Mac Pro To Get Dual Optical Drive Slots?

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif

Apple's forthcoming Mac Pro will sport dual Optical Drive slots, if a recent report from AppleInsider pans out. In addition, the power supply is rumored to be moved from the bottom of the enclosure to the top. Otherwise, the enclosure would remain largely unchanged from today's PowerMac G5 design.

ThinkSecret currently believes the Mac Pro enclosure change will be a more radical departure from the present design to signify the processor change.

Also mentioned in the article is an independent report of possible specifications for the new machines with the "Best" configuration topping out at two 2.66 Ghz Xeon processors. This anonymous source sent possible specs for the Mac Pro to both MacRumors and Appleinsider, and while the validity of the specs are uncertain, the anonymous specs also independently claimed the new Mac Pro would have two optical drives.

[Chaszmyr]

This is good news for me.. it will make it easy to resist buying one this year. No 3ghz xeon, no bluray, no new case design.

[Eidorian]

Dual optical drive slots are a must. I love my Mirrored Drive Door at work for this fact.

[BlizzardBomb]

2003: "In 12 months, we'll be at 3GHz".
Mid 2006: "I want to talk about 2.66GHz" although 4 cores running at 2.66GHz (Yum! ).

[camomac]

ahhh, why didn't they have dual optical slots in the current G5's..
too much heat from the PPC's and all those fans?

well i am really looking forward to the new look.

[vniow]

Can anyone tell me the purpose of dual drive slots nowadays? I can see the use for them (and had computers with) when they were limited to one function, i.e. DVD-ROM for one and a CD-RW for the other but now that everything can happen in one drive with speed not being an issue, is it really nececcary to have two?

[Eidorian]

Originally Posted by vniow

Can anyone tell me the purpose of dual drive slots nowadays? I can see the use for them (and had computers with) when they were limited to one function, i.e. DVD-ROM for one and a CD-RW for the other but now that everything can happen in one drive with speed not being an issue, is it really nececcary to have two?

Burn two DVD's at once and DVD copying.

[Chaszmyr]

Originally Posted by vniow

Can anyone tell me the purpose of dual drive slots nowadays? I can see the use for them (and had computers with) when they were limited to one function, i.e. DVD-ROM for one and a CD-RW for the other but now that everything can happen in one drive with speed not being an issue, is it really nececcary to have two?

There used to be some software to directly copy from CD to CDR, and this was very common in the days before people had MP3 players... but I can't imagine many people doing this anymore, and I don't know of any software to do this with DVDs.

It would be nice if you play a game that requires a CD in and won't permit you to use a disc image on the hard drive.

[DMann]

Originally Posted by BlizzardBomb

2003: "In 12 months, we'll be at 3GHz".
Mid 2006: "I want to talk about 2.66GHz" although 4 cores running at 2.66GHz (Yum! ).

Now, that is FUNNY!

However, based on availability, Apple could get up to 3GHz if they
really wanted to:

Dual Core Intel® Xeon™ Processors 5160 (4MB L2 Cache, 3 GHz 1333MHz FSB)

Perhaps "one more thing......"

[milozauckerman]

I got excited for a second - hey a $1799 low end quad, I'm sold! Oh, wait, just one processor, never mind.

Too expensive on the low-end, if true. I suspect we'll see a lot of reviews and benchmarks giving a bad cost to value ratio for the Macs.

[4God]

Power supply at the top? Blah! I hate the power supply on the top, not that
it would keep me from purchasing a new MacPro though.

[nagromme]

A new case would be "fun" but what I care about is what it delivers, not how it looks when I crawl under my desk

For the low-end (single chip) towers, dual core Conroe makes more sense to me than Xeon, simply for cost reasons. (Though I'm eyeing the new Xeons for my first ever top-end Mac... with dual-duals!)

Two optical slots would be nice, allowing me to "wait and see" about next-gen optical formats.

My intention: to wait for 3Ghz+ Xeon, which sounds like it should only be a few months later. That's also time for a few little tweaks to be made if necessary, giving me something between a version A and version B machine.

Originally Posted by milozauckerman

I suspect we'll see a lot of reviews and benchmarks giving a bad cost to value ratio for the Macs.

