
Point is, it can be done with some fore-thought. Since the new pro isn't very tall to begin with, you could add a good amount to the height before it would be top heavy. I think air-flow would be the thing to really plan for. since the new pro has air in-take and what seems like some exhaust on the bottom.

Yeah Those were good. Never thought about those existing for the new Mac Pro. I hope some manufacturer thinks of that as well.
True, a couple would definitely fit under it.
Might be lucky there because the air slits seem to be on the rounded edges. But we haven't seen the bottom yet, so we are going to have to wait

On a different note. Have you noticed how the SSD is actually attached to one of the GPU's??

 

[TheEasterBunny]

Yeah Those were good. Never thought about those existing for the new Mac Pro. I hope some manufacturer thinks of that as well.
True, a couple would definitely fit under it.
Might be lucky there because the air slits seem to be on the rounded edges. But we haven't seen the bottom yet, so we are going to have to wait

On a different note. Have you noticed how the SSD is actually attached to one of the GPU's??

Even if it was conical shaped. Wider at the bottom, and taper down to the same diameter at it's top where the pro would cradle in. This would create a wider base, but still fit the design.

The Flash drive seems to share the PCIe link with that GPU board.
Have you noticed the other GPU seems to have a place for another, without the slot?

 

[The-Pro]

Even if it was conical shaped. Wider at the bottom, and taper down to the same diameter at it's top where the pro would cradle in. This would create a wider base, but still fit the design.

I was thinking about a cone shape as well. Would work great.

Did you notice what I wrote about the SSD? Because if it is the case of the SSD being attached at the GPU then we are stuffed for upgrading them 100%

 

[TheEasterBunny]

I was thinking about a cone shape as well. Would work great.

Did you notice what I wrote about the SSD? Because if it is the case of the SSD being attached at the GPU then we are stuffed for upgrading them 100%

Look up, I edited

 

[prowlmedia]

That's sorta where I got the idea, I remember those.
Point is, it can be done with some fore-thought. Since the new pro isn't very tall to begin with, you could add a good amount to the height before it would be top heavy. I think air-flow would be the thing to really plan for. since the new pro has air in-take and what seems like some exhaust on the bottom.

I am going to Get a 20m Thunderbolt optical cable and run it to my garage / server room. Put a red rocket card and all my drives in chassis.

Quiet room!

The other benefit of that is I can use my red rocket / Drives on a shoot with a Macbook pro.

 

[The-Pro]

Look up, I edited

gotcha

yeh seems to be the case.
There certainly is space. Thats why I think apple is going to offer 2x SSD as an option. I hope they do.