Will there be a new MacPro in 2015 ?
Hi there...
I currently have a MacPro 2010 (Mid 2010), 2 x 2.93 GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon with 64 GB 1333 MHz DDR3 ECC + 512GB SSD Drive with QTY 3 x 2TB internal drives.
I am looking to upgrade to the new cylindrical MacPro but I'm worried a refresh is very much around the corner. I usually invest in a new MacPro to last me for the next 4-5 years, so I don't want to jump in too soon this year if there's a strong chance that a new, improved version is just around the corner.
There's nothing wrong with my current machine... I'm running OSX Yosemite 10.10.1 and I'm using a ASUS Bluetooth 4.0 Dongle in conjunction with Continuity Activation Tool to get me all my Handoff/Continuity features.... so I'm right up to speed... but as a given I usually upgrade my machines every 5 years at the max to keep up with new technology etc...
I'm a traditional style graphic designer... my core apps would still be Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, QuarkXpress 10.5 (soon to be 64bit QuarkXpress 2015). I use Final Cut Pro really for personal/home movie editing, nothing really commercial. I do alot of large format design... 10ft x 6ft corporate graphics artworks, so I do need a workhorse... but I'm not a 4K hogging Video/Animator also.
Last time round I bought my MacPro at the very highest level I could go.... this time round... after some serious research, I realised I bought way over what I needed... so I'm hoping my new MacPro won't need to cost me as much. Any other similar designers out there willing to let me know what spec they went for... to be able to work effectively with similar apps to what I have.
Any comments or suggestions most welcome.
Regards,
Anthony
Irish MacUser & MacAddict
Comments
Intel has released Haswell processors so the Mac Pro can be updated to have up to 14-core CPUs and there are AMD GPUs that go up to 16GB of video memory but it would largely be a pointless upgrade so I think Apple would skip it. Their margins will improve more with a 2 year upgrade cycle.
Broadwell is after Haswell but it has been delayed since last year and there are indications that Intel will cut Broadwell short and move ahead with Skylake.
I think early 2016 for the next Mac Pro with Skylake EP, DDR4, PCIe 4, Thunderbolt 3.
You do realize that an upgrade will force you to buy an external disk array system for those large storage arrays. This can significantly increase the cost of a Mac Pro purchase. You might want to consider keeping the current chassis and set it up as a file server when the new machine arrives. I actually see it as a bit disappointing that Apple hasn't come out with its own disk array system for the new Mac Pro. I really don't know when Apple will upgrade. However a process shrink will do the Mac Pros a lot of good as it should lead to higher clock rates per core. Right now I'm not convinced that you would see much of a performance gain at all buying a six core model. Further you will probably want more than six cores if this is for a long term purchase. In a nut shell some apps will actually loose performance when trying to force all their data through one processor. Of course some apps will show just the opposite behavior but the important thing to understand is that a DDR4 interface can do wonders for any chip containing lots of cores. With DDR 4 support so near I wouldn't invest in a Mac Pro until it shows up, not for a machine you want to keep for several years anyways. Then there is little reason to rush. This also suggest that you may want to wait for better monitor support. That would be the next rev of TB. The current Mac Pro can do 4K but it probably makes sense to wait for more flexible TB ports that will support 5K monitors. A high density monitor would most likely be a huge asset for your business though. The ugly truth here is that Intel jacked up the prices on Xeons significantly so you might not like the price you will have to pay these days. In some ways the new Mac Pro is a bargain but do realize that there is a built in additional expense of a disk array that you will most likely need with the purchase.
This one line sums up why waiting might be a good idea even if that puts you into 2016. DDR4 is a big concern here as that is important in for these processors with many cores that easily. Become bandwidth limited. Intel may have DDR 4 support in chip sets before 2016 suitable for a Mac Pro so you would want to evaluate anything Apple does release this year.
SkyLake on the other hand is supposedly going to significantly improve core performance which is something to consider. For somebody that like long upgrade cycles SkyLake is a wise feature to wait for.
I suspect the big mystery here isn't so much Intel but rather what Apple will be doing for the next GPU in the Mac Pro. They could be waiting right now for an advancement here. At best the GPU manufactures deliver a real upgrade to GPU hardware about every two years and considering the GPUs importance to many Mac Pro users there is little sense in an update to the Mac Pro until suitable hardware emerges. The other thing here is AMDs HSA architecture is very likely to keep Apple on AMD hardware so I don't see NVIdia in the play here.
In any event what you have here is opinions and speculation it is really hard to know what Apple is up to with the Mac line. The last Mini "upgrade" was a mixed blessing. Sometimes it just doesn't look like Mac have a priority at Apple.
Thank you so much Marvin and Wizard69.... incredible comments, suggestions and information. I think based on these comments I will hold off for now... really I think I was just getting bored at that tower box.. and looking for a new toy that I could justify buying... but it would be an expense toy and one that would not be the jump I would hope it would be based on the comments here and based on otyer replies from the same posting I did on other MacPro forums.
Thanks again guys for taking the time out to reply to my question... it's very much appreciated and valued!!
Regards,
Anthony