Which Mac Pro Model to Buy if Upgrading the CPU?

2014-01-06 • SEND FEEDBACK |
Related: 2013 Mac Pro, GPU, Mac Pro, Other World Computing, video tech

See discussion of upgrading the CPU in the 2013 Mac Pro.

The 8-core 3.3 GHz CPU is highly attractive for my photography work, offering an improved blend of high performance under both lightly-threaded and highly-threaded computing tasks such as my photography. Apple does not offer this CPU as an option.

Discussion here is premised on two key ideas:

• That OWC will in fact offer CPU upgrades for the 2013 Mac Pro. As this was written, that confirmation has yet to be officially stated.
• That the incremental gains are of value to the user; there really is no point to upgrading for mainstream use; know your own particulars or consult with me to discuss the value (or lack thereof).

Shown below is the MPG recommendation for the Mac Pro configuration to order for upgrade purposes. Recommendation is premised on a realistic need for the highest performance! It is not necessary for most mainstream uses.

• Upgrade the memory to 64GB at OWC.
• Order the D700 GPUs, because the D700 GPUS might be helpful in time.
• The 1TB SSD (flash) is not easily upgradeable and is the only internal storage available, so it should be ordered also.

Bottom line: the CPU upgrade will be expensive*, so skimping on the other components makes little sense in the context of the total system cost and a real need for high compute power. If your own usage can benefit from a modestly faster CPU, then top-end versions of the other components should also come along.

* OWC does not have CPU purchase pricing power like Apple does. Discounted CPU prices are highly unlikely.

B&H Photo has a similar model Mac Pro with 512GB flash, or view all.

Recommended configuration if upgrading to a high-end CPU