Apple today unveiled the world’s first 3.0GHz, 8-core Intel Xeon-based Mac Pro.
• Two 3.0GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5300 series “Clovertown” processors
• Intel Core microarchitecture
• 8MB of L2 cache per processor (16MB total; each pair of cores shares 4MB)
• 128-bit SSE3 vector engine
• 64-bit data paths and registers
• Energy efficiency optimization
• 1.33GHz, 64-bit dual independent frontside buses
Apple’s Mac Pro is shipping today with the standard prebuilt configuration, including two 2.66 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors and priced at $US2,499, through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.
Changing the standard processors for two 3.0GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon adds a rather economical $1498 extra. For example, taking the pre-built base unit and maxing out the processors results in just US$3,997:
• Two 3.0GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
• 1GB (2 x 512MB)
• 250GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
• NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 256MB (single-link DVI/dual-link DVI)
• One 16x SuperDrive
• Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse – U.S. English
• Mac OS X – U.S. English
More info here.
MacDailyNews Take: For when you absolutely, positively have to sequence the entire human genome before lunch.
WOW!
Now where is my 16GB Nano?!? 🙁
Great! Now where’s the big cat??
Wow! 1st time…1st Post.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
well that was unexpected (happening today… not at all)
Speaking of Duo Core; did you ever fart so hard you ended up in another zip code?
Only for North America? WTF!!!
Now if I can convince my company to upgrade from our dual-core G5s.
Now, if we can order it with R600 GPU from ATi then I am sold.
MDN word: top
As is new TOP Mac
“Only for North America? WTF!!!”
Available in Japan
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
http://www.apple.com/jp/macpro/
Can anyone tell me what I can do with that kind of power?
Anyone?
The new display prices are a joke!
The same thing we do every night….Try to take over the world!
@ American in Japan: nope that is the quad
But it’s Wednesday! NOOOooOoOooOooooooOOOOOOOO!
daaaaaaaaaamn.
I was slightly worried they were going to update something on the MacBook Pro since I just got mine yesterday.
weird, no uk and Europe 8core release.
maybe supply is short and apple is focusing on there main markets.
@Mark L – give it too me… i’ll find something to do with your new 8core mac pro
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”tongue wink” style=”border:0;” />
@ MarkL
I will use it to control my “Death Star”. It keeps crashing with my Dell under Vista.
Motion 2, FCP 5 HD, Divx Crush, Halo Combat Evolved…
What, no Blue-Ray?
Is this the first-ever 3GHz Mac?
If only I didn’t have to pay off my student loans, then I would get one. And I woud max it out, coming to a grand total of $16,000!
what Ed said…”no Blue Ray”
The reason the UK and Europe are not geting the Octo-core is that they leaked information a couple of weeks ago. This is punishment. They have to wait two weeks now.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />
@MarkL
In Excel 2007 my financial models take 1 hour to calc with 1-core, 30 minutes with 2-cores, 15 minutes with 4-core, and would only take 7.5 mins with 8-core.
My daily time saving would be significant.
Fingers crossed that Excel 2008 for Mac is also multi-core.
Finally “The Ocho” is upon us
@pieter De Becker: Wrong. It’s an 8 core in Japan. It’s right in the headline — see that “8”?
8つのコアと4つのコア
8コアMac Proは3.0GHzクアッドコアIntel Xeon “Clovertown”を2基搭載。デュアルコアIntel Xeon “Woodcrest”を2基搭載したクアッドコアMac Proでは、プロセッサのスピードを選べるのも魅力です。2.0GHz、2.66GHz、3.0GHzが揃っています。
I have mixed feelings…I’ve been waiting for a Mac Pro update so I can buy one, expecting more than just a CPU upgrade. Where are the newer video cards (e.g. Nvidia 8800), or a Blu-Ray drive?
In other news-
Congrats to Tony Blair
now back to Apple…
The question is, does current software make use of the 8 cores, or is it only helpful for multitasking? For instance, right now, if I run AfterEffects, some of my processors are sitting idle while others are pegged. If we have 8 cores, and it just means more of them are sitting idle, then it isn’t much help.
