Roundup: First-Look Impressions of the New Mac Pro

[MacSince1985]

I'm not that concerned about the cost of the stand; I just find it odd they charge for a stand in the first place.

Many users remove the stand to use a monitor arm instead. I have quite a few stands sitting in a box for that reason. What I don't understand is why they charge $200 for a VESA mount, which is a plate with 4 screw holes in it!
If Apple didn't use some proprietary connector, third parties will offer stands and mounts for a quarter of the price Apple charges. They'll still make a pretty penny and buyers will feel like they're getting a bargain "I got this stand for ONLY $250!" ;-)

 

[Ryth]

I think a good analogy is what the Verge was talking about which is this machine is a super car like a Lamborghini.

What Apple needed to build is the Audi model range for their 'PRO' users.

A4 - Everyday model almost 70% of their user base. Starts at $39K
S4 - Performance model with is about 20% of their user base. Starts at $50K
RS4 - High End Sports model which is about 5-10% of their user base. Starts at around 70K.

All these cars can also get upgraded in their category by 5-15K at least depending on add ons.

But the point here is that Audi has given their consumer buyer a range to choose from.

We aren't getting that here with the Mac Pro at all....we got the Lamborghini and they really left out the majority of their user base here without a modular Mac Pro.

 

[MacSince1985]

For those who don't remember, the Quadra 950 had a base price of $8,500 in 1992. That's $15,500 in today's dollars. RAM cost $100/MB at the time. Expensive professional machines are nothing new.
https://everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_quadra/specs/mac_quadra_950.html

 

[Marekul]

Most of people will do well enough with iMacs or iMacs Pro. Was G5 same workstation as Mac Pro now is?

No it wasn’t. But it was what 99% of pros were looking for.
[doublepost=1559679199][/doublepost]

For those who don't remember, the Quadra 950 had a base price of $8,500 in 1992. That's $15,500 in today's dollars. RAM cost $100/MB at the time. Expensive professional machines are nothing new.
https://everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_quadra/specs/mac_quadra_950.html

So now we have to compare macs to 1992 computers to make the price look good? What a joke

 

[myscrnnm]

Which is no longer on Apple's website.

As of 21:18 GMT on June 4th, 2019, going to Apple.com gives you the option to purchase the 2013 Mac Pro in two configurations, with further customization options available. There are also several refurbished models for sale in the relevant section of their website as well.

 

[VantaNoir]

The culmination of years of design while chowing on Mac n Cheese, I get it now! Mind is blown.

 

[Ethosik]

FYI tech prices actually depreciated over time. So inflation does not really matter. Your comparison is nonsense.
And if you look at the Boxx machines, to compare Apples to Apples, Boxx machines with 8 cores with faster processors (4.9Ghz) 32gb Ram and 512 SSD is half the price than the Mac Pro.

That’s not what happens when we talk about inflation. Getting $6000 in the 80s or 90s was much harder than today. Yes sometimes tech decreases in time, but we compare the price at the time and use inflation to determine the dollar amount compared to today.

It’s like when people say “Back in my day, a loaf of bread was 15 cents”. Well I get 15 cents in way under a minute of work. It was not the case back then.

 

[ruka.snow]

I am very tempted to upgrade my 2010 Mac Pro but after thinking it over I have decided to wait for revision b. I want to be sure this machine has legs and it seems a bit foolish to buy something with Vega II when Navi is so close and then it is PCIe 3.0 with 4.0 and 5.0 out already. So its gonna be my 2020 buy(probably just after my 200-400mm f4.0 lens).

 

[Plett]

Pros get it, poors don’t. Yes I is a poor!

 

[currahee2100]

I am very tempted to upgrade my 2010 Mac Pro but after thinking it over I have decided to wait for revision b. I want to be sure this machine has legs and it seems a bit foolish to buy something with Vega II when Navi is so close and then it is PCIe 3.0 with 4.0 and 5.0 out already. So its gonna be my 2020 buy(probably just after my 200-400mm f4.0 lens).

