Mac Pro gets a speed bump, Xserve has new storage options
After the introduction of the new 27" Intel Core i7 iMac in October, a lot of us in the Mac world were puzzled by the lack of a new higher-end Mac Pro. After all, the Mac Pro has traditionally been the most powerful Mac with the highest level of expandability. This morning, Apple quietly announced a speed bump for the Mac Pro, as well as new storage options for both the Mac Pro and the Xserve. For the quad-core Mac Pro (but not the eight-core model), you can now order a 3.33 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon "Nehalem" processor. This is an amazing CPU, with 8 MB of fully shared L3 cache, Hyper-Threading technology, an integrated memory controller, and Turbo Boost for short bursts of speed up to 3.6 GHz.
Now that prices have come down a bit on 2 TB hard drives, Apple has made them a configure-to-order option for Mac Pro and Xserve systems. Using high-performance 7200 RPM SATA drives with 32 MB of cache and a potential throughput of 3 Gb/s, the Mac Pro can now have a total storage capacity of 8 TB, while the Xserve can max out at 6 TB of storage.
The new options are available immediately from the online Apple Store.
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After the introduction of the new 27" Intel Core i7 iMac in October, a lot of us in the Mac world were puzzled by the lack of a new...
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http://store.apple.com/uk/product/TW387ZM/A?fnode=MTY1NDA5OQ&mco=MTA4MzU2MDA
this is about 30% faster on a good day than your graphics card.
So, let me get this straight...
You can pay an additional $1200 (over the base MacPro) for a only a single 3.33 processor, or you can pay an additional $800 for a second processor & double the RAM? Is it just me, or at those prices is getting an 8-core over a 3.33 a no-brainer?
For a quick breakdown of the MacBook features, go to http://www.topfivecomputers.com/
December 05 2009 at 1:46 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplySo is the new quad core faster the 8 core models?
December 05 2009 at 11:35 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyOh why oh why can't apple make a mini tower. One processor, graphic card, and room for a couple hard drives for under 2k.
December 04 2009 at 4:40 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyWhile it may be the fastest Nehalem yet the Power7 cpu easily outperforms it. It never made sense to me why Apple didn't stay with Power on Mac Pro and Xserve.
December 04 2009 at 3:49 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI can see the Xeon's in the dual processor (8-core) Mac Pro. But I just don't get why they use the Xeon's for the single processor (4-core) Mac Pro's. The Xeon's are ungodly expensive. Throw an i7 in the entry level Mac Pro and sell it for $1800. Just as fast and more affordable.
December 04 2009 at 1:37 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyNo no no, the i7 does not equal dual Xeons. And I'm fairly sure you can't have dual i7s on one motherboard.
December 04 2009 at 3:52 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replyugh, nevermind...I had no idea they actually dropped the dual processor on the low end Mac Pros. I can't stand how inconsistent the mac pro models are.
December 04 2009 at 3:58 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyDetails of this story are incorrect: The entire Mac Pro line now has Nehalem processors, including the 8-core model
December 04 2009 at 1:28 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyWe have always had Nehalem in the eight-core (Gainestown) models. This update does not apply to them.
December 04 2009 at 3:46 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI thought Apple publicly stated that the lineup was set for the holidays. I looks like they lied. A product change just before XMAS!! Go figure..
If I ever won the lottery, I would have one of these fully maxed out.
December 04 2009 at 12:27 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplySo I went to the store and priced it..... that'll be $13,999.90 with two Cinema Displays, pre-installs and AppleCare. =)
December 04 2009 at 12:42 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyHot Apps on TUAW
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