[Macadvo]

All 8 core, PCI-E 2.0. ATi 2600XT as standard.

I sure hope these new graphics cards will work in my Quad 2.66 MP

[Simon]

New Xserves too: Quad-core Xeon 2.8 GHz, $2999.

[cube-dude]

Standard config: Two 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors, ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT 256MB (two dual-link DVI ports)

BTO: Two 3.0GHz or 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors, One 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT 512MB (two dual-link DVI ports), NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600 1.5GB (stereo 3D, two dual-link DVI ports), Two-Four ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT 256MB

Still waiting for the U.S. store to relaunch ...

[Eug]

Meh. No Blu-ray (or HD DVD) burner option.

[Macadvo]

Just been reading around the PCI-E 2.0 specs. Apparently one of the differences between PCI-E 1 and 2 is that PCI-E 2.0 provides additional power over the bus to power the new cards. If you have a PCI-E 1.0 or 1.1 slot then you will have to provide extra power via the "old" way with an additional power lead (a la the X1900XT we currently use). BUT, and this is the gotcha, PCI-E 2.0 cards on a PCI-E 2.0 slot don't NEED the extra power lead.

I'm seriously hoping Apple has kept the power connector on these new cards so that they can be used in the "old" Mac Pros that we all currently have, if not then we may well be stuck with our X1900XTs.

[cube-dude]

Hot News gives the price at $2,799 ...


Apple Introduces the new Mac Pro

The fastest Mac ever, the new Mac Pro has eight processor cores and a new system architecture that delivers up to twice the performance of its predecessor.* It 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, offering the ideal system for creative professionals, 3D digital content creators and scientists. The standard 8-core configuration starts at just $2,799.

* 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. [Jan 08, 2008]

[musicforme]

I hope the Apple Store comes back up soon.

I have some conference calls at work this morning and don't want to get too deep in the queue waiting for mine to be configured.

[Macadvo]

Have Apple launched a new RAID card as well? Is that where the SAS support is coming in?

[MallyMal]

Originally Posted by Macadvo 

Have Apple launched a new RAID card as well? Is that where the SAS support is coming in?

Yeah, the SAS comes from the RAID card but the card was released late last year. The RAID card always enabled SAS but Apple didn't mention it.

[MallyMal]

Hmm, if the base config is 2,799 with 8 cores then how much is the quad 2.8, I wonder.

[Mac Write]

My Mac is now obsolete and considered slow. I won't be able to replace my MDD G4 Rev C DP 1.25GHZ until late fall 2009/winter 2010. I just hope we hit 4GHZ by then.

[Faust]

Well, hurrah!

The specs and upgrade options look very very nice.

I already have a newer Mac Pro, so I'll hold off until June as I will then upgrade to have two systems. Maybe they'll have Blu-Ray by then, too.

[Macadvo]

Originally Posted by MallyMal 

Yeah, the SAS comes from the RAID card but the card was released late last year. The RAID card always enabled SAS but Apple didn't mention it.

Thanks, just need Apple to drop the price of the RAID card now

[Richard Richard]

no blu ray ?

what are apple up to ??

[Richard Richard]

Originally Posted by Macadvo 

Just been reading around the PCI-E 2.0 specs. Apparently one of the differences between PCI-E 1 and 2 is that PCI-E 2.0 provides additional power over the bus to power the new cards. If you have a PCI-E 1.0 or 1.1 slot then you will have to provide extra power via the "old" way with an additional power lead (a la the X1900XT we currently use). BUT, and this is the gotcha, PCI-E 2.0 cards on a PCI-E 2.0 slot don't NEED the extra power lead.

I'm seriously hoping Apple has kept the power connector on these new cards so that they can be used in the "old" Mac Pros that we all currently have, if not then we may well be stuck with our X1900XTs.

yeah , that will seriously annoy me , the x1900 is the only noisy bit about my pro . i was really looking forward to upgrading it to something quieter

will the new nvidia cards work on the 2.66 - any news !!?!?!

[Jupeman]

No Blu Ray, wtf?

[SierraDragon]

Electronista has a summary:
Electronista | Apple intros 3.2GHz Mac Pro

My favorite: "61 percent more memory bandwidth than the past model, according to Apple." That is what I have been hoping for; probably from careful engineering.

Interesting is that no Blu-ray is mentioned by Electronista. IMO that is what the second optical drive slot on MPs has been for, but via third parties. Otherwise, pretty much as expected, nice.

-Allen Wicks

[Richard Richard]

wow , the 8800gt looks awesome

[Comparison] 8800GT�s new stock cooler is cool n' quiet - VR-Zone IT & Lifestyle Forum!

and seems to be quiet and runs cool too !!!!

i WANT one !!!

[Simon]

The cheapest MP is now $2299 whereas before it was $2124. In principle it's a bad deal: you're getting a $500 discount from Apple when they save a CPU that costs them north of $700.