At this rate, they probably won't update this for 6 years.

 

[scoobs69]

Imagine spending $6K on a ball-busting audio/video/VR editing machine (that also runs MacOS) with which you can make a nice living, when you could just buy six iPhone X's. Ahh … perspective!

It's not for everyone, including me at this point. But I can dream little — while hoping my 2015 5K iMac stays alive and I don't have to send the whole bloody thing in for service. Still hoping for something in-between this and a Mac mini, and an Apple display I can afford.

The $6,000 configuration isn't a 'ball-busting audio/video/VR editing machine. It's a basic content creation tool with a weak GPU and a iffy 8-core CPU. If this is all you're getting with your Mac Pro, you might as well get the 2019 9900K iMac with a faster CPU the same GPU and a 500GB flash drive, upgrade the ram to 32GB, and save $3,000...

If you're upgrading your Mac Pro to 16 cores with a pair dual Vega GPUs, an Afterburner, and 128GB of RAM, then I'd say yes. You'd have a ball-busting audio/video/VR editing machine. But you'll be spending $15,000 on that system.

As for the base machine? It's not even close to ball-busting... accept for (maybe photo editing). But it'll still lag behind the iMac and Mac Mini in Photoshop performance because of the low turbo boost frequency.

 

[ruka.snow]

At this rate, they probably won't update this for 6 years.

That is of course the fear. I want to see some commitment to this thing. If I had bought the trash can I would have ended up with a dead end compared to the 2010 Mac Pro which after a lot of upgrades is still a solid work horse. The new Mac Pro must get regular upgrade parts, especially with the GPU expansion they have designed.

 

[reyesmac]

Had another company made this it would be slightly inferior on the hardware side, vastly inferior on the materials and design side, yet, come in at a price that would rival the pro iMacs. Why? Because they don't have to compete with their own products. They don't have to have pricing tiers that never undercut less power products. And it would be more affordable because they can make it happen. Apple is not in the business of offering affordable power to the masses. They take similar components available elsewhere and rename them, bump them up, polish them, make them shiny, and make the customer pay for every bit of extra value they add to it, which in the end is no value. Your getting what you paid for, technology that is shiny and pretty and can for that year do more than competing machines and way more than older apple machines.

The real question is, will this be yet another model that is plagued with problems that are ridiculously expensive to repair or constantly fail? Because if they have finally gotten that right, I'll salute Apples amazing job with a slow golf clap.

 

[iamthedudeman]

I knew this kind of thing would happen, you can’t compare this workstation to your home computer. Your computer may have similar face value specs but I don’t think the AMD Ryzen can hold a candle next to the intel Xeon in the new Mac Pro.

The new Mac Pro isn’t worth what they are asking. I can buy a workstation with the exact same specs for around $4000 or less. Same exact processor etc. The comments in this thread are funny. With people saying “Apple take my money’.

The xeon W 3.5 entry level processor retails for $750 US. Apple likely pays half that much.

$1000 for the display stand. i cannot stop laughing. People calling this a bargain?

If you are a professional and make your money from Apple products by all means. Go ahead. But if you are a smart professional and saw this coming and made sure your business is not reliant on Apple products, even better.

Seems there isn’t alot of smart professionals here on macrumors.

I cannot stop laughing. How Apple brainwashes you people is beyond me. I have a iphone, ipad pro, but that is where it ends. Even my iphone xs was highway robbery. I feel ashamed and like a fool for spending that much on it. How people can call this new Mac Pro a “bargain” is borderline mentally handicapped remarks.

$1000 for the display stand! Hahahahahaha. Apple is a trolling monster. I haven’t laughed this hard in quite awhile.

 

[SSDGUY]

The $6,000 configuration isn't a 'ball-busting audio/video/VR editing machine. It's a basic content creation tool with a weak GPU and a iffy 8-core CPU. If this is all you're getting with your Mac Pro, you might as well get the 2019 9900K iMac with a faster CPU the same GPU and a 500GB flash drive, upgrade the ram to 32GB, and save $3,000...

