JimGoshorn
macrumors 6502
But didn't they say that it would be easy for the user to update? That would imply that the design would be for the user (or could they have it both ways).
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New Modular Mac Pro and Display - Next Year
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Jack Burton
macrumors 6502a
Of course they took it apart. And of course they broke something in it. 😉
[doublepost=1491495460][/doublepost]Nvidia just announced pascal drivers for Mac coming soon:
https://9to5mac.com/2017/04/06/nvidia-titan-xp-beta-pascal-drivers-mac/
Official announcement on nvidia's blog:
https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2017/04/06/titan-xp/
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In a way, all the PowerMac towers since G3 up with Cheesegrater MP all had an "internally modularized" approach. The MP 1,1 had it the most, even RAM modules were on daughter cards, and then a 90 degree front and back panel I/O cards, internal enclosures for optical 5" bays, SATA 3.5" bays, even the fan assembly is a pullable unit. The main difference distinct of this from the stack approach is that everything is still inside of a case, sharing the same PSU, utilizing the same thermo exhaust.
While I do agree that using any external interface that is not on board is inevitably going to create unnecessary complication and loss in efficiency. The conventional tower case or the cheesegrater did it with a combination of internal PCI slots and then a bunch of standard I/Os at the same time. I am guessing that the mMP may at least do the same in some form, so there should be legit room for full length PCI cards, while retaining certain Apple-native expansion units. TB3 may not cut it for GPUs or intensive professional or scientific hardware, but it is plenty enough for everything else.
One thing we know for sure is that there will be an Apple Display again. So if we take some hint from the Thunderbolt disyplay line, the fact that they also acted as a thunderbolt I/O hub, with its cable having even a MagSafe connector, one can consider this being a modular unit of a collection among Mac desktop and laptop computing units inside one cluster. In fact, the LG 5K is already a single cable module version of this. Regulating power and heat distribution with full preparation in its design should not be a big problem, as opposed to the nMP case where almost everything you plugged into the TB2 ports were made by someone other than Apple, each with its own crappy power brick made in China.
While I do agree that using any external interface that is not on board is inevitably going to create unnecessary complication and loss in efficiency. The conventional tower case or the cheesegrater did it with a combination of internal PCI slots and then a bunch of standard I/Os at the same time. I am guessing that the mMP may at least do the same in some form, so there should be legit room for full length PCI cards, while retaining certain Apple-native expansion units. TB3 may not cut it for GPUs or intensive professional or scientific hardware, but it is plenty enough for everything else.
One thing we know for sure is that there will be an Apple Display again. So if we take some hint from the Thunderbolt disyplay line, the fact that they also acted as a thunderbolt I/O hub, with its cable having even a MagSafe connector, one can consider this being a modular unit of a collection among Mac desktop and laptop computing units inside one cluster. In fact, the LG 5K is already a single cable module version of this. Regulating power and heat distribution with full preparation in its design should not be a big problem, as opposed to the nMP case where almost everything you plugged into the TB2 ports were made by someone other than Apple, each with its own crappy power brick made in China.
Jack Burton
macrumors 6502a
PCI speed is less important for some GPU rendering tasks. I think Puget systems did a test with multiple GPUs all running at 4x PCI speed, and found the impact via rendering with reduced bandwidth octane was minimal. I'll see if I can find a link.
Edit - it was from the Otoy (Octane) forums:
IIRC, TB3 maxes out at 4x PCI speed or something? I can't remember. Again, that is one particular case, for one particular kind of work. Very specific to someone like me.
I'm positive other people need full PCI bandwidth, like gamers or scientific fields, but I'm less familiar with that so I'll try not to give bad info and let someone else fill that in.
Puget tested the impact of PCI bandwidth on gaming here: https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Impact-of-PCI-E-Speed-on-Gaming-Performance-518/
The announcement of pascal drivers today from nVidia has many Mac die hards I know excited. For some people, having a big honking Pascal GPU outside of an iMac enclosure or outside of a laptop all of a sudden makes working on a fast Mac an option. There are people in my office where an iMac is fine since 90% of what they do is after effects.
But on the 10% of time they need to work in Cinema 4d, this just opened things WAY up for them. And it moves all that heat outside of the Apple razor thin enclosures.
Edit - it was from the Otoy (Octane) forums:
IIRC, TB3 maxes out at 4x PCI speed or something? I can't remember. Again, that is one particular case, for one particular kind of work. Very specific to someone like me.
