iMac Pro Teardown Highlights Modular RAM, CPU and SSD Along With Redesigned Internals

[Timur]

Ok, so this is supposed to be "Pro". You need to take it in for a RAM upgrade, because that is what pros do, carry 27" computers into stores. I did once, it wasn't pleasant.

Do I need to take it in for a technical support case? Do I have to have it collected and be gone for days and weeks? Or does it get real pro support like all the Fujitsus, HPs and Dells out there where technical support is on-site, standard within 48 hours and down to 4 hours if you pay for it?!

 

[Acecadetman]

With the iMac Pro now in the hands of customers and available at Apple retail stores, popular repair site iFixit has acquired one of the $4,999 machines and has opened it up to see just what's inside. iFixit tore down the base iMac Pro model with an 8-core processor, 32GB RAM, and a 1TB SSD.

iFixit found that the RAM, CPU, and SSDs in the iMac Pro are modular and can potentially be replaced following purchase, but most of the key components "require a full disassembly to replace."

Standard 27-inch iMacs have a small hatch in the back that allows easy access to the RAM for post-purchase upgrades, but that's missing in the iMac Pro. Apple has said that iMac Pro owners will need to get RAM replaced at an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider. iFixit says that compared to the 5K 27-inch iMac, replacing the RAM in the iMac Pro is indeed "a major undertaking."

Apple is using standard 288-pin DDR4 ECC RAM sticks with standard chips, which iFixit was able to upgrade using its own $2,000 RAM upgrade kit. A CPU upgrade is "theoretically possible," but because Apple uses a custom-made Intel chip, it's not clear if an upgrade is actually feasible. The same goes for the SSDs -- they're modular and removable, but custom made by Apple. Unlike the CPU, the GPU is BGA-soldered into place and cannot be removed.

The internals of the iMac Pro are "totally different" from other iMacs, which is unsurprising as Apple said it introduced a new thermal design to accommodate the Xeon-W processors and Radeon Pro Vega GPUs built into the machines. The new thermal design includes an "enormous" dual-fan cooler, what iFixit says is a "ginormous heat sink," and a "big rear vent."

Next to the T2 chip, which is designed to control the SMC, image signal processor, SSD, Secure Enclave, and a hardware encryption engine, iFixit found an "Apple 338S00268" chip, which it says may be the rumored A10 Fusion coprocessor that enables "Hey Siri" functionality, among other things.

Apple's iMac Pro appears to be equipped with the same LG display panel that's used in the standard 27-inch 5K iMac, but because of new cables and a different camera setup, screens can't be swapped across models.

iFixit gives the iMac Pro a repairability score of 3/10, because despite its upgradeable RAM and CPU, it's difficult to open and tough to get to internal components that might need to be repaired or replaced.

The iMac Pro became available for purchase in mid-December, and the machine is now available to order from Apple's website, with 8 and 10-core configurations shipping out in just a few days. Many Apple retail stores around the world also have the base model in stock and available for immediate purchase. Higher-priced 14 and 18-core configurations can be ordered, but won't ship out for several weeks.

Pricing on the iMac Pro starts at $4,999 for the base machine with an 8-core 3.2GHz processor, 32GB ECC RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a Radeon Pro Vega 56 graphics card, and goes up to $13,199 for a maxed out iMac Pro with a 3.3GHz 18-core processor, 128GB ECC RAM, a 4TB SSD, and a Radeon Pro Vega 64 graphics card.

Article Link: iMac Pro Teardown Highlights Modular RAM, CPU and SSD Along With Redesigned Internals

 

[NT1440]

Ok, so this is supposed to be "Pro". You need to take it in for a RAM upgrade, because that is what pros do, carry 27" computers into stores. I did once, it wasn't pleasant.

Do I need to take it in for a technical support case? Do I have to have it collected and be gone for days and weeks? Or does it get real pro support like all the Fujitsus, HPs and Dells out there where technical support is on-site, standard within 48 hours and down to 4 hours if you pay for it?!

