Apple Introduces New Mac Pro
Fastest Mac Ever–Eight Processor Cores Standard
CUPERTINO, California–January 8, 2008–Apple today introduced the new Mac
Pro with eight processor cores and a new system architecture that delivers
up to twice the performance of its predecessor*. The new Mac Pro combines
two of Intel’s new 45 nanometer Quad-Core Xeon processors running up to 3.2
GHz, powerful new graphics and up to 4TB of internal storage to offer the
ideal system for creative professionals, 3D digital content creators and
scientists. The standard 8-core configuration starts at just $2,799.
“The new Mac Pro is the fastest Mac we’ve ever made,” said Philip Schiller,
Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With 3.2 GHz
8-core Xeon processing, a 1600 MHz front side bus and 800 MHz memory, the
new Mac Pro uses the fastest Intel Xeon architecture on the market.”
The new Mac Pro features the latest Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5400 series
processors based on state-of-the-art 45nm Intel Core microarchitecture
running up to 3.2 GHz, each with 12MB of L2 cache per processor for
breakthrough performance and power efficiency. With a new high-bandwidth
hardware architecture, dual-independent 1600 MHz front side buses and up to
32GB of 800 MHz DDR2 ECC FB-DIMM memory, the new Mac Pro achieves a 61
percent increase in memory throughput**.
Every Mac Pro comes standard with the ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT graphics card
with 256MB of video memory. The Mac Pro includes a new PCI Express 2.0
graphics slot that delivers up to double the bandwidth compared to the
previous generation, and supports the latest generation of graphics cards
from NVIDIA, such as the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT with 512MB of video memory,
or NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600 with 1.5GB of video memory and a 3-D stereo port
for stereo-in-a-window applications. With support for up to four graphics
cards, the new Mac Pro can drive up to eight 30-inch displays at once for
advanced visualization and large display walls.
The Mac Pro is the most expandable Mac ever, featuring four internal hard
drive bays with direct-attach, cable-free installation of four 1TB Serial
ATA hard drives, totaling 4TB of internal storage and support for two
SuperDrives. With optional 15000 rpm SAS drives that can deliver up to
250MB/s of RAID 5 disk I/O performance, the Mac Pro is ideal for film and
video editors. Combined with SATA or SAS drives, using an optional Mac Pro
RAID card offers the ultimate data protection and disk I/O performance on
the Mac Pro. The Mac Pro is easily and conveniently accessible in front and
back so users can connect external devices with five USB 2.0, two FireWire
400, two FireWire 800, optical and analog audio in and out, dual Gigabit
Ethernet ports and a headphone jack.
Every Mac Pro includes Leopard, the sixth major release of the world’s most
advanced operating system. Leopard is packed with more than 300 new
features and introduces a brand new desktop with Stacks, a new way to
easily access files from the Dock; a redesigned Finder that lets users
quickly browse and share files between multiple Macs; Quick Look, a new way
to instantly see files without opening an application; Spaces, an intuitive
new feature used to create groups of applications and instantly switch
between them; and Time Machine, an effortless way to automatically back up
everything on a Mac. Featuring an improved scheduler and other multi-core
technology, Leopard is a perfect companion to the Mac Pro, making
applications faster and helping application developers take advantage of
multi-core systems.
The new ultra-thin aluminum Apple Keyboard now ships with every Mac Pro and
built-in Bluetooth 2.0 makes it easy to reduce cable clutter with the
optional Apple Wireless Keyboard and Apple Wireless Mouse.
Pricing & Availability
The new Mac Pro is shipping today and will be available through the Apple
Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.
The standard 8-core Mac Pro, with a suggested retail price of $2,799 (US),
includes:
* two 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors with dual-independent 1600
MHz front side buses;
* 2GB of 800 MHz DDR2 ECC fully-buffered DIMM memory, expandable up to 32GB;
* ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT with 256MB of GDDR3 memory;
* 320GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
* 16x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+-R DL/DVD+-RW/CD-RW);
* two PCI Express 2.0 slots and two PCI Express slots;
* Bluetooth 2.0+EDR; and
* ships with Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse.
In addition to the standard configuration, the Mac Pro offers numerous
build-to-order options including: one 2.8 GHz, two 3.0 GHz, or two 3.2 GHz
Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors; up to 32GB of 800 MHz DDR2 fully-buffered
ECC memory; up to four 1TB Serial ATA hard drives running at 7200 rpm or up
to four 300GB SAS drives running at 15000 rpm; Mac Pro RAID card; up to two
16x SuperDrives with double-layer support; NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT or NVIDIA
Quadro FX 5600 graphics cards; AirPort Extreme 802.11n; Apple USB Modem;
Apple wireless Aluminum Keyboard; Apple wireless Mighty Mouse; and Mac OS X
Server Leopard. Complete build-to-order options and pricing are available
at www.apple.com/macpro
*Based on estimated results comparing a preproduction 2.8 GHz 8-core Mac
Pro with a 2.66 GHz Quad-Core Mac Pro running professional applications
like Maya, modo and Logic Pro.
**Testing conducted by Apple in December 2007 using a preproduction 2.8 GHz
8-core Mac Pro with a 2.66 GHz quad-core Mac Pro. All systems were
configured with 4GB of RAM. Results are based on the STREAM v. 5.6
benchmark (www.cs.virginia.edu/stream/ref.html) using OMP support for
multiprocessor-compiled builds. All systems were configured with 8GB of
RAM. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and
reflect the approximate performance of Mac Pro.
Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple
II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh.
Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its
award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional
applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with
its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has
entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.