I Put a GPU in the M2 Mac Pro - Apple Silicon Mac Pro Review
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Description
Apple’s M2 Ultra powered Mac Pro is the final step in their Apple Silicon transition. But without GPU support or meaningful expansion, is it worth nearly double the price of a comparable Mac Studio? Discuss on the forum: linustechtips.com Buy an Apple Mac Pro M2 Ultra: geni.us Buy an Apple Mac Studio M2 Ultra: geni.us Buy an Intel Core i9-13900K CPU: geni.us Buy G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 6000MHz CL36 2x16GB DDR5 RAM: geni.us Buy a Zotac AMP Extreme Airo GeForce RTX 4090 Graphics Card: geni.us Buy a Samsung 970 Pro 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD: lmg.gg Buy a Noctua NH-D15 CPU Cooler: geni.us Buy an ASUS Radeon RX 5700 XT Graphics Card on eBay: ebay.us Buy a BlackMagic Design DeckLink Quad HDMI Recorder: geni.us Buy a Mellanox MT27800 ConnectX-5 Dual SFP Network Interface Card: geni.us Buy an Intel X540-AT2 Dual 10GbE Network Interface Card on eBay: ebay.us
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The video opens with a blunt price reality, noting that the base Mac Pro with the M2 Ultra starts around $7,000, and immediately frames the product as Apple completing its transition to Apple Silicon while offering professionals continuity in a familiar chassis. The host argues this model feels like a revival of a hardware line that has often been in flux, suggesting the Mac Pro is more about proving a point than delivering a compelling value proposition. The discussion then pivots to the design and layout, highlighting similarities to the Mac Studio externally while pointing out subtle back-end changes, such as the top-mounted HDMI ports and the eight Thunderbolt 4 ports. This section establishes the core tension: can the M2 Ultra Mac Pro justify its price given its memory ceiling and limited internal expansion for GPUs, while still delivering meaningful performance for demanding work? The narrative sets expectations for a rigorous benchmarking pass, including synthetic tests, real-world timelines, and a detailed look at cooling and power, with the goal of answering whether the new Mac Pro truly brings advantages over alternatives like the Mac Studio or PC workstations. The host emphasizes that the real story will hinge on internal configuration, memory capacity, and how the M2 Ultra’s unified memory interacts with GPU workloads, especially since Apple restricts GPU upgrades in this generation. The overarching aim of the review is to determine if the Mac Pro justifies its existence in a market where the Mac Studio and PC platforms can deliver similar results with lower total cost.”
Topics · technology · hardware · apple · performance_benchmarks · consumer_electronics
Questions answered
- What is the main value proposition of the M2 Ultra Mac Pro according to the video?
- The video argues that the Mac Pro aims to offer continuity for professionals in a familiar chassis while preserving high-end cooling and memory capacity, but questions whether that justifies the price given limited internal GPU expansion and similar performance to a Mac Studio or PC workstation.
- Does the reviewer find GPU upgradeability on the M2 Mac Pro feasible?
- No, the reviewer notes that Apple restricts GPU upgrades and that even tested external and internal cards face driver and compatibility challenges, limiting upgrade paths.