Is there *any* chance of a Mac Pro update @ WWDC?

[Anuba]

I'm itching to order a Mac Pro (quad), and the MP line was updated in March so it's pretty damned unlikely to be updated again so soon. On the other hand, in the past (the PPC days), the PM G5 was occasionally updated with as little as 3 months inbetween.

Should I hold off a couple of weeks in the event that there will be something like new video cards, a price drop, a minor speed bump or changes in the RAM config (e.g. bumping from 3/6/8 to 4/8 or whatever), or is any kind of update so bloody unlikely that it's futile to wait?

 

[SilentPanda]

If you buy one, they will update. If you don't, they won't.

It's the law of kicking yerself in the behind!

There's always a "chance"...

 

[Tallest Skil]

Please tell me that you are joking.

Please. Please.

Apple does NOTHING to the pro desktops between processor updates. The next processor update is over a year away.

 

[snouter]

I'm itching to order a Mac Pro (quad), and the MP line was updated in March so it's pretty damned unlikely to be updated again so soon.

I'm with you, the 120GT and 2.26 GHz is not doing it for me at these prices.

 

[snouter]

Apple does NOTHING to the pro desktops between processor updates. The next processor update is over a year away.

Shame cuz' the margins are quite high and the parts are in stock.

The 2.26 CPU is $400 retail. Two of them make up $800 of a $3300 computer with a 640MB HD and a 120GT? I would think (hope?) they can afford to notch the speeds up before a year from now...

 

[Anuba]

If you buy one, they will update. If you don't, they won't.

It's the law of kicking yerself in the behind!

There's always a "chance"...

Yeah... sigh.

It's not that I'm unhappy with the current offerings, for example I actually want the NVidia GT120. The ATi HD4870 is a notorious power hog, and possibly a resource hog (which would be a major drag since I need those resources for audio performance and the GT120 is pretty low maintenance), plus it apparently has some serious bugs that cause input device stuttering.

Sometimes Apple likes to reverse the roles of ATI and NVidia, in this case they might scrap the GT120, make ATI the default card and Nvidia GTX 285 the high-end, and I want neither...

Please tell me that you are joking.

Please. Please.

No need to be snarky and aloof about it, not everyone is a graduate from the school of Apple Hardware Update Strategies. I have no idea what they do to which machines and when, all I see in the Buyer's Guide is that sometimes they've updated the pro machines 3 times in one year (2003). And that probably doesn't include changes in BTO options outside of processor configurations.

 

[snouter]

It's not that I'm unhappy with the current offerings, for example I actually want the NVidia GT120.

Even if you like the GT120, it's a $50 part in a $3000+ computer, makes no sense, though it's not surprising in any way.

 

[pilotError]

Please tell me that you are joking.

Please. Please.

Apple does NOTHING to the pro desktops between processor updates. The next processor update is over a year away.

Nehalem-EX due 2H 2009

 

[Tallest Skil]

Nehalem-EX due 2H 2009

Beckton. 7xxx series, namely the 75xx series.

Apple does not, has not, and will not use the 7xxx series.

You need four processors. It is prohibitively expensive. It's for servers.

Need some more evidence?

 

[dagomike]

Please tell me that you are joking.
Apple does NOTHING to the pro desktops between processor updates. The next processor update is over a year away.

Apple has made modifications between refreshes. It just comes down to what's available at what price points and Apple's roadmap.

I'm hoping to see the 3.2 GHz added on. I have an 2.93 in the pipe and would live to put in a change order.

 

[Tallest Skil]

Apple has made modifications between refreshes. It just comes down to what's available at what price points and Apple's roadmap.

I'm hoping to see the 3.2 GHz added on. I have an 2.93 in the pipe and would live to put in a change order.

They added the eight-core BTO option. Nothing else has ever been done between processor changes.

 

[dagomike]

They added the eight-core BTO option. Nothing else has ever been done between processor changes.

There you go. Anything is possible.

The 3.2 chips are available. No technical reason for Apple not to add them. Or change other options/specs.

 

[Anuba]

Even if you like the GT120, it's a $50 part in a $3000+ computer, makes no sense, though it's not surprising in any way.

Oh, THAT. Well, it's the price of admission to the Apple universe... I could write books on their obscene margins and their penchant for overcharging for underpowered gear. I do what I can to get back at them, namely... A) Buy it from a local store so that Apple doesn't get to feast on the entire margin as they would if I bought it straight from Apple Store, and B) order the basic config with no options whatsoever, since Apple's hard drive and RAM prices are from the 1950's. And C) wait 364 days to by the AppleCare Protection Plan.

 

[Mackilroy]

It's not that I'm unhappy with the current offerings, for example I actually want the NVidia GT120. The ATi HD4870 is a notorious power hog, and possibly a resource hog (which would be a major drag since I need those resources for audio performance and the GT120 is pretty low maintenance), plus it apparently has some serious bugs that cause input device stuttering.

