Apple Announces New Mac Pros With Up to 12 Cores, SSD Options

[relimw]

Except that it's the iMac that is the sports car in any such analogy. Fast and sleek but the boot barely holds a shopping bag and it's useless for towing a trailer. We don't need tower computers for geeking out on speed, bells or whistles, we need them because we need workhorses. They're not sports cars, they're pickup trucks. They get you from A to B with whatever equipment you need for a job. Mac Pro is for the plummers and construction workers of the digital domain, iMac is for the Paris Hiltons.

Beautifully said.

 

[Rocketman]

If you use a SSD as a boot drive everything is snappier. I am curious about the technical details of the I/O and corruption protection used on this drive as compared to some more upscale "server" SSD drives. It seems to me Apple for a small marginal cost on the huge volumes they move, could add advanced features to prosumer and low end pro products in this area.

So, X-Serve is next . . . .

Rocketman

 

[mBox]

I know SIGGRAPH is this week, I didnt make it this year
But talk about timing:

http://www.electronista.com/articles/10/07/27/nvidia.revamps.quadro.line.for.new.architecture/

Seriously, I would love to see this or anything close to this on the new Mac Pro
Sadly itll be purchased with a new Boxx in the future if Apple dont play nice

 

[bigrob66]

Not too impressed.

...

I just figured that Apple is making at least $1000 profit on the octo core. On newegg you can build it for $2400 using the same or better parts.

No I am not comparing Xeon's to Core i7's. For $2400 you can build dual Xeon e5620's (quad 2.4 ghz), a Supermicro MBD-X8DA3-0 motherboard (more RAM slots, RAID, similar expansion slots), Radeon 5770, 1TB HD, 6GB ECC memory, FW800, 802.11n, Windows 7 Ultimate, high quality keyboard and mouse, DVD burner, Silverstone ST1000-P PSU (1000w, moduler, 80+ Silver certified, Antec P193 case (more expandable, cooling comparison unknown, looks are subjective).

I make this comparison because when the 2006 and 2008 MP's were released. You could not build part to part match on Newegg for less than Apple was charging for the MP. As I recall the MP was a couple hundred cheaper.

Wow! I just checked and the E5620 is only $389.99 at newegg. I'm interested to see how the 6-core (W3680) MP option is priced. Amazon sells the chip for $1,107.15.

 

[Atkins]

I just figured that Apple is making at least $1000 profit on the octo core. On newegg you can build it for $2400 using the same or better parts.

Do you take in account that they put it together, the MacOS, the keyboard and mouse and the support. If not, then it is less than 1000$ profit.

 

[relimw]

Who the hell needs 12 cores even if you are doing video processing? Surely 6 is more then enough unless this machine is going to be a server for many users? Well at least they've exceeded the HP Pavilion 390t which only has the i7 6-core option.

Amazingly enough, not everybody who owns a Mac Pro uses it just for video/photoshop apps, some of us actually use them for scientific purposes, and have programs that'll run all those processors into the ground if we would let them. It is interesting that there is no nvidia cards listed for this beast, which is a shame. Some of those apps I use can duplex in those processors via CUDA and really tear up the road.

 

[xBerserker]

Just curious, any way the Apple Remote could work with the Mac Pro?
Or just something similar for the Mac Pro? Maybe a bluetooth remote of some sort?

 

[Anuba]

Apple is about form from function, sometimes overly so.

Exactly. So what makes you think they would botch it and go completely the other way the next time? Don't you have confidence in Apple's design skills?

How the heck can you improve on that?

Wow. Apple did it. They created the perfect, optimal product that can't be improved. Or did they?

Let's see what's good. The internal design is nice and cable-free, let's keep that. The cheese grater mesh and the aluminum is great for airflow and cooling, let's keep those too. The elevation is good. Another keeper.

Now let's look at the stuff that's less than perfect. The power socket way up near the top? Dum-de-dum. I don't care where the power supply is - get that thing moved. 3 USB ports on the back? Are you kidding me? Is this an entry-level laptop or a professional desktop? Try 6. Two FW ports on the back and two on the front? Um, few if any need two temporary FW ports and nobody wants a permanent setup with ugly cables hanging off the front. Try 3 back, 1 front. Now, what about those giant handles? They're great when you need to lift it once a year, but for those 364 other days a year they're in the way when you want to place peripherals on top of the machine. It's like having a suitcase with a giant handle that won't fold away. Inventors solved that stuff 500 years ago. You can do it too. Finally, aesthetics. Any chance of throwing the customers a bone here? Perhaps a black Apple logo and some black trimmings to bring it in line with every other Mac in the lineup? How about those ghastly CD tray squares, they look positively retarded, any chance of slot-loading drives or do you still have to cater to the 0.000002% who have this mini-CD they simply must insert every day?

