Why I'm not switching my most powerful Intel Mac to Apple silicon just yet
Macworld|June 2024
The 2019 Mac Pro is still one of the best, most upgradable products Apple has released.
THIAGO TREVISAN
Why I'm not switching my most powerful Intel Mac to Apple silicon just yet

I've long been a user of the 2019 Intel Mac Pro (fave.co/44cIPzR). I firmly believe it is one of the best, most upgradable products Apple has ever released. And even with a new M2 Ultra-equipped Mac Pro on the market, I'm not giving up my 2019 Mac Pro just yet.

To be clear, I'm not recommending that you go buy this discontinued product. Generally, most users should not consider an Intel Mac Pro―or Apple silicon Mac Pro for that matter. A Mac Studio with the M2 Ultra (fave.co/49SMm8T) can do what's needed in most key areas. The newly minted MacBook Pro with an M3 Max (fave.co/41w6LOh) is an absolute performance champion that's power efficient and priced right.

I simply appreciate the unique nature of the Mac Pro, much like the Concorde (fave.co/3UyLqSv) jet was an engineering marvel and also an impractical one. I'm also attempting to offer a bit of reassurance for existing 2019 Mac Pro users who have not yet jumped on the Apple silicon freight train.

2019 MAC PRO: LIFE AFTER DEATH

Do you know what will happen when the hardware inside your shiny new Apple silicon Mac becomes outdated and is underperforming (relatively speaking)? You will buy a whole new Mac.

With that in mind, prices for refurbished and used 2019 Mac Pros have dropped like a rock. This Mac, which was once an unattainable beast (remember the memes of how you can configure a 2019 Mac Pro to be $55,000, fave.co/3w0efy1?), can be bought for a fraction of its original MSRP. And the 2019 Mac Pro offers a key feature not found in M-series Macs: upgradability, or at least a certain amount of it.

Here's a clear-cut, real-world example.

This story is from the June 2024 edition of Macworld.

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This story is from the June 2024 edition of Macworld.

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