Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Mac Pro gets boosted, but all eyes are on the Mac Studio

By

The day after Apple’s big announcements, the company has given its base model Mac Pro a hardware boost with the computer now starting at 512GB of internal storage, plus the introduction of the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X graphics chip while maintaining starting price of $6,000.

The update pertains to both the tower and rack Mac Pro models, but is it enough to take people’s eyes off of the brand new Mac Studio? Not likely.

Apple's new Mac Pro sits on display in the showroom during Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC).
Brittany Hose-Small / AFP via Getty Images

The Mac Pro previously included 256GB of internal storage as a base and featured a Radeon Pro 5800X graphics card. You can also customize the Mac Pro with an AMD Radeon Pro W6600X graphics for an extra $300, MacRumors noted.

Recommended Videos

While an improvement overall, this makes for a rather pricey and dubious update, especially coming on the heels of everything that was announced at Apple’s “Peek Performance” event yesterday.

Apple showcased its latest proprietary Apple Silicon chip, the M1 Ultra. The chip features a 20-core CPU, 64-core GPU, 32-core NPU, and a media engine among its primary specs. The new M1 Ultra is set to power the Mac Studio desktop, which was also announced at the recent Apple Spring event for a starting price of $3,999.

Paired with Studio Display, which has a starting price of $1,999, Apple’s latest computer setup is roughly the same price as the Mac Pro, which was first released in December 2019 and still runs the Intel Xeon processors.

And yet, Apple made specific comparisons between the Mac Studio and the Mac Pro, showing just how much more powerful it is. That puts the Mac Pro, even with today’s updates, a difficult purchase.

However, a Mac Pro update featuring Apple Silicon is still in the timeline. Apple has yet to share any details about that product beyond that it’s being worked on. The company is clearly not leaving Mac Pro enthusiasts in the dust, but this recent upgrade doesn’t feel like enough to justify a purchase of the Mac Pro before the official Apple Silicon update.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Fionna Agomuoh
Fionna Agomuoh
Computing Writer
Fionna Agomuoh is a technology journalist with over a decade of experience writing about various consumer electronics topics…
The biggest threat to the MacBook this year might come from Apple itself
The MacBook Air on a white table.

MacBooks have held a dominant position in the laptop world for the past few years. Though there have been meaningful rivals from the Windows side of the aisle, the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro still feel like they hold an unshakeable lead at the moment.

But according to the latest reports, the most serious challenger to the MacBook's reign won't come from Windows -- it'll come from within Apple in the form of some very advanced new iPads.
What's a computer?

Read more
How Vision Pro tech could come to the Mac
The Mac Studio and Studio Display at Apple's Peek Performance event.

You're probably familiar with the Apple Vision Pro, which uses spatial computing technology to bring content alive in the world around you. Virtual reality headsets and 3D displays exist to make games and other content feel more immersive. Apple, however, wants to be the best of the best and is looking into bringing spatial computing experiences to computer monitors, presumably to run your Mac.

A patent for "Displays with Selective Pixel Brightness tuning" was published on April 4, showing the company's interest in the technology. Much of it involves using a lenticular display and a lenticular lens film so that a viewer can see what looks like three-dimensional images without wearing a headset.

Read more
Why you should buy a MacBook Pro instead of a MacBook Air
The 14-inch MacBook Pro on a window sill.

There are plenty of reasons to buy a MacBook Air instead of a MacBook Pro. If you want a MacBook on a budget, you don't necessarily need the goodies that come with upgrading to the MacBook Pro.

That being said, I'm going to argue for spending a little more. In my experience, the MacBook Pro offers several distinct advantages that help justify a higher price, especially with the introduction of the more affordable MacBook Pro 14 with the base M3. If you can stretch your budget a bit, here's why I think you should buy a MacBook Pro instead of a MacBook Air.
Setting the stage: pricing

Read more