Without a doubt. And in keeping with long tradition, the "less expensive" name-brand PC will mysteriously come with less (ports, software, even speed if Netburst lingers) than the Mac

[4God]

Originally Posted by nagromme

....<snip>....My intention: to wait for 3Ghz+ Xeon, which sounds like it should only be a few months later. That's also time for a few little tweaks to be made if necessary, giving me something between a version A and version B machine.

Yeah, and I would hope for a faster FSB as well.

[~Shard~]

If true, these definitely would be powerful machines, however for people like myself, the power and resulting price tag will be simply too much to justify. Leave the Xeons for the PowerMacs, but introduce some mini-tower machines with Conroe chips - they would fit nicely between the iMac and PowerMac. For me, the Mac mini isn't enough, the iMac is great, however non-upgradeable. I'd like something upgradeable, where I could replace/upgrade HDDs, optical drives, and most importantly the display - yet a PowerMac is overkill for my needs. It sure would be nice to see, but I doubt Apple will do it...

[4God]

Originally Posted by Eidorian

Dual optical drive slots are a must....<snip>.....

Maybe one of the drives will be Blu-Ray.

[~Shard~]

Originally Posted by nagromme

My intention: to wait for 3Ghz+ Xeon, which sounds like it should only be a few months later. That's also time for a few little tweaks to be made if necessary, giving me something between a version A and version B machine.

That's a really good plan. Wait a few months, let the bugs get ironed out of the new Intel PowerMacs, and then buy something for the same price with better technology.

[QCassidy352]

intersting that the price differences are quite large. I was also hoping for an all-quad line up and a case redesign. I've never liked the look of the G5.

Arn/powers that be - can you tell us whether or not you consider this source to be reliable? Have you ever heard from them in the past?

[4God]

Originally Posted by ~Shard~

If true, these definitely would be powerful machines, however for people like myself, the power and resulting price tag will be simply too much to justify. Leave the Xeons for the PowerMacs, but introduce some mini-tower machines with Conroe chips - they would fit nicely between the iMac and PowerMac. For me, the Mac mini isn't enough, the iMac is great, however non-upgradeable. I'd like something upgradeable, where I could replace/upgrade HDDs, optical drives, and most importantly the display - yet a PowerMac is overkill for my needs. It sure would be nice to see, but I doubt Apple will do it...

Well said, I agree with you. Apple, IMHO, needs an "inbetween" machine for upgradablity. This would shorten the gap between consmumer and prosumer.

[~Shard~]

Originally Posted by 4God

Maybe one of the drives will be Blu-Ray.

... and the other one HD-DVD!

[OhEsTen]

I figured Apple didn't change the cases for the powerbooks (MBP) MacBook's and mini's and iMac's for a reason...

It reminds people that nothing has really changed about them other than their brains (which is a big deal for sure - it just keep people from thinking Apple's going out of business...)

I remember when Apple made their announcement a year ago about the Intel switch - Macworld running an article about "what it all means" and "is this death for Apple?" - some people were a bit freaked out (which was completely understandable from the netburst point of view) - but keeping the same enclosures for the first round of intel boxes helps people not freak out.... maybe.

[gregarious119]

To charge $1800 for a system that only has 512MB is a real disappoitment. 1GB RAM oughta be standard, especially with Leopard being on the horizon.

Unless the Xeon is that expensive (which I can't see how it would be), I don't see that as anything except creating some seperation between the configurations.

[sisyphus]

That's nice...

They'd better have something in between this and the iMac...

[4God]

Originally Posted by ~Shard~

... and the other one HD-DVD!

Doh! Well, again IMHO, it is my preference to have only one optical drive built in. I could always add an external later.

[avkills]

Man if they put the power supply on the top that would just be insanely stupid. 2 Optical drives is fine by me, although I am good with just one. But the post above about a Blu-Ray drive would make having 2 logical, one is Blue-ray, other is DVD/CD +/- RW.

-mark

[Eraserhead]

As usual though they come with 50% of the necessary RAM , why Apple can't get this right I don't know.

Also I'm surprised the top model doesn't have Intel's fastest chip, surely Apple want to say they have the fastest possible computers?

Dual Optical drives is OK, good if you want to have a blu-ray drive as well I suppose...