If you're upgrading your Mac Pro to 16 cores with a pair dual Vega GPUs, an Afterburner, and 128GB of RAM, then I'd say yes. You'd have a ball-busting audio/video/VR editing machine. But you'll be spending $15,000 on that system.

As for the base machine? It's not even close to ball-busting... accept for (maybe photo editing). But it'll still lag behind the iMac and Mac Mini in Photoshop performance because of the low turbo boost frequency.

Wow, I didn't compare specs closely. I guess the entry Mac Pro is not-so pro, sorta like the trash can model. Guess I'll hang on to my 2015 I iMac for a while. It could use some horsepower for FCP but it eventually gets the job done.

 

[iamthedudeman]

The stand isn’t included at $5000. Hahahahaha

Nope. That will cost you between $200 to $1000. Hahahah. Apple make it stop. My stomach hurts from laughing so hard.

Quote:”It's the fact that it doesn't come with an actual stand to hold it up.”

hahahahhahahh



https://www.cnet.com/news/wwdc-2019...or-stand-for-the-5000-dollar-pro-display-xdr/

 

[SSDGUY]

As of 21:18 GMT on June 4th, 2019, going to Apple.com gives you the option to purchase the 2013 Mac Pro in two configurations, with further customization options available. There are also several refurbished models for sale in the relevant section of their website as well.

Well they certainly have it buried in their website and it is no longer represented with an icon under their Mac products.

 

[neuropsychguy]

Anyone saying this is priced too high should go to HP or Dell and price out a similarly-powered workstation. A Precision 7920 with about as similar specs as I could manage in a short time is $6,101.90 with Ubuntu (more if you want Windows) - this isn't even quite comparable to the Mac Pro from a design and performance standpoint.

The point is that this is priced competitively with other workstations. What Apple is missing is a Mac Pro that's not workstation class (something using i7/i9 processors and normal RAM) but this is fairly priced.

 

[Zdigital2015]

The new Mac Pro isn’t worth what they are asking. I can buy a workstation with the exact same specs for around $4000 or less. Same exact processor etc. The comments in this thread are funny. With people saying “Apple take my money’.

The xeon W 3.5 entry level processor retails for $750 US. Apple likely pays half that much.

$1000 for the display stand. i cannot stop laughing. People calling this a bargain?

If you are a professional and make your money from Apple products by all means. Go ahead. But if you are a smart professional and saw this coming and made sure your business is not reliant on Apple products, even better.

Seems there isn’t alot of smart professionals here on macrumors.

I cannot stop laughing. How Apple brainwashes you people is beyond me. I have a iphone, ipad pro, but that is where it ends. Even my iphone xs was highway robbery. I feel ashamed and like a fool for spending that much on it. How people can call this new Mac Pro a “bargain” is borderline mentally handicapped remarks.

$1000 for the display stand! Hahahahahaha. Apple is a trolling monster. I haven’t laughed this hard in quite awhile.

No you can't...the Xeon W-3223 8-core in the base model Mac Pro was just released today. Try again.

Yes, the base 8-core lists for $749.00...

The display stand is absurd, hardly anyone disagrees with that around here. No one here would actually buy one.

If all you have is ad hominem attacks, go scurry back on over to WCCFTech or HardOCP and peddle your wares over there.

 

[iamthedudeman]

No you can't...the Xeon W-3223 8-core in the base model Mac Pro was just released today. Try again.

Yes, the base 8-core lists for $749.00...

The display stand is absurd, hardly anyone disagrees with that around here. No one here would actually buy one.

If all you have is ad hominem attacks, go scurry back on over to WCCFTech or HardOCP and peddle your wares over there.

OK Mr 2015. What the he'll is WCCFTech or HardOCP? Sorry I don't understand nerd lingo. I have been on Mac Rumors for 12 years, try again. When the Mac Pro is on sale so will the processor. What I said is accurate and still stands.

No attacks, just pointing out the obvious. Which is again accurate.