These are just suggestions and you might not agree with them at all. But please don't suggest that the Mac Pro can't be improved or that a fresher look would come at the expense of function. The Pro has just as much room for improvement as the old Mac Mini did. The difference is that Apple hasn't stopped caring about the latter.

 

[PeterQVenkman]

I think a lot of posters have wandered into the wrong forum. If you earn your living from the Mac Pro then the price is not really an issue, it pays for itself many times over.

That's just it - the mac doesn't pay for itself - no computer does. You work for it. And the faster you get your work done, the faster you pay off your computer purchase.

I, and the rest of my mac pro buddies at the next round of company upgrades in August, are switching to core i7 6 core beasts. It will cost less AND let us get our work done faster.

So my company will have to work less to pay off a faster machine, potentially letting us upgrade sooner the next time around, so we can do even more in less time, or take on jobs that we wouldn't tackle before.

 

[Atkins]

The power socket way up near the top? Dum-de-dum. I don't care where the power supply is - get that thing moved.

On the other hand it is perfect if your cables run through your desk - there's nothing on the floor.

3 USB ports on the back? Are you kidding me? Is this an entry-level laptop or a professional desktop? Try 6.

True, but what do you want to attach so much?

Two FW ports on the back and two on the front? Um, few if any need two temporary FW ports and nobody wants a permanent setup with ugly cables hanging off the front.

Many people need those ports.

Now, what about those giant handles? They're great when you need to lift it once a year, but for those 364 other days a year they're in the way when you want to place peripherals on top of the machine.

Again true, but come on - there's still a fkload of space on the top. And when you need to carry it is very very nice to have those handles.

These are just suggestions and you might not agree with them at all. But please don't suggest that the Mac Pro can't be improved or that a fresher look would come at the expense of function. The Pro has just as much room for improvement as the old Mac Mini did.

Agreed.

 

[3282868]

Just curious, any way the Apple Remote could work with the Mac Pro?
Or just something similar for the Mac Pro? Maybe a bluetooth remote of some sort?

Good question. Years ago I looked into this with no solution. I hoped the new displays would have an IR sensor. Nada.

If you have an iPhone or iPad there are remote control devices that not only control Front Row, but ALL the applications you have installed. "Rowmote Pro" is a great application. Check it out.

 

[xbjllb]

What did you expect from Willie Wonka? I mean, really?

I just want to buy the 5870 for my 2008 Mac Pro.

I read that the specs on the 5870 are identical to the 4870; only a model number change. I'd check.

12 cores is that enough?

With a six year-old technology "super"drive that chokes when you put in a four-year old Blu-ray disc?

A million cores wouldn't be enough.

I can't believe I waited for this...... $5k and

NO SATA3
NO USB 3.0
NO NVidia Cards for 3D work

Bend over and get hosed on the pricing.

I work in 3D and was hoping that the new MacPros would be something worth waiting for. If this is Steveo's version of "Amazing" I'm pretty darn disappointed. Win7 is looking better and better.

What did you expect from Willie Wonka and Mattel? I mean, Mappel. Or Crappel?

It should.

Putting this up front would be just embarrassing.

And THAT tells the tale. Jobs will never come out at any convention and tout a new Mac Pro. Never. By the time the jerk puts Blu-ray in the thing, Apple will be so far behind every other computer that no way could they even make a big deal out of it. Even now people would howl.

Yeah, Steve-o, that's great, you joker, now tell us about the floppy drive additions...

I bet you wouldn't be saying that if the iPhone, iPod or iMac still looked like their first-gen design.

The cheese-grater has got to go. And those handles can go to. They don't need to be the size of serving platters to enable someone to move it.

That cheese grater will become VERY handy in a pinch and you're craving pizza.

You're kidding me! The new MacPro is faster than the old one? Wow!

Yes. Truly a MIRACLE, no?

No.

Fins.

Now THAT'S a case!!1

Way overpriced for the specs ....

and this comes from a man who has bought (and loved) Macs his entire life

I like certain aspects of the Macs (build quality, looks, stability of OS, etc.) but this in no way justifies the price premium on these machines.

But they come with a color 8x10" pinup of Steve... no, really!

No case redesign, no eSATA, no case redesign and no case redesign. Geez, the case is 7 YEARS OLD. When it first shipped, the monitor options were the white/color plastic and Steve Jobs was slightly obese.

Which once again proves beyond all shadow of a doubt, that the human brain is mostly fat tissue.

What can I say? It still didn't knock the iPhone off the front page of Apple's website.

As long as Apple continues to focus on consumer electronics its Mac products will suffer, no matter how many times Steve says "not to worry."

Willie Wonka is no longer interested in adult humans with adult needs and big bucks. GO SOMEWHERE ELSE ASAP. Does he have to hit you on the head with a hammer to get rid of you forever?