It's also quite surprising that Apple chose to increase the MP base price by $175. Some might guess this is because they're preparing the launch of a new HEM between the mini and the MP. The fact that they're now selling a single quad-core Xeon MP goes pretty much against that though.

The gamer setup would be a single quad-core E5462 with a 8800GT. At $2499 that's going to be a fairly expensive gaming rig. I expect the "missing gamer Mac bitching" to continue.

[eggman]

I've been looking on Crucial, OWC and NewEgg for Fully Buffered 800Mhz ECC RAM... and not finding it.

I sure don't want to be buying my memory from Apple if I can avoid it.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by Simon 

It's also quite surprising that Apple chose to increase the MP base price by $175. Some might guess this is because they're preparing the launch of a new HEM between the mini and the MP. The fact that they're now selling a single quad-core Xeon MP goes pretty much against that though.

It might just be because of the terrible US dollar.

[Faust]

And Europeans will have to pay even more. Again! It'll probably be a 1:1 conversion.

Edit: I just checked the price for the entry-level Mac Pro. For Germany the price is set at €2.499,00 which is roughly $3,669 which is over $1,300 more than if bought in the US.

[Simon]

Originally Posted by Eug 

It might just be because of the terrible US dollar.

Excellent point. The exchange rate Apple's using for the European Apple stores have gone down by ~10%.

Still, there's a considerable markup:
Sweden: MP base config minus VAT: SEK 19196 SEK = $3021 (+8%)
Switzerland: MP base config minus VAT: CHF 3438 = $3095 (+11%)
Germany: MP base config minus VAT: EUR 2100 = $3095 (+11%)
France: MP base config minus VAT: EUR 2089 = $3079 (+10%)

[Drakino]

I'm wondering if Blu-ray is still an announcement they are holding till MacWorld and/or 10.5.2 for full support. I have no sources for this, so it's just pure speculation.

To give an idea of cost though, Sony just announced a $200 read only drive at CES, and 4x burners seem to run near $600. So it will be a pricey upgrade if it does come. The handy thing is that the drives are all pretty much SATA, so adding it to a Mac Pro's second optical slot should be easy.


And for anyone not seeing it on Apple's site, lowering to the 2.8ghz quad config (down from the 8 core) chops $500 off.

[angelmb]

There is an option to get Serial Attached SCSI internal hard disks, is this a new built-in option or was it available with previous Mac Pro towers?

[eggman]

Adding the nVidia 8800 option changes ship times from 2-4 days... to 3-5 weeks!

[MallyMal]

Mac Pro Quad 2.8 + Applecare: $2,548
Dell T5400 Quad 2.8 + 2GB RAM(667MHz) + 320 GB HDD + DVD+RW = $2984

Mac Pro 8 core + Applecare: $3048
Dell T5400 8 core 2.8 + 2GB RAM(667MHz) + 320 GB HDD + DVD+RW =$4283

Mac Pro looks to be a good deal. Of course you can downgrade the Dell to be cheaper but spec for spec Mac Pro is a good deal.

[MallyMal]

Originally Posted by angelmb 

There is an option to get Serial Attached SCSI internal hard disks, is this a new built-in option or was it available with previous Mac Pro towers?

SAS comes from the optional RAID card. And, yes, the RAID card was available for the previous model.

[Jupeman]

Originally Posted by eggman 

Adding the nVidia 8800 option changes ship times from 2-4 days... to 3-5 weeks!

Yes, I always hate this. I'm always waiting for my new Mac because I select the better graphics. Oh well, I've waited this long...

[Chongo]

Yikes !!!!!!

Summary

Subtotal $26,291.90

Estimated Ship:
3-5 weeks
Free Shipping Next business day delivery available
Click "Update Details" to reflect changes to system price and shipping.


* Two 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon (8-core)
* 32GB (8 x 4GB)
* Mac Pro RAID Card
* 300GB 15,000-rpm SAS
* 300GB 15,000-rpm SAS
* 300GB 15,000-rpm SAS
* 300GB 15,000-rpm SAS
* NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600 1.5GB (Stereo 3D, two dual-link DVI)
* Apple Cinema HD Display (30" flat panel)
* Apple Cinema HD Display (30" flat panel)
* Two 16x SuperDrives
* AirPort Extreme card (Wi-Fi)
* Quad Channel 4Gb Fibre Channel PCI Express Card
* Apple USB Modem
* Apple Mighty Mouse
* Apple Keyboard (English) + Mac OS X
* iWork '08 preinstalled
* Final Cut Express preinstalled
* Aperture 1.5 preinstalled
* Logic Express preinstalled
* Canon PIXMA MX700 Office All-in-One Printer
* 1-year basic membership
* AppleCare Protection Plan for Mac Pro (w/or w/o Display) - Auto-enroll

[yikes600]

8-core 2.8GHz + GeForce 8800 GT
ordered
3-5 week wait, but it's worth it.

