MP 7,1 Waiting for Mac Pro 7,1 A1991 (no more)

[filmak]

Nice new MBP 16".
It's a bit sad the fact that they offer 2x and 4x the amount of storage in standard configurations than the 7,1 MP.

 

[deconstruct60]

Apple just told press 8 TBs maximum in the Mac Pro.

^ Noticed the video above, repeating the same thing

more drips....

"... Since its debut, Apple made a few tweaks. There's now an 8-terabyte solid-state drive option for the Mac Pro, with twice as much memory as previously stated. The Mac Pro will now be able to handle six simultaneous streams of 8K video, twice the number promised at WWDC. ..."

Mac Pro will finally ship in December

Apple's pro-grade Mac has been tweaked since its debut at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference back in June.

www.cnet.com

Although, I suspect that this 3 to 6 move probably comes from two Afterburner cards far more so than the Afterburner card somehow got twice as fast. That is probably at the cost of a possible second Vega II Duo. ( A second Afterburner in one of the MPX bays. ).

 

[Stephen.R]

That is probably at the cost of a possible second Vega II Duo. ( A second Afterburner in one of the MPX bays. ).

It seems a little odd that they chose to 'cover' an 8x slot for the bottom MPX bay, but then 'cover' a 16x slot for the top MPX bay - wouldn't it make more sense to slot 4 to where 6 is, so from top you'd have 4x, 8x, 16x, 16x, 8x (top mpx bay 'covered') 16x, 8x (bottom mix bay 'covered'), 16x.

 

[deconstruct60]

Why the heck is Apple not using WiFi6 in ant of the new Pro gear?
Aside from iPhones of course.

Technically WiFi6 hasn't officially passed yet. On the 5th (?) iteration of the draft so it is close enough to ship bleeding edge stuff but i highly doubt "bleeding edge" 2019-2020 tech was on the menu for the Mac Pro given how late it already was in 2017-2018.

Some folks are still poking some holes at WPA3 too. 2019 is more so a "clean up the mess" year for Apple.

 

[fokmik]

Why the heck is Apple not using WiFi6 in ant of the new Pro gear?
Aside from iPhones of course.

Since intel has no 10th gen 45w cpu for the 16”,theres no wifi6 until 2021
If you want wifi you must wait for the 14” that will probably come with 25w 10th gen

 

[deconstruct60]

It seems a little odd that they chose to 'cover' an 8x slot for the bottom MPX bay, but then 'cover' a 16x slot for the top MPX bay - wouldn't it make more sense to slot 4 to where 6 is, so from top you'd have 4x, 8x, 16x, 16x, 8x (top mpx bay 'covered') 16x, 8x (bottom mix bay 'covered'), 16x.

Huh? The MPX bays are both the same size (width). If the secondary socket is covered in one then it will be covered in the other. MPX modules should fit into either bay.

The MPX 580X GPU module is a "half width" MPX module. The second PCI-e slot should be uncovered in either Bay but not necessarily the 8-pin connectors. Something bus powered like an Afterburner card could slot in next to one of those "half" modules.

Additionally, what you are not taking into account is how those second PCI-e slots in the MPX Bays are switched with the rest of the slots in the Mac Pro.

Slot 5 has a 6 pin connector. Everything past slot 5 has no 8 or 6 connector to pair with it. So not really good motivation to put anything x16 up there anyway ( even if were already substantive oversubscribed on bandwidth).

Even with more slots the new Mac Pro can't take everything and the kitchen sink as internal options. Folks who want multiple Vega II Duo are going have to give up on some of the other "goodies" that can throw into the Mac Pro ( going to run out of some space and bandwidth.).

 

[Stephen.R]

The MPX bays are both the same size (width). If the secondary socket is covered in one then it will be covered in the other. MPX modules should fit into either bay.

My point was if someone wanted two double wide cards they currently “lose” an 8x and a 16” due to width, the swap I mentioned means they’d “lose” two 8x.

