Rumor: 6-core Intel Core i9 CPU on the way to a Mac Pro near you

Hardmac has provided the Mac universe with an interesting rumor -- that a future Mac Pro, expected in early 2010, will sport dual Intel Xeon Core i9 "Gulftown" CPUs. The website cites a Polish website, PCLab, as showing test results of the CPU at about 50% faster than the corresponding quad-core Xeon processor. Intel's new 6-core CPU features 32 nm engraving, which results in less power consumption in idle (50% less) and fully-loaded (10% less) modes. PCLab had posted a detailed review of the new CPU, but pulled it when asked by Intel to remove the data.

Many Mac pundits have been wondering what Apple would do to differentiate the new iMac Core i7 and the Mac Pro models. The six-core CPU would give the engineers in Cupertino a growth path that results in a top-of-the-line 12-core Mac Pro that incidentally uses less power. Of course, applications will need to be properly coded to take advantage of the multiple cores, something that many Mac developers are already doing.

[via Hardmac]
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