Apple Store UK leaks 8-core Mac Pro
By Paul Miller 
posted March 12th 2007 8:20PM
posted March 12th 2007 8:20PM
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
posted March 12th 2007 8:20PM
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Still waiting patiently on this. I've been in the market for a new computer for a few months already. I've compared the Dell Precision 690 with the Mac Pro and I was so tempted to get the Mac Pro except that it doesn't offer the Quad-core processor.
Funny I've bought so many Dells (10+) over the years and now I'm disgusted by how they price their products. Who'd have thought that a comparable machine from Apple would beat Dell in price? And what's up with them removing an affordable video card that supports 30" monitor? I say screw them and I'm jumping ship now.
I had heard that the Mac Pro would be redesigned as well... from that image, looks like those rumors were false.
A common tactic by Apple, used to stir up news before a launch
I've been waiting for a Apple desktop that isn't underpowered (Mac Mini), bundled with a monitor I don't need (iMac) and isn't hideously expensive (Mac Pro). Hopefully with the 8 core Mac Pro, the quad core Mac Pros will trickle down to affordable levels in the refurbished section.
I'm with you on that. My Macbook was a great intro to OSX and left me hungry for more but without the wallet to match.
Old Kev above though seems to be getting a little bit riled his quad-core is soon to be usurped. Don't worry Kev, it won't be long till the octa-core (8-core? Does apple think people can't cope with number abbreviations higher than quad?) lot are surpassed by the hexadeca-core owners. I'll leave you to ponder the naming after that point!
If you don't like it build your own damn computer. Apple desktops are pretty pointless, from a home user standpoint, unless you are dead set against running Windows, or are incapable of building your own system. I'll never by an Apple desktop simply because
1. I can build a desktop cheaper, usually. If these quad cores are in short order the price for two is going to be spendy. Hell are there even any mobos out supporting dual quads? *goes and looks*
2. I can customize it exactly how I want it.
3. If there is some aspect I don't like its all my fault.
Laptops are another matter. I'm typing on a C2D MBP because its one of the best laptops in the industry when it comes to balancing performance to battery life to weight. People can argue that point simply based on specs. Oh boo hoo it doesn't have the world's greatest GPU. Guess what its a laptop. For most people who buy this thing it isn't about its graphics prowess. My only complaint is lacking a REAL right mouse button but the virtual tap-hold-click does the trick for the most part.
Who gives a darn? Seriously, my Intel quad core is a beast, and Apple's prices for their desktops are outrageous. You can't even get a decent graphics card from them.
I would like to know why Apple is always so far behind on these processor updates... At work they updated us all with Precision 690 dual-socket, quad core per socket systems last December. Apple always rolls out the new processors months after everyone else, same case with the Core 2 Duo (Merom).
all we need now is dx10 video cards for macs...
then macs will pwn mad PCs @ everything
Yep need to get those half grand DX10 cards to go with all those DX10 games....wooops!
Seriously. There is NO reason whatsoever to get a DX10 card at this point. NONE.
You mean then they'll just be slightly worse quality then a custom built pc and still overpriced as ever.
Well it does say 8 core processing nor 8 core cpu. This is probably just a dual quad zeon like you can get from dell, or anyone else now.
DUH!! Its two quad core processers. They dont make 8 core processers yet.
"Yep need to get those half grand DX10 cards to go with all those DX10 games....wooops!
Seriously. There is NO reason whatsoever to get a DX10 card at this point. NONE."
no reason to get DX10 cards? How about the fact that they completely blow ANY DX9 card OUT OF THE WATER. On ALL DX9 games. Hell, they even beat SLI'd and Crossfire'd cards. Sound like a good enough reason?
Build your own systems... Gosh Dell sucks as any pre-built.
Apple sucks also so just build your own damn thing.
The 8-core Mac Pro is a piece of s***, it's just 2 quad cores duct-taped together!!
To use the shiny new catchphrase.
Ha! Good one, Meggsy!
God I see PC users can still be as annoying as ever.
I've bult my two PC and I don't care what you say as long as you have to run Windows I don't give a damn how cheaply you've built your computer for. Vista is going to suck until Service Pack 1 comes in months.
