Tuesday, June 6th 2017

Apple iMac Pro, the Most Powerful Mac Ever, Arrives This December

Apple today gave a sneak peek of iMac Pro, an entirely new workstation-class product line designed for pro users with the most demanding workflows. The all-new iMac Pro, with its gorgeous 27-inch Retina 5K display, up to 18-core Xeon processors and up to 22 Teraflops of graphics computation, is the most powerful Mac ever made. Featuring a stunning new space gray enclosure, iMac Pro packs incredible performance for advanced graphics editing, virtual reality content creation and real-time 3D rendering. iMac Pro is scheduled to ship in December starting at $4,999 (US).

In addition to the new iMac Pro, Apple is working on a completely redesigned, next-generation Mac Pro architected for pro customers who need the highest-end, high-throughput system in a modular design, as well as a new high-end pro display. "We're thrilled to give developers and customers a sneak peek at iMac Pro. This will be our fastest and most powerful Mac ever, which brings workstation-class computing to iMac for the first time," said John Ternus, Apple's vice president of Hardware Engineering. "We reengineered the whole system and designed an entirely new thermal architecture to pack extraordinary performance into the elegant, quiet iMac enclosure our customers love - iMac Pro is a huge step forward and there's never been anything like it."
Workstation-Class Performance in an iMac Design
Featuring next-generation Intel Xeon processors up to 18 cores, iMac Pro is designed to handle the most demanding pro workflows. With an all-flash architecture and all-new thermal design, iMac Pro delivers up to 80 percent more cooling capacity in the same thin and seamless iMac design. And with a new space gray enclosure and gorgeous 27-inch Retina 5K display with support for 1 billion colors, iMac Pro is as stunning as it is powerful.

The Most Advanced Graphics Ever in a Mac
iMac Pro comes with the new Radeon Pro Vega GPU, the most advanced graphics ever in a Mac. Featuring a new, next-generation compute core and up to 16GB of on-package high-bandwidth memory (HBM2), iMac Pro with the Vega GPU delivers up to an amazing 11 Teraflops of single-precision compute power for real-time 3D rendering and immersive, high frame rate VR. And for half-precision computation, ideal for machine learning, iMac Pro delivers up to an incredible 22 Teraflops of performance.

Fast Storage & Advanced I/O
iMac Pro also supports up to 4TB of SSD and up to 128GB of ECC memory, and with four Thunderbolt 3 ports can connect to up to two high-performance RAID arrays and two 5K displays at the same time. For the first time ever on a Mac, iMac Pro features 10Gb Ethernet for up to 10 times faster networking.

Pricing & Availability
iMac Pro is scheduled to ship in December starting at $4,999 (US).
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24 Comments on Apple iMac Pro, the Most Powerful Mac Ever, Arrives This December

#1
pat-roner
I think it's cool that they're able to cram 22core, quad-channel ram, and a top of the line vega in such a small package.
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#2
Gungar
pat-ronerI think it's cool that they're able to cram 22core, quad-channel ram, and a top of the line vega in such a small package.
Yeah, it's called Throttleland.
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#3
pat-roner
GungarYeah, it's called Throttleland.
If the current mac pro manages to not thermal throttle with a combined TDP of 364w from the dual D700's and the 12 Core Xeon E5-2697v2, i think this will manage just fine
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#4
Ferrum Master
The base 5K device prolly ships with a 5400RPM drive again.
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#5
Nokiron
Ferrum MasterThe base 5K device prolly ships with a 5400RPM drive again.
Well, if you are supposed to believe their presentation it actually ships with a 1TB SSD.

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#6
pat-roner
Ferrum MasterThe base 5K device prolly ships with a 5400RPM drive again.
They confirmed 8core, 32gb ECC, Pro vega 56 and 1tb ssd (probably NVME)
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#7
Easy Rhino
Linux Advocate
I am glad they are building systems made for high end users again. Feels like the past 5 years the focus has been on the casual computer user.
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#8
Chaitanya
Easy RhinoI am glad they are building systems made for high end users again. Feels like the past 5 years the focus has been on the casual computer user.
I know a quite a few disgruntled Mac Pro users. They weren't happy with recent direction of nearly ditching Apples core user group of content creation pros. This new Pro certainly looks like a good value proposition for those users.
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#9
5DVX0130
NokironWell, if you are supposed to believe their presentation it actually ships with a 1TB SSD.