@pieter – nope, 8.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
same as others, I want to upgrade my powermac g4, but was hoping for more than just a processor update. as it stands, this one isn’t woth the price for me…if they upgrade the case design, and standard offerings, then I’ll go for it.
Are these Penryn ??????
Yes, but can it cure cancer?
@ anaknipedro – I did some quick figures – definite savings going to OWC and getting their memory and HDDs – the maxout price can be reduced by $4000, Worth it, I’d say. Primary savings, memory. HDDs from newegg can save a pretty penny as well.
Waiting for Leopard before I buy a new Apple.
Awesome. I’m glad Apple decided to retain the same case.
My two-core Power Mac G5 (single dual-core) at 2.0 GHz seems really fast still. It’s hard for me to grasp how fast EIGHT cores at 3.0 GHz will perform. All that power would be wasted on me…
A single-chip quad-core Mac would make an excellent mid-range desktop (bring back the Cube? this time in metal). Apple should also stick it into the high-end iMac.
I don’t see why Apple would think very many people would buy this right now with Leopard in the wings. Maybe this is a way to ramp up, or maybe 10.5 is closer than we think.
Quad Core asked: “The question is, does current software make use of the 8 cores, or is it only helpful for multitasking? For instance, right now, if I run AfterEffects, some of my processors are sitting idle while others are pegged. If we have 8 cores, and it just means more of them are sitting idle, then it isn’t much help.”
—–
It’s true. It’s up to the software. The OS, of course, is part of that software, but if your primary App doesn’t optimize for multi-threading, it won’t really happen. For some apps, you’ll have one core pegged and seven loafing along. The OctaMac isn’t for most of us. I could run eight copies of Folding@Home on it to keep it pegged, that’s about it.
Most “user” software can’t really make good use of more than two, maybe four, processors. Games, perhaps, but what would Office do with even four cores? No need!
DLMeyer – the Voice of <a >G.L.Horton’s Stage Page</a>
It’s about time these boys came with a free OS X.5 upgrade coupon.
We’re all holding off buying because there is always only one price for OS X – $129
for the first time I think the top of the line is just too much horsepower (and expense) for my needs. I could easily go for the mid range mac and feel very peppy. this moster is clearly aimed at video editors, 3-d folds, and others who can really max it out.
give me a mid range mac with lots of ram. i’ll rejoice.
There are many users who have one or two particular software packages that possibly could use 8 cores. There will be more optimized software in the future, I’m sure. But for the vast majority of users, this is the equivalent of a sports car that will do 200 mph. Nice to think about, but most of the goodness, most of the time, is wasted on the street.
Ane in any event, it is a misconception to think that 8 cores are four times as fast as two, or twice as fast as four. Processors almost never scale in a linear fashion to that degree.
<*DROOL*>
OMG ! I want one !! … So what if 7 processors are sittin idle…?
This thing is hot !
ummmm wonder what ‘ole Mike Dull is thinking right about now ?
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”LOL” style=”border:0;” />
From Apple’s website:
“Meet the latest addition to the Mac Pro family: The world’s first 3.0GHz, 8-core Intel Xeon-based Mac Pro.”
Well, duh, of course it’s the first 8-core Mac Pro…. They just introduced it, didn’t they?
Morons
This is almost an after thought for Apple, no marketing necessary. These units will sell themselves to the big houses and power shops, with the new CS suites arriving the floodgates will open up. But, they still need a mid grade option for the littler guys cause the iMac just isn’t cutting it for most.
I’m waiting for the Cat and MBP update.
Would be nice if they updated the other units with some new technologies. It’s been awhile.
yeah, wait till june to make any decisions on purchase. No point buying a new Macpro when major updates are just around the corner.
Apple really needs a smaller form factor desktop case, more room than a mini but smaller than that tower. agree?
Damn that 8 core is expensive! Its really time for the Mac Pro’s to come down in price some. $3000 should get you a kick ass system. $2000 should be the middle of the road. The Mac Pro really needs to start around $1500 – $1700 like the G5 Power Macs did.
This is the real WOW. Not that Vista mess I keep seeing on TV and in the magazines I read.
