In a somewhat surprising move, Apple announced two new GPUs for the MacBook Pro 15 in the end of last year. They are completely new Vega GPUs from AMD. While the two regular Radeon Pro chips (555X & 560X) are still based on the older GCN4 architecture, the two Radeon Pro Vega GPUs are based on the GCN5 architecture. However, the thermal output is most likely similar (35 watts), so we will have to wait for the benchmark results to see how big the performance advantage really is. Apple only offers the two new GPUs as upgrades for the more expensive SKU, so you have to pay another 300 Euros (~$338/Radeon Pro Vega 16) or 420 Euros (~$473/Radeon Pro Vega 20) in addition to the base price of 3299 Euros (~$3715).

Our test sample is equipped with all the expensive options: Intel Core i9 processor (+340 Euros/~$383), 32 GB RAM (+480 Euros/~$541) and massive 4 TB SSD storage, which costs an insane amount of 3840 Euros (~$4324). This results in a total price of 8379 Euros (~$9435).

We will have a look at different aspects in this review, but the main focus is the performance of the two new components. We are particularly eager to see whether the new Vega GPU is more efficient than the previous Radeon Pro GPUs or whether the thermal capabilities limit the performance. We have already reviewed the Apple MacBook Pro 15, so we won't cover all sections in this article. Please see our previous reviews for more information on the case, the ports, the input devices, and the display:

