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

bedifferent said:
Isn't there some sort of lawsuit between Intel and nVidia? I know Apple has been phasing them out for a while now..

What is CUDA??? I should know this. Will an nVidia card work in these new Mac Pros?
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CUDA is a programming environment that allows to run code on the graphic card.
If you have a program that can be parallelized in many processes, using it on a graphic card (that has hundreds of cores) can speed it up by a factor of 200 or more.

There are alternatives to CUDA that work cross-cards but not as advanced as CUDA. I just don't get why apple would slam the door at all these developers.
 
I wonder what in this update justifies the long time we had to wait for it. they could have upgraded the processors back in april!
 
Plutonius said:
I don't feel too bad then about buying the 2.93 quad last year rather than the 2.8 quad this year :).
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I wonder if those will start showing up in the refurb store? Might be a good value for those that don't need the absolute top end.
 
Mrbill317 said:
Someone said no more Nvidia options? So much for using it for Avid then.
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There's a lawsuit between Intel and nVidia so Apple has been moving to ATI graphics cards. I believe you can still buy an after market nvidia card and replace the ATI, and sell the ATI to recoup the costs.

mauree said:
CUDA is a programming environment that allows to run code on the graphic card.
If you have a program that can be parallelized in many processes, using it on a graphic card (that has hundreds of cores) can speed it up by a factor of 200 or more.

There are alternatives to CUDA that work cross-cards but not as advanced as CUDA. I just don't get why apple would slam the door at all these developers.
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Ah. Thanks for the explanation. I had no idea this wasn't possible with ATI graphics cards.
 
ArcaneDevice said:
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.
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Your comparing consumer products with pro products.

It's a brilliant design, we have old G5s and Intel plus a couple of mirror front G4s in this studio. The cheese grater is brilliant especially the last two versions. Swapping drives, moving them out on location, they are easy to use and manage.

I think you may be bored with looking at them but for people who use them the design works well.
 
millertime021 said:
Woo hoo finally!

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

This was long over due.

Do they have the rumored USB 3.0?

EDIT: They have USB 2.0
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Actually it's pretty good value, a Dell Precision with 2 2.66 six core Xeons starts at $5395. If you go to the 2.93 it's $6745. Take a look:

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=555&l=en&oc=MLB101_N_2&s=biz

And whilst the Mac Pro's case is old, it's a damn site prettier then a Dell plastic box!!
So, basically Apple is giving value for money (Holy Crap!!) And the trolls are still winging, no USB3, so use firewire then. Either way, the Mac Pro IS cheaper then the Dell.
I'm surprised Apple haven't gone to the top end 3.33? I've been stocked with the fact my MB Pro has the current top end Dual core i7 in it :D

What I find even MORE interesting is the new BTO iMac option of SSD and HDD combined.
 
azentropy said:
Entry level still looks like a horrible price/performance value. :(
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Bingo. Probably even worse than before since they downgraded the speed for the same price as 15 months ago, still only 4 ram slots (????).

We're talking about a machine that was already outperformed by the top iMac (and many PCs half the price) and it looks like that will still be the case, if not more so.

I don't know what Apple is thinking, they could offer the same machine with i7 and matching components and it would get the same performance for much MUCH cheaper. Last years model was a complete embarrassment and the update may be worse, not better.

And no SATA 3? No esata (since there's no faster FW or USB)?? Come on guys, at least make it look like you're trying a little bit.

beaker7 said:
What would you use those connections for?
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Is it that hard to figure out? External drives. Even FW 800 isn't fast enough to keep up with many drives (not to mention SSD), so these machines don't offer a single external interface that can handle the full speed of a single fast hard drive (much less multiple drives).
 
KindredMAC said:
*Please note that when I say "Revised/Revision" I mean that the actual shape of the form factor has changed. I do not consider rearranging ports on the front and back, adding a second optical bay or rearranging the interior guts as a revision or change.
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So redesigning the interior only counts if the case changes as well... right.
 
Omg. Today is an awesome day.

Although, I feel kind of dirty. I'm no fanboy or anything, but being so excited at seeing all four of these updates/additions makes me feel like one :/

Now I just have to wait for Best Buy Canada to have them and have their financing deal on! (Like, they have a 18 month no interest/payment deal on right now. Unfortunately I'd be surprised if they had the new models in before it ended).
 
winmacuser said:
Cheese, and where is the 1,500$ Mac not-so-pro with 2 HDD slots, 4GB RAM, replaceable graphics and Core iX?

;)
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I'm with you. I was really hoping Apple would get it together and come out with something between the mini and the Pro. Now it looks like I either have to decide on settling for the mini or after almost 20 years of owning Apple computers switching to get what I want.
 
KindredMAC said:
What a load of crap on the pricing!

Note to Apple: If you are going to expect us to pay such a premium, how about throwing a new case design into the mix. Even automobiles change their exteriors sooner than every 7 years! This is absurd!
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Why? Are you expecting the Mac Pro to get faster with a newly designed case?
 
mauree said:
There are alternatives to CUDA that work cross-cards but not as advanced as CUDA. I just don't get why apple would slam the door at all these developers.
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Because Apple developed the cross-card alternative, OpenCL, and submitted it as an open standard. It's also more than just for graphics cards; it is designed to apply to anything that has a compute core on it.

crackpip
 
pianojoe said:
How does the eight-core model's modest upgrade justify the price increase?

I'm in the market for one of these, but now I wish I'd purchased six months ago.
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Modest? You mean:

1.) Faster processor [2.4 GHz vs 2.26 GHz].
2.) Faster video card [1GB vs 512MB].
3.) Built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi [no longer a $50,00 BTO option].
4.) A new power supply [required for the new video cards].

That to me is well worth the $200
 
Surprised at no I/O changes

Was hoping for FireWire 3200 and USB 3. I guess that is one reason for a Mac Pro: slots to put expansion cards into. You want these faster ports (or eSATA), put in a card for them.

Apple might say that there are few peripherals supporting USB 3 and none supporting FW 1600/3200, but it is a chicken and egg thing. If Apple builds it (the ports), the peripheral makers will come (to market).

Perhaps it is true that Apple is waiting for Intel Light Peak.
 
Overall... mostly disappointed

Overall, I'm pretty disappointed in the refresh. Modest speedbumps throughout, but the biggest update being the 12-core option for 5k, which most people will be priced out of, including myself.

The 6-core option looks like the best in terms of cost/performance, however. The single-quad core just seems overpriced to me, based on the puny speedbump it received.

I'm still operating on a Quad G5 PowerMac and have been DYING for this update. I've gotta update my Adobe software to CS5 (from CS3) and Cinema4D, which will be another $2,800 or so.

Maybe I'll still be considering the newest i7 iMac! As a motion graphics designer (2D and 3D), I was hoping to stay in the Mac Pro world instead of feeling degraded by buying the "prosumer" iMac. But the prices are just insane!

Guess I'll wait for the benchmarks...
 
Still I have a bad feeling about this. First it said "Coming August", now that's changed to coming soon. Even if it is August it will probably be like the 30th of August. Than 3 more weeks of shipping and by the time this thing is under my desk Intel releases Sandy Bridge.
 
Master Chief said:
Modest? You mean:

1.) Faster processor [2.4 GHz vs 2.26 GHz].
2.) Faster video card [1GB vs 512MB].
3.) Built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi [no longer a $50,00 BTO option].
4.) A new power supply [required for the new video cards].

That to me is well worth the $200
Click to expand...

Yes, modest. 16 months later, these improvements should come with no price increase.
 
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