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Brien · Aug 7, 2006, 01:10 PM

Initial stats coming in:
• Up to 3ghz
• Woodcrest
• Up to 2 times faster than the quad.

dudesteve · Aug 7, 2006, 01:12 PM

buh bye ppc, don't let the door hit you in the a55 on the way out!

Anyone want a used Quicksilver 2002?

Andy8 · Aug 7, 2006, 01:12 PM

3GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 128bit vector engine, 64bit chips

A total of 2 TB of storage possible. Second optical drive, 4 PCI Express slots, double-wide graphics slot.

wowway1 · Aug 7, 2006, 01:21 PM

Starts at $2499? 256mb RAM? Good luck gaining new converts at that price point.

tkmd · Aug 7, 2006, 01:23 PM

But you are getting a quad for 2499. Perhaps in that way, 256 MB just doest seem as offensive.

Yeah 256 is weak.

Dzokayi · Aug 7, 2006, 01:23 PM

There is no way that it comes with 256 MB RAM. That must be for the graphics card. Bring on the full specifications!!

mark.s · Aug 7, 2006, 01:24 PM

Might come with 256MB just so that they could get the price under 2500.... I'm curious to see what the full specs are.

But yes, shipping it with 256MB RAM is insane......

PJJames · Aug 7, 2006, 01:25 PM

It comes with 1gb standard! 256 is for the graphics card!

G5power · Aug 7, 2006, 01:29 PM

That is going to be a rocking high end pro machine.

But $2499 - that leaves a huge hole for a new mid-range system.

Any bets on if that is announced today or later?

ug.mac · Aug 7, 2006, 01:31 PM

I think there will be an upgrade on iMac to Core 2 Duo, that's it.

thebunny · Aug 7, 2006, 01:31 PM

Originally Posted by wowway1

Starts at $2499? 256mb RAM? Good luck gaining new converts at that price point.

Amen. It's ridiculous that there isn't a basic expandable Mac yet. iMac isn't it. I ain't buying the 256 MB main RAM freaking Xeon for $2500 (I betcha they're tossing in the x1600 for that price, cheapskates). Give me a dual-core Conroe at a reasonable price (read: sub $1800). This sucks!

PJJames · Aug 7, 2006, 01:31 PM

Originally Posted by G5power

That is going to be a rocking high end pro machine.

But $2499 - that leaves a huge hole for a new mid-range system.

Any bets on if that is announced today or later?

Appearantly shipping today....

tkmd · Aug 7, 2006, 01:32 PM

Originally Posted by thebunny

Amen. It's ridiculous that there isn't a basic expandable Mac yet. iMac isn't it. I ain't buying the 256 MB main RAM freaking Xeon for $2500 (I betcha they're tossing in the x1600 for that price, cheapskates). Give me a dual-core Conroe at a reasonable price (read: sub $1800). This sucks!

No its the x1900 or the FX4500

thebunny · Aug 7, 2006, 01:36 PM

Originally Posted by tkmd

No its the x1900 or the FX4500

No, that's the top BTO option. No word yet on the basic configuration but I bet it's the x1600 (sub $100 card).

dudesteve · 01:44 PM

Dell XPS 700, E6700 C2D, 1GB RAM, Dual 256MB GeForce 7900 GS, 2x320GB SATA HDD, no monitor: $2869.

Notes: No preinstalled software, 2 yr warranty.

[I feel dirty for trying to compare Dell to Apple. I need a shower, now.]

edit: err...that's a single E6700 C2D.

thebunny · Aug 7, 2006, 01:42 PM

Originally Posted by dudesteve

Dell XPS 700, E6700 C2D, 1GB RAM, Dual 256MB GeForce 7900 GS, 2x320GB SATA HDD, no monitor: $2869.

Notes: No preinstalled software, 2 yr warranty.

[I feel dirty for trying to compare Dell to Apple. I need a shower, now.]

Yes but Dell is got a crap load of upgradeable models between $1300 and $2800. Apple *starts* at $2500.

G5power · Aug 7, 2006, 01:42 PM

The 256MB mention has to be video memory. They are not going to cripple the new machine with half the memory of the current standard G5 configuration.

