Apple BEAT us... but we're STILL TRYING! - Hack Pro pt 4

In the opening portion of the video, the hosts set the stage by noting that Apple launched its own desktop solution just as they were nearing the end of their Hack Pro build. They explain the goal for the day: boot two high performance systems side by side and compare them under load. The crew starts by filling the Hack Pro with water and attempting to boot, then walks through early hiccups including a BIOS update that influenced Clover boot behavior. They highlight their approach to overcome hardware compatibility issues, such as PCI Express bifurcation used by their liquid SSD setup and Apple’s software RAID limitations, opting for a hardware RAID controller to achieve multi NVMe speeds. The segment concludes with a functional Mac OS Catalina on a Mac Pro style hardware base, while the team candidly acknowledges caveats around Hackintosh reliability, software updates, and Thunderbolt 3 support that they are still working toward implementing. The middle section focuses on the hardware and cooling system refinements that followed initial boot success. The team describes new mounting solutions for the radiator, an upgraded reservoir mount, and a redesigned power supply mount that enables a turnkey assembly. They demonstrate a redesigned VRM block for better airflow around the rear radiator and tubing, which improves both cooling performance and RAM upgradeability. A revised back panel that aims to look more Apple-like is shown, along with minor details such as a blank CD drive plate and the cosmetic touches that make the build appear more like a real Mac Pro. These updates collectively reduce cooling bottlenecks and improve serviceability, all while keeping the system functional during ongoing testing. As the video progresses, performance benchmarks and thermals come under closer scrutiny. The team runs Geekbench and Unigine Valley to evaluate multi-core CPU performance and GPU compute capabilities, comparing the Hack Pro against the real Mac Pro 2019 configuration. They report the Hack Pro achieving a multicore score around 22,300 and discuss the impact of water cooling and fan curves on acoustics, noting their system remains quieter than Apple’s under certain loads. The discussion also covers practical tradeoffs, such as Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, display compatibility with the Pro Display XDR, and the possibility of adding an Afterburner card. The conclusion teases a final, feature-complete build and a side-by-side performance showdown that will determine how close the Hack Pro can come to Apple’s flagship hardware, with ongoing upgrades and refinements on the horizon.

Topics · technology · hardware · computer engineering · modding · performance analysis