Apple Announces Penryn Mac Pros and Xserve

[FF_productions]

Mac Pro's are overpriced anyway...

Rich

Minus the cinema displays, the Mac Pro's are very well priced compared to Dell:

Not a bad price, I just priced comparable configuration for a Dell Precision Workstation T7400 - 64bit and the price tag was for $5,267!!!

Here are the specs:
2 x Quad Core Intel® Xeon® Processor X5460 (3.16GHz,2X6M L2,1333)
2GB, DDR2 SDRAM FBD Memory, 667MHz, ECC (2 DIMMS)
256MB PCIe x16 nVidia NVS 290
16X DVD-ROM
No Floppy Drive
No Monitor
80GB SATA 3.0Gb/s,7200 RPM Hard Drive

Nice system right? I just love the 80GB default hard drive size that come with this package.

So go out there and get yourself a mac even if you are planning on running windows

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Perhaps the best news is the abandonment of the FB-DIMMM. Apple seems to have had little choice, but it's welcome all the same.

Perhaps the switch to the cheaper DDR2 memory will help offset the price increase a little.

 

[RichardI]

Compared to what?

The grand total of all my bank accounts...

Rich

 

[geerlingguy]

After 6 or so months of waiting and anticipating, i have finally ordered my brand spankin new Mac Pro! I ordered the base configuration plus Airport! Im super excited for this to get here as i have several photo shoots coming up and this will definately speed up my post processing!! It will be a darn nice set up after throwing in a couple 400 Gig WD hard drives and hooking up a pair of displays!! Should be a good improvement over my PB g4!

Congratulations! I think you'll be quite pleased with the speed gains you get (even if you're running Rosetta apps like PS CS2). I went from an old 800 MHz G4 to a 2.4 GHz MacBook Pro a few months ago, and I don't know anymore how I was surviving in Photoshop CS2/3, and Final Cut Express before now!

Things like processing 50 RAW files used to take about an hour (each setting took a few seconds to apply, then the conversion was about 45-90 seconds per picture in CS3). Now it takes less than 10 minutes!

Just make sure you upgrade to Universal Binary versions of all your important apps.

 

[137489]

Wowsers. US$5122, before tax and with the educational discount, for the config I want:

2.8 GHz x2
2 GB RAM
1 TB HD in Bay 1
GeForce 8800 video card
30" display
wireless networking, keyboard, and mouse
SuperDrive x2
AppleCare

Definitely not cheap. I haven't paid $5K for a computer in almost 10 years.

Ouch! That is expensive!!! However given what I have seen when doing BTO on the PC side prices add up there fast as well. As for a display, I went to Wal-Mart looking at a new TV. Now, why would I buy a monitor, when I can buy a new LCD TV with a PC port (and just use the DV to VGA converter) for about the same price? Then I could have a PC monitor/TV all in one for less than buying a TV and monitor separately.....

 

[djellison]

I know I'm late to the playing field, but for those gamers that want an inexpensive tower, choose the single processor version with the updated graphics card and you'll slid in at $2,499.00, which isn't too bad. You'll have plenty of power with the 4 cores at 2.8Ghz and there aren't too many games that are mulit-core yet, but you have them for when you need them.

Utter bull. I can build you a 3ghz quad core machines, 4 gig of ram, 8800 GT for a third of that. The words 'inexpensive tower' and 'mac pro' are about as opposite as can be.

Now, as a workstation, for video, photo etc - it makes quite a lot of sense. It's a mighty, mighty machine.

But at £320 for 2 extra Gig of Ram which should be about £60 - Apple have reach a new low in terms of BTO Rip off. Utterly disgusting. What's strange is that the graphics card options are actually not that bad in terms of price.

What they need to do is sort of XP64 and Vista 64 drivers for bootcamp - then I'd have one of these in a second.

Doug

 

[iQuit]

Not impressed

1. Obviously EVERY new model is faster than its predecessor.

2. Leopard still needs A LOT of refining and updates

3. The standard graphics suck for a pro model.

 

[iSee]

Well, this doesn't make it a great deal cheaper, but maybe you could take advantage of the MP's expandability and buy the 1TB drive elsewhere for less...

Also, consider a different brand of display.

Wowsers. US$5122, before tax and with the educational discount, for the config I want:

2.8 GHz x2
2 GB RAM
1 TB HD in Bay 1
GeForce 8800 video card
30" display
wireless networking, keyboard, and mouse
SuperDrive x2
AppleCare

Definitely not cheap. I haven't paid $5K for a computer in almost 10 years.

