Apple Mac Pro Internal SSD Upgrade Kit and 16-Inch MBP GPU Option Introduced

New GPU Option for the 16-Inch MacBook Pro

The 16-inch MacBook Pro has been out for a few months now, and Apple just released a new GPU option for this powerful laptop: the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M. This GPU is custom-made for Apple by AMD, as the Vega 16/20 for the MacBook Pro or the Vega II for the Mac Pro.

The Radeon Pro 5600M features the latest AMD RDNA architecture and is based on the Navi 12 chipset. In terms of characteristics, there are 40 CU, which means a whopping 2560 Stream Processors. However, one of the most significant improvements of the 5600M GPU over its predecessor is the memory. It uses up to 8GB of HBM2 memory instead of GDDR6 memory, which is much faster and can reach a memory bandwidth of up to 394GB/s.

Image credit: Apple

According to Apple, the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M is 0.6 times faster – and close to 50% faster on DaVinci Resolve – than the previous 5500M with 4GB of GDDR6.

The AMD Radeon Pro 5600M GPU option is available now in the Apple Store, and you have two options. If you select the base-model 16-inch MacBook Pro, you can add the 5600M GPU with 8GB of GDDR6 memory for an extra $200.00, or you can choose the HBM2 model for $800.00.

Image credit: Apple

Apple Mac Pro Internal SSD Upgrade Kit

The latest Apple Mac Pro is supposed to be the most powerful and user-upgradable Apple desktop computer ever made. However, the only part that could not be upgraded by the end-user was the internal SSD. In short, Apple uses proprietary SSD drives on the Mac Pro, and they are paired to the machine via the T2 security chip. Yet finally, Apple just released an Apple Mac Pro internal SSD upgrade kit that now solves this problem!

Image credit: Apple

Don’t get me wrong, like everything from Apple, there is a (big) price to pay to get your hands on one of the Mac Pro internal SSD upgrade kit. Also, it is more expensive to buy a kit later down the road rather than getting it from the Mac Pro configurator. Otherwise, if you are running out of money when building the desktop computer of your dreams, or you want to expand your internal storage capacities, at least you can do it. Please note that you’ll also need another Mac computer with macOS 10.14.6 or later and Apple Configurator 2.12 or later to update your Mac Pro.

The 1TB Mac Pro internal SSD kit is $600.00, the 2TB option is $1000.00, the 4TB version is $1600.00, and the 8TB kit is $2800.00.

Image credit: Apple

What do you think about these Apple updates? What GPU option did you choose for your 16-inch MacBook Pro? Did you already make the switch to the latest Mac Pro? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!