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Comment by wmf | Hacker News Reader

I don't think external GPUs are part of Apple's plan. The GPU comes inside the Mac, and if you want to upgrade it you can buy a new Mac.

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OS X interestingly forgoes external graphics PCIe support (for now) with Thunderbolt. Windows supports it. Also Windows, since Windows 7 supports 24+ bit panels (think Dell Ultrasharp U2711), OS X is still stuck on 16.7 million.

Lately, I haven't felt like Apple has my back for pro-A/V :/

That would seem very expensive.

External GPUs are not cheap too!

Perfect(for Apple)!

Component upgrade costs are always cheaper than replacing the entire system, but what is the cost delta between replacing two GPUs and a CPU versus replacing the system. We don't know the cost for the Mac Pro yet, but given it's size and the limited number of components that are internal, it would appear to be optimized for system-level replacement.

What Apple has designed could be described as a laptop for your desk. Sales of systems where the CPU/GPU are upgradable are plummeting. The market is driving computers in this direction.

That seems a shame , upgradeability has always let me have a relatively high performance system without breaking the bank.

I don't necessarily want a top end CPU, but I like a decent GPU and a lot of memory.

Not to mention the environmental factors.

I empathize, but the Mac Pro hasn't really been an option for anyone not looking to break the bank. If you're in to building your own systems, there are always other options:

OS X system guides - http://www.tonymacx86.com/

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