Apple and Adobe are about to get a huge chunk of change from me. And I’m going to happily spend it. Woo hoo!
I love my G5, but I knew I should have kept the trusty old beige G3 in full production just one year longer…
*sniff*
funny thing happened yesterday…I was driving past my nearest Apple store, and I noticed some lucky lad hauling a New Mac Pro box with a Apple employee just behind…I wake up this morning and see new Mac Pro’s, and now I’m thinking he isn’t so lucky anymore.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
So am I right in my math?
8 cores at 3ghz each = 24 ghz
WOAH! I’ll take 2.
Video rendering? I don’t need no stinkin’ rendering!
The OctoPro has arrived!!!
Too bad it’s overkill for most folks.
But if you get one, remember to use the numerous spare processor cycles to cure deadly diseases for Stanford University.
Visit Team MacOSX #1971 and they have custom software to help you maximize your work as well as make folding a relatively painless process. Team Mac OS X is currently #10 in the world against PC based teams!!
Makes since to keep the current housing design. It was made to cool the G5 toasters, 8 core Intel’s should be a breeze.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />
Guess Wednesday is the new Tuesday
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />
MarkL: “Can anyone tell me what I can do with that kind of power?”
Yeah, render, render render. The more cores, the faster renders complete. Simply put, it’s the number of CPUs that makes the REAL difference in rendering. The CPU clock speed is far less important. Even amount of RAM makes a bigger impact. the GPU makes the LEAST impact. In fact, a fast GPU is really overrated except for speeding up real-time OpenGL previews. We have found we get a bigger performance boost from the Quadro 4500s than anything else, likely due to the additional processing cores. Expensive yes, but for a visual effects business, it’s a bargain!
They Mac Pros aren’t called “PROFESSIONAL WORKSTATIONS” because they are tying to sell to lamers… err, I meant gamers.
Hmm…wonder if it’s time to junk my dual 2.5?
Available in Australia – shipping within 24 hours… so, it looks like a worldwide relaease – at least my world…
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
Now it is time to convert the lab, offices and design to all Mac. Out with the DOS boxes… all work can now be done n Intel based Macs with Parallels (have lab apps that are XP based)
2 – 8 core with 16 gig RAM – 4 – 750 GB Perp HDs, with Dual 30″ monitors (and I will only buy Apple Monitors after using my 30s for two years now
3 – 24″ iMacs with 2 GBytes (wish it was more) RAM with 20″ secondary display and 1.5 Tbytes external drives
yep, I’m excited.
Man oh man, am I excited!!!!
thanks Steve and gang…
Cheers
NOTE: Upgrade coming in August
Remember,
With great power comes great responsibility.
Uncle Ben
Remember the imac update with the isights built in and the thinner design? And then 2 months later they updated them again with intel processors? It’s the same thing here. Apple put this together to help Adobe sell a few more copies of cs3. So if you were waiting anyway, just keep wating until either nab ( a little early i would guess) Or wait until the big cat comes out to play. ( June 11).
MarkL: To your question “Can anyone tell me what I can do with that kind of power?”
If you have to ask, it is unlikely that you would find good use for this amount of computing power. That, however, does not mean that no one else has a suitable job for such a machine. For my part, I will have no difficulty keeping it busy full time with quantum chemistry computing. And there will be plenty of jobs waiting in line. A number of my colleagues are in similar situations.
I can also think of more common uses that will benefit from higher processing power, such as Photoshop, iDVD, Final Cut. And how about improved speech recognition? And maybe a thousand other tasks?
There will always be people with limited imagination who could not justify serious computing power. It is fortunate for the rest of us that they do not set the agenda.
A while ago I came across a review of the then new Mac IIfx. The writer could not quite fathom that there was justification for building so much power into one box. Perspective?
Finally…the first machine with enough horsepower for Windows Vista!!
Jesus, it’s 1500$ more and STILL only has a 1GB of ram standard?
