Hello!
Now that our wishes for a professional workstation seem to be realized, I still have a few questions, for which I don't know if there's already an answer.
- Supposedly, the upcoming Mac Pro will be the most customisable Mac in the line and future proof. Will it be fully upgreadable, for instante in a few years from now, with up to date CPUs, GPUs, RAM, SSD?
- One thing I'll need is the support for nVidia's CUDA Technology. Will it be possible to configure/upgrade/extend the Mac Pro with nVidia GPUs, whether internal, or externally?
- When Thunderbolt 4 and Display Port 2.0 arrive, will it be possible to upgrade them?
From the top of my head, these are the questions I have for now.
Bullet 1. nothing in Tech is strictly future proof. You may have a longer runway but there is an end with all of these systems. Simply just throwing large sums at a system doesn't mean the runway is longer because the sums are larger.
For example, pretty good chance this Mac Pro is coming in at about the 'dead end' of the socket lifecycle. So no, 2021+ Intel CPUs probably won't go into this system. Eventually will be able to buy older, used stuff in 3-5 years time at discounts that mere mortals can afford, but won't be getting new Intel CPUs. So that isn't "future proof".
RAM is basically coupled to the CPU. So the current stuff will get cheaper but 2021+ era RAM in this system? Nope; not future proof.
SSDs with PCI-e 4 , 5 , and 6 coming.... again nope won't get top end speeds. You'll get something that runs at approximately the current speeds but future feature proof .... no.
GPUs is far more a software drive issue than a strict hardware one.
Bullet 2 Nvidia GPUs. Don't hold your breath. It is inconclusive whether those will show up eventually. If the sky is going to fall if you don't have CUDA than this isn't the system that best matches that narrow goal.
Apple and Nvidia may eventually work things out, but so far it doesn't look like it will. As Intel spins up their discrete GPU business Apple will have a "2nd source" for GPUs even if permanently put Nvidia in the 'dog house'. Some folks have spun the notion that Apple "has to cave into" whatever Nvidia wants to do or Apple is doomed. That probably isn't true. Vice Versa Nvidia isn't doom if they are locked out. The two have different objectives and don't need each other .... so working out differences is not a high priority.
Bullet 3 There is little indication there will be a Thunderbolt 4. USB4 yes. But Thunderbolt as a whole separate track will likely end if USB-IF doesn't do something that pisses Intel completely off.
I highly doubt the Apple I/O card is going to enable TBv4 if that means an major upgrade to DisplayPort pass through or to something over PCI-e v3 x4 bandwidth.
DisplayPort 2.0 has way more to do with new GPUs than anything else. That's fairly probable as Apple will probably come out with future MPX modules ( presuming sales of the Mac Pro are not a bust over 2019-2021 time frame. ). If there is not DP v2.0 source then not going to be supported.
DisplayPort 2.0 out of the current TB ports (embededded and I/O card) ? Extremely likely, No. Probably only new ports on a new GPU.
DisplayPort 2.0 picking up TBv3 also means it picks up some TB liabilities too. One is trace length limitations. The second is need for active cables over longer distances. That former is unlikely accounted for on the current motherboard.