[Macadvo]

Wow Apple is only asking £220 for the 8800GT graphics upgrade. If I knew it would definitely work in my quad it would already be ordered! Interestingly they seem to have dropped bluetooth for the new MP's.

[Macadvo]

Ooh hang on, isn't the wireless keyboard and wireless mighty mouse bluetooth? If so then maybe it isn't listed as an option because it's standard?

But it's also not listed in the standard specification...

/me shakes his head in confusion

[Simon]

Originally Posted by Macadvo 

Interestingly they seem to have dropped bluetooth for the new MP's.

The previous Bluetooth BTO option has been dropped because all Mac Pros now have BT 2.0+EDR built in.

[MallyMal]

Originally Posted by Macadvo 

Wow Apple is only asking £220 for the 8800GT graphics upgrade. If I knew it would definitely work in my quad it would already be ordered! Interestingly they seem to have dropped bluetooth for the new MP's.

There's a separate 8800 GT upgrade kit already? I don't see it in the US store.

[Macadvo]

Apparently it's not yet showing on many of the other stores.....it is definitely showing on the UK store though.

The Apple Store then do a search for nvidia, first hit.

[MallyMal]

Oh, yes, I see. Hopefully, it will show up in the US store soon.

[Bwa]

Well, I just bought one. $3160 with 2 video cards + overnight shipping.

[Reggie Fowler]

Oh lord. No blu-ray writer? No new monitors with built in cameras? Same enclosure! What was i waiting for?

[Aegis]

A really solid update. I'm surprised about the single quad option. I may just bite on that with an 8800.

[MallyMal]

I think I'm going to get the Quad. However, MacMall doesn't have it yet. So, I'm debating if saving a possible $100 is worth waiting a week. Yes, I'm cheap.

So, I've decided if my slow-ass 12" PowerBook 867 Mhz pisses me off enough I'll buy the MP from Apple and not worry about the $100.

[rnicoll]

I hate you Apple.

Where, by hate, I mean "My credit company loves you".

I whined, I screamed, I ranted, they offered a single CPU edition, I'll buy.

Edit: Does anyone want my PC?

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by Reggie Fowler 

Oh lord. No blu-ray writer? No new monitors with built in cameras? Same enclosure! What was i waiting for?

200% increase in CPU performance, 60% increase in memory bandwidth?

Besides, maybe the monitors will be announced at Macworld.

[Aegis]

Originally Posted by Reggie Fowler 

Oh lord. No blu-ray writer? No new monitors with built in cameras? Same enclosure! What was i waiting for?

I'm not sure! You can get a Blu-Ray elsewhere, but I don't think it's worthwhile at this point with the hefty cost of blanks. New monitors probably aren't far off. Nobody really expected an enclosure change at this point, it's already very efficient and lovely.

[Reggie Fowler]

Why no Blu-ray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Goddard11]

Ordered mine!

Two Quad Core 3.2Ghz
2GB RAM (Going to upgrade from elsewhere to 8GB)

8800 GT 512MB card

320GB HDD (already have two 750GB)

I currently have a 23" ACD, but I'm going to wait to purchase it's companion until MacWorld, to be sure they don't announce anything new (I hope they do)

[Goddard11]

Um, does anyone know if Apple usually ships within the 3-5 week range they say, for the gpu upgrade that I did? Do they usually ship earlier than that 3 weeks or so (To California)?

3 weeks would suck....

[Reggie Fowler]

3-5 will probably get pushed back to 5-7 weeks. that's standard apple time for you.
don't be surprised when it happens.


I'm not sure what everyone is so happy about. The new MacPro's are only 1.1x to 1.2x faster (over-all performance) than the old 8 core machines (as evidenced on Apple's website under Performance). Couple this with the fact that the new computers have no blu-ray and i ask? So what's so new and fantastic? Yeah it has new graphics card and faster memory, but with only minimum over-all perfomance gains (compared to a 3.0ghz machine no less).....it doesn't seem so great. Oh, and i didn't mention the heafty price tag. Save that one for later!

[musicforme]

I ordered my Pro earlier this morning, opted for the 2 day delivery once state side. I ain't got the blues no mo.

AirPort Extreme card (Wi-Fi)
One 16x SuperDrive
Two 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon (8-core)
Apple wireless Mighty Mouse
Apple Keyboard (English) + Mac OS X
Final Cut Express preinstalled
2GB (2 x 1GB)
500GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
Accessory kit
ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT 256MB (Two dual-link DVI)
Ships by: Jan 10 - Jan 14
Delivers by: Jan 14 - Jan 16

[goMac]

Originally Posted by Reggie Fowler 

I'm not sure what everyone is so happy about. The new MacPro's are only 1.1x to 1.2x faster than the old 8 core machines (as evidenced on Apple's website under performance). Couple this with the fact that the new computers have no blu-ray and i ask? what's so new and fantastic other than the graphics card?

Um, the 8 core no longer costs you $4000?