12 G’s for a top ‘o the line machine. Whoa…
The mini’s underpowered, the iMac wouldn’t fit on my desk with the two high-end displays already there, and the MacPro packs more than I need and costs too much. Surely, Apple could give the mini steroids, fit a quad-core CPU, a 3.5″ hard drive, an upgradable graphics card, and four RAM slots, and sell it for $1,200-$1,500. How about built-in eSATA to ice that cake? A perfect machine for budget-conscious photographers like me. Heck, even two cores would do if I could have a fast eSATA external HD or RAID, 4GB RAM, and a hot graphics card to drive Aperture.
Yeah, yeah, wishful thinking, I know. Apple’s been ignoring calls for a mid-range headless Mac for years. Guess I’ll be sticking with my maxed-out G5 for a while.
FASTER AND CHEAPER THAN DELL!
It looks like the fastest quad core available on the Dell Store for Small Business Store is 2.66GHz and it’s still more expensive than a Mac Pro.
This is NOT overpriced!
@MarkL says: “Can anyone tell me what I can do with that kind of power? Anyone?”
I’ll tell you what we’re going to do with them. Our director of engineering (a former hardcore Windows guy) came to me on Friday and wants me to put together a proposal for the new Mac Pros because he calculated that we will save about $5000.00/week per workstation, in render time, over our Dual G5s.
Motion and Maya renders that were taking three hours on Dual G5s are taking about an hour on our Quad-cores, and we beleive that we’ll get close to twice the performance with an 8-core, so that will mean a little more than 30 minutes for what was taking us three hours on Dual G5s.
That means our first 6 Cloaver-Leafs will pay for themselves in about 6 weeks.
How about that for a suggestion?
Now I will have enough power to transcode all the child pornography videos of the world!!!!!!!!!
THANK YOU APPLE!!!!!
Wasn’t the 8-Core already unveiled on the Apple Store’s UK website?
They rolled this out today in order to increase the speculative buzz surrounding the NAB Special Event next Sunday, which no one seems to be discussing much, and dispell the rumors that the focus of it would be this machine and Final Cut Pro, of course. I, for one, am psyched at the possibilty of a new iMac line-up. This Pro, is just that, a Pro; and while impressive, is more than I need or have use for. Give me a Quad-Core 30″ iMac.
Duh:
You’re an idiot.
Wow, I bet internet porn will really fly on this thing!
New Displays…Built-in iSight..Oh Yeah!!!
http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/srchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1;="20060007222".PGNR.&OS=DN/20060007222&RS=DN/20060007222
I believe it is this same technology that enables multi-touch. Two birds with one stone. iChat via iPhone…rock on!
OK. Where’s my 16-core Mac?!?!?
I want, I want, I want.
Waaaaaaah, update faster Apple!
I’ll take one of those.
I’m hoping they will offer a way too upgrade processors. I have the 2 x 3Ghz Dual-Core Intel Mac Pro. Would be nice to swap the processors eventually. Is that even possible? I wonder…
Happy the kept the same case design. if it ain’t broken…
@ Duh…. perhaps you have just uncovered a key phrase. perhaps they are planning a different model with 8 cores.. or somthing….. maybe a 3ghz core 2 duo mac pro…
i still want a Core 2 duo Intel Cube with standard / upgradable graphics cards!!!
Mac pro is over kill, and imac is weak in the video card department and has built in monitor…
Is it me or is this wednesday?
It´s nice and all, but this won´t stop the slide in Apple desktop sales. It is very expensive (fully loaded) and would be needed by few.
Apple needs a powerful “midsize” desktop (not a laptop on a stick; the iMac) and more competively priced.
I am puzzled as to why they would announce this prior to Leopard. Anybody with a brain is not going to buy an Apple computer before then.
“Apple today unveiled the world’s first 3.0GHz, 8-core Intel Xeon-based Mac Pro”
Somehow this phrase strikes me as odd. Isn’t anything Apple unveils automatically the world’s first Whatever Type of Mac?
I mean, it’s not like Apple beat Dell’s 8-core Mac Pro to market…
Ryan, yes, it is the first one.
And do you wonder why the call “Kleenex” “Kleenex”. It´s not like they “klee” or “nex” anything.
