Apple officially launched the new Mac Pro and the Pro Display XDR earlier this week. Now two of the engineers have taken a closer look at the innovative cooling features of both devices.
In an interview with Popular Mechanics magazine, Apple engineers Chris Ligtenberg and John Ternus discussed the cooling features of the Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR.
According to the study, Apple had to find a way to use the laws of thermodynamics so that the Mac Pro could present its full performance without melting down. Three special axial fans are used inside the super computer, while a blower is integrated into the back. According to the engineers, all components were specially developed by Apple, as previous models were too loud for this task.
We started redistributing the blades years ago and they are still dynamically balanced. But their new blade pass frequency doesn't produce high harmonics, which tend to be super annoying. There's a bit of math behind it but you can create broadband noise instead of normal noise with this technique.
Chris Ligtenberg, Senior Director of Product Design at Apple
Image: Apple
Something loud but pleasantly tuned can be more tolerable than something quiet but irritating. You can have something at a certain SPL that sounds really good, but you can also have something that is actually at a lower SPL that gets on your nerves and sounds really awful. We wanted to get a really great performance where you either can't hear it, or if you can hear it, it's a pleasant sound.
John Ternus, vice president of hardware engineering at Apple
Apple hopes that users of the Mac Pro or Pro Display XDR will not notice anything going on inside. The casing with the prominent openings plays an important role in this, say the two engineers. The professional screen also has special ventilation, but the prominent openings make a significant contribution to ensuring that the panel itself does not overheat.
High-end model interesting for film studios
The use of conventional cooling systems was not possible, as the monitor can be used in both landscape and portrait format. Even though the potential customer base is small, Apple has made a name for itself with the introduction of the new Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR set a new standard. While the smaller model could be of interest to some creators, the Mac Pro with its high-end features is only intended for film studios in the field of 3D animation. The starting price for the Mac Pro is 6,499 euros - the high-end version costs well over 60,000 euros. The new Apple screen is available in two versions - the model with standard glass costs 5,499 euros, while the version with nano-texture glass costs 6,499 euros. Both devices can now be pre-ordered from Apple. (Image: Apple)
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