mac-pro-step1-hero-2013After years of waiting, a new Mac Pro from Apple has finally arrived. The landscape has changed tremendously since the last major upgrade, with many loyal Mac Pro users splintering off into different directions, with some choosing iMacs, Hackintoshes, or PCs. The new design is a radical departure from anything the company has made in the past (or really anything any computer company currently makes), and it's going to be heavily reliant on external enclosures and devices for expandability. There was some word from Apple about a few configurations, but we've finally got the complete rundown on what each system will cost, and you can officially order one right now.

The Verge did a quick hands-on with the new system:


Apple has not yet introduced a 4K monitor, so you can either go with a monitor of your choice, or pick from either the Thunderbolt Cinema Display or a Sharp 4K monitor they are selling right on the site (which is about $3,600). If you really want a monitor that does 4K, you're probably going to get a better bang for your buck with something from Seiki like the 39" 4K model at $500 or the 50" 4K model at $770. They are budget monitors for a reason, but 4K TVs and Monitors are going to change very much over the next few years, especially as HDMI 2.0 comes out allowing higher than 30fps.

As far as configurations go, if you work in video, GPUs have become almost more important than the actual processor. New programs like Resolve and Premiere/After Effects have been able to utilize the increase in GPU power to offload tasks from the CPU. This means that a more powerful GPU with more memory is probably going to make a more noticeable difference for many of these applications than a more powerful CPU with more cores, especially if you're doing a lot of effects and color correction.

Breakdown of Some Possible Configurations

If you're looking at getting one of these trash can machines, there are a few options to choose from.

Least Expensive System without Monitor $3,000:

  • 3.7GHz quad-core with 10MB of L3 cache
  • 12GB (3x4GB) of 1866MHz DDR3 ECC
  • 256GB PCIe-based flash storage
  • Dual AMD FirePro D300 GPUs with 2GB of GDDR5 VRAM each

Middle of the Road Option without Monitor $4,700:

  • 3.5GHz 6-core with 12MB of L3 cache
  • 32GB (4x8GB) of 1866MHz DDR3 ECC
  • 512GB PCIe-based flash storage
  • Dual AMD FirePro D500 GPUs with 3GB of GDDR5 VRAM each

Middle of the Road Option without Monitor $6,100:

  • 3.5GHz 6-core with 12MB of L3 cache
  • 64GB (4x16GB) of 1866MHz DDR3 ECC
  • 512GB PCIe-based flash storage
  • Dual AMD FirePro D700 GPUs with 6GB of GDDR5 VRAM each

Most Expensive System without Monitor $9,600:

  • 2.7GHz 12-core with 30MB of L3 cache
  • 64GB (4x16GB) of 1866MHz DDR3 ECC
  • 1TB PCIe-based flash storage
  • Dual AMD FirePro D700 GPUs with 6GB of GDDR5 VRAM each

Apple-mac-pro-back-ports

All Configuration Options for Mac Pro

And here is a list of everything, and how much more it will cost over the base system.

Processors

  • 3.7GHz quad-core with 10MB of L3 cache
  • 3.5GHz 6-core with 12MB of L3 cache [Add $500.00]
  • 3.0GHz 8-core with 25MB of L3 cache [Add $2,000.00]
  • 2.7GHz 12-core with 30MB of L3 cache [Add $3,500.00]

Memory

  • 12GB (3x4GB) of 1866MHz DDR3 ECC
  • 16GB (4x4GB) of 1866MHz DDR3 ECC [Add $100.00]
  • 32GB (4x8GB) of 1866MHz DDR3 ECC [Add $500.00]
  • 64GB (4x16GB) of 1866MHz DDR3 ECC [Add $1,300.00]

Storage

  • 256GB PCIe-based flash storage
  • 512GB PCIe-based flash storage [Add $300.00]
  • 1TB PCIe-based flash storage [Add $800.00]

Graphics

  • Dual AMD FirePro D300 GPUs with 2GB of GDDR5 VRAM each
  • Dual AMD FirePro D500 GPUs with 3GB of GDDR5 VRAM each [Add $400.00]
  • Dual AMD FirePro D700 GPUs with 6GB of GDDR5 VRAM each [Add $1,000.00]

Displays

  • Sharp 32" PN-K321 - 4K Ultra HD LED Monitor [Add $3,595.00]
  • Apple Thunderbolt Display (27-inch) [Add $999.00]

Connect a 4K display to your Mac Pro and see your work on the ultimate big screen. With a resolution of 3840 by 2160, the Sharp 4K 31.5-inch display has over 8 million pixels. Not only can you see Ultra HD 4K content pixel for pixel and high-resolution photography in more detail than ever before, but you get a massive desktop to spread out all your work. The Sharp PN-K321 display connects to your Mac Pro through a Thunderbolt 2 port using the included Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable. In addition to the DisplayPort 1.2 input, the Sharp PN-K321 display includes two HDMI 1.4 inputs.

Compatibility: 4K DisplayPort operation only compatible with the new Mac Pro (Late 2013). 4K HDMI operation compatible with MacBook Pro (Late 2013) and the new Mac Pro (Late 2013). Note: HDMI input not available in European-market Sharp PN-K321.

Sharp-4k-apple-hd971-e1387485268519

But Should You Buy One?

I think it's important to decide what kind of user you really are. If you don't think you're going to need a lot of external expansion beyond hard drives, the Mac Pro is compact and ready to go. Even the lowest-end GPUs should provide quite a bit of hardware acceleration in programs like Resolve and Premiere, so the new Mac Pro is perfect for people who not only want to keep working in OS X, but also need something a bit more powerful than an iMac. If you're going to be working with 4K footage, more GPU memory is going to make a difference, so it might be worth it to get the highest end GPU since they are not expandable.

Many people are going to be able to put together some pretty powerful PCs and Hackintoshes that will either come close, or surpass the performance of some of these configurations for the same money (and probably less in some cases). These AMD GPUs are specific to the Mac Pro, so you're not going to be able to get the exact model, but many of these hardware components will be found elsewhere. What Apple has tried to do, however, is streamline performance through the entire system, by using very fast storage and memory that's designed to work perfectly with the rest of the hardware and software.

Unfortunately, that also means there isn't much in the way of internal expandability. It's unclear if anything can be expanded internally without some serious work. Memory might be expandable in the future if you can get the same modules, but Apple hasn't really said anything about this. That's really the major downside to the new Mac Pro. Like Apple's other products, they are relying more and more on expansion via Thunderbolt (in this case the faster Thunderbolt 2), so if you need literally top of the line internal hardware every year, you're pretty much stuck with what you have.

For the average intermediate to advanced video user, who may not even be working in 4K yet, this system (even the cheapest model) is going to be plenty powerful for years to come, and it's extremely portable on top of that.

When Can You Get It?

When Apple first put these up for order, the site said they would be shipped by December 30, but now it says February, which either means they aren't making many, or there is some serious demand (or a little of both). Some people may get them sooner than February, but planning for sometime around then should be a safe bet.

You can put together your own system on Apple's site, or find some pre-configured versions on B&H using the links below.

Links: