10 Things You Must Know About Apple Mac Pro

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Apple Mac ProApple's Mac Pro is an enterprise-class computing machine that can be used either as a workstation or as a server. The priciest configuration of this beast can cost approximately $10,000 with a starting price of around $3,000. Before you buy this powerful Mac system, you may want to know about some of its features and functions that make it stand apart from the rest. The first thing that strikes is its unique cylindrical CPU and compact size. Apple engineers have managed to pack some of the most powerful computing components within small space available in Mac Pro's compact case. Let's see some of the prominent features of this powerful computer that can change your entire experience while working with resource hogging applications. You are encouraged to share your own experiences with Mac Pro.

Apple Mac Pro

Dual GPUs - Experience Graphics Like Never Before

Graphics processing unit or GPU is quite common on personal computers nowadays. In layman terms, this component helps you play rich graphics-intensive 3D games with ease. Whether it's complex engineering drawing or editing an HD movie, GPU plays an important role in crunching the associated data to relieve the primary processing unit for other tasks.

Mac Pro includes two GPUs with up to whopping 12GB of graphics memory. The computing power of these GPUs can go up to 7 teraflops that's more than double from its predecessor. Various official tests from Apple clearly suggest that Mac Pro is ideal for use as a high-end graphics workstation. Front-end developers, illustrators, and engineers will find this machine very handy for carrying out their graphics-intensive tasks.

Server Grade CPU - Powerhouse for Data Crunching

The primary processing unit (CPU) is the heart of every PC. Intel's Xeon series of processors are generally used in servers. Mac Pro is equipped with these powerful processors in different configurations. Depending on the configuration of your Mac Pro, you can get up to 12 core Xeon processor with up to 30MB L3 cache.

That's good enough to run a dedicated web server hosting hundreds of websites. This much of processing power for an average household PC is more than enough. With Xeon processor, your Mac Pro will perform floating point calculations twice as fast as its predecessor. This essentially means that it won't hang even if you're processing huge data sets.

ECC Memory - Forget About Transient Memory Errors

What the heck is ECC memory? Here we are talking about RAM of your Mac Pro. ECC memory has the capability to correct single bit faults that may occur due to strong magnetic fields or frequent electric surges. This often results in a system crash and sometimes even hardware crash too.

Fortunately, Mac Pro's ECC memory has the capability to correct such transient memory errors keeping your system running without any interruption. This makes Mac Pro a more stable desktop than the earlier versions. You can configure your Mac Pro to support up to 64 GB of ECC memory with a whopping 60 GB/s bandwidth. This means you can simultaneously open multiple tasks and still can experience smooth performance without any glitch.

SSD on A PCIe Bus - Storage on Steroids

Flash storage (solid state drives) is the norm today when it comes to using a secondary storage device for desktop computers. Similarly, PCI - Express (PCIe) bus is a faster and more efficient way to connect peripheral components like storage devices. Fortunately, Mac Pro uses both these technologies to provide you with a next-generation storage system that's lightning fast and efficient.

With up to 1 TB of flash storage support and with a blazing data transfer speed that's twice the speed of previous Mac desktop, your applications and files are guaranteed to open at unimaginable speed. With PCIe based SSD storage, the opening of huge files doesn't introduce any latency normally experienced with regular hard drives.

Top Mounted Single Fan - Pulls Heat Out of the Box

The more powerful computing components you pack within a CPU, the more is the requirement to effectively pull out generated heat under load. Conventional cooling fans divert air from the exterior and push into the CPU to cool the components. Sometimes, more than one conventional fan is used to cool the CPU from different directions.

That's where Mac Pro is quite different from ordinary desktop computers. It has a large cooling fan that's mounted on top of the CPU case. And instead of throwing air inside the case, it pulls the air outwards to lower the generated heat. The base of the CPU is designed for an air intake that facilitates the flow of cool air from the bottom that travels upwards towards the fan mounted on the top. This unique system facilitates a continuous flow of cool air across the entire CPU in an efficient way.

Next Generation Ports - Unimaginable Expansion Capability

Every good desktop computer is incomplete without the capability of supporting a large array of peripheral devices through different types of ports. Mac Pro excels in it and has 4 different types of next-generation ports to extend the capabilities of the entire machine.

It has Thunderbolt 2, USB 3, Gigabit Ethernet and HDMI 1.4 ports that not only supports extremely fast data transfer but also has the capability to support multiple peripheral devices on a single port. If we talk about the exact figures, Mac Pro can support up to 36 peripheral devices including up to 3 large 4K display monitors. That's a huge capacity for any desktop computer we generally use on a daily basis.

Ingenious Thermal Core - High Thermal Efficiency

Often poor design of CPU inhibits the thermal capacity of the core raising the temperatures quickly during peak loads. The solution often involves the purchase of expensive liquid cooling systems that are not guaranteed to give the results with the design of the CPU your regular desktop has.

Mac Pro thermal core is unified through a single aluminum base that helps the flow of air to the maximum. This exponentially increases the overall thermal capacity allowing the system to continue working even in extreme conditions. If you live in a tropical country with high temperatures during the summer season, your Mac Pro has the better capability to cope with the heat generated by its CPU.

Multiple Display Support - Made For Professionals

Ordinary desktop computers generally do not support multiple displays inherently. Power users somehow manage to connect multiple displays with these PCs through additional hardware and software. Here again, Mac Pro tops the chart by miles leaving its competitors way behind.

If you want to connect multiple displays with Mac Pro, neither you require expensive add-on hardware nor any additional software to get things done. You can connect up to 6 thunderbolt displays and up to 3 large 4K displays with your Mac Pro without any complex configuration steps. Developers and web designers can easily create their very own development studio through this powerful feature of Mac Pro.

Single Sheet Aluminum Enclosure - Rugged and Light

As I mentioned before, unlike the design of regular desktop CPUs, Mac Pro has a completely unique design that not only saves space but is comparatively light too. Regular rectangular cases of desktop PCs also hinder the air flow and takes up more space on your table.

The design team of Mac Pro engineered a unique CPU enclosure with a cylindrical shape made from a single aluminum sheet. This gives it a compact shape yet more space inside to fit additional components. Since aluminum is used for the case, it's comparatively light than regular desktop CPUs. I'm sure the next generation of Apple computers will have more or less the same CPU design currently used for Mac Pro.

Repairable & Upgradable - This Mac Can Grow At Your Will

One of the complaints Mac users often raise in the earlier years was their inability to repair or upgrade their desktops and laptops. Most of the earlier Mac machines were factory sealed and didn't supported an upgrade or repairing procedure. This used to leave only one option for the users to buy a new Mac machine in case of a hardware failure.

Fortunately, Apple has responded to users' feedback and has made Mac Pro upgradable and repairable. You can not only upgrade or repair the core components of this machine but can also include additional ports with ease. I consider this capability as the biggest factor in boosting the sales of this powerful machine.