Possible Upcoming Mac Pro Reference Discovered in OS X El Capitan

[LordVic]

The Mac Pro that you keep on pining over is NOT that expandable -- in fact the Mac Pro 2013 is much more expandable. I have a Mac Pro 2008, two graphics cards (5770).... which take up all but the lowest speed PCIe slot (a SATA card in there). All 4 hard drive bays full..... no more expansion possible. With the Mac Pro 2013 it has the two graphics cards in there and up to 36 Thunderbolt devices.... so add a Thunderbolt 4 drive bay (and I have 35 left). Or add a 24 bay one and still have 35 left.....

There's faulty logic here, and thats assuming that in a standard tower, you wouldn't Also have expandable options.

But if you built a tower Mac again, you'd have the additional drive bays inside, additional PCI-e expansion for standard devices. and then, on top of that, just like the 2013, THEN You can continue to expand outwards with expandable devices.

so even with this logic, no, the 2013 Mac Pro is by far, infinately not more expandable than an equally specced hardware in a standard ATX (like) tower form factor. It's far, FAR more limited as this case, you can't easily swap out the existing internals, like drives and CPU's.

 

[Glassed Silver]

The Mac Pro that you keep on pining over is NOT that expandable -- in fact the Mac Pro 2013 is much more expandable. I have a Mac Pro 2008, two graphics cards (5770).... which take up all but the lowest speed PCIe slot (a SATA card in there). All 4 hard drive bays full..... no more expansion possible. With the Mac Pro 2013 it has the two graphics cards in there and up to 36 Thunderbolt devices.... so add a Thunderbolt 4 drive bay (and I have 35 left). Or add a 24 bay one and still have 35 left.....

What makes you believe a Mac Pro using the old design, but new and refreshed hardware couldn't have Thunderbolt as well?

Maybe in your experience the new Mac Pro makes sense, but my God I hate external drives beyond backup or carry-around storage.

I'd take a tower Mac with Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 in a heartbeat. Or USB-C. Or both.

A tower Mac will always be able to do everything the trashcan can do, because more space ALWAYS means more capabilities.
And many of us aren't that short of space to crave the savings, actually, having a tower and not 10 cables and HDD enclosures flying around can save space. (depending on the given workspace)

YMMV, that's all I'm trying to say.

Glassed Silver:mac

 

[bkkcanuck8]

But if you built a tower Mac again, you'd have the additional drive bays inside, additional PCI-e expansion for standard devices. and then, on top of that, just like the 2013, THEN You can continue to expand outwards with expandable devices.

The argument that this is in response to is how people see the old Mac Pro and how it was way more expandable. It is NOT. It is very much limited and I have run up to the limits of the design of everything in the case. It has been an annoyance for a couple years, but I don't have enough of use case to replace it with something new until it dies or is no longer compatible. The major reason why Mac Pro fit my use case (other than despising having the computer and monitor built into the same case) - is I really can not live without multiple (re: 3+ monitors) hooked up. One day the draw to 3 x 40" 4K monitors will be too much to resist anymore.

Now back to where it is limited (the DVD drive is dead but I no longer use it anyway so I am not replacing it). I have all 4 bays in the Mac Pro full, I actually have 12 x 3TB drives I would like to put into use in the Mac Pro but .... they don't fit -- and I don't really have great expansion options (so I put them in a NAS for now -- not a great solution). I have 2 graphics cards to drive the array of 4 monitors, and I don't want to disconnect a monitor (or two) so I can add another higher speed card for storage into it. The only slot left is a rather slow speed slot that would cripple any option of putting a nice SAS card into it then running a high-speed connection to an external DAS box to hold the drives.

People that keep on saying the old Mac Pro was the gold standard in expandability - are not really expanding it that far to run into the limits.... Other than a few hard drive bays - it is not that expandable at all once you have attached your monitors. Apple is not in the business of Build your own.... so any argument that CPUs are upgradeable is sort of silly.... especially since when you actually want to upgrade the processors they will no longer even be able to be plugged into the CPU socket since each family tends to have a new one designed for it.