Shouldn't a computer of this caliber include HDMI ports and a blueray drive?

Absolutely. But Apple has a CEO who has serious problems with basic reality. Who will soon enough have it in dire straits as the iCrap BUBBLE in their bottom line pops.

OMG! Has anyone actually tried to grate cheese with a mac pro? Imagine some guy picking up their pro and rubbing the front of the case on the cheese. What an image. Yes, you could just pick up the cheese and grate it that way... But that isn't as much fun

Thanks! Watch for my next YouTube video! You won't BELIEVE your eyes at how MUCH FASTER the NEW MAC PROS grate cheese than the old ones...

They're certainly just doing the minimal possible investment into it. No case redesign, huge (even for Apple) margins on everything, no SATA 3.0, no Blu-ray, etc. They're just plugging in standard components that other people are doing.

You noticed?

+1

Wow. A pretty big day on the Apple website to be sure!

But I must say, I'm very disappointed in this Mac Pro update. Its pretty obvious Apple is basically just holding on to last year's model for another year or so until 2011.

The entry level Pro is actually embarrassing. After 500 days thats all we get? What the hell were they waiting for on the non-12 core models? Couldn't they have upped many of these specs on the models that were'nt waiting for new processors months ago? Can't they up the specs even more and still make money on these things? Is it just not possible?

I too, have bought my last Mac Pro. The numbers look great only if you have your head buried in the sand. But if you comparison shop? .... yuck.

Never again. I'm just not that rich, or stupid. Or rich AND stupid.

Ive been on the fence for a while about the Imac vs the Mac Pro, but the updates today makes my decision easy. I'm going to go ahead and buy the 27" i7 quad-core, with 4GB 1333mhz (2x2GB which leaves me more open slots left than most Mac Pros have!) Radeon HD 5750 1GB GDDR5, and the upgraded 2TB hard drive. Ill plug in my 2TB external drive, and together, with 4TB, that will eliminate my need for the internal drive expandability of the Mac Pro. I'll have a big 27" monitor to look at my digital photography and Photoshop work, and Ill be able to upgrade to an internal SSD someday in the future. (looks like the new imac has room internally for both a hard drive and a SSD?!) This machine should easily outperform the entry mac pro. Even the last i7 did. This one more so. I have coworker friends that bought the i7 recently and they absolutely love them. Only negative thing is, I have some reservations about the monitor quality... other than that, an obvious choice.

But of course I'll have to live with the terrible, dark secret that I'm a Pro user, but I didnt buy a "Pro" machine.

With a glossy screen, no less! Begone, foolish Apple person!

Wow! I just checked and the E5620 is only $389.99 at newegg. I'm interested to see how the 6-core (W3680) MP option is priced. Amazon sells the chip for $1,107.15.

All that said and done, it's either an HP, Dell, or Boxx tower for me to go with that huge 30" Dell I just bought.

Apple? Steve-o? I'll be sending flowers to the funeral.

 

[NathanCH]

3GB of ram for $2500? Hahaha what a joke.

 

[3282868]

And if you think that the exterior case looks that solely for aesthetic reasons, then you don't get Apple at all. Apple is about form from function, sometimes overly so. The current case, from a functional point of view, is highly refined and a mature product. The case makes it stupidly easy to add and swap drives. Upgrade memory, and add expansion cards. It keeps things cool inside with quiet air movement. The systems are easy to move, the systems are kept up off the floor - just that inch or so reduces dust ingestion by about 80% or more. Any non-technical type can, by reading the manual, open the case and add a drive in just minutes. And a technical type can do it without reading the manual.

How the heck can you improve on that? Professionals don't buy a system (well, they shouldn't at least) because it looks good, at the expense of function. And Apple doesn't want to sell to people who buy based on looks at the expense of function.

I shake my head at some of the posters here.....

+1 I wish more would get it

 

[xBerserker]

Good question. Years ago I looked into this with no solution. I hoped the new displays would have an IR sensor. Nada.

If you have an iPhone or iPad there are remote control devices that not only control Front Row, but ALL the applications you have installed. "Rowmote Pro" is a great application. Check it out.

I have a Palm Pre myself .. ah well.

 

[Anuba]

I think a lot of posters have wandered into the wrong forum. If you earn your living from the Mac Pro then the price is not really an issue, it pays for itself many times over.

Every business was once a small startup on a budget. If the threshold is too steep, they will go with a PC, learn Windows applications, build their pipeline around Windows and become entrenched. 10 years ago there was a Mac for everyone because the entry-level desktops had the necessary I/O and expandability too. Now those are luxury features. Selling Mac Pro to customers who are already beyond having to care about money is great and all, but they will all retire one day. We don't want a situation where all Mac users are consumers and all content producers are on PC, do we?

 

[Lord Blackadder]

A good, if conventional, update on the Mac Pros.

The debate on consumer vs pro components and designs will never end. I accept the Mac Pros for what they are - the most powerful Macs, targeted towards the professional and spendy enthusiast market. They will never be popular with the gaming crowd due to cost, lack of DirectX on OSX etc etc. But they are fast, and very expandable.

If I had the money I'd buy one. The lack of USB 3.0 and the new FW standard is not surprising, given how long the new Mac Pros have been in development. It's not a deal breaker for me.

 

[xbjllb]

Every business was once a small startup on a budget. If the threshold is too steep, they will go with a PC, learn Windows applications, build their pipeline around Windows and become entrenched. 10 years ago there was a Mac for everyone because the entry-level desktops had the necessary I/O and expandability too. Now those are luxury features. Selling Mac Pro to customers who are already beyond having to care about money is great and all, but they will all retire one day. We don't want a situation where all Mac users are consumers and all content producers are on PC, do we?

Jobs does. And will make damn sure it happens too, before he dies and takes Apple COMPUTERS with him.

 

[Anuba]

True, but what do you want to attach so much?

Well, in my case two USB MIDI controllers, wired Apple keyboard (those itty-bitty cursor keys and the lack of numpad on the wireless = no-go for a DAW), a Logitech mouse (the Magic Mouse looks great on coffee tables, but that's about it), a SpaceNavigator, two USB dongles for software. That's 7. My old Dell desktop had 8 USB ports. I want to avoid hubs if I can, they're ugly and they suck.

 

[Speedy2]

Who buys these things? Workstations are a niche that is getting even tinier every year. The Mac Pro is becoming a hobby. I bet they are already making more money with the iPad than with this behemoth of the last millenium.

 

[xStep]

But $4999? Dang man. That's a lot of cash.

Yea, but you get a lot more than I did when I paid $5000 for a 68040 single processor Next Station, with 8MB of RAM and no optical drive! Oh, what power I had.

 

[xbjllb]

Who buys these things? Workstations are a niche that is getting even tinier every year. The Mac Pro is becoming a hobby. I bet they are already making more money with the iPad than with this behemoth of the last millenium.

I'd buy one (actually, several) if they actually were cutting edge and I could put a GD four-year old Blu-ray disc in one and having it do something.

Yes, they are making more money with the iPad and iPhone. They're the real estate bubble of the computer world.

 

[Atkins]

Every business was once a small startup on a budget. If the threshold is too steep, they will go with a PC, learn Windows applications, build their pipeline around Windows and become entrenched. 10 years ago there was a Mac for everyone because the entry-level desktops had the necessary I/O and expandability too. Now those are luxury features.

They choose what suits them. Let Apple worry who buys.
I think that you are overreacting. People just don't need expandable towers that much today. I don't see the problem for people who used G3s G4s and G5s for Photoshop to switch to iMacs. It is a perfectly capable machine, costs nothing (for a business I mean) and, yes, it is not very upgradeable, but so what? You sell it, you buy another one. You use an external HDD, etc. I am certainly not saying it's the perfect choice, but times change. Ten years ago I wouldn't even try to do 3D on my laptop. Today it's perfectly ok. For many professionals MBPs and iMacs are largely enough.

 

[jerry333]

1) What kind of user would benefit from the 12-core over the 6-core? Does the OS handle multithreading well enough now that pretty much everyone would notice a difference?

2) If I bought one of these, could I just swap its system drive with the one in my 2006 Mac Pro and go? (I've had a terrible time with Migration Assistant missing things).

Thanks!

1) Me. My 8 core 3GHz Mac Pro with 16 GB of memory bogs down quite frequently--even in 64 bit mode. When I power supply failed I put in a 2009 summer Mac Pro (but only 4 cores) for a couple of days as a stand-in and it was pegged the entire time. So even though the CPU architecture was much faster the overall performance was less. There is no substitute for multiple CPUs if you are doing multiple tasks. With luck Apple will raise the ridiculously low process limits. I get the "can't fork" message way to frequently.

2) You could but I don't recommend it. It's better to start with a fresh OS whenever possible. The best thing to do is to have your home directories on a separate disk (or better yet, a fibre channel RAID enclosure like I do). Only the operating system should be on the system disk. This goes double if you get the SSD. Then you just mount /Users disk on /Volumes/Users and go (or mount somewhere else like /Volumes/Users1, move the original Users to Users.bak, and ln -s /Volumes/Users1 /Volumes/Users but I do the former because if the external filesystem fails you can still login).

 

[res1233]

Who buys these things? Workstations are a niche that is getting even tinier every year. The Mac Pro is becoming a hobby. I bet they are already making more money with the iPad than with this behemoth of the last millenium.

They're not a hobby, they're workhorses for people who need the power. Although it's true that most people don't need workstations... Still, MPs are not ATVs