 

[CWallace]

Why the heck is Apple not using WiFi6 in ant of the new Pro gear?

I am assuming it is because no Intel chipsets yet support it.

 

[filmak]

Why the heck is Apple not using WiFi6 in ant of the new Pro gear?
Aside from iPhones of course.

This is the "about display " version, the next one will have it.

 

[ManuelGomes]

Wifi6 AX200 is available in 9th gen, as per Intel

 

[McTaste]

Why would anyone buying this use it on wifi for anything where wifi6's bandwidth would matter? Surely wired ethernet is the way to go.

Also: imagine the cost of 16tb ssd from apple. hooooo boy!

 

[Krevnik]

Why would anyone buying this use it on wifi for anything where wifi6's bandwidth would matter? Surely wired ethernet is the way to go.

I’m in that boat for laptops. When I’m at my desk, I want my mouse, mechanical keyboard and ultra wide monitor. Using a dock and getting Ethernet too makes things easier.

But for desktops, why even use WiFi unless you have to?

 

[fuchsdh]

The most pleasant surprise for me is that these new MacBook Pros not only didn't jump in price, but that BTO upgrades are much cheaper thanks to the bump up on storage and the lower prices for processor and GPU maxing. Also pleasantly surprising, there's no weird SKU bifurcation like there often is—if you want to start with the base model and configure it up, you aren't locked out of a higher-end GPU or similar like previous years and other lines (looking at you, iMac.)

All that stuff bodes well for the Mac Pro, although I presume they'd go back to the "start with a single configurable SKU" option, especially since you don't need to choice between single or dual-socket.

 

[chfilm]

hey guys im at the zoo punching baby elephants, since no BTO pricing

Pix or it didn’t happen!!
[automerge]1573676747[/automerge]

3.299,00€ for the base 8 core rMBP. And it drives 2 XDR?! Man, I might just drop the mMP for this baby 🙂
Max out the RAM and update Navi to 8GB and that's 4.379,00€.
This kinda leaves the mMP in a sort of awkward position, with Navi, huge SSD.
And 2 XDRs with this rMBP is quite a setup.

I had the same thought today man...actually you can get a pretty maxed out mbp for 5000€. Plus the XDR you’re looking at the same 10k as for the Mac Pro without the display.
Of course it would be weaker but probably still a bit faster than the trash can and you get that display AND the ability to take it to clients. I’m seriously tempted as a freelance editor.
but then again... ah gosh that mac Pro is so appealing, like I want a really serious performance boost! I can’t imagine the mbp will Run the XDR comfortably.
The 6.1 also runs my two 5k displays, but HOW is on another page. Interfaces get terribly sluggish in premiere for example.

 

[goMac]

The new MacBook Pro does put the Mac Pro in a real weird spot.

I don't know if Apple will upgrade the base SSD size. But if the BTO prices are really good, that might help. Things are going to be easier if they make the 1 and 2 TB upgrade prices really reasonable.

The graphics are a bit of an issue too. Navi isn't faster than Vega, but it does make that entry level 580 real awkward. I'm hoping the single Vega upgrade is reasonable. Apple does have a history of selling GPU upgrades real cheap (because they use the consumer GPUs), so that seems likely to me too. I don't buy the $2000-Single-Vega theory.

They haven't updated their spec page to include the 8 TB option. So there is room for them to still adjust things. But it sounds like the $5999 price is locked.

HP looks like they're coming in around $5000. So cheaper, but not outside of the usual Apple premium. Apple could help with that comparison by beefing up the base specs a little bit.

It's also curious that things seem delayed, especially with some units out in the wild. I wonder if they're having ramp up issues, similar to the 2013.

If they really have improved the thermals in the MacBook Pro (initial signs point to yes), a MacBook Pro could chip away at that xMac segment. They've been mentioning gaming even in their sample cases.