Just like I don't like putting the monitor and CPU in the box, I don't really see the advantage of sticking everything into one old Mac Pro tower.... every tower always has limits (far less than the 36 devices that the Thunderbolt 6 ports are limited to).

The fringe benefit of the new Mac Pro is that in a pinch I can disconnect the DAS array of storage and pick it up and bring it with my to my friends place in Singapore when I go there and and demonstrate any changes/progress in any one of my projects without having to rely on an underpowered Macbook Pro.

 

[apolloa]

Believe the hype people... they did update the iPod Touch this year too you know hmm may have to consider a new Mac Pro next year possibly...

 

[loby]

To clarify, the USB-C standard is the connector which is now used by both USB 3.1 and by Thunderbolt. So if the manufacturer cheaped out you could just have USB-C based USB ports, or for a company like Apple you could have 6 USB-C ports that accept either USB or Thunderbolt devices plugged into any of them.

Hmm...thanks for the clarification. Now that would be something to see on a New Mac pro!

 

[xnu]

The Mac Pro that you keep on pining over is NOT that expandable -- in fact the Mac Pro 2013 is much more expandable. I have a Mac Pro 2008, two graphics cards (5770).... which take up all but the lowest speed PCIe slot (a SATA card in there). All 4 hard drive bays full..... no more expansion possible. With the Mac Pro 2013 it has the two graphics cards in there and up to 36 Thunderbolt devices.... so add a Thunderbolt 4 drive bay (and I have 35 left). Or add a 24 bay one and still have 35 left.....

It is expandable, I own three... BUT... hook a raid and start daisy chaining devices it is a gaggle full of cables coming out of the back and devices stacked all over the place which is very un-Apple. Guessing about 14 cables plus a usb hub come out of the back of the little trash can. They skimped on the USB ports, should have been 6. My poor Mac Pros look horrendous, cables running everywhere, devices on my desk and under my desk. I do love the speed and the tech, but a mac with a bit of internal expansion would be great. Apple could easily use a small mother board in a 1/2 size system and put it in a small case like the old cheese grater Macs. It would fit a great need ($2199-$2499). I know it would not be appliance like, which Apple has been moving toward... and Apple wanted thunderbolt to have a plethora of devices available, all very ingenious design and marketing. I appreciate how they push new tech down our throats, they move the entire industry forward.

Not to mention the fact the graphic cards they put in the Mac Pros, while professional were base on old tech, and a $3k+ machine that the graphics can't be upgraded is not optimal. Looking forward to a new Mac Pro... I wish they would give us a desktop with upgradable graphics, not necessarily professional grade if we don't need it and not a mobile card. So really two new machines. A tersely worded letter has been sent to Mr. Cook to make me a truck, not a sports car, motorcycle or sub compact. :/

 

[LordVic]

...

yes, but what people are saying is that if you took the old tower design, that has all that expansion capability, outfitted it with modern day components, that would also included Thunderbolt and USB 3 expansion ports,

then THAT mac would far far more upgradable than the current Mac Pro cylinder. Nobody says you're only limited to internal expansion. the only device that has any such limitation is the new Mac Pro, which has ZERO expansion internally and only externally.

yes your OLD mac Pro didnt have that expansion port capability, because thunderbolt didn't exist back then, nor USB-3. But it exists today, and regardless of Form Factor, it would be included in any new mac.

On top of expansion, you also have to consider upgrading internal components too. The standard ATX form factor meant that you could use any combination of PCI-e devices. Multiple GPU's of various kinds and flavours of your choice, instead of proprietary devices with no upgrade path if you wanted. The same for SSD / storage, and CPU's. WHile CPU and SSD has more potential for upgrade, they're both using Proprietary connections or extremely difficult to access. Neither of which offer any form of easy upgrade path.

