2019 Mac Pro Impressions: Cheese Grater is Back!

The video provides a comprehensive first impressions look at Apple's 2019 Mac Pro, often nicknamed the cheese grater due to its iconic design. It begins with a quick setup in a hotel room during WWDC, establishing the context and promising a one-stop take on the new cylinder-like tower, its materials, and the pricing landscape. The host walks through the specifications in detail, highlighting the range from an 8-core to a 28-core Intel Xeon, support for up to 1.5 terabytes of RAM across 12 DIMM slots, and the option to use up to four Radeon Pro Vega GPUs with eight PCI slots overall. He also emphasizes the modular MPX approach, allowing third-party modules and Apple’s own afterburner card to accelerate video encoding and ProRes workloads, drawing attention to the intended future-proofing and upgradeability. The design is contrasted with the old Mac Pro “trash can,” with the new machine being a full metal, highly ventilated tower featuring front fans and a rear blower designed for high airflow. The discussion then expands to the accompanying Pro Display XDR, a 32-inch 6K monitor with extreme brightness and high contrast, noting that it can be paired with a stand and different glass finishes at substantial price points. The host weighs the overall value proposition, admitting the equipment is aimed at professionals who need optimal performance, reliability, and expansion headroom, rather than budget-conscious buyers, and he closes with a candid outlook on expected fall release, real-world usability, and total cost considerations. He ends with personal anticipation for testing the setup in his workflow and a playful but practical verdict that the cheese grater design, despite its cost and boldness, remains the preferred choice over the previous generation. Finally, the host invites viewers to share quick first impressions and teases further hands-on coverage when it arrives on his desk, signaling a continued coverage arc beyond this initial impressions video.

Topics · technology · hardware · consumer electronics · product design · computing · video editing · display technology