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MP 7,1 Waiting for Mac Pro 7,1 A1991 (no more)
- Thread starter Mago
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Trashcan is not coming back, at least that is for sure.
I know you are being sarcastic, but just had to say.
A number of users in the Mac mini forum have done the upgrade and say that it's not actually that difficult. Nice to see iFixit have updated their article. The original one was a mess with misinformation, photos of the old model and even photos they borrowed from MacRumors posters.
Apple "waiting" for 2019 to release new modular Mac Pros...
AMD releasing MI60 / Radeon Instinct GPUs Q4 this year...
AMD releasing 64-core Epyc CPUs in 2019...
Maybe Apple has been waiting for parts from AMD for the new modular Mac Pros...?
I have read somewhere on the interwebs that Vega was basically designed for Apple, if true, imagine the following:
Top-end Mac Pro workstation based around 64-core Epyc CPU & four MI60 Radeon Instinct GPUs...!
Now, imagine if Apple BOUGHT AMD...?!?
(...I really would not mind a 'low end' 16-core / 32-thread Threadripper CPU with 64GB DDR4 ECC RAM, 1TB T2-ified SSD for boot, & a WX9100 GPU as the baseline new modular Mac Pro base workstation...)
Or, maybe Apple uses the new modular Mac Pro to launch their ARM-based compute solutions...?
Maybe a "dual CPU" build that has both the new ARM-based units AND an Intel CPU, to bridge the transition...?
New "going forward" code uses the ARM solution, "legacy" needs are passed to the Intel CPU...
This also allows Apple to have an extended Pro user base for testing ARM versions of FCPX & LPX...?
Thoughts...?!?
AMD releasing MI60 / Radeon Instinct GPUs Q4 this year...
AMD releasing 64-core Epyc CPUs in 2019...
Maybe Apple has been waiting for parts from AMD for the new modular Mac Pros...?
I have read somewhere on the interwebs that Vega was basically designed for Apple, if true, imagine the following:
Top-end Mac Pro workstation based around 64-core Epyc CPU & four MI60 Radeon Instinct GPUs...!
Now, imagine if Apple BOUGHT AMD...?!?
(...I really would not mind a 'low end' 16-core / 32-thread Threadripper CPU with 64GB DDR4 ECC RAM, 1TB T2-ified SSD for boot, & a WX9100 GPU as the baseline new modular Mac Pro base workstation...)
Or, maybe Apple uses the new modular Mac Pro to launch their ARM-based compute solutions...?
Maybe a "dual CPU" build that has both the new ARM-based units AND an Intel CPU, to bridge the transition...?
New "going forward" code uses the ARM solution, "legacy" needs are passed to the Intel CPU...
This also allows Apple to have an extended Pro user base for testing ARM versions of FCPX & LPX...?
Thoughts...?!?
Sure, Apple is always waiting for something, for the last 4 years at least.
Just imagine the Apple price for a 64 core one, scary thought...
The Mac Pro doesn’t seem like the best vehicle to launch a new platform which will be unable to use Boot Camp and Parallels/VMware Fusion. I’d expect the Mac Pro and iMac Pro to be the last to switch, not the first.
Not that I would expect a server class CPU (Epyc) or datacenter-centric GPUs (MI60) in a workstation, just riffing on the latest & greatest from AMD...
Now, WX9100s, I could see those in a new Mac Pro...
I notice you did not quote the next three lines of my post, which clearly outline a machine with both ARM & Intel CPUs inside, to ease the transition to full-time ARM only products...
64 core EPYC 2 shouldn't be much more expensive than 32 core EPYC.
Sure, Apple is always waiting for something, for the last 4 years at least.
Just imagine the Apple price for a 64 core one, scary thought...
We know, consider Pro Workstation GPU are server gpu just with added display headers, even in tcMP D700 gpu do not have display headers at all but display output routed to the tcMP's rear plate. MI60/MI50 performance shouldn't be different than future Radeon Pro "WX9300 / WX8300" GPUs or D7000/D5000 for tc-mMP
In theory thay should not have to wait for anything if the mMP is upgradeable. I think they are waiting for alien tech or a devine inspiration..
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Now I remenber, when many people and bloggers anticipated a bigger mac mini, only a blatant leaker we know as "DNG" some time a year ago anticipated an more powerful mac mini, space gray option, more powerful on the same pizza-box form factor, accounted almost every detail (those fast with forum search look for DarkNetGuy or DNG), same guy anticipated an slightly bigger modular 900W mac pro, All AMD with cartridge-like GPU modules proprietary but user upgradeable, and option to connect a non-gpu PCIe x8 card.
