Apple announces Mac Pro with M2 Ultra, PCIe expansion and more

Apple today announced the Apple silicon Mac Pro alongside the 2023 Mac Studio with M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips and the 15-inch MacBook Air with M2.

The tech giant has taken a monumental leap forward with the new Mac Pro, introducing the revolutionary M2 Ultra chip and a range of impressive features. This powerhouse machine delivers unprecedented performance, enhanced memory and storage, PCIe expansion capabilities, and advanced connectivity.

M2 Ultra Mac Pro

Everything you need to know about the new Mac Pro with M2 Ultra

“The new Mac Studio and Mac Pro with Apple silicon are the two most powerful Macs we’ve ever made,” said John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. “Mac Studio has been a breakthrough for pros everywhere, and it’s at the heart of hundreds of thousands of home and pro studios across the world. Today, it gets even better with M2 Max and the new M2 Ultra, featuring even more performance and enhanced connectivity. And for those users who need the versatility of internal expansion, Mac Pro combines PCIe slots with our most powerful chip. The new Mac Studio and Mac Pro join our other pro systems to give our users the most powerful and capable lineup of pro products that Apple has ever offered.”

Mac Pro with M2 Ultra – Unparalleled Performance

  • The Mac Pro now boasts Apple’s most powerful 24-core CPU, up to 76-core GPU and double the memory and SSD storage compared to its Intel-based predecessor.
  • With a massive 192GB of memory and 800GB/s of unified memory bandwidth, the Mac Pro exceeds the capabilities of even the most advanced workstation graphics cards.
  • Equipped with seven built-in Afterburner cards, the Mac Pro ensures exceptional performance in demanding workflows like video transcoding and 3D simulations, running up to 3 times faster.

M2 Ultra

Video processing capabilities

  • The Mac Pro with M2 Ultra empowers video engineers to handle 24 4K camera feeds and encode them to ProRes in real-time, all on a single machine, using six video I/O cards.
  • Leveraging the same industry-leading media engine as Mac Studio with M2 Ultra, the Mac Pro enables users to handle an impressive 22 streams of 8K ProRes video, revolutionizing video editing and rendering.

Mac Pro

The Power of PCIe expansion

  • Apple silicon brings PCIe expansion to the Mac Pro, providing professionals with the flexibility to customize and expand their workflows.
  • With seven PCIe expansion slots, including six open slots supporting gen 4, professionals can add essential cards such as digital signal processing (DSP) cards, serial digital interface (SDI) I/O cards, networking options, and additional storage.

Mac Pro

Advanced connectivity for enhanced workflows

  • The new Mac Pro is equipped with eight Thunderbolt 4 ports (twice as many as before), six on the back and two on the top, offering lightning-fast connectivity for a wide range of peripherals.
  • With support for up to six Pro Display XDRs, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and a variety of ports, including USB-A and HDMI, the Mac Pro provides seamless integration with various devices and accessories, improving productivity and workflow efficiency.

Mac Pro

Environmentally conscious design

Apple demonstrates its commitment to sustainability with the use of 100% recycled rare earth elements, gold plating, and tin soldering in the Mac Pro. The machine consumes significantly less energy than comparable desktops, surpassing ENERGY STAR efficiency requirements and reducing their environmental impact. Apple’s carbon-neutral operations and the goal of achieving net-zero climate impact by 2030 further emphasize its dedication to a greener future.

Mac Pro

macOS Ventura and Sonoma support

Designed to leverage the full potential of Apple silicon, macOS Ventura provides breakthrough performance and productivity. Features like Stage Manager, Continuity Camera, and Safari passkeys enhance multitasking and user efficiency, while MetalFX Upscaling optimizes gaming experiences on Apple silicon.

macOS Sonoma, arriving this fall, introduces dynamic video conferencing, high-performance remote access, enhanced desktop widgets, and significant updates to Safari, further empowering users to accomplish complex tasks seamlessly.

macOS Sonoma Screen savers

Pricing and availability

The new M2 Ultea Mac Pro is available to order today on apple.com/store and in the Apple Store app. It will start to arrive to customers and will be available in Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers, beginning Tuesday, June 13.

  • Mac Pro (Tower Enclosure) starts at $6,999 and $6,599 for education.
  • Mac Pro (Rack Enclosure) starts at $7,499 (U.S.) and $6,999 (U.S.) for education.

Read more:

Tagged:
About the Author

Asma is an editor at iThinkDifferent with a strong focus on social media, Apple news, streaming services, guides, mobile gaming, app reviews, and more. When not blogging, Asma loves to play with her cat, draw, and binge on Netflix shows.

Leave a comment