Apple adds new MacBook Pro graphics option and Mac Pro SSD upgrade kit

A week before kicking off WWDC, Apple introduced a pair of upgrades to its pro-level hardware lines. Both the 16-inch MacBook Pro and the Mac Pro desktop are getting select internal upgrades, starting today.

One the notebook front, the 16-inch model gets an additional graphics configuration. The addition of the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M GPU marks the best graphics performance yet for the notebook line, marking up a 75-percent speed increase over the the next-highest configuration, the Radeon Pro 5500M.

And it’s priced to match. The 5500M with 8GB of memory is a $100 premium over the system’s $2,799 base. The 5600 with 8GB of HBM2 memory, on the other hand, will run an extra $700. But if you’re going to go for the top of the line, you might as well really go for the top of the line, right

A full specked out model (without tossing in an extra software) will run $6,699. Obviously that’s a super-high-end professional configuration, which is going to be crazy overkill for most of us.

If you run a studio that does video production, 3D design or special effects, and want to really future-proof the thing, on the other hand, it might be worth a look.

Speaking of future-proofing, Apple also just rolled out a new feature designed to make it easier for users to upgrade the Mac Pro. A new SSD kit is designed for user-installation, featuring 1, 2, 4 and 8TB storage modules. Instructions for upgrading the high-end tower can be found here.

The MacBook update is currently available through Apple’s site. The SSD upgrade, meanwhile, should be arriving later today.