Apple unleashes 8-core and quad-core Mac Pro

Aha, belgium online-store has been updated!! Long live the 8-core!! :-)

Hmm. Nice. Was literally (as in today) placing an order for 3 MacPro's and 3 23" displays (I have a 30" the other were for the rest of my studio I own).

Save a little, speed up a little. Nice. Add in CS3 and I feel like Xmas is here!

Marcos they would actually be w8 setup :) 2 dual core chips on each package

This is a good thing now I know that WWDC there are going to be brand new Mac Pro's not just updates and brand new displays I base this theory on a rumor I read a month ago (it was on one of the major rumor site if anyone can find the link please post) about apple working on an Octo-core Mac Pro that would only run Leopard I think It actually use Penryn based Xeon's instead of Cloverton I mean why would they use Cloverton when Penryn is right around the corner and usually there more press on apples website when it come to their flagship Workstation Plus Duh new monitor their clearing old stock of Display and Mac Pro but it's only a theory.

I have a question. Are the 8 cores in a straight-8 configuration, or is it two clovertowns in a V-twin? I'd prefer the latter, because you'd get more low end torque.

Also, the final data bus is chain, shaft, or belt drive? Either shaft or belt would be cool (I prefer belt); chain drives are a pain in the ass.

Still nothing new on the UK store???

do the FB-DIMMs make sense, yet?

It is time we start calling it by it's real name.

"The Ocho", (from DodgeBall the Movie)

ESPN watch out Apple is a comin'

You'll need at least 1GB RAM per core for optimum performance. Any less, and the processor will be starved for data.

The guys over at Nucleo Pro ran a test with AE 7, Nucleo Pro and a 8-Core developer unit. They took a 2 hour render down to 8 minutes!

#2

Your geek friend is a dolt. Benchmark and real-world testing of Intel Core Quad systems is widely available and the results are very real for software that knows how to take advantage of it. The bus access may not b as optimal as it will in later design but the benefit are available now, today. If it really bothers you, you can think of it as two dual-core CPUs in a single socket or four dual-core CPUs in two socket for the maxxed out version.

This is pretty major power in a single tower. Those who have the right application can get a lot of real value from this. Even without thread-smart apps, virtualization lets you get an outrageous amount of less intelligent or parellelable apps going in the one box.

It's not for everyone. A group of separate boxes would make s more sense for many uses. But if you've got a very high salaried animator needing more performance in Maya and other high-end apps, it could be a good investment.