Mac Pro users have begun to express concerns about the upgrade restrictions of new computers that will migrate from Intel architecture to Apple Silicon. The current version of the Mac Pro is particularly popular with creative professionals because of its modular design with extensive upgrade options.
The current version supports Xeon processors with up to 28 cores and 64 PCI Express and up to 1.5TB of high-performance memory. It also features eight PCIe expansion slots, and APX modules can be configured with up to six different GPUs. All components are available for upgrade upon purchase.
The new Mac Pro, due out later this year, is expected to feature the new M2 Ultra chip, which is essentially two M2 Max chips joined together. It will get a 24-core processor, a 76-core GPU and at least 192GB of combined memory.
It's this unified architecture that is causing potential owners to question the modularity of the Mac Pro. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported earlier this month that the new model will not have user upgradeable RAM, as it will be tied directly to the M2 Ultra motherboard.
Gurman has now suggested that the next Mac Pro "may lack user upgradeable GPUs". He wrote: "Right now Apple's Silicon Mac does not support external GPUs, and will have to use the original configuration."
As for the empty space in the Mac Pro case, Gurman suggests that it could accommodate a larger cooling system that would differentiate the PC from the Mac Studio, providing significantly higher performance for upgraded GPUs.
The reviewer may have come to these conclusions based on his own reasoning rather than on insider information. But if he turns out to be right, some potential buyers may be deterred from buying the new models.
Mac Pro prices start at $5999, and non-standard configurations can go as high as $52,000. The base Mac Pro with the M2 Ultra will almost certainly cost more than the high-performance Mac Studio with the M1 Ultra, which starts at $3999.
