Gadget teardown specialists, iFixit, have completed their full disassembly of the new Mac Pro and have given it an 8 out of 10 on the repairability scale. So what else did they find out? Best to head on over there for the full details (24 steps for the full take-apart), but here are a few of the juicy details (cherry-picked from the iFixit run-down);
- it has taken some design pointers from the AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule bodies: a thin, vertical design with individual boards on separate sides.
- simply sliding the lock switch allows us to remove the outer casing of the Mac Pro. No stubborn pentalobe screws here!
- The RAM in the Mac Pro Late 2013 is easily accessible and replaceable.
- it is vented by a single fan, which pulls air from under the case, through the core, and out the top of the case.
- it utilizes a giant triangular heat sink (“Thermal Core”), shared by the dual graphics cards and CPU.
- the new graphics cards may be the key to Apple finally undercutting homebrew systems on a pure power basis.
- a CPU upgrade appears entirely possible.
- The power supply has no dedicated cooling, and relies on the main system fan to keep cool—allowing the Mac Pro to idle at a whisper-quiet 12 dBA.
- Non-proprietary Torx screws are used throughout, and several components can be replaced independently.
In spite of the lack of internal, user-upgradeable disk space, the new Mac Pro is a far cry from the iMac which has gotten more and more difficult to do at-home repairs or upgrades upon. Here’s hoping that Apple plans to offer some internal component upgrade paths.