I supported 5,000+ Pros at ESPN, guess how many ever upgraded their machines? None. The iMac Pro is a business leasing computer that some independents will purchase.

You want upgrades, that's why they're remaking the Mac Pro. There's NOTHING to complain about here.

 

[flat five]

Yeah sure, modular. Modular means I as end user can replace and upgrade parts myself with just a screwdriver.

that is not what modular means.. srry

 

[linuxcooldude]

I personally know many of them. It started when Apple really screwed up their Final Cut Pro X launch by putting out Alpha quality software. A huge number of Final Cut Pro 7 users switched to Adobe Premiere Pro, and since the entire Adobe suite is exactly the same on Windows, a huge number of people switched to Windows PCs.

And this company, Apple, that has over $200 billion cash on hand hasn't really wanted to make pro software that the entire industry craves. Whenever I say I use Final Cut Pro X, I get chuckles. That's Apple's fault. They should have a suite that makes Adobe's suite look like stone age software. And I love Final Cut Pro X, and I love Apple Motion 5, except there are some really boneheaded missing features in both. And so they aren't serious.

So you have pro software like Davinci Resolve that now has editing, and world class color grading that makes it the industry standard, and it's on Windows, you got to ask why run the same software on a $5K iMac Pro (minimum)?

Apple is really blowing it in the pro industry. Windows 10 is better than the previous version and it will continue to get better.

People are buying Amazon Echos for smart home tech.

The Apple TV has an idiotic remote and a UI from hell and my PS4 does better at streaming.

The Google phone has a fantastic camera and is the best Android phone.

Apple is Microsoft in the year 2000.

Apples playing for long term and users moving to other editors/platforms won't effect Apple long term goals. FCPX is designed for the next generation editor, using their platform, who often is transitioning from something like iMovie which on the most part comes with all Macs. Adobes PP kind of runs like the Stone Age as they are playing a different game.

 

[Acecadetman]

This is what you get with no vision. Are you kidding me .The price is off the charts and is marginally faster than my 2009 5.1 mac pro. WTF. Has technology stood still? Repackaging does not make it faster, Multicore processing is BS too...
What is this new Mac pro going to do with 36 Cores, really at 2.5Ghz REALLY PEOPLE WAKE UP APPPLE R U GUYS ON DRUGS..... CEO NEEDS TO GET WITH IT,, THIS IS NOT MODULAR OR UPGRADEABLE AT ALL............. PEACE LOVE

 

[TETENAL]

Really silly to post this. How about post the same ‘90s advert for the iMac and see how they’re touting its upgradability?

 

[Timur]

I supported 5,000+ Pros at ESPN, guess how many ever upgraded their machines? None. The iMac Pro is a business leasing computer that some independents will purchase.

You want upgrades, that's why they're remaking the Mac Pro. There's NOTHING to complain about here.

I didn't write about the computers being upgraded, I wrote about the process of how this is supposed to happen and the process of how regular technical support is supposed to happen.

Businesses need on-site support and quick replacement of broken hardware. At least here in Germany Apple does not provide any of that to normal businesses. One of my clients insists on using iMacs (running Windows) and I told him to buy one extra just in case one of them breaks, which happened more than once.

I was "kind" enough to carry not one, but two of his 27" iMacs to our local Apple Store to get their broken harddrives replaced (which run special temperature sensor firmware). I will not do it again.

 

[2010mini]

Does it get throttled when its battery is under 80% capacity?

Battery???

 

[BigJohno]

Why are the GPU's always soldered on and not replaceable like the CPU?

 

[NT1440]

I didn't write about the computers being upgraded, I wrote about the process of how this is supposed to happen and the process of how regular technical support is supposed to happen.

Businesses need on-site support and quick replacement of broken hardware. At least here in Germany Apple does not provide any of that to normal businesses. One of my clients insists on using iMacs (running Windows) and I told him to buy one extra just in case one of them breaks, which happened more than once.

I was "kind" enough to carry not one, but two of his 27" iMacs to our local Apple Store to get their broken harddrives replaced (which run special temperature sensor firmware). I will not do it again.

