If you ’re fully absorb in the Apple ecosphere of product , you may not have notice a large style that ’s bump with computing . No , we ’re not blab about AI , though that isthehot trend , it ’s something that ’s in reality tied to AI development : art cards .
You might typically connect graphics carte with play and other video - focalize pursuit , but AI has had a major influence on graphics card sale . The tech involved can care AI ’s large - scale figuring well . Because of that , Nvidia , perhaps the largest player in the artwork card grocery , has regard its intersection ’ popularity explode .
Apple has had success with its M - series chips for its Macs and iPads . When theM1 debut , it manifest impressive amplification over the Intel CPU it replace , andeach new M chipcontinues to show singular stop number . Apple splintering feature an integrate CPU , GPU , and other constituent , and the integrating contributes to Apple atomic number 14 functioning and top executive efficiency .
Before Apple silicon, users could install discreet graphics cards into the 2019 Mac Pro.
But as the hype around graphics visiting card continues with thelaunch of the Nvidia RTX 5070ti , we started wonder , would Apple ever endeavor to make a standalone graphics visiting card ? The current M4 flake volunteer impressive artwork carrying out , and Apple has tamper with such an endeavor in the past times with its proprietary AMD Radeon MPX modules for the Mac Pro .
Before Apple Si , users could instal discreet artwork identity card into the 2019 Mac Pro .
Thiago Trevisan
Before Apple silicon, users could install discreet graphics cards into the 2019 Mac Pro.
The taut integration of ironware , package , and drug user experience has been a stylemark of Apple ’s modus operandi . But a separate Apple graphics visiting card could ease the core of let go chip updates for the Mac Pro and Mac Studio – which currently apply M2 Ultra fries released in June 2023 . There ’s also the AsusThunderbolt 5 eGPUfor the PC that made us wonder if Apple would ever do the same or allow such devices back on its Macs .
What the Apple silicon change meant for graphics
Before we contemplate the possibility , permit ’s look at the recent history of Apple and graphics hardware . The move to Apple Si did not just cut off one giant chipmaker from Apple products , it also remove AMD and its Radeon GPUs from the equation . Long a staple of Macs , AMD Radeon nontextual matter came in various flavors ranging from incorporate graphics in its MacBook to discreet standalone GPUs available for the 2019 Mac Pro .
Apple once used Nvidia graphics in Macs , with an Nvidia graphic card making its Mac launching with thePower Mac G4 in 2001 . Apple terminate using Nvidia GPUs in 2013 , to the humiliation of many professionals and enthusiasts . Apple also used ATi graphics card , but eventually , Apple settled on AMD .
Which brings us to Apple silicon . With the M series chips , Apple essay that both a high - perform CPU and GPU can coexist in an integrated chip , along with RAM and computer storage . The ultimate goal of this variety was to make a tremendously powerful and effective chip . It succeeded .
The empty Mac Pro seems like a design afterthought with no graphics card to install.
The empty Mac Pro seems like a design second thought with no graphics calling card to install .
The most prominent example of the desolate substructure change is in the2023 Mac Pro , which has the same shape as the2019 Mac Proand is clearly designed to use standalone GPUs or MPX modules . The M2 Ultra poker chip , with its 24 - sum CPU , 60 - nucleus GPU , 64 GB of unified memory , and 1 TB SSD ( in the base configuration ) is all integrated in one piece of atomic number 14 . The computer graphic performance of the M2 Ultra is enough for many Mac Pro customers while being more efficient than the business leader - thirsty AMD Radeon MPX modules .
Apple also had its Afterburner card , which help to boost ProRes performance on the 2019 Mac Pro . finally , Apple did what it debate ideal : it make an integrated Media Engine within the M chip itself . So now , without these mental faculty , the Mac Pro is a cavernous chassis .
Asus’ new Thunderbolt 5 eGPU looks impressive, but it can’t be used on a Mac.
What Mac Pro users are missing out on
The agency the Mac Pro with Apple silicon is currently built , itcannot use graphics cardsin its PCI Express expansion slots . Apple ’s GPU is built into its M - series bit and the society sees no indigence to make its own separate GPU menu and compromise performance and efficiency .
