The new Mac Pro starts at $7,000 for the base model and has completed the transition to Apple silicon, offering continuity in a product line that has been in flux for 20 years. Despite having the same class of hardware as the cheaper Mac Studio, the Mac Pro struggles to justify its existence. It features Apple's M2 Ultra chip with up to 192GB of unified memory but lacks options for users needing more memory. The Mac Pro's design remains largely unchanged from its predecessor, with some differences in port arrangement and fewer Thunderbolt ports. It offers seven PCI Express Gen 4 slots but with limitations on lane distribution. The Mac Pro's performance is similar to the Mac Studio, and while it has better cooling, it doesn't significantly outperform the Studio or justify its higher price. The Mac Pro has some advantages like upgradable SSDs and more expansion slots, but overall, it fails to address the needs of professional users adequately.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The base model of the new Mac Pro costs $7,000.
2. The new Mac Pro has the same hardware configuration as the Mac Studio, but with a larger case and more expensive price tag.
3. The Mac Pro has a maximum of 192 gigabytes of unified memory, while the Mac Studio has a maximum of 128 gigabytes.
4. The Mac Pro has seven PCI Express Gen 4 slots, but only two are wired up for the full 16 lanes.
5. The Mac Pro has a proprietary design for the Thunderbolt ports, which cannot be replaced with a standard PCI Express slot.
6. The Mac Pro has a 100-watt power supply for the expansion cards, but it is limited to 300 watts total.
7. The Mac Pro does not support NVIDIA graphics cards, but it does support some AMD graphics cards.
8. The Mac Pro has a limited number of expansion cards that are compatible with it, including the Radeon 5700 XT and the AVerMedia Perk.
9. The Mac Pro has a higher power consumption than the Mac Studio, with a peak power consumption of 356 watts.
10. The Mac Pro has a larger case than the Mac Studio, but it is not as upgradeable.
11. The Mac Pro has a proprietary connector for the Apple I/O card, which cannot be replaced with a standard PCI Express slot.
12. The Mac Pro has a limited number of SSD slots, but they are upgradeable.
13. The Mac Pro does not support the Apex storage x21 SSD carrier card.
14. The Mac Pro has a higher price tag than the Mac Studio, with a base price of $7,000.
15. The Mac Pro has a limited number of advantages over the Mac Studio, including the ability to upgrade the SSDs and the presence of more PCI Express slots.
16. The Mac Pro has a larger footprint than the Mac Studio, but it is not as power-efficient.
17. The Mac Pro has a higher idle power consumption than the Mac Studio, but it is still less power-hungry than a PC with a Core i9 3900K and an RTX 4090.
18. The Mac Pro has a limited number of expansion cards that are compatible with it, including the Melanox 100 Gig ethernet card.
19. The Mac Pro has a proprietary design for the fans, which are not as aggressive as those on the Mac Studio.
20. The Mac Pro has a limited number of advantages over the Mac Studio, including the ability to upgrade the SSDs and the presence of more PCI Express slots.