Source: Apple
What you need to know
- Apple's Afterburner Card is now available as a standalone purchase.
- It'll cost you $2000.
- The Afterburner Card takes on the processing of ProRes and ProRes RAW files for the Mac Pro improving graphics capacity.
Apple's Afterburner Card for Mac Pro is now available as a standalone purchase from its website.
As reported by MacRumors:
Apple today made its $2,000 Mac Pro Afterburner Card available as a separate purchase, having previously been offered only as a build-to-order option when configuring a new Mac Pro.
The Afterburner Card is a graphics accelerator designed for the Mac Pro. It takes on the processing of ProRes and ProRes RAW tasks in applications such as Final Cut Pro X, lightening the load on the Mac Pro's graphics cards.
As Apple's website notes:
Created to transform the workflow for film and video professionals, Afterburner accelerates ProRes and ProRes RAW video codecs in Final Cut Pro X, QuickTime Player X, and supported third-party applications. A PCI Express card exclusively for Mac Pro, Afterburner can be installed in any full-length slot, but it delivers maximum capability in a PCIe x16 slot.
The Afterburner Card works with Apple's Mac Pro only and fits in the PCI Express x16 card slot. It supports playback of up to 6 streams of 8K ProRes RAW or up to 23 streams of 4K ProRes RAW.
The news comes amidst a swathe of new product release for Apple today, March 18. Apple has today also announced a new Macbook Air, new Mac Mini, new Apple Watch bands and new iPhone cases.
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

What was it like working on the set of 'Cherry'?
I worked on the set of the film 'Cherry' which will be released on Apple TV+ on March 12. It was a pretty incredible experience; here's what it was like behind the scenes.

March 23 Apple event could bring AirTags, new iPad Pro, AirPods, Apple TV
Apple might be set to lift the lid on a ton of new hardware.

Apple VR leak suggests 2022 release date, key features
A new research note from Apple supply chain guru Ming-Chi Kuo indicates Apple's VR headset is coming next year, and will be highly integrated with products like Apple TV+ and Apple Arcade.

Don't carry around your new MacBook Air bare! Get a case!
Your MacBook Air is expensive — make sure you protect it with a case!