Mac Pro Gains New AMD Radeon PRO W6600X GPU Upgrade Option - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Mac Pro Gains New AMD Radeon PRO W6600X GPU Upgrade Option

by

Following the launch of the new Mac Studio with M1 Ultra chip, AMD today announced that it has introduced the AMD Radeon PRO W6600X GPU for the existing Intel-based Mac Pro lineup.

mac pro amd gpu
The AMD Radeon PRO W6600X GPU is built on AMD's RDNA 2 architecture, which AMD says offers "stunning visuals and exceptional performance" for the Mac Pro.

The GPU supports up to 8GB of GDDR6 memory with up to 256 GB/s bandwidth, 32MB of last-level data cache integrated on the GPU die to reduce latency and power consumption, and enhanced video compositing and editing for professional workflows.

The W6600X is a $300 upgrade for the base Mac Pro, and it joins other higher-end graphics options like the W6800X and the W6900X.

Apple confirmed today that it is working on an Apple silicon-based version of the Mac Pro that will see the company transitioning away from Intel chips and AMD graphics, but there is no word on when such a machine might launch.

Buyer's Guide: Mac Pro (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: Mac Pro

Popular Stories

iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching in Two Months With These 12 New Features

Friday July 17, 2026 10:39 am PDT by
It is now mid-July, and that means the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are now just two months away. The devices are expected to look similar to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, but there will still be many year-over-year changes, with rumored features including a smaller Dynamic Island, 5G via satellite, and more. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, ...
Read Full Article • 40 comments
Apple 2026 Back to School Graphic

Apple's 2026 Back to School Offer Just Went Live in Select Countries

Wednesday July 15, 2026 11:48 am PDT by
Apple's annual Back to School promotion is now live in select countries in Asia, including China, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. The offer provides college students and educational staff with a free item with the purchase of an eligible Mac or iPad model. The exact offer varies by country, with options including a pack of four AirTags, AirPods 4,...
Read Full Article • 19 comments
iphone 17 cyber

Apple Closes Unlocked iPhone Loophole for T-Mobile and Verizon Financing

Wednesday July 15, 2026 3:20 pm PDT by
Carrier-financed iPhones purchased from Apple will soon be locked to the carrier, ending a workaround customers used to purchase an unlocked iPhone on a payment plan. Until the rule change, buying an iPhone from Apple and opting for financing through Verizon or T-Mobile meant you would get an iPhone not locked to either carrier's network. That's no longer the case, and now iPhones financed...
Read Full Article • 149 comments

Top Rated Comments

velocityg4 Avatar
velocityg4
57 months ago

I am not trolling, just...who would buy a new Mac Pro now?
The only thing I am guessing this Mac Pro would be better is to natively run Windows 10/11. If that is even possible, I don't know.
Some possibilities
- To run software or plugins not yet ARM native.
- Need for lots of GPU power (multiple GPU rendering)
- Need for lots of high speed storage (NVMe RAID)
- Lots of RAM (256GB to 1.5TB)
- Various other PCIe Expansion

The ARM chips offer tremendous CPU speed per watt. But they still have serious drawbacks. In terms of expandability and software support. But this affects a niche market. Although it's also a market which is willing to pay very high premiums for hardware.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fuchsdh Avatar
fuchsdh
57 months ago
I don't get why people complain about this stuff, haha. Don't you want Apple to make its legacy products a better buy for the people who can't or won't wait for the next machine? Especially since the Mac Pro's extensibility is part of the whole point, I've been really happy to see them actually put effort into first-party MXM modules (pour one out for the Afterburner, though—that's definitely not existing in an Apple Silicon world.)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ashok.Vardhan Avatar
Ashok.Vardhan
56 months ago

I'm thinking Mac Pro sales will plummet after yesterday's event!
Not really. There will be many small/mid level studios that need large storage solutions that will still use the Intel MacPro systems because MacStudio cannot give the same PCI-e expandability. One of the main reasons is HBA cards (ATTO, High-Point, Areca) to expand storage solutions based off large multiple RAID arrays of HDD or SSDs. Thunderbolt 3/4 might boast high speeds, but reliability and sustained read/writes perhaps not as much.

I am still using the MacPro 5,1 primarily because of how easy it is to expand storage solutions through internal PCI-e slots based HBAs. Agreed memory/processor bus speeds are frozen for many years, however, once invested in a lot of internal and external solutions, these small/mid studio will not reinvest for probably another 5-8 years depending on their profit margins and investments.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
N
NewUsername
57 months ago
Also, the Mac Pro now starts with 512GB SSD. Before, it started at 256GB (and actually there was no 512GB option, only 1TB and more).
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
svish
57 months ago
New option is good. But will be wise to wait it out for the Mac Pro replacement with Apple Silicon.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarlJ Avatar
CarlJ
57 months ago

I am not trolling, just...who would buy a new Mac Pro now?
At a guess, people running it in a professional setting (where it is aimed), who have application software that either runs badly under emulation or won't run at all under emulation. Particularly if they have, say, a dozen (Intel-based) Mac Pros and one breaks, or they decide they need a couple more - you wouldn't want to have to support 11 of one kind and 1 of a completely different kind.

For one-off use, and for making your web browser go really fast, the Mac Studio would be a better choice, but either would be ridiculous overkill for most people.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments