http://www.anandtech.com/show/3969/apple-mac-pro-mid-2010-review
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Anandtech reviewed Mac Pro (mid2010)
- Thread starter knucles
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Upgrade if you have a 2006-2007 model. Not much of an upgrade if you already have a 2008-2009 model. The 8-core model is a waste of time because of the poor price per performance. 12-core model is excellent, but if you need to ask then it's not for you.
Overall good machines.
And get an SSD instead of upgrading.
I think that's the gist of it.
Overall good machines.
And get an SSD instead of upgrading.
I think that's the gist of it.
The tests definitely don't show that the 8 core
Is a waste, in fact, it doesn't do too badly.
But good summary
Is a waste, in fact, it doesn't do too badly.
But good summary
I feel very little need to upgrade considering I have a faster than standard octad anyway. If Apple would not deliberately castrate their firmware I could even fit 1333 memory. In fact my memory and CPUs are fit for the speed but firmware restrictions prohibit it.
I'm waiting for Sandy Bridge.
The base model sandy bridge mac pro should be on par with the 3.33GHz westmere or perhaps better.
The base model sandy bridge mac pro should be on par with the 3.33GHz westmere or perhaps better.
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aw come on Anand, should have bought a BTO with 5870 for this review
great job by my fellow Raleigh electronic addict!
aw come on Anand, should have bought a BTO with 5870 for this review
great job by my fellow Raleigh electronic addict!
Something better is always round your corner, I am sure your requirements will be the same though
I'm waiting for Sandy Bridge.
The base model sandy bridge mac pro should be on par with the 3.33GHz westmere or perhaps better.
I'm waiting for Sandy Bridge.
The base model sandy bridge mac pro should be on par with the 3.33GHz westmere or perhaps better.
Keep waiting... I'd be shocked if the Sandy Bridge stuff made it into an updated Mac Pro until later in 2011. I mean think how long folks waited for the Westmere stuff to get finally released.
There are definitely more ideal times to buy than others, and watching product release cycles is always a good thing. But at some one has to strike and buy a machine, there will always be something else on the horizon.
For me the 3.33Ghz. is plenty fast and most of the time I'm waiting on disk I/O, and if something is being pokey it's likely due to the fact that the apps I use are coded so-so at best. I couldn't wait and my Mac Pro isn't just a fun play toy it's something I use to make money.. so I have zero regrets.
I'm sure you've seen my other post...Roman23 changed his boards out for 5,1 Mac Pro boards on his 2009, he's running his old W3580 3.33GHz Quad-Core chip, and he's able to use 1333Mhz memory now. So you're right, the chip supports it (your X5590s do too) but the 2009 board firmware only supports up to 1066MHz RAM.
I'm waiting for Sandy Bridge.
The Xeon like version is due to be released in Q3 2011.... so it will be a while for all of the system vendors. Some folks can stop the Apple is slacking FUD commentary.
That's probably not true. Just as some falsely believed that all of the Westmere offerings were going to be 6 core ( not true, about half were 4 core at release point), same thing is going to be true with Sandy Bridge. There will likely still be a 4 core model at the entry level with a small bump in clock speed along with approximately the same exact price point at the now current model. There will be more 6 cores in the line up (and possibly some 8s) but not exclusively.
While the Sandy Bridge cores and I/O will be better, it won't be able to make up 2 cores "better" advantage that the 6 core 3.33 GHz models has.
As the old TV commercial goes ... "You can pay me now or pay me later". All the vendors that released Westmere updates in March/April of 2009 will have to sit on their offerings for 13-16 months while Apple will likely do about a 12 month cycle (just like the previous couple of Mac Pro cycles. ). This hiccup in Xeon release schedule was likely partially at the core of the delay this year.
There is not likely going to be suitable CPU parts to move to until Q3 2011. ( forget the whole Apple should do a Core i7 minitower tangent debate. Talking upgrade for current Mac Pro. Not stripping it down. )
As long as Intel and Apple get on a predictable 12 month cycle it is just a temporary speed bump, not a problem. It was only a matter of when "take the hit" on the speed bump. Given the slow roll on PCI-e v3 , USB 3 , and Light Peak 3rd party vendor peripheral solutions .... targeting next Q3 2011 isn't a bad idea.