Now for a $1500 Conroe based mid range headless system.

greenamp · Aug 7, 2006, 01:43 PM

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.en...8/dsc_0433.jpg

Just to reiterate it comes with 1gb, not 256. Really good system for the price.

edit: awesome system for the price!

Abbas · Aug 7, 2006, 01:43 PM

That is quite expensive. I was hoping for a below $2000 config.

I wonder if we still need seperate grfx cards for the Mac or will any PCI-E card work provided it's offered in a Mac and has driver support.

-a

mduell · Aug 7, 2006, 01:45 PM

Apple is opening the door for a Mac between the $599 mini and $2499 Pro.

I've said it a few times and I'll say it again, I'd love to see a Mac in a Shuttle XPC-like case. Start around $1099 and offer the usual expandability in an XPC.

wowway1 · Aug 7, 2006, 01:47 PM

Nobody's arguing it's a good config for the price, it's just that it's TOO MUCH HARDWARE for average Joe user. Seriously, only real pros buy the Quad G5, this thing is faster than that. So why not release a single processor model at a more affordable price to the average consumer.

Sorry, I don't get it. No to mention they couldn't even come up with a decent new case.

meatyocre · Aug 7, 2006, 01:48 PM

Anyone else waiting for the store? refresh...refresh...refresh

memory-minus · Aug 7, 2006, 01:48 PM

CORRECTION FROM PREVIOUS FOR MAC PRO: dual 2.66 Xeon, 1 GB RAM, Geforce 7300 GT (256 MB VRAM), SuperDrive, $2499

From MacRumorsLive

Edit: oops got beat to it.

greenamp · Aug 7, 2006, 01:49 PM

It's a pro machine people. And apple has a mid range computer. It's called the iMac!

G5power · Aug 7, 2006, 01:49 PM

mduell

Bingo that would be awesome.

For things on the Windows side I have a shuttle AMD system and really like the small case.
Pretty decent design and reasonable sized.

Room for 2 internal 3.5 inch hard drives. A slot for a video card to replace the integrated video. Also several full size memory slots for decent priced RAM.

If that is announced then the plastic card comes out of the wallet!

thebunny · Aug 7, 2006, 01:53 PM

Originally Posted by greenamp

It's a pro machine people. And apple has a mid range computer. It's called the iMac!

No, that's a piece of furniture, that also happens to be a computer.

bmizar · Aug 7, 2006, 01:53 PM

Now if Adobe would just pull their heads out of their butts and ship CS3 so I can not crash every time I try to print from Photoshop I will be getting my work to order one of these. Until then my Quad is just dandy!!!

thebunny · Aug 7, 2006, 01:55 PM

Originally Posted by memory-minus

CORRECTION FROM PREVIOUS FOR MAC PRO: dual 2.66 Xeon, 1 GB RAM, Geforce 7300 GT (256 MB VRAM), SuperDrive, $2499

From MacRumorsLive

Edit: oops got beat to it.

7300? That's even worst than the x1600. LOL!

Dzokayi · Aug 7, 2006, 01:55 PM

They practically have to introduce a Mac. The gap between the iMac and Mac Pro is just too wide.

wowway1 · Aug 7, 2006, 01:59 PM

Originally Posted by greenamp

It's a pro machine people. And apple has a mid range computer. It's called the iMac!

Not. A G5 customer going to an iMac? I think not.

G5power · Aug 7, 2006, 02:00 PM

Quick Google on the video card.

Sorry, No GeForce 7300 Here
One card we left out of the test group is the GeForce 7300, as we do not consider it a gaming graphics card. It only has four pixel pipelines on the GS model and eight on the GT. Clearly, the eight pipeline card is capable of some gaming, but not under the stress of current and future titles. You cannot, for example, play at higher resolutions or enable image quality settings with the eight pipeline card. The four-pipeline card is out of the question, but another limitation is that not all of the GeForce 7300 models have a 128 bit wide memory interface. GS model cards only have a 64 bit wide bus, while only some of the GT cards have a 128 bit interface

Lastly, this card can also come with TurboCache, which might only have 32 MB of physical graphics memory while sectioning off a portion of your system memory for its needs. That is not a performance proposition as graphics data has to run across a slower bus and wait for slower RAM. We feel that these cards are best suited for an entry level gaming system for older titles, a multimedia PC or a home theater PC.

http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/07/...ear/page2.html

greenamp · Aug 7, 2006, 02:03 PM

Originally Posted by wowway1

Not. A G5 customer going to an iMac? I think not.

