The Intel Mac Pro. WWDC 2006?

[macgeek2005]

I've noticed that there is no thread discussing Apple's next PowerMac.

I'm guessing it'll be released at WWDC 2006 (August 7-11), and it will be the worlds fastest personal computer, just like the first G5 was.

I'll kick off this thread with the specs i'd like to see.

Intel Core 2 Duo 2.40Ghz
1066Mhz Frontside Bus
4MB L2 Cache
1GB Ram (BTO 8GB)
250GB Hard Drive (BTO 500GB/750GB/2x 750GB)
16x Double Layer Superdrive
ATI Radeon X1800/256 (BTO 512/Radeon X1900/Quadro FX 4500)
Front Row/Remote

$1999

Intel Core 2 Duo 2.66Ghz
1066Mhz Frontside Bus
4MB L2 Cache
1GB Ram (BTO 8GB)
250GB Hard Drive (BTO 500GB/750GB/2x 750GB)
16x Double Layer Superdrive
ATI Radeon X1800/512 (BTO Radeon X1900/Quadro FX 4500)
Front Row/Remote

$2499

Intel Core 2 Duo Quad 2.66Ghz
1066Mhz Frontside Bus
4MB L2 Cache
2GB Ram (BTO 8GB)
500GB Hard Drive (BTO 500GB/750GB/2x 750GB)
16x Double Layer Superdrive
ATI Radeon X1900/512 (BTO Quadro FX 4500)
Front Row/Remote

$3299

Let the speculation begin!

 

[fowler.]

sorry, no core duos (in the high end, at least).

do a little research and you'll find there are chips better suited to a mac pro or whatever they're calling it.

 

[AvSRoCkCO1067]

sorry, no core duos (in the high end, at least).

do a little research and you'll find there are chips better suited to a mac pro or whatever they're calling it.

Um...yes core duos. That's the name of ALL next-generation Intel chips. Do a little research and you'll find out (just playing)

 

[yankeefan24]

The only problem with that is that it won't get the full benifit of RAM (64 bit can hold lots more than 8, the current ones have a max of 16), and that you are going down on total available hard drive side. You can get up to 2x 500 GB in the current, and in your speculation, you can only get a max of 1x 750. I would love it though. I might end up getting one of those by december.

 

[macgeek2005]

Fixed. Now they can hold up to 2 750GB hard drive.

 

[fowler.]

Um...yes core duos. That's the name of ALL next-generation Intel chips. Do a little research and you'll find out (just playing)

iky!

 

[jimN]

Um...yes core duos. That's the name of ALL next-generation Intel chips. Do a little research and you'll find out (just playing)

I got the impression that merom and conroe would be core 2 chips but that this term hasn't been applied to woodcrest which is the chip many suspect will be in the 'mac pro' because the core 2 chips, whilst multi-core, can't be used in multi-chip configurations. I may be wrong but i'm pretty sure that that is what the poster was referring to.

 

[macgeek2005]

I got the impression that merom and conroe would be core 2 chips but that this term hasn't been applied to woodcrest which is the chip many suspect will be in the 'mac pro' because the core 2 chips, whilst multi-core, can't be used in multi-chip configurations. I may be wrong but i'm pretty sure that that is what the poster was referring to.

Well, they'll either have Conroe or Woodcrest. I'm pretty sure apple is too cheap to give us Woodcrest, but if they do, so much the better.

 

[exeterbohemian]

i don't think we'll ever see a 'mac pro'...

steve wants the name 'mac' to appear all across apple's line of computers.

personally, i think 'powermac' sounds infinitely better than 'mac pro'.

 

[macgeek2005]

i don't think we'll ever see a 'mac pro'...

steve wants the name 'mac' to appear all across apple's line of computers.

personally, i think 'powermac' sounds infinitely better than 'mac pro'.

 

[puckhead193]

i just hope they make the flacking thing smaller/lighter. The current PM are a beast... their heavy and huge... esp when u need to bring it to an apple store for repair i think someone has some experience with that

 

[macgeek2005]

Yeah, i'm expecting to see the coolest looking tower in the history of this planet. They're gonna have it under a cloth like they did with the original iMac.

At WWDC Steve Jobs will come out and say "Welcome to the Future", and pull the cloth off the worlds fastest, most amazing looking, personal computer.

The Intel Mac Pro.

 

[exeterbohemian]

(i was protesting a potential name change...)

 

[macgeek2005]

Considering that the Mac Pro will be an extremely big thing when it's released, i'm surprised you guys don't seem very exciting about discussing it.

Come on, let's make this thread 500 pages by the time it's released.

 

[exeterbohemian]

Considering that the Mac Pro will be an extremely big thing when it's released, i'm surprised you guys don't seem very exciting about discussing it.

Come on, let's make this thread 500 pages by the time it's released.