 

[dwsolberg]

I still can't get over how ugly the machined holes on this design are - along with those on the monitor. The solid tubular feet and handles just look really weird on the macPro, and - at least in all the photos I've seen the juxtaposition between the machined ends and flat sides (And the flat area across the back of the display) is just weird.

I also have to say that the stand just doesn't look like it matches either...far too square and angular.

Whatever happened to the great, **understated** designs of the old cheesegrater MacPro and the old aluminium displays?

I'd feel like a right idiot with one of these new designs on my desk - even if I had the need or the funds. They look way over-designed (like a complete waste of money on the cases that aren't even pretty).

I don't think they even want consumers to buy this thing. It's designed to compute, not for aesthetics. It's hard to get one's head around it because Apple's never really produced a computer aimed exclusively at professional use. It's just a tool, and that's sort of weird.

 

[iamthedudeman]

No you can't...the Xeon W-3223 8-core in the base model Mac Pro was just released today. Try again.

Yes, the base 8-core lists for $749.00...

The display stand is absurd, hardly anyone disagrees with that around here. No one here would actually buy one.

If all you have is ad hominem attacks, go scurry back on over to WCCFTech or HardOCP and peddle your wares over there.

https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/sho...r/spd/precision-7920-workstation/xctopt7920us

Anyone saying this is priced too high should go to HP or Dell and price out a similarly-powered workstation. A Precision 7920 with about as similar specs as I could manage in a short time is $6,101.90 with Ubuntu (more if you want Windows) - this isn't even quite comparable to the Mac Pro from a design and performance standpoint.

The point is that this is priced competitively with other workstations. What Apple is missing is a Mac Pro that's not workstation class (something using i7/i9 processors and normal RAM) but this is fairly priced.

https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/sho...r/spd/precision-7920-workstation/xctopt7920us

Funny that I came up with something different. Add your own comparable GPU and you are still $2000 or more less. With pro support. Apple offers no such support. Zero.

What does the new Mac Pro offer that this doesn’t besides the inflated price?

It amazes how people like yourself can defend a company that sells a monitor for $5000 and without a stand. If you want a stand that will cost you $1000.
And expect them to give you a good deal on anything. How does that make sense? Seriously? How?

You are part of the problem of why Apple charges such prices because you are overlooking the obvious and will pay whatever they ask.

 

[Rocketman]

I let this thread run a while than checked the upvotes for a dim hope of any insight at all. More like a dimming flicker in time and space.

 

[theluggage]

It’s like when people say “Back in my day, a loaf of bread was 15 cents”. Well I get 15 cents in way under a minute of work. It was not the case back then.

...except a loaf of bread today isn't that different from a loaf of bread back in the day. In 2019, a $50 Raspberry Pi can outperform a 'workstation' that thousands in 1987 - probably to the extent of being able to run a software emulation that is faster than the original. If loaves of bread had developed like computers, 15 cents today would buy you a loaf with 5000 slices, and you'd carry around an iLoaf in your jacket pocket with enough bread to make a dozen club sandwiches*.

There's no point in trying to apply inflation - a crude average of the price of an imaginary shopping basket - to the price of a product that you know has changed beyond recognition - to try and determine its 'value for money'.

All you can say is that the cost of a 'state of the art' personal computer - of any type - is significantly less in real terms today than in 1987, while the specifications and capabilities that constitute 'state of the art' have increased by an order of magnitude or two.

Oh, and the Mac II was pretty good value when an actual IBM PC cost $4000+ (people always forget that when they quote the price of early Macs) considering that it was in a different class technically - which was fine until those pesky clone makers came along and the price of PCs tanked.

Problem is, its 2018 and the $6000 Mac Pro is - at the end of the day - little more another Intel Xeon tower in a fancy box.

(* but you'd have to pay a $14.99/month subscription if you wanted mayo)

 

[iLloyd]

Price notwithstanding, a good effort at producing a genuinely pro machine. If they take the same approach to the next Macbook Pro, they may win me back.