 

[flat five]

Or just rack mount it along with another 24+ drive DAS storage in the same rack.

won't work.. they are IN the computer

---------

Capitalism at work ^

 

[uid15]

Your next iteration will have soldered in RAM, soldered in SSD, soldered in GPU, soldered in thunderbolt cables and a WELDED SHUT enclosure...

 

[nibfiledotcom]

...It better not be the mac pro mini...

Why not? I'm honestly hoping that it is. Ever since Apple neutered the Mac Mini line by not offering a quad-core configuration with support for multiple drives, I've been hoping that they'd offer a server-class Mac Pro.

A server doesn't need expensive workstation-class graphics, and you could do without most of the ports. Give me the Mac Pro's Xeon CPUs, integrated graphics, two ethernet ports, and two Thunderbolt 3 ports. And then have MacMiniVault build new racks to hold them for collocation.

 

[xnu]

Your next iteration will have soldered in RAM, soldered in SSD, soldered in GPU, soldered in thunderbolt cables and a WELDED SHUT enclosure...

You didn't hear it from me, but my friend at Apple said the new Mac Pro will come in a glass Apple Display Case® that if you open it will void the warranty.

 

[bkkcanuck8]

Why not? I'm honestly hoping that it is. Ever since Apple neutered the Mac Mini line by not offering a quad-core configuration with support for multiple drives, I've been hoping that they'd offer a server-class Mac Pro.

A server doesn't need expensive workstation-class graphics, and you could do without most of the ports. Give me the Mac Pro's Xeon CPUs, integrated graphics, two ethernet ports, and two Thunderbolt 3 ports. And then have MacMiniVault build new racks to hold them for collocation.

A good solid quad-core mini would be a nice addition (they even have a Xeon that would fit the bill if they really wanted a "server mac mini")..... Of course being a "laptop" component type configuration you are not going to have top of the line graphics, but not everyone is a video editor or gamer.

 

[pat500000]

Why not? I'm honestly hoping that it is. Ever since Apple neutered the Mac Mini line by not offering a quad-core configuration with support for multiple drives, I've been hoping that they'd offer a server-class Mac Pro.

A server doesn't need expensive workstation-class graphics, and you could do without most of the ports. Give me the Mac Pro's Xeon CPUs, integrated graphics, two ethernet ports, and two Thunderbolt 3 ports. And then have MacMiniVault build new racks to hold them for collocation.

lol. With all these extra names on these apple machines...it weirds me out if it isn't the original mac pro. It's a workstation. I hate to see mac pro become Caitlyn Jenner.

 

[pat500000]

Believe the hype people... they did update the iPod Touch this year too you know hmm may have to consider a new Mac Pro next year possibly...

late 2015? or early 2016? I would apple to have last minute keynote.. "ladies and gentlemen...we bring you....MAC PRO."

 

[NickD73]

Above: The worlds most overused unfunny comment.

The joke isn't funny only if it's not delivered right, but let's be honest here, I pretty much nailed it.

 

[paul987]

The design is not bad... it's a space saver and a conversation piece too. The design really does make sense over something that's going to be bulky and take up 3-4x's the space when not needed.

Completely disagree. Space is a consideration for notebooks that you have to carry around all the time. For a desktop, I have plenty of space of the floor for the machine, so I want one that can hold multiple hard drives, an optical drive, and plenty of RAM. Functionality > Thinness. I'm still using a 2010 Mac Pro because I see the current Mac Pro as a downgrade.

 

[H2SO4]

The Mac Pro that you keep on pining over is NOT that expandable -- in fact the Mac Pro 2013 is much more expandable. I have a Mac Pro 2008, two graphics cards (5770).... which take up all but the lowest speed PCIe slot (a SATA card in there). All 4 hard drive bays full..... no more expansion possible. With the Mac Pro 2013 it has the two graphics cards in there and up to 36 Thunderbolt devices.... so add a Thunderbolt 4 drive bay (and I have 35 left). Or add a 24 bay one and still have 35 left.....

