-
Mac Pro 2 Concept — (if only Apple cared about the Pro market)
I came across a graphics designer who placed this Mac Pro 2 concept on his site and I would buy one in a heart beat if Apple would only build it:
Check it out: https://pascaleggert.de/macpro.html
If only Apple cared about the Pro market. Where Pro means expandable / upgradable not consumer-based planned obsolescence.
What do you think? Cool concept?
~jr
-
46 Replies
-
That design is still an issue if you want to add any cards besides GPUs… I’d take a huge breadbox.
Noah
FCPWORKS – FCPX Workflow
FCP Exchange – FCPX Workshops
XinTwo – FCPX Training -
[Noah Kadner] “That design is still an issue if you want to add any cards besides GPUs… I’d take a huge breadbox.”
True, but it’s still better upgradability than the current MP.
I don’t think having the two, desktop class GPUs would work in that design though. It works in the current MP because Apple custom designed the whole thing to share a single, giant heat sink that was cooled by the fan. A typical GPU is designed to be in a case with sufficient airflow around so that it’s own onboard cooling can dump off excess heat into the case. Unless Apple goes back to a more standard form factor I’m not sure we’ll see off the shelf GPUs used.
-
[Noah Kadner] “That design is still an issue if you want to add any cards besides GPUs… I’d take a huge breadbox.”
Agreed. That’s why I still have my big cheese grater.
But do you even need other cards? PCI Express (PCIe) is 12 years old! Preceded by PCI, EISA, & ISA. Maybe it’s time for a change? Maybe Thunderbolt is that change?
[Andrew Kimery] “I don’t think having the two, desktop class GPUs would work in that design though.”
Yea, it certainly would not be as silent or cool as it is now with off-the-shelf GPU’s.
Maybe whats needed is for all computer manufacturers to acknowledge that having every component provide for it’s own cooling is absurd in 2017. What is needed is a standard design where cards can take advantage of the existing cooling properties of the case so that case manufacturers provide cooling and card manufacturers just provide cards. Then you could have a different card form factor with that prototype case that plugs into the backplane cooling system.
~jr
http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasstsoftware.com -
Lots of luck getting consensus on thermal cooling designs.
Noah
FCPWORKS – FCPX Workflow
FCP Exchange – FCPX Workshops
XinTwo – FCPX Training -
[John Rofrano] “But do you even need other cards? PCI Express (PCIe) is 12 years old! Preceded by PCI, EISA, & ISA. Maybe it’s time for a change? Maybe Thunderbolt is that change?”
AFAIK ThunderBolt operates over PCIe. Some people need the expandability and some don’t. Those that do might also have a preference between adding a card internally vs having a dongle/box hanging off the back.
[John Rofrano] “Maybe whats needed is for all computer manufacturers to acknowledge that having every component provide for it’s own cooling is absurd in 2017. What is needed is a standard design where cards can take advantage of the existing cooling properties of the case so that case manufacturers provide cooling and card manufacturers just provide cards. Then you could have a different card form factor with that prototype case that plugs into the backplane cooling system.”
I don’t think that would possible without a case being designed and built around a fixed set of components (like the new Mac Pro) since different CPUs, RAM, GPUs, hard drives, motherboards, power supplies, etc., all generate different amounts of heat.
-
[John Rofrano] “I came across a graphics designer who placed this Mac Pro 2 concept on his site and I would buy one in a heart beat if Apple would only build it:
Check it out: https://pascaleggert.de/macpro.html“
I used to state that for a single CPU configuration the older Mac Pro was way to big. For a Dual Xeon configuration it’s size is OK. Having said that why can’t Apple just offer a generic Micro ATX system? My mATX system is not much bigger than what the concept artist designed but it has much more functionality. If you watch the video at 6:05 you will see what I am talking about. Expansion bays are just as important as expansion slot. It would not want to give up either.
Some contents or functionalities here are not available due to your cookie preferences!This happens because the functionality/content marked as “Google Youtube” uses cookies that you choosed to keep disabled. In order to view this content or use this functionality, please enable cookies: click here to open your cookie preferences.
-
[John Rofrano] “But do you even need other cards? PCI Express (PCIe) is 12 years old! Preceded by PCI, EISA, & ISA. Maybe it’s time for a change? Maybe Thunderbolt is that change?”
PCIe is constantly in development. Just like thunderbolt it has development history. There is no reason to think that PCIe wont be capable for many years. Thunderbolt lends itself to external high speed devices. Give me internal slots first any day. Simple to build and run from a single power supply in a rack case without spaghetti to peripherals like outboard card holders.
-
Michael writes –
Simple to build and run from a single power supply in a rack case without spaghetti to peripherals like outboard card holders.OMG !!! What does the back of your 6,1 Mac Pro look like ? Everyone’s looks like a spaghetti pile, with all the USB and Thunderbolt 2 ports coming off of it. Everyones computer faces out to them (back facing you) with the spaghetti of
monitors, drives, USB hubs, Blackmagic and AJA cards, flash drives, external drives piled up, thunderbolt to 10G adaptors. If that’s not a spaghetti mess, then what do you call it ?Because if you say “I just have my new Mac Pro, and my monitor, and nothing else hooked up to it, and I use wireless keyboard, wireless mouse, and WiFi” – then I can pretty much guess that you don’t do this for a living.
Bob Zelin
Bob Zelin
Rescue 1, Inc.
bobzelin@icloud.com -
“STANDARD COMPONENTS.”
Apple won’t do it because they don’t do “standard components.” Everything has to be new and their design and proprietary.
I’m with Andrew…the GPUs won’t work in this design, there is not enough airflow. And still no card slots for other peripherals…although I can see Apple never adding that again. Apple doesn’t care about stuff like that. They want smaller, sleeker…smaller…sleeker. Nor do I see them sticking with TB2 or USB3 connections…Apple is running with TB3/USB-C and won’t look back.
If they can remove a pro feature to make it smaller, they will. They aren’t aiming at high end video production anymore. They only care about their ecosystem.
“Does FCX run on it?”
“Yup.”
“Pages? Numbers? Safari? Mail? Photos?”
“Yup.”
“All the apps we offer through the App Store?”
“GREAT! Done!”
“But it still doesn’t connect to our pho…”
“Wait, is there room to put a Magic Strip on that? People love those emojis…”
Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
[Shane Ross] “”STANDARD COMPONENTS.”
Apple won’t do it because they don’t do “standard components.” Everything has to be new and their design and proprietary.”
I agree and it sucks for the customers.
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up