5 ms·

Other than the cost because there is no upgrade path, I am a bit worried that they will have done a bad job at estimating the thermal. Given the iPhone 6 and s

Other than the cost because there is no upgrade path, I am a bit worried that they will have done a bad job at estimating the thermal. Given the iPhone 6 and some of the portables, I am worried that a user won't get the full performance for long periods of time. I guess I will wait for the eventual Mac Pro to see what to order next.

givinguflac 9y ago
That's not really a reasonable comparison though, those devices are strictly battery powered and don't have fans. I'm interested to see where this machine lands too, but I would be really surprised if they didn't consider long duration workflow performance.
- aeorgnoieang 9y ago
  I'd have been really surprised that you could login to lots and lots of Macs as `root` with any password too if we all hadn't learned that together recently.
  - valuearb 9y ago
    You had to be able to login to the Mac first, to be able to login to root.
- protomyth 9y ago
  The Macbook Pro has a fan. I think the same problem applies with a Xeon in the mix. I see those devices as a trend and an indication that Apple might have a problem judging the thermal of a new device. The iPhone 6 story is particularly relevant because it shows the way they might be inclined to "solve" any issues that come up.
valuearb 9y ago
The iPhone 6 and the iMac Pro couldn't be more different as products (and I've never heard of any thermal issues with the i6, my wife carried one for 3 years). A better example is the trash can Mac Pro. Apple did design themselves into a thermal corner for upgrades, but the thermals for the CPUs and video cards it shipped with were fine. And as usual, Apple gave it a super quiet fan. I expect Apple to do the same with the iMac Pro, or at least two super quiet fans. "we completely redesigned the thermal architecture of iMac Pro with innovative dual blowers, a massive heatsink, and extra venting. The result? Almost 75 percent more airflow and an 80 percent increase in system thermal capacity. Which lets iMac Pro handle 500 watts — 67 percent more power than the previous iMac — and stay chill."
- protomyth 9y ago
  The iPhone 6 problems are well known (couple HN stories with one being slowing it down to avoid the heating). Having bought 4[1] and replace 3 (well 1 twice for a total of 4), and dealing with several Macbook Pros that swelled batteries when they got hot, I'm a bit worried. I think the trash can Mac is a bad example since they didn't go for thin or integrated display. I'm really not sold on their thermal architecture claim since they made the same one on the Macbook Pros and that didn't turn out well. I'm hopeful, but I have my doubts. I would imagine some folks are going to do the tests like they did on the iPhone 6 to see if it slows under extended load. 1) gotta love family plans.....
  - valuearb 9y ago
    Anecdotal evidence, while interesting, is not really pertinent. For example, I've had over a dozen iPhone models, never had a problem with heat. I've had a half dozen MBPs, use two at the moment, and the battery has never swelled, ever. And the trash can is tiny, making it the second best example we have other than the 5K iMac, both of which work fine and handle thermals fine. And BTW, every phone slows under extended load, that's standard thermal management for fan-less battery powered devices.
    - protomyth 9y ago
      I take it you are just going to skip all the news articles on the iPhone 6? The trash can doesn’t have an integrated display and has a rather large hole to vent, it’s a different beast from the iMac line. Using it as an example is as valid as using the G4. This is the biggest CPU in an Apple thin form factor machine, and I think it is pretty wise to be nervous.

givinguflac 9y ago

That's not really a reasonable comparison though, those devices are strictly battery powered and don't have fans. I'm interested to see where this machine lands too, but I would be really surprised if they didn't consider long duration workflow performance.

aeorgnoieang 9y ago
I'd have been really surprised that you could login to lots and lots of Macs as `root` with any password too if we all hadn't learned that together recently.
- valuearb 9y ago
  You had to be able to login to the Mac first, to be able to login to root.
protomyth 9y ago
The Macbook Pro has a fan. I think the same problem applies with a Xeon in the mix. I see those devices as a trend and an indication that Apple might have a problem judging the thermal of a new device. The iPhone 6 story is particularly relevant because it shows the way they might be inclined to "solve" any issues that come up.

valuearb 9y ago

The iPhone 6 and the iMac Pro couldn't be more different as products (and I've never heard of any thermal issues with the i6, my wife carried one for 3 years). A better example is the trash can Mac Pro. Apple did design themselves into a thermal corner for upgrades, but the thermals for the CPUs and video cards it shipped with were fine. And as usual, Apple gave it a super quiet fan. I expect Apple to do the same with the iMac Pro, or at least two super quiet fans. "we completely redesigned the thermal architecture of iMac Pro with innovative dual blowers, a massive heatsink, and extra venting. The result? Almost 75 percent more airflow and an 80 percent increase in system thermal capacity. Which lets iMac Pro handle 500 watts — 67 percent more power than the previous iMac — and stay chill."

protomyth 9y ago
The iPhone 6 problems are well known (couple HN stories with one being slowing it down to avoid the heating). Having bought 4[1] and replace 3 (well 1 twice for a total of 4), and dealing with several Macbook Pros that swelled batteries when they got hot, I'm a bit worried. I think the trash can Mac is a bad example since they didn't go for thin or integrated display. I'm really not sold on their thermal architecture claim since they made the same one on the Macbook Pros and that didn't turn out well. I'm hopeful, but I have my doubts. I would imagine some folks are going to do the tests like they did on the iPhone 6 to see if it slows under extended load. 1) gotta love family plans.....
- valuearb 9y ago
  Anecdotal evidence, while interesting, is not really pertinent. For example, I've had over a dozen iPhone models, never had a problem with heat. I've had a half dozen MBPs, use two at the moment, and the battery has never swelled, ever. And the trash can is tiny, making it the second best example we have other than the 5K iMac, both of which work fine and handle thermals fine. And BTW, every phone slows under extended load, that's standard thermal management for fan-less battery powered devices.
  - protomyth 9y ago
    I take it you are just going to skip all the news articles on the iPhone 6? The trash can doesn’t have an integrated display and has a rather large hole to vent, it’s a different beast from the iMac line. Using it as an example is as valid as using the G4. This is the biggest CPU in an Apple thin form factor machine, and I think it is pretty wise to be nervous.