How in the world could the 4870 hog resources from your computer? It would only help, not hurt.

 

[TheStrudel]

The only thing I see as being remotely possible is a processor speed bump (optional BTO). Nothing else would make sense. Next update will be Sandy Bridge...

 

[Anuba]

How in the world could the 4870 hog resources from your computer? It would only help, not hurt.

High-end video cards can hog resources to the point where little else works properly. They're typically designed for people who only care about insane framerates at one gazillion pixels resolution. When you work with audio and have lots of VST/AU plugins going and you're up to a gaming-grade CPU load average around 75-80%, those fat ass video cards can interfere with audio performance. There's a kind of princess and the pea situation with firewire audio; certain FW chipsets are to be avoided, certain video cards are to be avoided, always have a separate FW bus for audio, etc... it can make a ton of difference. My previous machine shipped with one of the "avoid at all cost" video cards and sure enough, I got constant audio glitches and dropouts. Switched to a more moderate card, suddenly all issues were gone.

 

[iMacmatician]

I'm sure there's a tiny chance, but I don't think we'll see an update.

The 3.2 chips are available. No technical reason for Apple not to add them. Or change other options/specs.

They had no technical reason not to add the 2.67 GHz Clovertown in late 2006 or the 3.4 GHz Harpertown in late 2008, but neither of those CPUs came to the Mac Pro.

The only thing I see as being remotely possible is a processor speed bump (optional BTO). Nothing else would make sense. Next update will be Sandy Bridge...

Westmere comes before then.

With the recent report that Gulftown will only be an Extreme Edition part in the desktop space, what does this mean for the workstation space? Will Gulftown replace Gainestown? Or will they exist side by side? Or will Gulftown only be at the top of the line? If Gulftown will only be the top-end CPU, I fear that Apple will pull a "3.0 GHz Clovertown" and just add the Gulftown onto the existing Mac Pro.

 

[snouter]

How in the world could the 4870 hog resources from your computer? It would only help, not hurt.

Guess he's after the responsive audio rig, but my disappointment comes from the fact that the Nehalem's do very well at power consumption while idle, yet they toss in the 4870 which uses quite a bit of power, even at idle - negating the benefit

 

[dagomike]

They had no technical reason not to add the 2.67 GHz Clovertown in late 2006 or the 3.4 GHz Harpertown in late 2008, but neither of those CPUs came to the Mac Pro.

Like I said, it depends on their roadmap. If the only reason the 3.2 wasn't added was pre-release availability, which seems quite reasonable, they may add it on. I doubt we'll see any major updates anytime soon to conflict.

If you can't wait, then order. If you can, see what's in store for WWDC or beyond to meet your needs. I don't get why people bristle at the suggestion a product configuration might not go unchanged for a year.

 

[iMacmatician]

I don't get why people bristle at the suggestion a product configuration might not go unchanged for a year.

Because we don't think it's likely?

 

[t0mat0]

Aren't the things the OP is looking for from Apple, upgrades possible as a DIY option? Video card, minor speed bump (CPU swap/drop in) RAM etc.

Video card as a BTO option, and a Kansas City Shuffle on the CPUs perhaps ? When's an update not an update? When it's a bump?

 

[jeanlain]

(sorry, irrelevant remark removed)

 

[jeanlain]

High-end video cards can hog resources to the point where little else works properly. They're typically designed for people who only care about insane framerates at one gazillion pixels resolution. When you work with audio and have lots of VST/AU plugins going and you're up to a gaming-grade CPU load average around 75-80%, those fat ass video cards can interfere with audio performance. There's a kind of princess and the pea situation with firewire audio; certain FW chipsets are to be avoided, certain video cards are to be avoided, always have a separate FW bus for audio, etc... it can make a ton of difference. My previous machine shipped with one of the "avoid at all cost" video cards and sure enough, I got constant audio glitches and dropouts. Switched to a more moderate card, suddenly all issues were gone.

I would mostly see these problems as resulting from a software bug. Maybe something went wrong between GFX drivers and the audio. If the card simply takes CPU ressources while doing no 3D acceleration (which is dubious), then CPU load should be higher at iddle.
You can't generalize from you example. Graphic cards improve performance most of the time, which would not be possible if they used more CPU ressources.

 

[grue]

Possible, but highly unlikely.

 

[DeepCobalt]

Speed bumps are not media events. If Apple wants to bump specs slightly, it does so whenever it likes--not necessarily at media events like WWDC. Case in point, the white MacBook just got a speed bump TODAY! Apple didn't wait until WWDC to bump the spec... It's a silent bump.

If Apple wanted to update the Mac Pro, it would do so independently of the WWDC. Hence, don't hold your breath people!