Intel Launches New W-2200 Xeon Chips Appropriate for an Updated iMac Pro

[MacRumors]

Intel today launched new W-2200 Cascade Lake-X Xeon chips that are potentially suitable for a new iMac Pro should Apple be planning to refresh the machine in the near future.

Right now, Apple uses custom Intel Xeon-W chips for its iMac Pro models, but could use a stock version of the W-2200 Xeon chips or a custom version.

There are up to 18 AVX 512 enabled cores in the new W-2200 chips, along with up to 48 PCIe lanes, Turbo Boost Max 3.0, and AI acceleration (Intel Deep Learning Boost) for visual effects, motion graphics, 3D rendering, and more. The chips are similar to Intel's X-Series chips but with Intel vPro for support for up to 1TB ECC RAM, VROC, and RAS (reliability, availability, and serviceability) features.

According to Intel, its new chips offer 2x faster 3D architecture rendering, 97% faster 4K video editing, and 2.1x faster video game compile times.

Intel is introducing a new, more affordable pricing structure for the updated chips, dropping prices by up to almost 50 percent compared to prior-generation Xeon chips. The pricing cuts could drive the cost of future iMac Pro models down should Apple pass those savings along to consumers.

Apple released the iMac Pro in 2017 and hasn't updated it since then, so it's due for a refresh. There are no rumors that an updated model is in the works, but we often don't hear much about minor Mac refreshes, so upgraded processors and other hardware could still come in a 2019 update.

Intel says the new Xeon W-2200 chips will be available starting in November.

Article Link: Intel Launches New W-2200 Xeon Chips Appropriate for an Updated iMac Pro

 

[dannys1]

Interesting stuff - although I can't say i've felt like mine lacked processing power at any point yet. But i'd probably take one based on it having updated Thunderbolt 3 that supports DisplayPort 1.4.

 

[sfwalter]

I'm wondering if Apple will hold back on an iMac Pro upgrade until the Mac Pro is in the market place for a while. The iMac Pro is starting to look cheap compared to the Mac Pro.

 

[SecuritySteve]

It's interesting that the main upgrade from the previous generation is the core speed, as opposed to core count.

 

[MrGIS]

Thank you AMD...

 

[Icaras]

The only thing missing in this month's "pro" oriented event is a iMac Pro refresh announcement.

 

[Sedulous]

I am of the opinion that the iMac Pro was never a good workstation form factor and should be discontinued. In its place should be a scaled back prosumer oriented Mac Pro line.

 

[fmcshan]

I agree. The iMac Pro was released in December 2017 (announced at WWDC 2017) and is due for a refresh. Intel will probably design another custom chip for a new iMac Pro. On a side note, the HomePod hasn’t been refreshed at all since its inception. Although it contains an A8 chip, it would be nice to have a smaller/more budget friendly option as well.

 

[tuartboy]

According to Intel, its new chips offer 2x faster 3D architecture rendering, 97% faster 4K video editing, and 2.1x faster video game compile times.

When compared to a 3-year old workstation using a Xeon E5-1680v4. Ars reports only a 10% uplift over the previous generation Xeon chips used in the iMac Pro. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/10/intels-w-2200-series-xeon-joins-x-series-cascade-lake/

 

[Menthol]

The pricing cuts could drive the cost of future iMac Pro models down should Apple pass those savings along to consumers.

Tee hee hee. You jokesters, you!

 

[pweicks]

“The pricing cuts could drive the cost of future iMac Pro models down should Apple pass those savings along to consumers.”

I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.

 

[huiAPPOAJ]

lmfao Intel truly is finished

 

[Alan Wynn]

I'm wondering if Apple will hold back on an iMac Pro upgrade until the Mac Pro is in the market place for a while. The iMac Pro is starting to look cheap compared to the Mac Pro.

They serve different customers. The Mac Pro is the highest performance machine for people who need expansion cards and/or very high-end GPUs. The iMac Pro is for power users who do not need that.

 

[jlocker]

We should see the new macbook pro 16in soon now that the Catalina has been released and Intel has processors rolling out.

 

[jccrtv]

I'm wondering if Apple will hold back on an iMac Pro upgrade until the Mac Pro is in the market place for a while. The iMac Pro is starting to look cheap compared to the Mac Pro.

Exactly what I'm afraid of. I'm jonzin to buy the second an updated iMac Pro is released. But they will hold back for months so not to hurt the new Mac Pro.

 

[ajfahey]

I am of the opinion that the iMac Pro was never a good workstation form factor and should be discontinued. In its place should be a scaled back prosumer oriented Mac Pro line.

Market forces will take care of that if you are right and Apple will discontinue this model based on aggregate consumer response. For me, there's enough of a niche there given the expected price point of the Mac Pro and the relative performance differences between it and the lower end iMac line. Not all power users or can afford the Mac Pro and will be able to tolerate the performance of the base iMac line.

 

[CWallace]

I'm wondering if Apple will hold back on an iMac Pro upgrade until the Mac Pro is in the market place for a while. The iMac Pro is starting to look cheap compared to the Mac Pro.

I expect the target market for both families are different so there would be little risk of overlap.

 

[FaustsHausUK]

I'm wondering if Apple will hold back on an iMac Pro upgrade until the Mac Pro is in the market place for a while. The iMac Pro is starting to look cheap compared to the Mac Pro.

Yeah, I wonder about the positioning. It might really be about whether or not you want to change out components, a consideration that might reduce how much the iMac Pro cannibalises Mac Pro sales.

 

[jlocker]

These Workstation processors kick butt for multiprocessor and multithreading applications. It is the semi-truck of the processor world, not a pickup truck.

 

[Mr. Dee]

Apple drop prices? Braha haha haha!

 

[bladerunner2000]

The pricing cuts could drive the cost of future iMac Pro models down should Apple pass those savings along to consumers.

?

 

[falkon-engine]

All thanks to a resurgent AMD. Had Ryzen never existed, Intel would still be selling us crap at much higher prices. Sometimes competition is a good thing for consumers.

 

[justperry]

Seems to me several posters can't read, MR worded it well, "could" and "should" makes the statement valid.

The pricing cuts could drive the cost of future iMac Pro models down should Apple pass those savings along to consumers.

 

[StevieD100]

Upgrades?
Price Cuts?

have we suddenly been transported to a different dimension?

 

[ElectricPotato]

Apple released the iMac Pro in 2017 and hasn't updated it since then, so it's due for a refresh.

Only two years without an update? By Apple standards that is positively fresh.