But that also means third - political party cards are n’t compatible , either . With the public presentation Nvidia has on pat for its latestGeForce RTX 50 Series , most serious professionals who bank on graphics have likely vacate Apple . While the M4 is excellent , it still can not prevail a cd to Nvidia ’s offering in advanced workloads . The M5 generation of Apple silicon is not likely to breach that divide , either . Apple would necessitate some other way to boost art performance – if it wants to .
Asus ’ new Thunderbolt 5 eGPU looks telling , but it ca n’t be used on a Mac .
A card like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 would look pretty nice inside the Mac Pro.
Asus
Historically , Apple hasallowed external GPUs(eGPUs ) to function with its Intel Macs . Many user would use an eGPU fitted with an AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT to boost graphics , for example . But eGPU support was dropped with the transposition to Apple Si – so you’re able to stop eye that sick - lookingAsus ROG XG Mobile Thunderbolt 5 eGPU / Dock .
Is there demand for increased GPU performance on a Mac?
The truth is that there just may not be the demand in the market for Apple to supply more graphics office – yet .
Let ’s look at the core Apple consumer that depends on GPU carrying out and how they take issue from the rest of the manufacture : it ’s mostly television editors and product studios . As someone who edits video ( often from 6 G or 8 K cutting formats ) , the current Apple silicon offerings are more than sufficient , and a more powerful GPU would make only a small dispute . Apple ’s terrific encoders and decoders also make easy body of work of many common format , so the accent here is no longer on raw GPU performance .
How about those who do 3D cosmos and graphics - heavy workloads ? Those users have likely been using Windows or Linux and Nvidia ’s Cuda political platform , but for those who are on the Mac , more graphics execution certainly would help oneself . It could even contribute users back to macOS , users who leave because they needed more power but they overleap the Mac experience . This may not be a with child enough bent of user to entice Apple , though .
A carte du jour like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 would look pretty dainty inside the Mac Pro .
Adam Patrick Murray / Foundry
How about one of the grown growing markets worldwide , gambling ? Apple consumer are into gaming , just in a different style than on the PC side . Apple has been making efforts lately to press Apple Arcade , as well as popular games such asResident Evil 4 . With ray tracing and good graphics performance from the iPhone 16 Pro , Apple surely has the foundation at the ready .
On the microcomputer side , gamers want next - generation GPUs because the newest title need beam trace and gamy resolutions . The way this requirement is meet is by graphics cards that can be upgraded when necessary . I find it unlikely that Apple would abandon its idealised sight of an integrate Apple Si solution to address this exploiter need .
There ’s also a sensing problem : Macs just are n’t see as a gaming political platform . Coincidentally , the same perception is being conveyed with the Apple Vision Pro ; it ’s present as a productiveness twist first and entertainment second . On the other hired hand , user of the Meta Quest 3 are enthusiast gamers , increase its reach . The Vision Pro has the horsepower and resolution for a great gaming experience but it ’s missing a boastful push from Apple and developers . Sound intimate ? It ’s another instance of how Apple is n’t extremely motivated for the gaming market beyond what it has already done , which makes graphics card adoption improbable .
Even if Apple facilitated developers to want to make more secret plan for the Mac , chance are it would do this within the framework of its Apple Si artwork performance .
The future could be bright
It is n’t all bad news for Apple lover who stargaze of more graphics power . Apple ’s silicon Macs have strike with every new release , so there is a skillful probability the tortoise may indeed eventually win the race . Or push ahead just enough to have plenteous carrying out without needing other solutions , which it arguably has done already for many .
The past tense ca n’t be ignore , however . The Afterburner and MPX modules it offer with the Intel Mac Pro show that Apple is unforced to cover the needs of corner markets . While it will take some technology ingenuity and new implementations of M - series chips , Apple is capable of it , and it feel as if there is a very distant chance that the company could entertain standalone graphic cards . But the daylight of eGPUs working with Macs are likely long behind us . The Mac Pro does n’t face limit concern power use of goods and services or size of it – it ’s distinctly enceinte enough to fit magnanimous Apple silicon inside .
But just because Apple can do it , does n’t intend it should . As Apple silicon arrest so good that everything is neatly compact in a Mac mini - sized computer graphic powerhouse , do users even desire an outside computer graphic batting order ? Probably not . The practiced stake is for Apple to continue its integrated silicon journey as intended . But we can always dream .