 

[malenfant]

Ouch! That is expensive!!! However given what I have seen when doing BTO on the PC side prices add up there fast as well. As for a display, I went to Wal-Mart looking at a new TV. Now, why would I buy a monitor, when I can buy a new LCD TV with a PC port (and just use the DV to VGA converter) for about the same price? Then I could have a PC monitor/TV all in one for less than buying a TV and monitor separately.....

Well, for one thing, no TV, be it LCD or plasma, is going to have higher than 1920 x 1080 resolution. The 30" display has a 2560 x 1920 resolution, twice as many pixels as any TV.

Dropping down to the 2600XT video card drops my price down to $4942, and cuts the delay in getting the machine from 3-5 weeks to 3-5 DAYS.

Peace, do you know for sure that new displays are coming out? I do want a 30" display, so if they cut the price I'll just get the difference back. If they come out with something totally new, then I might want whatever the new thing is (maybe it'll be thinner or something). Definitely want the big 30" screen, though.

Well, this doesn't make it a great deal cheaper, but maybe you could take advantage of the MP's expandability and buy the 1TB drive elsewhere for less...

Also, consider a different brand of display.

I thought about that, but the savings are not huge and I am going to end up with a 1 TB drive in Bay 1 either way. Easier just to get it now than to try to migrate everything over to a different HD later on. My goal is eventually to have 4 1 TB drives, one in each bay. I will also expand the RAM myself, since Apple way overcharges for that.

And I really want the display to match up with the machine.

 

[willfriedwald]

point of clarification

just a point of clarification -

this is it - this is the upgrade to the Mac Pro line that we've been waiting for - for months and months -

there's not going to be anything else announced at MacWorld in terms of the Mac Pro desktop.

I know it's an obvious question, but I'm going to ask it before I put down $2700!

will

 

[Deanster]

I just don't get you 'speed bump' types. What is today's base config was a $4000 computer yesterday. This is a major update, with BIG specs for the price.

I challenge any of the 'I could buy the same specs at a fraction of the price' guys to show a configuration from Dell, HP, or any other PC manufacturer that even comes close. $2800 for an Octo-core Xeon is CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP!

On the video card, most workstations come stock (from any manufacturer) come with a very basic video card and small hard drive, because many/most buyers will be transplanting an existing set of jumbo disks and hardcore card into the new box.

Not quite so likely with Apple, given the limited number of video cards available, but there's no point in paying for the 8800GT in the base config if you're just moving your existing Quadro over.

Count me in as hoping that Apple will bring a mid-tower/Cube II... I've got monitors by the dozens, don't need the Xeon-class oomph of a Mac Pro, need a little more flexibility than a Mac Mini offers, and don't want to pay for a screen i don't need with an iMac.

That said, my last two desktops have been C2D iMacs, and they're great computers, especially when paired with a 24" Dell monitor.

But I'd really rather have an $800 mid-tower/desktop - something about the size of a Mac IIci...

 

[diamond.g]

Perhaps the best news is the abandonment of the FB-DIMMM. Apple seems to have had little choice, but it's welcome all the same.

Perhaps the switch to the cheaper DDR2 memory will help offset the price increase a little.

What are you talking about? FB-DIMM is still in use. You can't get more 4 memory slots without it.

 

[cuestakid]

old MP users out of luck?

I used the Store chat just now and they told me that while the 8800GT 2.0

here is a breif summary

i, my name is Wanda. Welcome to Apple!
#

Wanda: Good afternoon.
#

You: can the 8800GT be purchased for use with the previous Mac Pros? If so how much is it to buy the 8800 on its own
#

Wanda: I'm happy to assist you. The 8800GT works in the PCI Express 2.0 slot. The previous generation Mac Pros have the PCI 1.0 slot, so it will not work in that slot.
#

You: the 2.0 is not backwards compatible?
#

Wanda: 2.0 is backwards compatible, but 1.0 is not frontwards compatible. The prevoius Mac Pro has the 1.0 slot

 

[Peace]

Perhaps the best news is the abandonment of the FB-DIMMM. Apple seems to have had little choice, but it's welcome all the same.

Perhaps the switch to the cheaper DDR2 memory will help offset the price increase a little.

You're confusing the PC config earlier in the thread.

The new MacPro still uses FB-DIMM memory.

"Memory

800MHz DDR2 ECC fully buffered DIMM (FB-DIMM) memory
Eight FB-DIMM slots on two memory riser cards (four slots per card) supporting up to 32GB of main memory
256-bit-wide memory architecture

 

[netdog]

Did anyone noticed that there is no bluetooth option? Am I missing something? I use BT a lot to connect my cell phone to my mac.

Bluetooth is now standard. Hence no BT option.

 

[4God]

Perhaps the best news is the abandonment of the FB-DIMMM. Apple seems to have had little choice, but it's welcome all the same.