Hardcore computer users use Linux or Unix. Mac OS X is Unix. End of story for the posers.
Yeah...that's right. All those hardcore gamers...their OSX machines sure do push the framrates....if they are running Windows via bootcamp. Oh, but all those coders making oss/freeware and use Linuxing are hardcore....in between their jobs where they serve food or sack groceries for the Windows coders who get paid more than a few $5 donations to a Paypal account. But at least the major network admins using Unix over Win2k3 are truly harcore...both of them! Down with those Micro$haft Windblows posers!!11!!!
P.S. Can someone buy me one of these harcdcore non-poser Mac Pro's so I can load it up with Windows and play games? I didn't get enough cash from my open source project paypal donations and I have to go add 50 users via command line to my hardcore unix network. Sure glad I'm not a windoze poser!
One problem I saw with the dual 4 core Xeon in the first place was OS and app support. They might bring it out but only after they release OS X 10.5 Leopard as it will finally be able to take full advantage of all those cores which on a OS 10.4 machine can recognise but gains little or no benefit.
Wow...gaming. How productive.
Windoze users a strange lot. They are like your tacky cousin that drives the clunker up with the obnoxious neon blades on his windshield wipers bragging about the 400 watt amp he just bought off of eBay for 20 bucks.
I'm not putting down Gamers though. Gaming on PCs is the bright spot in a sea of crap.
You guys sure are good at making yourselves look stoopid.
Anywho, PC's with Windows are for idiots who can figure out computers. Macs are for idiots who can't figure out computers. Linux is for idiots who spend way too much time on their computers.
And that's that.
Well, actually my Mac is a piece of art, and for art I'm willing to pay a little more.
I love how the haters just pile onto these posts to take turns sh*tting all over Macs. It's all so pointless. If you guys have such a hard on to build your own boxes THEN GO DO IT. Enjoy all the overclocked, pimped out goodness you can cobble together. The other 90% of us who don't know how to custom build machines will stick with computers that come out of boxes pre-assembled and ready to go. And yes I drink the Mac Kool Aid BUT I'm willing to accept that Macs don't do everything well (games, IT) but what they do DO WELL is why I need them. People who don't do what I do for a living and just want basic functions should go right ahead and buy a cheaper PC. I don't waste my time in Windoze forums trash-talking those machines just to feel better about what I have under my desk...
I think the criticism of Apple comes down to the simple fact that Apple for the last twenty years have been trash-talking its competition. Every time a new Apple product comes out, no matter how mediocre, the Apple fanboys start hailing it as it was the cure for AIDS. And this would be all fine IF they could refrain from crapping on the competition at the same time. But what goes around comes around as the saying goes.
Borrowed my in-law's titanium powerbook G4 with OSX. Works great; well enough I'm getting a mac. I might just wait a bit if an 8 core machine is coming out... should drop the price of current models a bit.
Using OSX reminds me of when I switched from my XT to an Amiga, or from ME to XP.
Works great, no BS, I'm sold.
8 core machines are intended for and will be bought by professionals in video and publishing / prepress industries, design and scientific world. And combined with upcoming release of Adobe CS in universal binary (Intel and PowerPC) this machines will be snapped by all those people who have been postponing their purchase pending a new version of Photoshop.
Clever people who know how to build their own machine are not intended audience for this machine. They will ALWAYS get a better machine / cheaper if they do it themselves. However building and configuring a well-balanced machine is difficult or impossible for most of us.
Following comments on Engadget I came to conclusion that many people do not understand who might be a target audience for particular Apple products. So saying things like "MacPro is overpriced - I can build one cheaper" is pointless because individual buyers are NOT intended market (unless they are creative types in design, music, etc - again not your typical DIY geek).
Perhaps Engadget editors could help by explaining to our fellow PC geeks what Apple products is intended for what audience.
...but can it run Doom?
I just switched from PC's to Apple...
I switched my AMD x2 4400+ with all the fixens' (sli,2gb,1tb+,vista,p180case) PC to a new macpro and my very nice intel laptop to a C2D macbook.
