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Why I Returned the 16-Core 2019 Mac Pro... Wanted 28 Cores!
Related: 2019 Mac Pro, Mac Pro, memory, Other World Computing, OWC Thunderbay, SSD, weather events
macOS Catalina is required for Mac Pro, but I have learned to deal with its vexations.
The 2019 Mac Pro 16-core is the best computer I have ever owned, by far.
So I returned it.
The reason is pretty simple, coming after nearly a month of usage which informs my conclusion: over the next 3-4 years, the benefits of a 28 CPU cores and a AMD Radeon Pro Vega II video card will be more than worth the extra cost in time saved and increased productivity, faster software development, etc.
Consult with Lloyd as to the ideal computer for your own particular workflow.
I scrimped and saved all of 2019 knowing I might decide on this large purchase, and along with a 100% federal tax write-off as a business tax deduction, the numbers and expected lifetime and actual benefits all add up.
Accordingly, the Apple 2019 Mac Pro 28-core CPU with AMD Radeon Pro Vega II GPU shows up two days from now on Friday, whereupon the 16-core goes back (order to delivery was only ~7 days in spite of the “2-4 weeks” notation at B&H Photo). The model is shown below.
Naturally I bought the Mac pro with only 32GB memory, since the 384GB of OWC memory is going into it, along with two OWC Accelsior 4M2 PCIe SSDs. (for sale $219: 32GB of Apple memory as 4 X 32GB).
Storage
Below, I use five OWC Thunderbay 4 units for most of my storage, though I also have one OWC Thunderbay 6 unit (6 bays instead of 4), and OWC has an 8-bay OWC Thunderbay 8 coming. Nearly all of the capacity is for backups as I am moving to a 100% SSD main storage approach.
$600 SAVE $8400 = 93.0% OWC 2.0TB OWC Accelsior 4M2 PCIe 3.0 NVMe M.2 SSD Storage Soluti… in Storage: PCI
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$850 SAVE $8150 = 90.0% OWC 4.0TB OWC Accelsior 4M2 PCIe 3.0 NVMe M.2 SSD Storage Soluti… in Storage: PCI
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$1400 SAVE $7600 = 84.0% OWC 8.0TB OWC Accelsior 4M2 PCIe 3.0 NVMe M.2 SSD Storage Soluti… in Storage: PCI
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Display
Below, I am currently using the LG 27MD5KB-B 27" UltraFine 16:9 5K IPS Monitor shown below along with my trusty NEC PA302W. The LG 5K is excellent and a BIG practical plus is that it breaks out 3 high-speed USB-C ports, which solves a thorny problem off too few USB ports on the Mac Pro.
My desired display setup includes the Apple Pro Display XDR and most likely the NEC PA311D, but that’s a financial bridge too far just yet. The NEC PA302W remains critical to my work however, for its low pixel density; see Too-High Pixel Density on 5K and 8K Displays Impedes Image Assessment.
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