I think if Apple wanted better GPU performance, they WOULD buy AMD. But they feel they can get what they need without buying AMD right now.
nVidia isn't controllable enough.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
MP 7,1 Waiting for Mac Pro 7,1 A1991 (no more)
- Thread starter Mago
- Start date
-
- Tags
- macpro 2016
- Sort by reaction score
I think if Apple wanted better GPU performance, they WOULD buy AMD. But they feel they can get what they need without buying AMD right now.
nVidia isn't controllable enough.
i don't think so based of their recent movements in the iOS device GPUs.
Apple actually owns a stake in Imagination Technologies (the company providing iPhone GPUs up til now)..
moving into the future, some people thought Apple would buy Imagination outright but instead, they started their own GPU company (well, not to sell to others.. just to be used on their own products)
http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/04/17/one-apple-gpu-one-giant-leap-in-graphics-for-iphone-8
so going off that, i'd personally imagine Apple going that route with Mac GPUs prior to any sort of AMD acquisition.
.
It's just about getting those patents and engineers then rolling them into a newer more powerful and more efficient product. Then fire the card dropping wally.
Who says they need to buy AMD to get access to patents or engineers?
It's cheaper over the long run when those patents are implemented in 100 million devices a year.
Apple's whole schtick is that they deliver a different experience than everybody else.
i'm pretty sure they don't want to buy AMD and become a GPU vendor which would allow everyone else the technology/functionality they've invented/developed for their products..
likewise, i also don't think Apple would consider buying AMD then closing its doors leaving basically, only nVidia as a major GPU supplier.
idk.. read through that link i posted in #5752.. it might offer up some insight about Apple's willingness to spend a lot of time & money in order to gain strategic position overall as opposed to always looking for the cheapest or easiest way out.
i'm pretty sure they don't want to buy AMD and become a GPU vendor which would allow everyone else the technology/functionality they've invented/developed for their products..
likewise, i also don't think Apple would consider buying AMD then closing its doors leaving basically, only nVidia as a major GPU supplier.
idk.. read through that link i posted in #5752.. it might offer up some insight about Apple's willingness to spend a lot of time & money in order to gain strategic position overall as opposed to always looking for the cheapest or easiest way out.
If you look at other places in Apple's supplier pipeline (Gorilla Glass, Samsung, LG) they're perfectly fine with just paying people to do the work for them, and paying enough to get exclusive or time limited exclusive access.
They are one of the top buyers of LCD panels in the world for both Macs and iOS devices, but they'd never buy an LCD vendor. Same thing with AMD. They don't need to buy AMD to get exclusivity, custom designs, or licensing of patents.
Buying AMD also means getting roped in to AMD CPUs which I don't think they care for.
AMD is also publicly traded which makes it a very difficult takeover target.
They are one of the top buyers of LCD panels in the world for both Macs and iOS devices, but they'd never buy an LCD vendor. Same thing with AMD. They don't need to buy AMD to get exclusivity, custom designs, or licensing of patents.
Buying AMD also means getting roped in to AMD CPUs which I don't think they care for.
AMD is also publicly traded which makes it a very difficult takeover target.
Whatever it is, to be taken remotely seriously it needs to compete with HP Z840. It needs tons of drive bays, PCI slots, ports, etc. There should be a gaming version with i7 and gaming GPU that's cheaper, since many Mac users just want that.
But I just have this feeling Apple will screw it up again, and make some weird Mac Mini Pro, expecting us to buy super expensive third party expansion chassis and RAID enclosures like we already have to with nMP and the iMac Pro debacle. Sigh.
But I just have this feeling Apple will screw it up again, and make some weird Mac Mini Pro, expecting us to buy super expensive third party expansion chassis and RAID enclosures like we already have to with nMP and the iMac Pro debacle. Sigh.
Ed Zackly.
Apple never really supported a MacPro running Boot Camp very enthusiastically, at least to the degree that it would offer options for including sufficient specs to make a "hard-core" Windows gaming machine with the fastest gaming GPU installed at the factory. Dual-booting to macOS for other non-gaming functions, of course.
Apple's seeming reluctance to offer standard PC graphics cards in a standard PC tower chassis form-factor is the key design decision that will make or break the success of a MacPro 7,1.
No they won't.
In my part of the 3D world, it is all about CUDA - OpenCL is viewed as legacy and the OSX base isn't big enough to justify jumping through the hoops Apple wants people to do.
If you've said this before, you were wrong then and you are wrong now. That won't happen in the foreseeable 10 years, if at all.