I've been a pc builder all of my capable life. I switched because I'm annoyed and tired with windows and PCs in general. As a DIY geek moving towards more of a full time photographer, I've lost interest in dedicating full days to 'solving the new windows issue with my hdd' or 'screwing around trying to get an app to work because it doesn't like X drivers'.
The way I looked at it: I've spent way more then 2500 on my PC in the last few years between upgrades and adding/replacing parts. A macpro will do more for me and work better for me at the same price and will functionally last the same life time before I can resell it for a decent price to upgrade again.
The best thing happened to me with a mac the other day... it crashed (my fault). The best part? It didn't take 10mins to shutdown and reboot like windows did. Nor did I get an error saying something to the effect of "Your soundcard is missing" or "windows cannot find //g:/whatever/whatever.dll because the hdd is now missing" once I get into windows. It [the mac] just rebooted normally and I was fine. It crashed and it DIDN'T eat up 30mins of my day trying to figure out why or fixing whatever other problems the crash caused.
Fact of the matter is, I can build custom PC's but I'm tired of windows and it's issues. OSX does what I need. If I want to play games, I am buying a Wii and I'm certain it will suffice my gaming needs.
Also, they've delayed shipping my macpro for another week... I only added the bluetooth adapter. I'm crossing my fingers I get a surprise 8core :) :).
if this is accurate, those quad cores will be sub $300 each in 6 months. can anybody point me to a motherboard that takes two of these so i can build one ?
Intel Q3's Prices Revealed: 70% off to Intel C2Q Q6600
http://www.hkepc.com/bbs/itnews.php?tid=754873&starttime=0&endtime=0
OS X rocks, I too have built my own computer and couldn't be happier with it. It runs openSUSE 10.2 and can do everything I could possibly want. I also own a Mac (well 5 to be exact) and they are fantastic. I have an eMac, and my Linux box on my desk, and use OS X for media (iTunes), email (Mail.app), RSS (Vienna), and IM (Adium). For everything else I use Linux. I couldn't live witout having the two. So everyone banging on about how Macs are "a rip-off" and that Dell can give you one more powerful, it's not about the power, it's about knowing you own a Mac, and being with software technologically superior to everyone you know. If you want raw power, build your and and run command-line Linux, don't waste any of your precious graphics processing power on graphical environments, be a real man and learn how to use a computer properly.
(Also OS X is by far the best developing platform available, the Cocoa frameworks are truly magical)
I've been hearing this PC / Mac crap for years now, and always, the PC people always bring up games.
When I bought my first Mac, I got all the usual crap from my PC using friend & co workers in the factory I worked at.
15 years later, I am paid a hell of a lot better than them, playing with a top of the line Mac (30" & 23" diplays on it among other niceties)
I did not buy this, the company I work for did. I am the only one who does use it. I do what I love to do & get paid.
Those other guys - still at a crap-hole factory, running machies & dreaming of a job they like, and money they need.
But they pwn playing Halo (or whatever game of the moment) on the systems they built themselves, with their own hard earned cash, JUST TO PLAY GAMES! As long as it is running Windows, I don't care what your PC has, a Flux Capcitor even, it sucks. Your using Microsoft, you've been had.
Nice hobby though! Now you can get a job at a help desk telling people how to enlarge their fonts.
How about you build your own cars now too?
...its not how powerful your computer is,
its how powerful your computer makes you.
I do believe my original comment still holds true, and is further supported by its following comments. G'job, ya'll.
How so, DS?
So what has all your Linuxing done for you, besides bragging rights that pretty much no one except for fellow Linux users care about or are impressed with?
Hurry along off to work DS, I hear it is going to be a busy day today so you might want to change the deep fryer's oil when you work...
I don't use linux as often as windows, however neither of my boxes really ever crash. I haven't had anything serious happen to any of my boxes within the last couple years, despite numerous software and hardware updates... because I know how to USE A DAMNED COMPUTER.
By the way, I have never worked in fast food, nor ever will. It's nice being paid to think. =)
Mac used to always be ahead of the curve on processing power, but since the switch to intel, they've lost their edge. Sadness.