8-Core Xeon ..... Starting at 5000$

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#10
Gungar
5DVX01308-Core Xeon ..... Starting at 5000$

And half the part are so cheap that i wouldn't even buy those for a 1k pc...
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#11
Air
I cant understand AIOs. Desktops allow you to replace individual parts if they break or need an update. You can't do that on laptops, but its ok, it's a trade off for mobility. AIO are almost the same as laptops but without mobility. So what is the benefinit of dropping the upgradability? A little more floor/desk space? So when you need a new GPU, you also have to throw away everything, including an awesome 5k display?

Then after showing it apple goes to the next slide "look how environmentaly concious we are"... yeah right.
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#12
ERazer
5DVX01308-Core Xeon ..... Starting at 5000$

your buying the whole system (hardware/software) not just pc parts

I have MBP 15 not once that it crush, cant say that to any of my window rig
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#13
Frick
Fishfaced Nincompoop
AirI cant understand AIOs. Desktops allow you to replace individual parts if they break or need an update. You can't do that on laptops, but its ok, it's a trade off for mobility. AIO are almost the same as laptops but without mobility. So what is the benefinit of dropping the upgradability? A little more floor/desk space? So when you need a new GPU, you also have to throw away everything, including an awesome 5k display?

Then after showing it apple goes to the next slide "look how environmentaly concious we are"... yeah right.
Basically, the AIO is the perfect PC for people with desks that don't care for upgradeability or mobility. Laptops takes up a surprising amount of desk area, especially if you use docking stations. Normal computers makes cable clutter more or less inevitable. With the AIO you just need power and ethernet (unless you run wireless) and you're good to go. It really should replace the ubiquitious tower+monitor combo.

This is ... not bad I guess, but where's the Mac Pro? And I am very interested to seeing how this looks. At work they have the thin iMacs, and they actually look pretty nice, but I imagine they have to make them a bit thicker again. At least I hope so.
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#14
Easy Rhino
Linux Advocate
5DVX01308-Core Xeon ..... Starting at 5000$

This may be the single dumbest post on TPU I have read in 5 years.
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#15
erocker
*
I prefer this over the garbage can idea.
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#16
Gungar
AirThen after showing it apple goes to the next slide "look how environmentaly concious we are"... yeah right.
They always make me laugh when they talk about environment. Their products are the worst for that.
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#17
claes
Easy RhinoThis may be the single dumbest post on TPU I have read in 5 years.
No joke - $1000 Xeon, $1500 monitor, $1500 FirePro, ~$500 for NVME SSD, ~$500 for main components (a little more maybe for 10G ethernet)... Seems like a deal compared to comparable Dell/HP workstations.
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#18
phanbuey
claesNo joke - $1000 Xeon, $1500 monitor, $1500 FirePro, ~$500 for NVME SSD, ~$500 for main components (a little more maybe for 10G ethernet)... Seems like a deal compared to comparable Dell/HP workstations.
Thats a $599 xeon (the 8 core) , maybe a $1500 monitor (but most likely not), not sure on the others... but it is still asking a ton for the ecosystem.

I am sure the execution on the product is amazing - but this is a new gen part, thanks to amd 8 core is mainstream - and Intel and AMD are in a core arms race... the days of a $5G 8 core setup are very numbered.

If I was a mac pro user I would try to wait and pick it up refurb or wait for a price drop.
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#20
Nokiron
phanbueyThats a $599 xeon (the 8 core) , maybe a $1500 monitor (but most likely not), not sure on the others... but it is still asking a ton for the ecosystem.

I am sure the execution on the product is amazing - but this is a new gen part, thanks to amd 8 core is mainstream - and Intel and AMD are in a core arms race... the days of a $5G 8 core setup are very numbered.

