Apple Reveals New Mac Pro GPU Options

Apple has updated the GPU options for its Intel-based Mac Pro computers.

Apple unveiled the changes to the Mac Pro GPU selection in early August, noting that users will be able to purchase updated Mac Pro desktop computers with an option of AMD Radeon Pro W6800X, W6800X Duo, or W6900X graphics processing cards. According to Engadget, the graphics card changes are the only big changes set to happen to Apple’s workstations with this update, which could be the last time that Apple offers any modifications to the Intel-based Mac Pro lineup this year.

Apple claims the new GPUs will offer a 50% performance improvement per watt over the Vega II cards that it previously offered in the workstations. This, Apple says, should lead to apps running faster and smoother when using the new cards. Apple notes an increase of 84% for performance in the Octane X rendering app and a 26% increase in how Cinema 4D performs on the updated workstations.

Each card includes four Thunderbolt 3 ports, an HDMI 2 connector, and support for an Infinity Fabric Link, which allows up to four GPUs to talk to others much faster than they could via PCIe connectors alone. The W6800X and W6900X will include 32GB of GDDR6 memory, while the W6800X Duo offers a doubled 64GB.

These performance gains will cost you, though. Apple revealed an additional $2,400 to configure a new Mac Pro with the W6800X, while the W6800X Duo and W6900X will run $4,600 and $5,600, respectively. 

With the M1 chip, it’s unclear what plans Apple has for its Intel-based Pro models at this point. However, Bloomberg reports that Apple is working on a 40-core Apple Silicon model set for 2022. Unfortunately, official information this reported model has yet to be released.