Whats wrong with the intel X7400 series?

[lostngone]

A lot of people are saying no Mac Pro updates because the chips aren't ready.

My question is whats wrong with Apple releasing a system with the X7400 series chips in them?

 

[Umbongo]

They aren't an "upgrade" to the current line. They are meant for multi-processor servers, i.e 4 processors per system.

Then there is cost. The top 2.66GHz processor costs as much as a Mac Pro and is slower.

 

[m1stake]

The X5500 series and X7400 series are both server/workstation chips. That's where the similarities end.

 

[Tallest Skil]

A lot of people are saying no Mac Pro updates because the chips aren't ready.

My question is whats wrong with Apple releasing a system with the X7400 series chips in them?

It doesn't fit. They don't fit in the current socket.

 

[lostngone]

They aren't an "upgrade" to the current line. They are meant for multi-processor servers, i.e 4 processors per system.

Then there is cost. The top 2.66GHz processor costs as much as a Mac Pro and is slower.

Yes they have slower clock speed but everything I have read says they are faster.

 

[lostngone]

It doesn't fit. They don't fit in the current socket.

Yea? So... What would stop apple from putting in a new mainboard? After all the current mainboard needs replacing just as much as the chip, if not more.

 

[Tallest Skil]

Yea? So... What would stop apple from putting in a new mainboard? After all the current mainboard needs replacing just as much as the chip, if not more.

With Nehalem Xeons coming in three months, they won't expend the time or effort.

 

[Umbongo]

Yes they have slower clock speed but everything I have read says they are faster.

They are only faster if you can utilize more than 8 cores effectively. High priced (we're talking $15,000 for four 2.66GHz processors, system board and the Mac Pro base internals) single unit systems have a place in the data centre, they don't under the desk. It's cheaper to deploy multiple systems if that power is needed.

 

[TrapOx]

By this time next year we'll be talking about 12 (or more) cores in the imminent MacPro update.

Apple's Grand Central means that while few of today's applications take advantage of multiple CPUs, within the next year almost every program will take advantage of as many as you can get.