In the years since its release, I haven’t seen many 2019 Mac Pros come through my shop. My theory is that they’re still heavily utilized in production environments, and we haven’t yet seen large quantities hit the secondary market. While I’m sure there will eventually be a demand for them, I don’t anticipate the 2019 Mac Pro becoming as prevalent—or popular—as the 2013 Mac Pro.
Despite the mixed reviews Apple received for the 2013 Mac Pro, they managed to pack a significant amount of power into a compact, sleek machine. Over time, it’s actually become a great value for power users, particularly because RAM and storage upgrades are relatively simple, even if the specs are beginning to show their age. Meanwhile, the 2019 Mac Pro may end up being a brief footnote in Apple’s history, with the earlier 2006–2012 Mac Pro models remaining a favorite among tech enthusiasts and tinkerers.
For most professionals today, the Mac Studio is a better solution. When the opportunity presented itself we replaced all of our Mac Pros with Apple Mac Studio M1 Max machines. These machines are incredible—even the base-spec M1 Max, which are now three years old, continue to perform beautifully and are a perfect choice for anyone considering a Mac Pro alternative.
Our Shop does not have a complete parts catalog for the Mac Studio yet, but we are working on it. One issue I’ve noticed is that iCloud lock can ruin motherboards, and there’s currently no way to upgrade the internal storage. However, I believe the storage limitation is a temporary issue that Apple will eventually resolve.
For now, the Mac Studio M1 Max represents the future of Apple’s professional hardware, while the 2013 Mac Pro remains a viable option for those seeking a cost-effective workstation. Whether you’re working in content creation, 3D rendering, or video editing, these devices continue to offer excellent performance.
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