Maybe I do not understand what change, but the Mac Website has allowed the Apple Afterburner Card as a standalone purchase since Dec 2019?
I have a web archive dot org saying this page was available December 18th, 2019. Perhaps it even happened earlier on the days you could first buy the Mac Pro on December 10th, 2019, this is because web archive dot org does not instantly chronicle when a page first goes up instead having captures sometime after the fact.
The problem is that it's hard to say "overpriced" when there's no comparable alternative being built. Pretty much all Threadripper motherboards are limited in the RAM department. They focus more on LEDs than extra features (ex. https://www.amd.com/en/chipsets/str40)
I have no idea why no other OEM builds a proper EPYC box that actually takes advantage of EPYC's massive core count AND memory capabilities among others. You're left with the DIY option which isn't really an option if you want to equip your company with them given the hurdles you'd have to jump through and hidden costs of building dozens of DIY boxes, making sure they all works the same, and support them for years.
And that's not even taking into account the companies that have tens of thousands of $ worth of MacOS specialized software licenses for each workstation and for whom the cost of the metal is the accessory not the main one.
Shrinking market. Concentrate on the loyal customer segment which is committed to the market and which tolerates higher prices for stuff of same or lower quality (enthusiasts, the RGB crowd). Don't bother too much about other customer segments that exhibit a tendency/high probabiliy of leaving the market when it shrinks further or prices rise. That's how you can make good business and even grow it in a shrinking market. In other words: cater to the fools, damn the rest of us...
Are there really that many companies using Mac PCs for anything these days? I see a few laptops around but workstation grade hardware is generally a Dell and HP thing as they cater to the same market with more cost effective systems. When we must render locally as opposed to sending jobs to a better equipped server farm, we typically do so on more commonly available Linux workstations.
Macbook Pros are used by a ton of people in a large variety of industries. As far as the desktop Macs are concerned, I have heard they are used in the video editing industry, though I haven’t witnessed it.
It’s just a big ‘ol FPGA, so the fact that it still doesn’t support accelerating raw formats from Red, ARRI, Blackmagic, or others, is quite unfortunate.
You do not need the T2 chip to utilize an Afterburner card, it is simply a dedicated FPGA over PCIe. How many modern Apple devices utilize/allow end-user appropriation of a motherboard expansion slot? If you read this article, https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210748, you should only be able to count "1" device. Officially.
In the future, please remember to avoid invoking featherheaded Trumpism "truths"...everyone dearly hopes that you will.
We’ve updated our terms. By continuing to use the site and/or by logging into your account, you agree to the Site’s updated Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
11 Comments
Back to Article
Roland00Address - Monday, March 23, 2020 - link
Maybe I do not understand what change, but the Mac Website has allowed the Apple Afterburner Card as a standalone purchase since Dec 2019?I have a web archive dot org saying this page was available December 18th, 2019. Perhaps it even happened earlier on the days you could first buy the Mac Pro on December 10th, 2019, this is because web archive dot org does not instantly chronicle when a page first goes up instead having captures sometime after the fact.
FreckledTrout - Monday, March 23, 2020 - link
They really should ship a block of cheddar with it. At least have a little fun with the fact it's great grandmother was a cheese grater.nandnandnand - Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - link
Ordered overpriced Xeon crap, but at least they gave me a moldy block of cheddar with it.close - Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - link
The problem is that it's hard to say "overpriced" when there's no comparable alternative being built. Pretty much all Threadripper motherboards are limited in the RAM department. They focus more on LEDs than extra features (ex. https://www.amd.com/en/chipsets/str40)I have no idea why no other OEM builds a proper EPYC box that actually takes advantage of EPYC's massive core count AND memory capabilities among others. You're left with the DIY option which isn't really an option if you want to equip your company with them given the hurdles you'd have to jump through and hidden costs of building dozens of DIY boxes, making sure they all works the same, and support them for years.
And that's not even taking into account the companies that have tens of thousands of $ worth of MacOS specialized software licenses for each workstation and for whom the cost of the metal is the accessory not the main one.
InTheMidstOfTheInBeforeCrowd - Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - link
> They focus more on LEDs than extra featuresShrinking market. Concentrate on the loyal customer segment which is committed to the market and which tolerates higher prices for stuff of same or lower quality (enthusiasts, the RGB crowd). Don't bother too much about other customer segments that exhibit a tendency/high probabiliy of leaving the market when it shrinks further or prices rise. That's how you can make good business and even grow it in a shrinking market. In other words: cater to the fools, damn the rest of us...
PeachNCream - Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - link
Are there really that many companies using Mac PCs for anything these days? I see a few laptops around but workstation grade hardware is generally a Dell and HP thing as they cater to the same market with more cost effective systems. When we must render locally as opposed to sending jobs to a better equipped server farm, we typically do so on more commonly available Linux workstations.eek2121 - Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - link
Macbook Pros are used by a ton of people in a large variety of industries. As far as the desktop Macs are concerned, I have heard they are used in the video editing industry, though I haven’t witnessed it.blppt - Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - link
More concerning is triggering my mild trypophobia.(btw, if you don't know what that is, do NOT google search it)
Guspaz - Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - link
It’s just a big ‘ol FPGA, so the fact that it still doesn’t support accelerating raw formats from Red, ARRI, Blackmagic, or others, is quite unfortunate.web2dot0 - Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - link
You need the T2 chip to make Afterburner card work ... so hackers can only make the Afterburner cards work with Macs not Hackintoshes.manicmatviyko - Thursday, March 26, 2020 - link
You do not need the T2 chip to utilize an Afterburner card, it is simply a dedicated FPGA over PCIe. How many modern Apple devices utilize/allow end-user appropriation of a motherboard expansion slot? If you read this article, https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210748, you should only be able to count "1" device. Officially.In the future, please remember to avoid invoking featherheaded Trumpism "truths"...everyone dearly hopes that you will.