However, the current Intel Mac Pro offers up to 1.5TB of DDR4 ECC memory in 12 user-accessible DIMM slots, which already places it ahead of where the new Mac Pro could theoretically be. If Apple is able to combine two M1 Ultra we could see support for 256GB RAM. The M1 Max supports 64GB RAM (or unified memory as Apple refers to it) and the M1 Ultra supports 128GB Unified Memory. RAM is an important consideration for creative pros. Nor do we know how long Apple will continue to sell non-Apple silicon Macs. If Apple continues to sell an Intel-based Mac Pro models we can assume it will continue to use AMD graphics, but no reports have surfaced that cover what possible upgrades are in store if any. Since Apple has already launched the 64-core M1 Ultra this certainly seems probable, and if Apple is able to combine two M1 Ultra we could see a 128-core GPU in the new Mac Pro. The graphics could have 64 or 128 processing cores-that’s a huge increase from the eight graphics cores in Apple’s M1 SoC used in the Mac mini, 24-inch iMac, MacBook Air, and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The Apple silicon Mac Pro will use the graphics on the SoC instead of graphics cards by AMD, according to Gurman. There may be an upgraded Intel Mac Pro on sale alongside one powered by Apple’s SoC.
Brendan Shanks on Twitter has also spotted references to Intel’s Ice Lake processors in the Xcode 13 beta. Yuuki_ans has tweeted accurate leaks in the past but does not provide information on how this Mac Pro fits in with Apple’s silicon strategy.
Gurman has suggested that “Apple has indeed been working on an update to the Intel Mac Pro.” We assume that would be a model with the existing design but a faster processor and possibly update graphics.Īccording to yuuki_ans on Twitter, Apple could release a Mac Pro that uses Intel Ice Lake Xeon W-3300 workstation processors in 2022. An Intel variantĪnother suggestion from Gurman is that, at least in the short term, Apple is going to have both Intel processors and Apple silicon available in the Mac Pro. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman echos these predictions in a May 2021 report where he suggests the Apple silicon Mac Pro could be available with 20 or 40 computing cores, with 16 performance cores and four efficiency cores in the former – which sounds a lot like the M1 Ultra (Apple’s codename for this SoC is Jade 2C-Die), and 32 performance cores and eight efficiency cores in the latter (codename Jade 4C-Die).įind out more about the M1-series of processors: The M1 chip and beyond: Everything you need to know and How the M1 Pro, Max and Ultra compare.