After seeing the 54,000 USD Mac Pro from Apple, I was slightly astonished by some of the specs, but I was also disgusted by the price. For example, you could buy a brand new Tesla Model 3, or a used Ferrari. So today, I will go over the specs of the Mac Pro vs the specs of our own Astronomical Build. Our astronomical build is basically the best build we could do with commercially available, non-server components.
Note: All of this explanation is based on the specs of the machine. This battle is based on specs, and when there's not a clear winner there, opinion. (pls no hate)
CPU
The Mac Pro full ver. comes with a 28 core Intel Xeon W rated to clock at 3.1 GHz, with a boost speed of up to 4.5 GHz. The Astronomical build comes with a 64 core AMD Threadripper 3 3990x, with a base clock of 2.9, and a boost clock of 4.3.
CPU winner: Astronomical build
Why? Even though the Xeon has a higher clock rate, the Threadripper has over double the cores, so there is basically no contest there.
GPU
The Graphics card on the Mac Pro is a special one, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II duo. This GPU, instead of GDDR6, uses HBM2 graphics memory. The Mac Pro comes with 2 of these GPUs (32GB of HBM2 each), but has many more expansion slots. The Astronomical Build, on the other hand, comes with 4 NVIDIA Titan RTX GPUs, each packing 24gb of GDDR6. The difference here is the data transfer rates for each type of memory. While the HBM2 is smaller, and therefore better for large-scale servers, it only transfers 2 Gbps while the GDDR6 transfers 16 Gbps. Additionally, the astronomical build, with 4 Titan RTX GPUs in SLI, overall has 96GB of GDDR6.
GPU winner: Astronomical Build
Why? GDDR6 might be slightly less efficient than HBM2, but since it is so much faster, and there is much more of it, the Astro build prevails.
RAM
The RAM on the Mac Pro is AMAZING! It comes with 12 DIMM slots and on the Full spec version, it comes with a whopping 1.5 TB of RAM! To put that in perspective, a high-end gaming rig would have 32 GB, and this has 1500! This is where Apple beats the astronomical build, out of the water. Our build only had 256GB of RAM, a massive amount, but still gets absolutely crushed by the Mac Pro.
RAM winner: Mac Pro
Why? This needs no explanation, you can just read the above paragraph over again.
Price
The price of the Mac Pro comes with a HUGE apple brand tax. The computer is $54k with peripherals included. The ordinary person couldn't even think of owning this PC because of this price tag. The astronomical build, on the other hand, is a little milder than the Mac Pro, with a price tag of $25k. Still VERY VERY VERY expensive, but the Price for Quality ratio is much better.
Price winner: Astronomical build
Why? The Price for Quality ratio is better, considering that the astronomical build has won in most categories.
Airflow
The Airflow on the Mac Pro is quite good... for a Mac. The normal Macbook Pro or Air has terrible airflow, so the Mac Pro using real fans, and not chipset fans, is a huge step in the right direction for Apple. However, Apple's 3-4 fans and extensive heatsink can't top the astronomical build's 24 fans and custom water cooling system.
Airflow Winner: astronomical build
Why? Apple does boast a huge heatsink and multiple powerful fans. However, in the astronomical build, there is just so much power, it's hard to compete.
Looks/RGB/Boast Factor
This is a very difficult question to answer, as some people like the Mac and its sleek, minimalistic design, but others like the insane RGB on the Astronomical build. You can boast about either PC too, so I have to end this one in a tie.
Looks/RGB/Boast Factor Winner: Tie (0.5 points to both teams)
Cheese Grating Capabilities
I'm sorry Astronomical build, this award just has to go to Apple. The front panel on the Mac Pro looks so much like a cheese grater, and the astronomical build has nothing to match unless you count those measly dust vents.
Cheese Grater Winner: APPLE
Point Tally
(not counting cheese grating capabilities)
Full Spec Mac Pro: 2.5
Astronomical Build: 4.5
AND THE WINNER IS.............. TECHADVANTAGE ASTRONOMICAL BUILD