I'm positive other people need full PCI bandwidth, like gamers or scientific fields, but I'm less familiar with that so I'll try not to give bad info and let someone else fill that in.
Puget tested the impact of PCI bandwidth on gaming here: https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Impact-of-PCI-E-Speed-on-Gaming-Performance-518/
The announcement of pascal drivers today from nVidia has many Mac die hards I know excited. For some people, having a big honking Pascal GPU outside of an iMac enclosure or outside of a laptop all of a sudden makes working on a fast Mac an option. There are people in my office where an iMac is fine since 90% of what they do is after effects.
But on the 10% of time they need to work in Cinema 4d, this just opened things WAY up for them. And it moves all that heat outside of the Apple razor thin enclosures.
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ActionableMango
macrumors G3
Time to drag out this old image:
Agreed. What wasn't modular about the old towers? You could change the CPU, the GPU, add many internal drives, media drives, etc. There is no reason to make anything modular beyond that approach.
As far as I understand, the only reason to break the mMP into parts would be due to the completely unnecessary and unwarranted desire to make those parts small. Which nobody asked for.
It's possible that they are "working" us (intentionally or not) and will never actually release a new 'pro. Just wait out the "sometime after this year" - which gave the a lot of room to continue to sit on their hands - and then decide everyone has shuffled off to Windows or Linux already, and the 'pro dies with a whimper after all.
I am not inclined to believe that they could not upgrade the existing pro at all in all this time, or that they need a year or more to design something new. The mea culpa and promises, while appreciated, are not yet backed up by anything substantive.
I'm not saying they will do this, just that it's not an impossible outcome despite promises.
gctwnl
macrumors regular
Why do people write "finally!"? Finally what? Finally an announcement of sorts? You're happy with an announcement of a vague plan with no date in the foreseeable future? With what in effect is vapourware? With the lack of an explicit announcement Apple will stop making powerful computers? I was hoping for hardware updates this spring. I find this development unbelievable. Apple is channeling Microsoft from the 90's. Cool ideas launched (modular). But nothing real.
Isn't that obvious enough? People are happy that Apple will continue making Macs with modular design. Everyone thought they would never return to that design and never admit their mistake. One year of waiting is less than eternity.
And I don't believe for a second that the next Mac Pro will be the trash can rebooted. They wouldn't have described it they way they did if it was the case.
And Apple don't do vaporware.
[doublepost=1491545596][/doublepost]
What?? Do you honestly believe that Apple would give a press interview about their future Macs just to spread lies and buy some time. 😵
Plus, that would have the exact opposite effect to what you suggest. How do you get "a lot of room to continue to sit on [your] hand" by having the whole Mac community talking about your future plans and eagerly expecting the next Mac Pro?
If they wanted to abandon the Mac Pro, they would just let it die, and remove it from the App Store at some point. No one is going to Cupertino and threaten Cook in person with their pitch fork.
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Even back then 1 TB bus is way to small and you can't bond them.Time to drag out this old image:
[doublepost=1491582606][/doublepost]
PCI-e 4.0 will not hit amd or intel till about 2020.
Also they have to goto amd to have 128 pci-e lanes with 1 or 2 cpu's. Intel upto 44? per cpu.
ActionableMango
macrumors G3
It's not a serious image, I just reposted it for fun.
It actually doesn't make any sense at all. If you don't get the PCIe slot module, do you not have any video? I guess you could have onboard video on a Mac Pro, but that's a bit off. Even worse, how can the power supply be an optional module?
Oh, the Cube, which btw became a hit in the 2nd hand market, a much sought after thing to buy in eBay, a great way to try MacOSX, after it was discontinued by Apple. It was only then when many people realised that there was nothing like it from anywhere else; not with the same quality, silent operation, aesthetics or power. The Cube had a cult following for years. Of course back when it was being sold naysayers thought it was supposed to be replacement for the PowerMac while other shortsighted users didn't think there is ever going to be a day where a computer could stay in the living room near a TV or on the top of an office desk. Of course it also didn't help that Apple (once again) overpriced this little gem.
Jack Burton
macrumors 6502a
I think it's perfect for people who want to show off the computer but don't actually do any real work. Much like the books with uncut pages on Gatsby's shelf in The Great Gatsby. 😉
t0rr3s
macrumors 6502
