I just don’t understand why Apple didn’t return to the 2000’s PowerMac/Mac Pro factor with a simple logic board that doesn’t need Afterburner support, etc. Just update it with Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.x, WiFiac/BTLE, SATA III, etc. I did all that with my 4,1 and 5,1 Mac Pro’s including an AMD sapphire Radeon Pulse 8GB GPU and all Apple genuine parts for WiFi ac/BTLE as well as a SATA III PCIe boot SSD, USB-C PCIe card, etc. I got Thunderbolt 2 working but it was a PITA having to boot windows and fidget with it. Sold them while they were worth the money.
The trashcan Mac Pro’s have lasted me 6-7 years but it’s time to upgrade. I just can’t bring myself to spend $6k on a base model Mac Pro which will require an MPX module at $2200 to put my 4 external drives into the system so i can ditch my Thunderbolt 2 arrays otherwise what’s the point of internal storage if you have to get another adapter? I could use the two SATA III connections with a third 2.5” drive and throw in an extra SSD blade but that requires a $200-300 adapter and I’d lose storage space as I have 40 TB’s of HDD’s - 20TB‘s I could keep but 20 TB’s of SSD storage will be a lot of extra funds which means the Promise MPX module for 4 SATA bays at $2200 ends up being the better option.
So even a base Mac Pro will run $7200 min which is absurd.
I sincerely hope Apple is developing a Mac Pro for prosumers as they used to with a starting price tag of $3k and anyone who wants to trick it out for professional use can. The 2019’s logic board is the main cost factor as it was developed for expandability with specific hardware in mind. Just throw in the iMac Pro logic board into the form factor - the same board from the 2010‘s With PCIe, SATA III, etc. I don’t need an iMac Pro as I have 3 5K UltraFine displays. I keep looking for refurbished Mac Pro’s for around $5200 or so and figure in the trade in of one of my 2014 Mac Pro’s at about $1100 and am tempted but what’s the point if I still have to use my Pegasus Thunderbolt 2 array’s?
It’s such a mess. I sincerely hope Apple is producing a dedicated display line like the 3 CCFL LCD’s they used to make at reasonable prices and a truly upgradable mid tower system. Otherwise I don’t know what my next move will be.