Lets, see, what I expect is an updated mac pro with some more TDP capable thermalcore (at least 600W), it is feasible by means of phase-change (therma pipes) or even with passive copper fins (those familiar with servers have see tiny all copper coolers dealing with 200W+ Xeon running 24x7 in dense racks).
DNG "leak" (or speculation to me) seems logical given Apple experience wth the tcMP thermal "corner" and knowing how Apple hates DIY repairs/upgrades, the Mac Mini and the nMBA gives us a glimpse on Apple's re-thinking about extreme integration (no more soldered ram if possible, discrete storage, ports), but also the iMac Pro tells us Apple will not give up and at least storage (ssd) will be proprietary and rely on T2 chips, GPU upgrades are not something people does on a daily basis but when people upgrades use to spend the same amount of money as in another new computer, too much money not to earn allowing 3rd to provide mMP upgrades, different escenario with RAM, proprietary Ram modules are ruled out, RAM is too tricky to develop, we have reasonable hope for std ECC Ram modules on the next MP, about std PCIe expansion, its 50:50 chance, there are very few use case for PCIe expansion card inside a mac not addressable properly thru Thundebolt 3.
Of course, this is well known.
But if you check the new mac mini prices (topping at 6 cores) you can have an idea of what we will have to pay for an Apple product with a 64 core cpu.
Anyway, Apple's hardware offerings are far away from a CPU of this kind and high end workstation parts in general.
Sorry to keep trotting this out, but...
Imagine that cube as a larger than life sneak peek mockup of the new modular Mac Pro...
So, if we go by the SG mini, and assume the pictured cube (remember, larger than life mockup) is as tall as it is wide & deep...
We get a 7.7" x 7.7" x 7.7" modular Mac Pro...
High core count socketed CPU (Xeon or Threadripper?)
Minimum of four RAM slots
Sorry, soldered boot SSD with T2 sidekick
Custom Vega GPU card (MXM format?)
Second slot for optional second GPU
Minimum of four TB3 / USB-C ports
Minimum of four USB-A ports
Two 10Gb Ethernet ports
Blower fans on CPU & GPU(s)...
Keep that coffee hot all day...! ;^p
Imagine that cube as a larger than life sneak peek mockup of the new modular Mac Pro...
So, if we go by the SG mini, and assume the pictured cube (remember, larger than life mockup) is as tall as it is wide & deep...
We get a 7.7" x 7.7" x 7.7" modular Mac Pro...
High core count socketed CPU (Xeon or Threadripper?)
Minimum of four RAM slots
Sorry, soldered boot SSD with T2 sidekick
Custom Vega GPU card (MXM format?)
Second slot for optional second GPU
Minimum of four TB3 / USB-C ports
Minimum of four USB-A ports
Two 10Gb Ethernet ports
Blower fans on CPU & GPU(s)...
Keep that coffee hot all day...! ;^p
It would be a very interesting project to have a high end socketed CPU and a soldered SSD.
As soon as the SSD wear or malfunction this will be the end of the whole system. Not so good I think.
How can a soldered SSD be fitted in a modular system? They have said that they have learned their lesson or not?
As soon as the SSD wear or malfunction this will be the end of the whole system. Not so good I think.
How can a soldered SSD be fitted in a modular system? They have said that they have learned their lesson or not?
From the looks of things, a proprietary soldered SSD controlled by the T2 chip located elsewhere on the logic board seems the way Apple is going with all their machines...
A possible solution could be a still proprietary & still soldered boot SSD that is on a daughtercard of sorts, with replacements only available from Apple, so at least it could be replaced without replacing the entire logic board...?
The way the iPhones are priced, I expect $9,999 for a base configuration, maxed out at $49,999. Thanks Apple.
I think the pricing at the top end of the new Mac Mini range tells us a great deal about where the bottom end of Mac Pro pricing is going to fall. A maxed out Mini is going to be the official solution for anyone who wants a sub-$5K Mac Pro. And it's not crazy, really. Plenty of RAM and 10 gigabit ethernet makes the new Mini a credible option for anyone who was in the old 6-core 2013 Mac Pro market.
I know it's a dream, but I wish they started with a 32GB/512GB base configuration for 4199/4399$. After all, it will be quite close to an iMac Pro but without a 5K screen and that's more or less the difference between an iMac and a Mac mini of similar performance (GPU, of course, excluded).
$9,999 base is just plain ridiculous...
Price out a HP Z-series workstation, they can max out at hundreds of thousands of dollars...
With Apple transitioning to their own silicon in 2020, I will wait for the new modular Mac Pro in 2019, as that will be the last great Mac before "The Transition"...
I am excited to see what the future holds for Apple when they move away from Intel CPUs though...!
I'll predict you will be waiting much longer than 2020 to see a Mac Pro dependent on Apple designed CPU's. Been there done that with the PowerPC alliance and they remember how that went.