Apple Launches The All New Revamped Mac Pro Alongside The Pro Display XDR 6K Monitor

Alongside the launch of the highly-anticipated iOS 13 operating system, Apple finally unveiled the long-promised Mac Pro with a modular design. The company also announced the 32-inch Pro Display XDR 6K monitor. The first look of the Mac Pro can be very clearly attributed to Apple’s classic “Cheese grater” design. Since the trash can design (previously released in 2013) wasn’t previously accepted very warmly by Apple consumers, the company has decided to choose a much more elegant and modern design. The company claims that the Mac Pro is designed to focus on modular computing and ease of expansion.

Apple Mac Pro: Features & Specifications

The Apple Mac Pro runs on the 28 core Intel Xeon processor with 300W of power and state-of-the-art cooling. Apple claims that the cooling system will enable the system to run at maximum power and efficiency. In terms of memory, the Mac Pro supports up to 1.5TB of RAM, which is staggering at the least. Expansion can be done via six-channel memory across 12 DIMM (Dual In-Line Memory Module) slots.

Another highlighting feature of the machine is the presence of eight PCI Express slots. Four out of those eight slots are double-wide, implying that they can house larger expansion cards. Regarding connectivity, the Mac Pro sports 2 USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports and two USB-A ports that are present on the front of the case.

Additionally, Apple also launched the MPX module, which is a custom expansion module. In order to provide the components with more power and connectivity speeds, the MPX utilizes the dedicated Thunderbolt 3 module embedded in the motherboard. It can accommodate two graphics cards and sports a custom Thunderbolt connector to plug into the backbone of the motherboard. It also has its own dedicated heat sink for effective heat management.

In terms of graphics, the MPX module can be kitted with AMD’s Radeon Pro Vega 2 or Radeon Pro Vega 2 Duo cards. This will consequently add a total of 4 GPU chips to the Mac Pro, summing up to around 128GB of High Bandwidth Memory graphics. Alongside the MBX module, Apple will also sell an I/O module that will equip the Mac Pro with two more Thunderbolt 3 ports and two USB-A ports, in addition to the 3.5mm headphone jack. A special feature of the I/O module is the “Afterburner”, which is a dedicated video card for graphics and editing. It uses the FPGA (field-programmable gate array) that enables it to process up to 6 billion pixels a second.

The components of the Mac Pro are powered by a 1400W power supply. Apple claims that the the three large fans present at the front cool the system at the rate of 300 cubic feet per minute. The case can be fitted with optional wheels to enable mobility of the system.

Apple Pro Display XDR

The company also unveiled a 6K monitor at the WWDC, which is named the Pro Display XDR. The 32-inch LCD display has a 6016 x 3384 px Retina HD screen. The monitor has ultra narrow 9mm bezels. The XDR stands for Extreme Dynamic Range. The display supports Apple’s True Tone automatic colour adjustment for ambient lighting.

The display is 40 percent larger than the 5K display present in the iMac. It has a matte variant called Nanotexture and features an anti-reflective coating. The back of the monitor has a similar design to the Mac Pro, which acts as a heatsink. Apple claims that the screen can hit brightness levels of 1600 nits which will assist during the editing of HDR content. It connects to the Mac Pro via a Thunderbolt 3 cable. Moreover, the Pro Stand included with the monitor is extremely modular and functional. The display can be rotated into vertical mode using the Pro Stand.

The Apple Pro Display XDR is priced at US$ 4,999, whereas the Pro Stand will be sold separately for US$ 999.

Apple Mac Pro: Availability And Price

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The Mac Pro will be available in Fall 2019 at a starting price of US$ 5,999 for the most toned down variant. The aforementioned variant will pack an 8-core Intel Xeon CPU, 32GB of RAM, Radeon Pro 580X GPU and 256 gigs of SSD.