If in a world you see that as possible, I see a world where ARM Macs are possible before that.
To be quite honest, if I was Tim Cook, here's what I would do.
I would simply take the "cheese grater" Mac Pro design and resurrect it with a few tweaks. I would make it a standard type of PC motherboard format and issue a guideline for PC mobo makers to certify their boards are gonna be compatible and write Mac drivers etc. I would make an Apple-branded motherboard as well. You'd be able to buy whatever case you wanted, but only mobo's made to the standard of the cMP case would work in that. We all know the cMP case is one of the best computer cases ever engineered for many reasons, and so it would now be available for PC users to just boot Windows only if they wanted.
I would open source the GPU EFI code and make it easy for people to flash their own PC cards or for the PC manufacturers to issue Mac-compatible ones.
I would sell a Mac Pro already put together, but also, I'd let people build a legitimate Hackintosh without hiding in a closet.
I would make sure that every 4 to 6 months, there was a hardware refresh and that everything was price competitive with premium suppliers like EVGA, Alienware, etc.
I would court the big game studios and get them whatever they needed to make macOS gaming actually a thing.
95% of folks who want their iMacs and pre-assembled computers will not stop buying them because a BYO solution becomes available.
However, I am sick and tired of watching Windows come after the Apple market with Surface Books and Surfaces, HP Envy's, etc. whilst Apple sits on its half a trillion dollars and leaves pros and gamers out to dry.
Tim, who do you think it is, that tells everyone else in their family which kind of tech products to buy?
Apple will never chip away at the remaining Windows market or many parts of the workstation market if it keeps going with the type of non-upgradeable solutions it currently has.
I'm a lifelong Mac user, since 1984, and maybe I'm jaded, but I can't bear to see the state of things today. I can't walk into a store without feeling used, like Apple simply stopped trying to cater to what I want or need.
When I saw the iMac Pro come out, I just thought—seriously?Are there really some professionals who want non-upgradeable GPUs?
The whole "gaming" thing regarding Macs makes me scratch my head, as an ex Windows guy who now uses both Mac and PC. You never ever brought a Mac if you wanted to game. You just didn't do it.
In fact to be honest. (I don't want to sound like one of those guys who thinks their uses reflect everyone's) but in my case, i have zero desire to game on my Mac. I have zero desire to run boot camp windows on my Mac. I'm not ever going to bother.
For me when I got my Mac Pro I was looking at building a custom Workstation PC, but I wanted to go Mac and also my gaming needs were very different to my work needs.
By buying a Mac Pro 4,1 and upgrading it for my work needs and only running Mac OS it was a big relief.
Now I can build a smallish barebones gaming PC with just the basic stuff I need to game on and I don't have to compromise or mess with my work needs.
I also didn't want my work and my gaming to be on the same computer.
In fact to be honest. (I don't want to sound like one of those guys who thinks their uses reflect everyone's) but in my case, i have zero desire to game on my Mac. I have zero desire to run boot camp windows on my Mac. I'm not ever going to bother.
For me when I got my Mac Pro I was looking at building a custom Workstation PC, but I wanted to go Mac and also my gaming needs were very different to my work needs.
By buying a Mac Pro 4,1 and upgrading it for my work needs and only running Mac OS it was a big relief.
Now I can build a smallish barebones gaming PC with just the basic stuff I need to game on and I don't have to compromise or mess with my work needs.
I also didn't want my work and my gaming to be on the same computer.
First Vega review is up: https://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graph...B-Air-Cooled-Review/Clock-Speeds-and-Power-Co
1440Mhz clock speed, 280W TDP average figures under load.
Still want to stand by this figure?
1440Mhz clock speed, 280W TDP average figures under load.
Still want to stand by this figure?
Last edited:
pretty sure that's a not-too-smart market to go after..
go after future markets (if you intend to be in business longer than the next decade or so)
but then again, you aren't actually Tim Cook so... that's good i suppose
They also noted that the card seemed to still run at the 1440MHz clock even when dropping down to 240 watt and 200 watt TDP intervals when reaching 85°C in order to lower the operating temperature.
^^^ Yup.
PS4 for serious gaming here. Gotta have a comfy recliner and ergonomic controller.
^^^ Yup.
PS4 for serious gaming here. Gotta have a comfy recliner and ergonomic controller.
Serious gamers use PC's.
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/aggramar/wilanor
Not picking on you but that road is a dead end. Gaming on a Pro machine? Not gonna say on a Mac, maybe now with Metal 2 and Vega Apple will help here a bit, but if you're a serious gamer do you really want to do it on your WS?