And a Xeon MacPro? Isn´t Xeon a gas? And “MacPro”? Shouldn´t it really be called “Macintosh Professional”?
No, Xeon is not a gas. Xenon is a gas.
Hey guys, the whole world’s first thing is in reference to the fact, that Apple is shipping 3.0 GHZ clovertowns today, while not one single wintel manufacturer has them, and the processor isn’t even on intel’s oem price list yet. another exclusive, just like the first woodcrest mac pro’s back in ’06 that got preferential first tier supply while dell had to keep extending ship dates. Same thing happened with the macbook pro. Apple got a steady supply of conroe core duos at least a month before any pc manufacturer had enough to meet demand. And now we get a processor that doesn’t even officially exist yet. the RDF is so powerful it can even control the largest semicon in the world to do it’s bidding!!
Dell is no longer the golden boy of intel. Apple inc. is.
8 core computers are weapons of war. Condi says Yerp can’t get any cuz sumpin named Lukszemberg’ll youse em to blow up the destroyer USS Indescribable that runs on Windows.
You’ve managed to destroy the fabric of this page’s universe.
Available in the Australia store, bewdy mate!
Please!…someone pass me the Kool-Aid. I want to be a Mac fanboy too!
Those of you fanbois who are asking, “who’s gonna buy this, it’s too expensive” “it doesn’t even have Leopard yet”
Are you kidding me?
Big companies have been waiting on buying Mac Pro’s until Adobe CS3 came out. They will buy these in quantity.
How about the companies that have whole render farms – dozens or hundreds of these- to process film/video- animation houses, dvd production houses, those companies that re-master the Star Wars movies for instance.
As one of the posters above points out, the people who really need this kind of horsepower, save exponential amounts of $$ by upgrading, because their companies do pure computational drudgery- any savings in time = big money saved. Huge money. The cost of the hardware itself is trivial by comparison- they literally can make the cost back in weeks, if not days.
None of these people give a rat’s ass about Leopard- if the cost of the hardware is trivial, how about the cost of a software upgrade? They can’t just switch to Leopard without lots of testing anyway- that = lost productivity. Not to mention the fact that so far, no one really knows what Leopard is going to be able to do- they don’t know if they need it yet.
However, this is all good news. The big picture is, this release today means that 8-core Mac Pros ARE NOT WORTH WASTING ANY PRECIOUS WWDC KEYNOTE TIME ON… that means the keynote will be devoted to PURE LEOPARDY GOODNESS. And THAT means that Leopard is going to blow some minds. “Secret features” here we come!
Personally, I’m ecstatic that they kept the very same case. It allows me to sneak one into the house and under the desk unnoticed! My wife would KILL me if she saw the upgrade!
What to use it for? HDTV editing! My current MacPro does the job nicely, but the way things are going, for how long?
But I’ll wait for the new kitty-cat before I spring for it, and I’ll read the threads in case there are any gotchas in the first couple of batches out the door. Leopard may support new hardware -or require new hardware. We’ll see. Now, LEOPARD is what I’m drooling over.
de K0UNX
Go to the store and try some defferent configurations and see how much these little lightening bolts cost!!!
I would need to sell the new car and sign the children over to medical research to afford one.
EXXXXXXpensive
It sure is pretty!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Will this do email?
“Finally…the first machine with enough horsepower for Windows Vista!!”
Run Vista? With 1 GB RAM Standard? Good one.
still not fast enough.
and 1 gig of ram as standard ? good grief and only 250 gig hard drive? whats the point of having twin turbo v8’s and run it on skinny rims with no fuel tank? pffft.
Four cores seems enough for the desktop – one to run handbrake, two to run Civ IV, and one for everything else. What’s needed is the ability to max out RAM in a smaller enclosure. Can we please have 4 cores, 16 GB RAM capability, two optical drives, two hard drives, and 3 PCI slots in something the size of the old quicksilver case or smaller? I had a dual G5, it wouldn’t fit in my desk, never mind it ran hot enough that I couldn’t keep it within 5 feet of me. Now I have a core duo iMac, but feel very RAM constrained more than anything. I also prefer to run backups to an internal hard drive, but this can now be addressed with a network drive.