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Graphics card on new Mac Pro could be upgradeable

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French site Mac4Ever says that a hands-on look at the machine suggests that it may in future be possible to upgrade the graphic card in the new Mac Pro. We’ve also heard a whisper of unofficial confirmation from an Apple source.

According to our information, it is possible to change the graphics card in this machine. In fact, the GPU is placed on a daughter card, it is possible to remove and thus replace. As you might expect, Apple uses a proprietary connector (as is the case for SSD array present on the rest of the range). But there’s nothing to prevent, on paper, a manufacturer deciding to offer compatible cards. It’s even possible that Apple would offer upgrades. The other good news is NVidia is no longer (at least on paper) completely eliminated as a future possibility for the Mac Pro.

I’m not sure I buy the official Apple upgrade idea: if Apple intended the machine to be that upgradeable, it would likely have made the CPU upgradeable too. But it certainly seems possible that the construction would make it at least technically possible for third-party graphics card upgrades to be made available at a later date.

Graphics work is a key application for the machine. Apple recently noted that a number of professionals had been testing the machine, among them award-winning extreme sports photographer Lucas Gilman.

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Comments

  1. Kevin Rye (@RyeMAC3) - 10 years ago

    For $3 grand, I should hope the graphics are upgradeable. I don’t want to have to spend $3 grand on a new Mac Pro every other year to get next-gen graphics. My current Mac Pro has lasted me 5 years, only because I was able to upgrade the RAM, HDDs, and video card as needed.

    • Ben Lovejoy - 10 years ago

      Yes, the original Mac Pros were easily upgradeable, and have held up remarkably well. With this generation, the emphasis is more on external upgradability than internal. It will be good news if this is confirmed.

  2. Sean Hoyt - 10 years ago

    Are you saying that we have to hit up Apple to upgrade the Vid and SSD memory cards?

  3. Bhushan Sayyed - 10 years ago

    Are you saying the CPU is *not* upgradeable? I am considering getting the lowest-end Mac Pro, but only if both GPU and CPU can be replaced later… http://blog.macsales.com/22188-owc-confirms-mac-pro-2013-processor-upgradeable

Author

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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