Next MAJOR Mac Pro Tower Update..???

[Nothing Mac specific here, but]

I can tell you that intel just started selling mobos (and giving out the chipsets to other vendors) based on P35 which has an increased FSB and supports DDR3 ram over the existing 965/975 mobos most people have.

Plus they have new cpus coming in summer with the increased FSB (1333), both dual and quad core.

Will Mac Pros get a big revision to show these changes? Probably not.

FB-DIMMs I believe operate at a 667 FSB, I don't know if they can go anywhere higher with those (but then again I know zero about FB-DIMM architecture/technology).

I do know that reports say that DDR3 ram will be quite pricey later this year when it's first released...I've seen figures on Anandtech mentioning $430-ish for a 2gig kit; whereas nowadays you can get a 2gig kit of DDR2 800 for $70-$150 (depending on manufacturer).

Don't expect much in the way of Mac Pro upgrades this year IMO...if you need an updated system now, buy one now.

zero2dash said:

Don't expect much in the way of Mac Pro upgrades this year IMO...if you need an updated system now, buy one now.

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I disagree. While me may not see the Stoakley-Seaburg, the Mac Pro has been stagnant since the last WWDC. The Quad core was a new option, not a hardware update that follows with current pricing.

Xeons are taking a huge slash this summer, I expect the Mac Pro to reflect that new pricing by shifting the CPUs, most likely phasing out the 2.0

My Predictions for WWDC:
CPUs shifted: 2.0 phased, more octo options possibly
RAM: 2GB base, unless they move to DDR3 (stoakley)
Video cards: New base card in the 8xxx series and new BTO options
HD: Maybe 500GB stock, probably not though

I think stoakley seaburg is an option, even though DDR3 will be expensive it really isn't much different than the FB-DIMM pricing when the Mac Pro was originally released.

Although I am not really sure as to whether or not Stoakley will use FB-DIMMs, I am assuming no, I couldn't find any stong data on it. I do remember a report saying Intel was dropping FB-DIMMs earlier this year.

Anyhow, wait until WWDC which is only a few days away.

Even though the current Mac Pro enclosure is just fine, I do believe that it's time for Apple to give it a major overhaul. The case style (exterior) has changed minimally since the introduction of the G5s in, what, 2003, which makes the case a four year old styling. This is the longest Apple has stayed with one case design.

People love the interior of the Mac Pro. The drive caddies are the most utilitarian. I wish there were six or eight bays instead of four, but it's unlikely - eSATA has already solved that problem.

Therefore I propose it's more likely the case shell will have a redesign but the internals will probably maintain a similar layout to now.

I am predicting that Apple is going to update the Mac Pro at WWDC, hopefully with Seaburg platform.

Re-Skin?

I agree, the Mac Pro's inside is just about perfect but a "re-skinning" is due.

dex22 said:

Even though the current Mac Pro enclosure is just fine, I do believe that it's time for Apple to give it a major overhaul. The case style (exterior) has changed minimally since the introduction of the G5s in, what, 2003, which makes the case a four year old styling. This is the longest Apple has stayed with one case design.

People love the interior of the Mac Pro. The drive caddies are the most utilitarian. I wish there were six or eight bays instead of four, but it's unlikely - eSATA has already solved that problem.

Therefore I propose it's more likely the case shell will have a redesign but the internals will probably maintain a similar layout to now.

Click to expand...

Nothing But Hand-Me-Downs

zero2dash said:

I do know that reports say that DDR3 ram will be quite pricey later this year when it's first released...

Click to expand...

Isn't the government somewhere around DDR9 or 10? Drools.