And Macs going the PC route is a no show. They won't do it, and gladly so as far as I'm concerned. I'd rather have a steady platform than a do it all nightmare. But that's just me of course.
Tim Cook is smarter than that also, he knows if he opens it up for every eastern mobo maker it will kill the brand. And he loves money, it's where he comes from. He prefers home made stuff that earns him real money than having a widespread offer taking down the value.
Apple doesn't want or need to cover the whole spectrum, just the part that has value.
Again, my opinion only.
[doublepost=1498925893][/doublepost]Watching Steve at iPhone launch 10 years ago. He's the man, he knows how to sell it to you, and loves it
And Macs going the PC route is a no show. They won't do it, and gladly so as far as I'm concerned. I'd rather have a steady platform than a do it all nightmare. But that's just me of course.
Tim Cook is smarter than that also, he knows if he opens it up for every eastern mobo maker it will kill the brand. And he loves money, it's where he comes from. He prefers home made stuff that earns him real money than having a widespread offer taking down the value.
Apple doesn't want or need to cover the whole spectrum, just the part that has value.
Again, my opinion only.
[doublepost=1498925893][/doublepost]Watching Steve at iPhone launch 10 years ago. He's the man, he knows how to sell it to you, and loves it
It would depend on several variables, such as available funds & work space, & transport-ability. If you're a college student with minimal dorm room space, you might want a dual-boot Mac/Windows machine for both school work and some off-hours gaming. When securely padlocked to the dorm room desk, possibly less likely to be stolen, compared to a MacBook left lying around.
Apple should offer a purpose-built dual-boot macOS/Windows gaming machine with a factory installed GTX 1080Ti video card, that's price competitive with a similar specced Windows PC/Hackintosh.
Leaving the installation of Windows for the device's customer, of course.
Optionally: include a TV tuner card (internal: less likely to somehow "disappear"), that works in both macOS & Windows.
That would be a perfect fit for the college student mentioned above.
Note: Apple makes most of their profits off of imported Chinese made iPhones.
Last edited:
i don't think iPhones are Chinese imports.
much of the manufacturing/assmebly is outsourced to Chinese builders but even then, a lot of the iPhone isn't made in China..
for example, find out where the following iPhone components are produced:
• Chipsets and Processors ....(S.Korea / Taiwan)
• Flash memory ..................(Japan / S.Korea)
• Gyroscope .......................(France / Italy)
• Touch ID .........................(Taiwan)
• Battery ...........................(S.Korea)
• Accelerometer .................(Germany / U.S.)
• Camera ...........................(Japan / U.S. / Taiwan)
• Display ...........................(Japan / Taiwan)
• Glass ..............................(U.S.)
• NFC ................................(Netherlands)
(and more)
[edit] added locations in parenthesis [/edit]• Flash memory ..................(Japan / S.Korea)
• Gyroscope .......................(France / Italy)
• Touch ID .........................(Taiwan)
• Battery ...........................(S.Korea)
• Accelerometer .................(Germany / U.S.)
• Camera ...........................(Japan / U.S. / Taiwan)
• Display ...........................(Japan / Taiwan)
• Glass ..............................(U.S.)
• NFC ................................(Netherlands)
(and more)
none of that is made in China.
most of what Foxconn does is the main chassis assembly.
Apple's supply chain is worldwide and their products could hardly be considered 'Chinese imports'.. it's a new age (for better or worse).
fwiw, much of the product is produced in the U.S.. Design, development, marketing, software.
----
meh.. so would a current 13" MBP
Last edited:
And a Mac Pro would be a perfect fit for a college student? Come on man. Flat´s right on, rMBP.
And going about with the macOS/Windows dual boot in an Apple machine? Seriously? Bootcamp is already a thorn.
Don't get me wrong but you're in the wrong league here. Won't happen.
There won't be a gaming Mac. Ever. You might game on newer Mac, but it won't be a gaming rig, like a PC.
Even Tim won't go that route.
But again, I'm not trying to pick a fight like some here, I just think that after all this time this should be pretty obvious to everyone.
And going about with the macOS/Windows dual boot in an Apple machine? Seriously? Bootcamp is already a thorn.
Don't get me wrong but you're in the wrong league here. Won't happen.
There won't be a gaming Mac. Ever. You might game on newer Mac, but it won't be a gaming rig, like a PC.
Even Tim won't go that route.
But again, I'm not trying to pick a fight like some here, I just think that after all this time this should be pretty obvious to everyone.