Mac Pro (2nd generation)

The 2nd-generation Mac Pro is a workstation computer designed by Apple for the professional market. Released on December 19, 2013, it succeeded the 1st-generation Mac Pro. In 2019, it was replaced by the 3rd-generation Mac Pro, which returned to a tower configuration reminiscent of the original.

Announcement
The 2nd-generation Mac Pro was announced on June 10 at the keynote event of the 2013 Worldwide Developers Conference.

Description
Like other Mac Pro models, it uses Intel's high-end Xeon processors, but its smaller cylindrical shape (1/8 of the volume of the previous tower) earned it the moniker "trash can". The electronics within the smaller form factor were arranged around a "thermal core", and was criticized for limited internal expandability. The four DIMM slots could support up to 64 GB of RAM. However, internal storage is limited to one proprietary slot on one of the graphics cards that can accept a SSD based on a PCIe 2.0 x4 interface. Users have found SSDs designed for 2013 to 2015 MacBook Pros to be compatible with this slot.

GPU options for the 2nd-generation Mac Pro included the dual AMD FirePro D300, D500, or D700, each with up to 2, 4, or 6 GB of video RAM, respectively.

Trivia
There is a tutorial on how to change the trash icon in the Dock to this Mac.

Articles

 * The Mac Pro Review (Late 2013) by Anand Lal Shimpi at AnandTech (2013-12-31)