Penryn Based Mac Pros Soon?
AppleInsider reports that Apple is ready to unleash Penryn-based Mac Pros as soon as Intel can provide the new chips to Apple.
This article corroborates an Inquirer report which claimed that Apple was buying up high end (3.2GHz) Penryn processors this year, leaving little supply for other PC manufacturers.
AppleInsider believes that the new Mac Pro will top with an 8-core model utilizing two of these new 3.2GHz "Harpertown" 45-nm quad-core Xeons which offer a faster 1600MHz bus and 12MB of L2 cache. The new processor could offer up to 45% speed increases over existing Mac Pro processors for bandwidth-intensive applications.
The fate of the remainder of the Mac Pro line remains less certain, but Apple appears to have the option of a number of dual-core Penryn ("Wolfdale") processors that could find their way into the lower-end Mac Pros.
They'll also be amongst the first machines from any PC manufacturer to employ chips from Intel's upcoming Penryn family of 45-nanometer (nm) microprocessors -- specifically the upcoming Hi-k Xeons, which will be available in dual- and quad-core variants for workstations with front-side bus speeds of either 1333MHz or 1600MHz.
This article corroborates an Inquirer report which claimed that Apple was buying up high end (3.2GHz) Penryn processors this year, leaving little supply for other PC manufacturers.
AppleInsider believes that the new Mac Pro will top with an 8-core model utilizing two of these new 3.2GHz "Harpertown" 45-nm quad-core Xeons which offer a faster 1600MHz bus and 12MB of L2 cache. The new processor could offer up to 45% speed increases over existing Mac Pro processors for bandwidth-intensive applications.
The fate of the remainder of the Mac Pro line remains less certain, but Apple appears to have the option of a number of dual-core Penryn ("Wolfdale") processors that could find their way into the lower-end Mac Pros.
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56 months ago
Excellent - I'm ordering one as soon as it is launched. Along with the list of other MR folks in another thread.
We really need to update the ancient MP line!
We really need to update the ancient MP line!
56 months ago
I will order one as soon as they are made available. I just hope that it stops becoming a rumor and becomes a fact.
And I would love to see the base price of the MP to come down to $2000, for those that can't save the money and instead whine about how Apple needs to cater to them.
And I would love to see the base price of the MP to come down to $2000, for those that can't save the money and instead whine about how Apple needs to cater to them.
56 months ago
Finally was already taken. ;) I beat Arn by 4 minutes. :p
Any idea when this will happen?
Announce next week. Ship November 12.
56 months ago
They should definitely still offer affordable (relatively speaking) 4-core options. Not everyone shopping for a Mac Pro needs the top of the line 8 core machine, but it would be nice if they dropped the entry barrier a bit.
56 months ago
I hope it comes soon.
It is time to upgrade my Quad G5. I need to sell it while has Applecare and still a great machine. Do it Apple, Do it!:D
It is time to upgrade my Quad G5. I need to sell it while has Applecare and still a great machine. Do it Apple, Do it!:D
56 months ago
if these speeds are correct, my god. Those are some fast machines for browsing MR i mean doing 3-d rendering ;)
56 months ago
In terms of what will happen to the rest of the MacPro line, if you look at the expected prices of the dual and quad core parts, there is no good reason for Apple to use any of the dual core parts.
Intel is pricing their quad core Xeons extremely agressively. Compared to the current dual core Xeons being used in the Mac Pro, similarly priced quad core Penryn Xeons are as follows...
$316: Current 2.0Ghz DC -> 2.5Ghz QC Penryn
$744: Current 2.66Ghz DC -> 2.8Ghz QC Penryn
$1172: Current 3GHz DC -> 3.2Ghz QC Penryn
You can see why above that I think Apple will go all quad core for the next revision of the Mac Pro lineup.
The only reason i could think of for Apple to not go all quad core would be to purposefully segment (and IMO, hobble) their lineup, to really extract a premium for those who want quad core.
Edit: for price info, check out this post and remember that post only has prices and info for the 133MHz FSB Penryn Xeons - the 3.2Ghz and 2.8GHz chips are likely to be 1600MHz FSB parts.
Intel is pricing their quad core Xeons extremely agressively. Compared to the current dual core Xeons being used in the Mac Pro, similarly priced quad core Penryn Xeons are as follows...
$316: Current 2.0Ghz DC -> 2.5Ghz QC Penryn
$744: Current 2.66Ghz DC -> 2.8Ghz QC Penryn
$1172: Current 3GHz DC -> 3.2Ghz QC Penryn
You can see why above that I think Apple will go all quad core for the next revision of the Mac Pro lineup.
The only reason i could think of for Apple to not go all quad core would be to purposefully segment (and IMO, hobble) their lineup, to really extract a premium for those who want quad core.
Edit: for price info, check out this post and remember that post only has prices and info for the 133MHz FSB Penryn Xeons - the 3.2Ghz and 2.8GHz chips are likely to be 1600MHz FSB parts.
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