It’s that time of the year again, we can expect announcements soon for new Apple product releases as announcements for updated Mac Pro, Mac Mini, iPhone 14, Apple Watch Series 8, MacBook Air, iPad Pro, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and AirPods Pro are expected sometime between now and the beginning of the fall.
With Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference coming up on June 6, let’s discuss some of Apple’s best desktop computers that have been released in the past few years.
Mac Mini
Along with the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro, the Mac Mini was one of the first Apple computers to ditch Intel silicon in favor of Apple’s M1 processor. Although it didn’t receive the M1X update that the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros did last fall, the Mac Mini still remains the company’s most inexpensive MacOS computer.
In fact, the M1 chip brings Apple’s cheapest desktop into another dimension with 3x faster CPU performance, up to 6x faster graphics, and an advanced Neural Engine for up to 15x faster machine learning. Packed with 16 billion transistors, the Apple M1 system-on-chip (SoC) integrates the CPU, GPU, Neural Engine, I/O, and much more onto a single chip. This chip is clearly the next step in developing technologies, as it offers incredible performance, custom technologies, and industry-leading power efficiency.
The 8-core Mac Mini delivers up to 3x faster processing performance than the previous generation while keeping its 7.7-inch square design with its 8-core CPU. The 8-core GPU allows for up to a 6x increase in graphics performance. On top of that, the 16-core Neural Engine, the brains of the operation, uses machine learning to allow for incredible productivity, automation to video analysis, voice recognition, image processing, and more. Furthermore, the M1 chip’s 16-core Neural engine and full stack of ML technologies transform the Mac Mini into a machine learning powerhouse.
The macOS Monterey operating system unlocks the potential of the M1 chip and makes way for all-new ways to work and play. You’ll be able to connect, share, and create faster and better using FaceTime and Messages – explore the web on the streamlined Safari (the fastest browser right now), and work across Mac and your other Apple devices with Universal Control. To top it off, macOS Monterey includes industry-leading privacy features and best-in-class security.
Incredibly responsive, the M1 chip and macOS Monterey work together to make the entire system faster – the Mac Mini wakes almost instantly from sleep. This also makes tasks like flipping through photos, browsing Safari, and using numerous apps faster and easier. Thanks to Rosetta 2, all of your existing Apple apps will work on the Mac Mini. And now for the first time, you’ll be able to use your favorite iPhone and iPad apps directly on your Mac Mini via macOS Monterey.
As the M1 chip brings up to 16GB of unified memory, this single pool of high-bandwidth, low-latency memory allows apps to share data between the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine seamlessly – so everything you do is efficient.
The Mac Mini also comes with SSD or all-flash storage – up to 2 terabytes. With speeds of up to 3.4GB/s, apps and files launch and load almost instantly.
Due to its compact size, incredible performance, and wide array of ports, this Mac Mini is perfect for a wide range of uses. With two fast Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, two USB-A ports, HDMI, Wi-Fi 6, and Gigabit Ethernet, this machine is perfect for just about anything.
Mac Pro
In December 2019, Apple launched an updated Mac Pro making it the first new Mac Pro since 2013. This new Mac Pro is a high-end machine designed for Apple’s pro user base. Learning from the mistakes and thermal limitations of the 2013 Mac Pro design, the new Mac Pro’s design focuses heavily on upgradeability and expansion. Although the shape is a bit more traditional than the 2013 “trash can” model, this “cheese grater” Mac Pro features a stainless steel frame and aluminum housing that provides 360-degree access to the system. In order to make the 2019 Mac Pro easier to move, handles are built into the frame. The lattice design akin to a cheese grater was adopted in order to maximize airflow and allow for quiet performance. With the best performance, expansion, and configurability to date, this Mac Pro was created to allow a wide range of professionals to push the limits of what is possible in computing.
Sporting up to 28 cores of power, the Mac Pro is designed for professionals who need the ultimate CPU performance. An exceedingly capable machine, the Mac Pro is capable of everything from production rendering to playing hundreds of virtual instruments, to simulating an iOS application on multiple devices at once. The heart of the system includes an Intel Xeon processor with up to 28 cores – the most ever in a Mac computer. Additionally, the large L2 and shared L3 caches and 64 PCI Express lanes provide massive bandwidth in and out of the processor.