Putting aside that you literally wrote about upgrading RAM....

That sounds like you were in a woefully unprepared workplace then. I WAS onsite support at ESPN, and prior to that the lone onsite technician for Macs on a campus with over 2000 machines. It's OBVIOUS that Apple doesn't offer a Dell-like dispatch service, not sure how that would factor into the discussion because it's always been that way (at least in the last 10 years).

I don't get it, your original post read like you were complaining, but this one seems to have a completely different argument.

 

[DipDog3]

Has anyone here actually bought one?
If so, how did you justify the cost?

 

[Zarniwoop]

Apple, design these with a hinged door or something so the whole thing opens up and can be worked on and upgraded easily. Design is not just about looks. Function is important too.

Yes, it would have been easy for Apple to design a door for upgrading the RAM.

But they didn't want to have it. Similarly they don't allow it for iPod, iPhone, iPad, Macbooks (Pro included), iMac's (Pro included)... and I fear that Apple would like to have all their products like that.

 

[NT1440]

....That's an Apple advertisement (what the poster you quoted asked about)? That looks suspiciously like the technician manual....which is clearly not an advertisement.

 

[CWallace]

I supported 5,000+ Pros at ESPN, guess how many ever upgraded their machines? None. The iMac Pro is a business leasing computer that some independents will purchase.

Exactly.

People need to separate the "personal pro" who upgrades their machine to maximize the usable life out of it and the "corporate pro" who is given a machine to use and has it swapped out by the company every few years for something better. The iMac Pro is clearly aimed at this second crowd along with "personal pros" who also prefer to swap their machine out every three years rather then upgrade it.

[doublepost=1514937205][/doublepost]

I’d like to see noise level metered, when the fans hit the max. AI told that it doesn’t take many minutes if both cpu and gpu is about 100%, then throttling kicks in.

So far every review I have seen (at it is in the dozens) state that the fan never becomes audible on the 8-core and 10-core no matter how hard you hit them unless you physically put your ear next to the vent or are in a truly-silent room. It sounds like the fans never need to spin up to an audible level they just move hotter air as components heat up.

 

[NT1440]

Exactly.

People need to separate the "personal pro" who upgrades their machine to maximize the usable life out of it and the "corporate pro" who is given a machine to use and has it swapped out every few years for something better. The iMac Pro is clearly aimed at this second crowd and that crowd is pretty huge.

And the upcoming Mac Pro will be the machine of choice for the "personal pro."

Sometimes it feels like these "pros" are really just people with the patience of a petulant child. I get that the last Mac Pro is insanely overdue for an upgrade, but to use the iMac Pro to complain about that just seems, well downright stupid. It's not marketed to be the successor to the Mac Pro, hence the whole friggin different name.

 

[The Mercurian]

I supported 5,000+ Pros at ESPN, guess how many ever upgraded their machines? None. The iMac Pro is a business leasing computer that some independents will purchase.

You want upgrades, that's why they're remaking the Mac Pro. There's NOTHING to complain about here.

Yeah you see "Pro" != working for huge mega-corporation with a massive IT budget. Plenty of pros in small to medium businesses, self-employed consultants etc for whom such costs are substantial.

 

[CWallace]

Sometimes it feels like these "pros" are really just people with the patience of a petulant child.

I understand their desire not to have to spend $5000+ every three years to replace one component that is now weaker (almost always the GPU). Even the current Mac Pro can't replace the GPU though it can replace the CPU, RAM and SSD. And plenty of folks are still using "cheese-grater" Mac Pros because the ancient Xeons and RAM are still fast enough and with PCIe they now have NVMe SSDs and modern GPUs (which is where the huge performance gains have been the past decade).

So hopefully for them the GPU will be user-replaceable on the next Mac Pro or this forum will implode under the angst.

 

[Timur]

Putting aside that you literally wrote about upgrading RAM....

No, I wrote about how RAM upgrades are supposed to happen. By carrying those "Pro" 27" machines to a store. You are right, though, that I did not clearly state that, but used written irony instead.