If I was a mac pro user I would try to wait and pick it up refurb or wait for a price drop.
Maybe $1500? Have you recently checked the price on a 5K-screen?

I mean, you are still buying into the ecosystem but they have also engineered a better AIO than anyone else has ever done on the market. I'm surprised it didn't cost more to be honest.

~$400 memory
~$300 motherboard
~$1500+ screen
~$600 Xeon (depends on the model)
~$500 SSD
~$400 for Vega 56?
~$300 for a 10Gbit NIC

That's almost 4 grand not including power supply, thunderbolt add-in cards or the case.
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#21
remixedcat
well they are still putting bros before pros.... where's the servers and real workstations not this "fits into a Manhattan hipster 'office'" BS.

The thermals are prolly gonna be bad or throttled so low that you are only getting 1/5th the actual power...

These imacs are also built cheapest as ever and have the same problems as a 200 dollar acer peice of shit craptop.
Posted on Reply
#22
peche
Thermaltake fanboy
remixedcatThese imacs are also built cheapest as ever and have the same problems as a 200 dollar acer peice of shit craptop.
well maybe bad luck cuz i have been designing and making some arts on a older imac, never had a problem,
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#23
5DVX0130
ERazeryour buying the whole system (hardware/software) not just pc parts
I have MBP 15 not once that it crush, cant say that to any of my window rig
Your point being? Unless it comes with all the software you need for work, it just means it comes with an OS. Last time I checked Windows 10 Pro was cheap, actually it wasn't even 5% of what it costs to RENT all the software for just one year that we use.

I can say the same for the cheap'o Acer I'm typing this on. Just cause you haven't had any issues, it doesn't mean there aren't any.
Easy RhinoThis may be the single dumbest post on TPU I have read in 5 years.
Glad I could set new standards. :peace:
NokironMaybe $1500? Have you recently checked the price on a 5K-screen?

I mean, you are still buying into the ecosystem but they have also engineered a better AIO than anyone else has ever done on the market. I'm surprised it didn't cost more to be honest.

~$400 memory
~$300 motherboard
~$1500+ screen
~$600 Xeon (depends on the model)
~$500 SSD
~$400 for Vega 56?
~$300 for a 10Gbit NIC

That's almost 4 grand not including power supply, thunderbolt add-in cards or the case.
You can get a 5k screen for about 1200. Not that I'd recommend it. Since you can get a MUCH better 4k screen for about the same money.
But then again, it all depends on what you're using the workstation for.

Do you really need a 5k screen for computational tasks?
Does the GPU have enough power for the rendering you’re doing?
What about the colour accuracy of the screen, for the colour correction that need to be done?

I rather like the iMac, but don't really see it working as a workstation system.
The AIO form factor brings in too many limitations, servicing issues, and unnecessary things one has to pay for.

You know… Jack of all trades, master of none.
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#24
Nokiron
5DVX0130Do you really need a 5k screen for computational tasks?
Does the GPU have enough power for the rendering you’re doing?
What about the colour accuracy of the screen, for the colour correction that need to be done?

I rather like the iMac, but don't really see it working as a workstation system.
The AIO form factor brings in too many limitations, servicing issues, and unnecessary things one has to pay for.

You know… Jack of all trades, master of none.
That's not the point. Is that 5K screen actually good?

The best place to actually have such a high resolution is a Mac since Mac OS actually can scale the UI unlike Windows.
Vega most definitely has the computational power to render whatever you are doing, especially well if we are talking about Final Cut Pro.
Color accuracy has never been an issue on iMacs so I have no idea why it should be applicable now. I mean, they are used almost all the time in marketing bureaus and similar workspaces.

The people talking about the iMac (and now the iMac Pro) has never been in a professional environment where they are used for what they are for. As long as your equipment is within warranty or have applecare you won't have an issue in the world. No idea why you would think that is an issue.
I don't use Apple-products myself except for my work phone (which I have no choice in model). But I work a lot with the implementation of them and it works just fine. I had no more issues working with Dell or HP.
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