Perhaps the switch to the cheaper DDR2 memory will help offset the price increase a little.

Huh? You lost me on that one.

your confusing the PC config earlier in the thread.

The new MacPro still uses FB-DIMM memory.

"Memory

800MHz DDR2 ECC fully buffered DIMM (FB-DIMM) memory
Eight FB-DIMM slots on two memory riser cards (four slots per card) supporting up to 32GB of main memory
256-bit-wide memory architecture

Exactly.

 

[zoozx]

How many people using a MAC PRO for professional work actually use a APPLE flat screen?
Not Many because they are Overpriced and SUCK when it comes to color and color management!
Most professionals look to Eizo, Lacie & NEC when quality and color are issues with imaging and graphics.

 

[diamond.g]

Well, for one thing, no TV, be it LCD or plasma, is going to have higher than 1920 x 1080 resolution. The 30" display has a 2560 x 1920 resolution, twice as many pixels as any TV.

Dropping down to the 2600XT video card drops my price down to $4942, and cuts the delay in getting the machine from 3-5 weeks to 3-5 DAYS.

Peace, do you know for sure that new displays are coming out? I do want a 30" display, so if they cut the price I'll just get the difference back. If they come out with something totally new, then I might want whatever the new thing is (maybe it'll be thinner or something). Definitely want the big 30" screen, though.

I thought about that, but the savings are not huge and I am going to end up with a 1 TB drive in Bay 1 either way. Easier just to get it now than to try to migrate everything over to a different HD later on. My goal is eventually to have 4 1 TB drives, one in each bay. I will also expand the RAM myself, since Apple way overcharges for that.

And I really want the display to match up with the machine.

You mean consumer TV's. Meet the Quad HDTV.

 

[adrake86]

The mac pros are awesome. I love the Penryn macs. To rich for my blood but very nice.

 

[bokdol]

logic express

edit: i am blind

 

[guzhogi]

WOnder why they didn't update the xServe RAID. It's still using Ultra ATA/100, not SATA & SAS like the xServe (and now Mac Pro).

 

[Deanster]

So, just for a quick check on pricing, from Dell, a T7400 workstation with 2gigs of RAM, 320Gig HD, a single Quad-core Xeon 2.83, and the nVidia NVS290 video card is a Whopping:

$3129!!! The comparable single-CPU Mac Pro is $2299!! $830!!! difference!

And going to dual Quad Cores is a $1299 upgrade at Dell, versus $500 on a Mac Pro.

MAJOR change in the world of 8-core workstation pricing, people!

 

[Peace]

[snip]

Peace, do you know for sure that new displays are coming out? I do want a 30" display, so if they cut the price I'll just get the difference back. If they come out with something totally new, then I might want whatever the new thing is (maybe it'll be thinner or something). Definitely want the big 30" screen, though.

I thought about that, but the savings are not huge and I am going to end up with a 1 TB drive in Bay 1 either way. Easier just to get it now than to try to migrate everything over to a different HD later on. My goal is eventually to have 4 1 TB drives, one in each bay. I will also expand the RAM myself, since Apple way overcharges for that.

And I really want the display to match up with the machine.

I'm not sure.But it's a pretty good guess.One worth waiting for if you're going to include it on the same order.I'm not sure if Apple would take back the old cinema display if it was on the same order.That's the key.

If you're not sure order the display separately so you can return it for the new one if the price is the same.

 

[Raid]

Speaking as one who picked up the 8-core machine shortly after it was announced, I'm still happy with my choice. But I look at the new ones and I'm very impressed, the larger caches, the PCI Express 2.0 and faster RAM with an increased upper limit would be attractive to many. Waiting wasn't really an option for me anyway, and I've got plenty of power for what I need to do, and will hopefully see gains from more multi-threaded apps when they come out.

Still part of me will envy the ones that get these new machines...

Perhaps the best news is the abandonment of the FB-DIMMM. Apple seems to have had little choice, but it's welcome all the same.

Perhaps the switch to the cheaper DDR2 memory will help offset the price increase a little.

Is this right? I thought the RAM still is pretty much the same, they just uped the clock speed from 667 to 800...

 

[milo]

Wowsers. US$5122, before tax and with the educational discount, for the config I want:

2.8 GHz x2
2 GB RAM
1 TB HD in Bay 1
GeForce 8800 video card
30" display
wireless networking, keyboard, and mouse
SuperDrive x2
AppleCare

Definitely not cheap. I haven't paid $5K for a computer in almost 10 years.

Definitely get the HD upgrade third party. You may want to look into getting the second optical drive third party as well. For the display, pricing may come down or you may want to look at other options.