Yeah, except No. What you’ve just said is;
I have an SUV Apple iCar 2008, two grown children.... which take up all but the middle seat on the rear bench. All cubby holes and boot full of luggage. Front seat has the wife in it..... no more expansion possible.
With a sports iCar 2013 I can only get the wife in there but a tow bar fitted.... so add the children in a caravan. Or add a trailier to that caravan and add next doors children too.

What an awful comparison you’re comparing internal expansion with external. Now to be pedantic, I can daisy chain Firewire devices but you’ve forgotten about that.
Apple missed this opportunity. They could still have a made a reasonably compact machine and given it some bettter internal expansion, (two SSD’s maybe), as well as not having to lose some external. But instead they opted to make it thinner yet more expensive for some idiotic reason.

EDIT:
So a little more…..
From the Wikipedia page, ‘FireWire can connect up to 63 peripherals in a tree or daisy-chain topology’. On top of that you can add a RAID card, USB card etc. etc…..

 

[H2SO4]

I personally like the "trash can" design (I just wish I could justify buying a new one -- current one is still going fairly strong). It is nice to have a powerful machine that you can just pack up sling over your shoulder and bring it with you when you really really need to.

Yep, so do I but’s lets face it. It’s primarily a desktop and as such should really be a little bigger with more options.
A 25% bigger case with a bit of internal possbilities wouldn’t hurt us would it.

 

[dragje]

Hold a "Pro" event in November releasing the Mac Pro and new Skylake MBP's pleaseeeee Apple! That'd be very exciting

I'm confused, the article hints at a possible release for a new MacPro with Xeon-branded Broadwell EP procesors, but aren't Skylake procesors way faster? It's been a while ago but I remember reading an article that Xeon-branded Broadwell EP procesors would be a small update an create a smaal update in speed compared to Skylake.

 

[H2SO4]

Well I have 43 TBs of expensive clutter connected directly to my Mac pro...

So what? Just think, I could go out and buy 4TB drives and plug each one into it’s own connector on the out side of the Mac, that’s 36TB.
Then I could use both ODD bays for another 8TB and all four internal bays for another 16TB. That’s before any dasiy chaining, just think of the possibilites if they’d updated the original form factor with TB.
What’s your point?

 

[H2SO4]

I couldn't wait any longer, I just bought a 6 core last week. It's still a beast of a machine.

That’s where I‘m lucky. I can wait. Just don’t want to any more.

 

[Onmybikedrunk]

It's about time! I need PM support for my X99 Hackintosh! LOL! Thanks Pike R. Alpha! You're a f'in rockstar!

 

[vmachiel]

On what Gen is Intel with the Mac Pro processors? Haswell? Broadwell?

 

[Onmybikedrunk]

I'm confused, the article hints at a possible release for a new MacPro with Xeon-branded Broadwell EP procesors, but aren't Skylake procesors way faster? It's been a while ago but I remember reading an article that Xeon-branded Broadwell EP procesors would be a small update an create a smaal update in speed compared to Skylake.

HEDP/Server grade chips are always a step behind from consumer chips. For instance, X99/C61X we're at Haswell-E now. The current Mac Pro is Ivy Bridge-E! As far as I know Broadwell-E is on schedule for a Q1 2016 release (March?). There is some rumor that Intel may ditch Broadwell-E and go straight to Skylake-E but that rumor could be stale. From Haswell-E to Broadwell-E there is only going to be around a 5% jump in capability but from Ivy Bridge-E to Broadwell-E there is a much more drastic shift in power. The core counts are going up and up each gen too, which should be taken into consideration when it comes to CPU intensive tasks. Not to mention PCI lanes, which once GPUs demand the full 16, **** is really gonna hit the fan. With the nMP's single socket design we could be seeing an 18 to 22 core top end model under Broadwell-E...

 

[Onmybikedrunk]

On what Gen is Intel with the Mac Pro processors? Haswell? Broadwell?

Current is Ivy Bridge-E, new is suspected to be Broadwell-E