In order to squeeze out as much performance as possible, a lot of power is necessary. In this case, the Apple Mac Pro 2019 features a massive heat sink that keeps the system cool while pushing out over 300 watts of power. Heat pipes move away from the chip and disperse the heat among the aluminum fin stacks via three axial fans.
The multicore workstation processor requires a lot of memory – featuring 6 channels of ECC memory and 12 physical DIMM slots, Mac Pro allows for up to 1.5 terabytes of memory. That way pros who are working on large projects, analyzing huge data sets, or running multiple pro applications can stay as productive as possible. While most computer towers cram memory in hard-to-reach places, the Mac Pro contrarily uses a two-sided logic board for easy access.
With twice as many slots as the previous Mac tower, the latest Mac Pro is designed for high-bandwidth capabilities. With four double-wide slots, three single-wide slots, and one half-length slot preconfigured with the Apple I/O card, you can now fully customize and expand in ways never seen in a single workstation.
For many professionals, a high-performance graphics architecture is critical to their workflow. The Mac Pro Expansion Module, or MPX Module, allows pros to use the highest possible performance and take graphics capabilities to the next level. This is especially useful for tasks like animating 3D film assets, compositing 8K scenes, and building lifelike gaming environments. With a second connector, the standard PCIe lanes integrate with Thunderbolt and additional power to increase capability. With up to 500 watts, the MPX Module has a power capacity equivalent to that of the entire previous-generation Mac Pro. With up to 16.0 teraflops of computing performance, 32GB of memory, and 512GBs of memory bandwidth, the MPX Module with Radeon Pro W6800X is a powerhouse. Two Radeon Pro W6800X GPUs combine to create the W6800X Duo – adding even more power. With double the graphics performance, memory, and memory bandwidth, it’s Apple’s most powerful graphics card. The two GPUs are connected through the Infinity Fabric Link, which allows data transfer up to 5x faster between the GPUs. It’s huge for apps that are optimized for multiple GPUs.
On top of that, in order to push your graphics performance even further, Mac Pro supports the configuration of two Radeon Pro W6800X Duo MPX Modules. These four GPUs combine to add up to 60.4 teraflops and 128GB of high-bandwidth graphics memory.
While most GPUs aren’t conceived as part of the overall system, the MPX module is designed as an integrated component of the Mac Pro. That means this GPU doesn’t require its own cooling methods. On top of that, its form factor enables a larger heat sink which works in concert with the machine’s internal airflow in order to quietly dissipate heat.
Apple has created Afterburner, a hardware accelerator card built with a programmable ASIC, in order to transform workflow for film and video professionals. Afterburner allows you to go straight from camera to timeline and work natively with 4K and even 8K files from the start. No more time-consuming transcoding, storage overhead, or errors during output. With over a million logic cells, Afterburner can process up to 6.3 billion pixels per second.
The most secure tower ever built by Apple, the Mac Pro features a Secure Enclave coprocessor which provides a foundation for encrypted storage and secure boot capabilities. This was created so you can worry less about protecting your work, code, and intellectual processing.
The Mac Pro has lots of extremely high-performance input/output (I/O) – with four Thunderbolt 3 ports, two USB-A ports, and two 10GB Ethernet ports. On top of that, you can add more MPX modules for more connectivity and capabilities. This allows you to connect up to 12 4K displays or six Pro Display XDRs from Apple.
Apple Rentals delivered to your business
Are you looking for Apple rentals? You’ve come to the right place. Apple products are consistently some of our most popular rental items, so we always have hundreds available to rent.
Do you need a few, a dozen, or any quantity of Mac Pros or Mac Minis for your office, business function, training class, event, or project? Rentacomputer.com has provided Apple rentals for businesses around the world for the last three decades. Whether you need to schedule delivery for a future event, discuss which devices you’ll need with an experienced agent, or book delivery and set up for this week, Rentacomputer.com is here to help.
Tech Travel Agent Mark Gillaugh specializes in Apple rentals, including MacBooks, iPads, iMacs, iPhones, Mac Pros, and Mac Minis. No matter which device you need, Rentacomputer.com has the latest inventory with the newest products available on the rental circuit.
Mark can answer any questions you have about computers and other necessary equipment, as well as the renting process. Contact Mark today at 1-800-736-8772 ext. 249 or fill out a fast, easy online quote form.
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