"Apple has said that iMac Pro owners will need to get RAM replaced at an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider."

That sounds like you were in a woefully unprepared workplace then. I WAS onsite support at ESPN, and prior to that the lone onsite technician for Macs on a campus with over 2000 machines. It's OBVIOUS that Apple doesn't offer a Dell-like dispatch service, not sure how that would factor into the discussion because it's always been that way (at least in the last 10 years).

Not every "Pro" place - as in business making money using computers - is filled with thousands of workstations and on-site Apple authorized technicians (as in able to order original "Apple" harddrives to replace broken ones).

I don't get it, your original post read like you were complaining, but this one seems to have a completely different argument.

I am complaining about Apple's ongoing mindset of asking "pro" users / businesses to carry a 15000 EUR 27" all-in-one computers into a store to get any "authorized" work done. Call me stupid, but this is laughable!

 

[NT1440]

Yeah you see "Pro" != working for huge mega-corporation with a massive IT budget. Plenty of pros in small to medium businesses, self-employed consultants etc for whom such costs are substantial.

Which one would rebut with, why do you think the iMac Pro is aimed at that use case? Honestly why? We all know the Mac Pro is due shortly, with all the teeth gnashing about upgradability why in the world would a small-medium or self employed people be buying one of these things if they want the longest possible lifespan and upgradability?

 

[gaximus]

Yeah sure, modular. Modular means I as end user can replace and upgrade parts myself with just a screwdriver. It does not mean taking the entire bloody thing to a store to have them tear the entire screen off of the thing just so you can get at the RAM or SSD (which oh by the way isn't even a normal standard so good luck upgrading that on your own).

Thats actually not what modular means, its what you want it to mean. Ships are built in a modular way, but then are welded and can't ever be disassembled.

 

[BWhaler]

Looks like an amazing Mac. I’m sure the Mac Pro will be equally amazing.

Shame about MacOS though. Wonder if Apple has figured out putting so much weight behind iPhone OS and Phone Apps at the expense of the Mac and the iPad was foolish. (Clearly they get it now on the hardware side, just not clear if the software side gets it yet.)

 

[NT1440]

No, I wrote about how RAM upgrades are supposed to happen. By carrying those "Pro" 27" machines to a store. You are right, though, that I did not clearly state that, but used written irony instead.

"Apple has said that iMac Pro owners will need to get RAM replaced at an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider."



Not every "Pro" place - as in business making money using computers - is filled with thousands of workstations and on-site Apple authorized technicians (as in able to order original "Apple" harddrives to replace broken ones).


I am complaining about Apple's ongoing mindset of asking "pro" users / businesses to carry a 15000 EUR 27" all-in-one computers into a store to get any "authorized" work done. Call me stupid, but this is laughable!

Thanks for the clarification on the first bit, I definitely didn't read it that way (which is why text will always be a terrible medium for tone in the short form).

I understand not every pro place has onsite support, I'm asking why people think THIS computer is aimed at small to medium businesses.

 

[The Mercurian]

Which one would rebut with, why do you think the iMac Pro is aimed at that use case? Honestly why? We all know the Mac Pro is due shortly, with all the teeth gnashing about upgradability why in the world would a small-medium or self employed people be buying one of these things if they want the longest possible lifespan and upgradability?

I presume Apple want to sell as many as they can to as many different businesses as they can. No ? And due shortly != available now if you need a machine. And also we are simply talking about designing in a hatch to allow access to the RAM and SSD. We aren't talking about a moon-launch here. And I don't presume to dictate to others whether they prefer a desktop or a trash can which costs almost as much when you add in screen/peripherals

 

[CWallace]

No, I wrote about how RAM upgrades are supposed to happen. By carrying those "Pro" 27" machines to a store.

Third-party RAM is almost as expensive as Apple's pricing so you might as well just order what you think you will need.

I am complaining about Apple's ongoing mindset of asking "pro" users / businesses to carry a 15000 EUR 27" all-in-one computers into a store to get any "authorized" work done.

Buy an Enterprise AppleCare program and they come to you.