Edit: PCMag seems to have verified the base storage remains at 256 gigs. https://www.pcmag.com/news/371922/apple-mac-pro-arrives-in-december

 

[defjam]

If they really have improved the thermals in the MacBook Pro (initial signs point to yes), a MacBook Pro could chip away at that xMac segment. They've been mentioning gaming even in their sample cases.

Unlikely because, by definition, the xMac is a headless, internally expandable / configurable system.

 

[goMac]

Unlikely because, by definition, the xMac is a headless, internally expandable / configurable system.

Sure. But how many people are going to cling to that with eGPU and better thermals?

Apple's strategy so far seems to just be to eat at that market from all edges instead of entering into it. If you're someone who wants a good work computer and to play a few games, how long are you going to hold out on that internal GPU requirement when there is eGPU?

Even in this thread there are a few people wondering if a MBP could be a better choice than a Mac Pro.

 

[defjam]

Sure. But how many people are going to cling to that with eGPU and better thermals?

Everyone who wants a headless, internally expandable / configurable system. They're the market for the xMac.

 

[goMac]

Everyone who wants a headless, internally expandable / configurable system. They're the market for the xMac.

Right, but what I'm saying is Apple is slowly chipping away at that group. Especially if the new MacBook Pro lives up to what they've advertised (which is yet to be seen.)

It's everyone who wants a headless internally expandable Mac until they decide they don't need one.

 

[defjam]

Right, but what I'm saying is Apple is slowly chipping away at that group. Especially if the new MacBook Pro lives up to what they've advertised (which is yet to be seen.)

It's everyone who wants a headless internally expandable Mac until they decide they don't need one.

This assumes those who want an xMac can buy an xMac. Since Apple doesn't offer such a sustem they have no choice but to settle for suboptimal solutions.

 

[chfilm]

All this talk about the xMac reminds me of my colleague who seriously complained today that the new MacBook doesn’t have MagSafe... 🤓

 

[defjam]

All this talk about the xMac reminds me of my colleague who seriously complained today that the new MacBook doesn’t have MagSafe... 🤓

I'm in the camp that is very disappointed with the removal of MagSafe. I understand the reason for switching but it was such an awesome technology that I'd happily have Apple make whatever tradeoffs are necessary to bring it back.

 

[thisisnotmyname]

I'm in the camp that is very disappointed with the removal of MagSafe. I understand the reason for switching but it was such an awesome technology that I'd happily have Apple make whatever tradeoffs are necessary to bring it back.

Yep, I don't have any problem with removal of headphone jacks on phones, SD card slots on laptops, optical from remaining headphone jacks, etc... but I do really miss MagSafe.

 

[fuchsdh]

I'm in the camp that is very disappointed with the removal of MagSafe. I understand the reason for switching but it was such an awesome technology that I'd happily have Apple make whatever tradeoffs are necessary to bring it back.

They have third party options that replicate Magsafe or bring back the power indicator light (I have no knowledge of ones that do both, but I presume they exist.)

Right, but what I'm saying is Apple is slowly chipping away at that group. Especially if the new MacBook Pro lives up to what they've advertised (which is yet to be seen.)

It's everyone who wants a headless internally expandable Mac until they decide they don't need one.

I feel like the Mac mini makes more sense as the xMac replacement, albeit Apple probably isn't updating the machine until next year so right now you're missing out on cores, and you obviously lose the portability option.

 

[ekwipt]

For team pro contexts and network storage 256GB isn't a big problem. ( use the 10GbE to a network assigned to SAN/NAS and go. If have a faster network add in a higher throughput network card and go). Neither for folks who already have a add-in PCI-e NVMe SSD card. ( If really have high bulk SSD capacity needs then Apple isn't all that competitive anyway $/GB . ). Finally, throw in the folks who dislike the T2 (but not enough to skip the Mac Pro.). All they need is a maintenance macOS instance on the T2 (and 256GB is relatively enormous for that).

Wouldn't the throughput using the two Apple NVME drives as one drive (RAID 0) or whatever they use be faster than just using the single drive though? Seems like the base should've always been the 512GB (2 x 256 GB) and go up from there