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The New MacPro?

The current Mac Pro looks prettier. Also, why do the Thunderbolt ports have the FireWire icon?

I'd just want more ports, and it should have Thunderbolt, FW400, and FW800. The idea of modular pieces that this blog described is really cool, but it would have to look better than what the pictures show.

Of course, there's the issue of fully updated and cheaper parts.
 
jcaraballo70 said:
http://ipack3d.com/page8/index.php?categories=Modular MacPro design Concept

Seems like a really cool idea! Wonder what Apple will come up with.

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[url=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8327/8095530013_298e7cd25c_z.jpg]Image[/url]
Click to expand...

Interesting idea but this guy knows nothing about industrial engineering. The complexity of such a modular system would quickly overweigh the benefits of being able to "assemble your own Mac Pro". The idea lacks sufficient cooling just about everywhere, and the fan sizes he's detailed for the consumer versions would have to be high-RPM units to handle that heat load- so they'd be loud and whine.

I'm not sure what's going on with his power and data bus bars. Two pins is nowhere near enough for power (you'd need a minimum of 18 pins), and two pins is nowhere near enough for "Thunderbolt" data (TB is 20 pins alone). I'm not sure why he's referencing Thunderbolt anyways, TB doesn't provide enough bandwidth for a single x16 PCI card, let alone three + spare bandwidth for disk drives.

In other words, it's plausible, but if Apple were to do this they'd have to quadruple the cost of the Mac Pro just to start, and the entire system would be prone to many more failure points then the existing Mac Pro. This is one of those ideas that looks and sounds great on paper, but sucks in practice. Nobody cares about a modular Mac Pro, because the folks who own such systems usually own them for the workloads they can handle- not because it's "nifty and modular".

-SC
 
next up, a modular ipad with an expansion slot for a g5 node to speed things up if apps demand extra power.
 
Simply posting that one picture does not do your concept justice! I looked at your website and this is a great design. A few aesthetic hiccups in my opinion but I love the idea of a modular mac pro like this that allows people to build it to exactly their required specs! Great job! Too bad it is simply too complex an idea for Apple to go for.
 
Integrated graphics? No chance.

There is a reason the MacPro is as big as it is - Cooling.

The design looks very nice, but nowhere near enough space for the flow of air.
 
The Mac Pro case as it is IMO should be left as it is assuming Apple can source a custom made logic board. I find some motherboard designs have the RAM slots perpendicular to the air flow which I find odd wheras they are parallel in the Mac Pro.

That case though may be nice for a custom PC or something like a media PC.
 
G4DP said:
There is a reason the MacPro is as big as it is - Cooling.

The design looks very nice, but nowhere near enough space for the flow of air.
Click to expand...
I wonder whether liquid cooling will ever become a real mainstream option.

I don't mean overclocker's paradise, like Apple attempted with the last PowerMac generation using a closed cooling system prone to leaks, but instead submerging the whole computer into non-conductive liquid, like here.

Only in a much smaller box, suitable for home or at least workstation use. Submerge the hot components in a separated box (or case compartment) and have things like rotating-platter storage in another (air-cooled) one.

Submerging would mean to have much less interfaces to seal and non-conductive liquid would mean no harm to electronics, even if a seal breaks.

You would also need less space for the otherwise necessary airflow, so you could build even tighter housings (or should i say: thinner! :D ).

And with mass production the economies of scale would significantly reduce costs vs existing solutions.

Do i miss or overlook something in my assumptions?
 
Cant see how this unit could be effectively cooled. I don't see anything wrong with integrated GPU, at least the one that could carry Thunderbolt as well, it could be useful for situations when your GPU gets fried or sth.

Also how do you fit 1000W PSU in there? It just seems so small, even if they put Core i7 in there.

Even if they went ahead with such a design I'm afraid of the price tag. Apple usually keeps things nice and simple, as well as pricing. Wouldn't be surprised if they charged you the same they do for MP just for the base unit. Then you'd have to spend another bucks for drive unit and GPU unit if you wanted a lot of performance.

But still, the main culprit seems to be that TB connection between the modules. The bandwith is just too small. More practical would be to use some kind of proprietary connection, some sort of bus connection - but again, there might be performance decrease because of it. I'm no expert but I think there is a reason why all the components are directly attached to motherboard - access speed. It's the reason why PC towers work the same way for past 30 years.

Maybe with optical Thunderbolt?

Also, Cook didn't say that thing for Pro's coming in 2013 will be Mac Pro or anything like it. Words in these statement are important if you want to interpret them. This computer scheduled for 2013 might as well be retina high-end iMac. Remember, they market rMBP as a computer for Pro's - it makes sense they will do the same for iMacs.
 
Neodym said:
I wonder whether liquid cooling will ever become a real mainstream option.

I don't mean overclocker's paradise, like Apple attempted with the last PowerMac generation using a closed cooling system prone to leaks, but instead submerging the whole computer into non-conductive liquid, like here.

Only in a much smaller box, suitable for home or at least workstation use. Submerge the hot components in a separated box (or case compartment) and have things like rotating-platter storage in another (air-cooled) one.

Submerging would mean to have much less interfaces to seal and non-conductive liquid would mean no harm to electronics, even if a seal breaks.

You would also need less space for the otherwise necessary airflow, so you could build even tighter housings (or should i say: thinner! :D ).

And with mass production the economies of scale would significantly reduce costs vs existing solutions.

Do i miss or overlook something in my assumptions?
Click to expand...

The corsair H series is about a mainstream as it gets. Buy it install over CPU put Ran and fan in fan slot and forget it..
 
I don't think Apple will ever go down the liquid cooling route again. THe leaking g5's was a lesson they will not forget too quickly.
 
This would be great as a product between iMac and Mac Pro, but I think thos definately shouldn't replace the MP. It would be more a step back than forward.
 
Not a chance.

It's a pretty garish design, too, with lots of wasted space. Neat idea for hackintosh stuff. I'd just be happy with a slightly compressed and upgraded Pro with USB3 and TB. Cabinet is the least of concerns at this time.
 
Cool concept, but way too much wasted space. Apple will likely do everything in their power to reduce the footprint and volume of their Mac Pro with the next version.

All they need to do is add USB3, Thunderbolt, 1600MHz RAM, Latest XEONS, and a better GPU. Package that up in a slightly refined enclosure and the pros will be happy. Heck I really don't care if they use the exact same enclosure, LOL. It's under my desk.
 
If it weighs less than a tonne like the current mp does then I might buy - IMO the current mp chasis is too big and heavy - I dread to think about lugging it into a apple store
 
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