...i'm excited.

i think at this stage it's almost too early to know what we're gonna end up seeing for internal specs. i mean, intel's pipeline for the next several months has been pretty well defined. but at the same time, no real evidence has surfaced as to when we can even expect these machines to be hitting the market. while wwdc 2006 would be nice, i get the feeling that apple might wait until the official release of 10.5. no justification for that hypothesis, merely my own intuitive speculation.

as far as the machines themselves are concerned, a new form factor is obviously imminent. for one, i'm assuming that the intel chips won't run nearly as hot as the g5s did. hence, no liquid cooling system. which will hopefully mean smaller and lighter-weight machines.

the powermacs have always been apple's pinnacle machines, notoriously groundbreaking and known for obliterating any pc competition. now that they've entered the x86 arena, it's gonna take more than impressive specs to keep their market captivated. that said, i am expecting a tremendously revolutionary machine here. a completely revamped aesthetic and a whole new plethora of unanticipated tricks. the kinds of things that will make people say 'wow, why didn't i think of that?'.

i can only assume that the new cinema displays will probably appear around the same time... with a nice new matching form and aesthetic, obvi.

 

[Cooknn]

Considering that the Mac Pro will be an extremely big thing when it's released, i'm surprised you guys don't seem very exciting about discussing it.

Come on, let's make this thread 500 pages by the time it's released.

It would be more exciting if we had the universal binary application software we need to run on it. It doesn't seem as though the software transition is going as quickly as Steve'o may have thought. Mid 2007 for Adobe CS3?

 

[pionata]

Man, my pc just fried (litteraly-wrong voltage setting stupid error) and I need a new dual boot computer more powerfull than my mac mini. I got a 23"hd so an imac is out of the question of course. Just wanted to ask this very anoying question (as it has probably been ask quite a number of times), is there any estimate on when the damn intel powermacs will get released?

 

[iGary]

i just hope they make the flacking thing smaller/lighter. The current PM are a beast... their heavy and huge... esp when u need to bring it to an apple store for repair i think someone has some experience with that

Eight times now.

 

[Nermal]

Don't forget an HD-DVD drive! I believe that they're almost available, if not available already.

 

[dejo]

Don't forgot an HD-DVD drive! I believe that they're almost available, if not available already.

Sorry, it'll be Blu-ray.

 

[4God]

Man, my pc just fried (litteraly-wrong voltage setting stupid error) and I need a new dual boot computer more powerfull than my mac mini. I got a 23"hd so an imac is out of the question of course. Just wanted to ask this very anoying question (as it has probably been ask quite a number of times), is there any estimate on when the damn intel powermacs will get released?

Wait a minute now, the Intel iMacs can span and mirror to an external monitor. Apple makes an adapter that goes from mini dvi to dvi so you can connect up to a 23" display to your iMac. BTW, the Intel iMacs are sure smooth and snappy IMO.

 

[Willy S]

It would be more exciting if we had the universal binary application software we need to run on it. It doesn't seem as though the software transition is going as quickly as Steve'o may have thought. Mid 2007 for Adobe CS3?

Maybe that is the reason for Bootcamp? Informing the Mac owners how sweet XP really is.

 

[Nermal]

Sorry, it'll be Blu-ray.

I disagree. I think that if you can create HD-DVDs using DVDSP, and play them using DVD Player, then surely Apple will include some way to read them.

 

[Transeau]

Um...yes core duos. That's the name of ALL next-generation Intel chips. Do a little research and you'll find out (just playing)

A little research... Intel never said they were changing the name of the Xeon Processor.

"SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 8, 2006 – The Intel® Core™2 Duo processor is the new brand for Intel Corporation’s upcoming powerful and more energy-efficient processor families for desktop and laptop computers that will arrive in the third quarter, the company announced today."

AND

"For dual–processor servers and workstations, Intel will ship three new processors in 2006. Sossaman, an ultra–low–power processor, is scheduled to ship next week and is designed for server blades, storage devices and telecommunications equipment. Dempsey is scheduled to ship by the end of the month and is the first processor for a new Intel® Xeon®–based platform, codenamed Bensley. With the majority of its volume shipping below 100 watts, Bensley will deliver performance–per–watt leadership."

Apple is going to be using the Workstation/Server class processors, currently known as the Xeon and Xeon LV.

 

[pionata]

Wait a minute now, the Intel iMacs can span and mirror to an external monitor. Apple makes an adapter that goes from mini dvi to dvi so you can connect up to a 23" display to your iMac. BTW, the Intel iMacs are sure smooth and snappy IMO.

Yeah the imac is cool but I want a computer that will last me my entire doctorate. Im willing to waste all my student loan on a quad intel any time... I need something that will still kick ass in 4-5 years (perhaps with a video card upgrade). Im doing a doctor in music and need over 2 gig of ram for my project (over the limit of the imac) wich uses 2 gestural controlers and a heavy bank of samples, I also plan on developing a game in my spare time using the unreal 3 engine (not alone) and need to dual boot to xp, be able to upgrade video card (not powerfull enough on imac for ut2007), etc...