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macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Last week, we noted that Apple is unlikely to update its Mac Pro line until early next year at the soonest, as Intel's Sandy Bridge E processors intended as the successors to the current Mac Pro chips have been delayed until the first quarter of 2012.

Newly-released pricing information from CPU World</a> now offers a bit more data to help analyze which of the new E5-2600 and E5-1600 series Xeon processors Apple is likely to use in the next-generation Mac Pro models.

2012_mac_pro_processor_options.png



Apple's current dual-processor Mac Pro lineup utilizes Intel's "Westmere" processor family, with the E5620, X5650, and X5670 as options. Intel launched those processors last year priced at $387, $996, and $1440 respectively. With pricing for the upcoming E5-2600 series having been revealed, it certainly does appear that Apple will be able to use the $406 6-core 2.0 GHz E5-2620 in its low-end dual-processor configuration at or near the current $3499 pricing.

At the mid range, which is currently priced at $4999, the 8-core 2.0 GHz E5-2650 comes in $110 higher than the current E5650, a $220 difference when both processors are accounted for. Apple's options may be limited on this model, however, as stepping down in price would force Apple all the way down to the E5-2640 at $884, a 6-core chip running at 2.5 GHz.

The high end of Apple's dual-processor Mac Pro is also a bit murky, with each 8-core 2.6 GHz E5-2670 processor coming in at $1552, over $110 higher than the processors used in the current $5999 Mac Pro. Consequently, Apple could elect to instead use the 8-core 2.4 GHz E5-2665 processor, which is scheduled to carry a $1440 price tag at launch, sacrificing 200 MHz of clock speed to maintain pricing.

As for the lower-end single-processor Mac Pro configurations, Apple is likely to utilize Intel's E5-1600 series processor line, also scheduled for launch in the first quarter of 2012. Pricing on those chips was revealed last month, with the forthcoming quad-core 3.6 GHz E5-1620 ($294) and 6-core 3.2 GHz E5-1650 ($583) slotting nicely into the existing low- and mid-range pricing. At the high end of the single-processor line, however, Apple may have to bump up to the E5-1660 at $1080. The E5-1660 carries the same 6-core, 3.3 GHz specs as on the current high-end single-processor model, but offers higher turbo multipliers and L3 cache.

Article Link: Apple's Processor Options for Early 2012 Mac Pro Begin to Firm Up
 

reden

macrumors 6502a
Aug 30, 2006
715
821
Need a new Mac Pro soon. I hope it's not long before they release the long awaited update.
 

TripleCore

macrumors regular
Oct 30, 2007
129
8
It's good to hear more tangible news about the Pro line. I know there are many pros anxious for the next rev.
 

propea

macrumors newbie
Nov 20, 2008
18
0
Apple I = 1.023 MHz
MacPro = 8 core 2.6 GHz

Can someone please do a YouTube video to show the difference between both? :p
 

TwitchOSX

macrumors 6502a
May 2, 2002
508
49
Southern Oregon
Uhhhh... i already have a dual 2.5ghz G5. I want something with higher clock speed. Doesnt Alienware sell an overclocked like 6ghz machine!? Also.. this sucks because we HAVE to buy a new Mac before the end of the year (tax reasons) so I'm gonna have to get the current $3499 machine.
 

kbfr08

macrumors 6502
Mar 16, 2007
462
29
Uhhhh... i already have a dual 2.5ghz G5. I want something with higher clock speed. Doesnt Alienware sell an overclocked like 6ghz machine!? Also.. this sucks because we HAVE to buy a new Mac before the end of the year (tax reasons) so I'm gonna have to get the current $3499 machine.

Ah, the good ol' Megahertz Myth. You can't possibly think a dual 2.5 G5 will be faster than even the current gen mac pro, it just doesn't work that way. They used to sell pentium 4 processors at 3.0GHz+, and I'd bet that a core 2 duo would toast that at 1.6GHz
 

deputy_doofy

macrumors 65816
Sep 11, 2002
1,455
376
Uhhhh... i already have a dual 2.5ghz G5. I want something with higher clock speed. Doesnt Alienware sell an overclocked like 6ghz machine!? Also.. this sucks because we HAVE to buy a new Mac before the end of the year (tax reasons) so I'm gonna have to get the current $3499 machine.

I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic, but...
* Your dual 2.5GHz G5 barely holds a candle to my MBP 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo from 2006.
* Your dual 2.5GHz G5 gets smoked by my MBP 2.66GHz Core i7 (dual core) from 2010. SMOKED.

I really hope you're being sarcastic about clock speeds...
 

Mal

macrumors 603
Jan 6, 2002
6,252
18
Orlando
Uhhhh... i already have a dual 2.5ghz G5. I want something with higher clock speed. Doesnt Alienware sell an overclocked like 6ghz machine!? Also.. this sucks because we HAVE to buy a new Mac before the end of the year (tax reasons) so I'm gonna have to get the current $3499 machine.

Have you seen a comparison of your computer to the current models? You're talking ancient technology that's significantly slower. Remember, clock speed is meaningless outside comparing otherwise identical processors.

jW
 

deputy_doofy

macrumors 65816
Sep 11, 2002
1,455
376
Yea.. I know our G5 wont hold a candle to the current machines, but I'm just wondering why megahertz havent gone up. Moores law and all

Who cares about MHz, when each cycle does at least twice the work. Just to give you an example, my 2.66 GHz Core i7 is about twice the speed of my 2.33 GHz when doing handbrake compressions. I'm pretty sure Moore's law is more about number of transistors than it is about clock speeds.
 

BornAgainMac

macrumors 604
Feb 4, 2004
7,273
5,211
Florida Resident
Uhhhh... i already have a dual 2.5ghz G5. I want something with higher clock speed. Doesnt Alienware sell an overclocked like 6ghz machine!? Also.. this sucks because we HAVE to buy a new Mac before the end of the year (tax reasons) so I'm gonna have to get the current $3499 machine.

You are in for a treat. I kinda wish I would have been stranded on an island with my G5 (with electricty) to get away from it all and then come back and see iPads, iPhones and Intel Macs.
 

TwitchOSX

macrumors 6502a
May 2, 2002
508
49
Southern Oregon
Speaking of....

Since we do have to buy a Mac Pro before the end of the year... should I consider getting a used one somewhere for cheap instead of plopping down $3499 on a brand new dual 4 core?
 

techpr

macrumors 6502a
Sep 9, 2008
657
763
San Juan, PR
Uhhhh... i already have a dual 2.5ghz G5. I want something with higher clock speed. Doesnt Alienware sell an overclocked like 6ghz machine!? Also.. this sucks because we HAVE to buy a new Mac before the end of the year (tax reasons) so I'm gonna have to get the current $3499 machine.

You seems not to understand current CPU technology.
 

H2SO4

macrumors 603
Nov 4, 2008
5,625
6,924
Those machines are going to remain expensive as hell.

That's what I was afraid of. I don't really need the Mac Pro I have now but any excuse to buy another will likely be wiped out by the size of the sticker on these things.
 

wizard

macrumors 68040
May 29, 2003
3,854
571
Yep, very expensive.

Those machines are going to remain expensive as hell.

This is why many of us are focused on an XMac. That is a desktop machine that well uses desktop parts and is as a result more affordable.

By the way the desire for an XMac is not an attack on the Mac Pro. Rather it is just acknowledging that the machine is more than what many need.
 

G4DP

macrumors 65816
Mar 28, 2007
1,451
3
Two $1440 CPU's, plus the additional components, plus that something special Apple add.

still looking at $4500 minimum for the top end.
 
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