Get real. If you are complaining that a quad core 2.6 Xeon Mac Pro with 1gb ram, 256 GPU, 250gb hd for $2500 is too much hardware, then you are not in need of a pro machine. And the iMac is an awesome computer. You're silly if neither the iMac nor the Mac Pro are suitable for your needs.

Abbas · Aug 7, 2006, 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by greenamp

Get real. If you are complaining that a quad core 2.6 Xeon Mac Pro with 1gb ram, 256 GPU, 250gb hd for $2500 is too much hardware, then you are not in need of a pro machine. And the iMac is an awesome computer.

Sure, the iMac is a great buy but I already have a 24" LCD monitor that I dont want to get rid of and I need a headless Mac thats more powerful than iMac to dual boot into Windows and play games.

-a

G5power · Aug 7, 2006, 02:09 PM

Abbas

I second your comment. I already have an awesome 24" LCD. I don't need a laptop hanging on the back of a 17 or 20 inch screen that offers no expansion options like second hard drives and uses expensive laptop memory.

And please no talk of external drives that totally defeats the purpose of the otherwise clean iMac lines.

greenamp · Aug 7, 2006, 02:09 PM

Originally Posted by Abbas

Sure, the iMac is a great buy but I already have a 24" LCD monitor that I dont want to get rid of and I need a headless Mac thats more powerful than iMac to dual boot into Windows and play games.

-a

You're in luck. The new Mac Pro ships today.

thebunny · Aug 7, 2006, 02:13 PM

Originally Posted by Dzokayi

They practically have to introduce a Mac. The gap between the iMac and Mac Pro is just too wide.

Yes. As long as Steve keeps this up we'll be stuck at 4% of total PC user base.

Abbas · Aug 7, 2006, 02:14 PM

Originally Posted by greenamp

You're in luck. The new Mac Pro ships today.

$2500 is way too much money for me to spend. I dont need four cores and I certainly dont need the crappy 7300GT. A Single dual core CPU with an x1800 around $2000 would've attracted a lot more buyers, IMHO.

As per Newegg at the moment- $760 for a 2.66GHz Woodcrest and $239 for an x1800XT/256MB.Reduce one of those CPUs and add that x1800 and we're EASILY under $2000.

-a

Lateralus · Aug 7, 2006, 02:14 PM

Originally Posted by greenamp

Get real. If you are complaining that a quad core 2.6 Xeon Mac Pro with 1gb ram, 256 GPU, 250gb hd for $2500 is too much hardware, then you are not in need of a pro machine. And the iMac is an awesome computer. You're silly if neither the iMac nor the Mac Pro are suitable for your needs.

Maybe you should get real?

Why is it that everytime Apple makes it x-amount more expensive to get a PCI slot people explain it away by saying that if you're whining about the price, you don't need the power?

Try realizing that the $2,500+ desktop market counts for very little of the total desktop computer sales and that Apple is bypassing a very large market of potential customers by only existing in that $2,500+ range.

And no, the iMac isn't a desktop, it's a mounted notebook, which does not fit the needs/wants of most consumers otherwise AIOs would have taken off a looooooong time ago.

dudesteve · Aug 7, 2006, 02:31 PM

Apple website now has info:

http://www.apple.com/macpro/

(and apple store back up)

greenamp · Aug 7, 2006, 02:31 PM

It's a quad core Woodcrest desktop with 1gb ram and a 256mb gpu for $2500 (most likely $2300 with edu discount). That is a great system for that price. This is an entirely new system and the price point reflects that. The midrange computers you guys keep whining about will be available in a few months when speed bumps cause a low end price reduction.

mduell · 02:40 PM

Originally Posted by wowway1

Nobody's arguing it's a good config for the price, it's just that it's TOO MUCH HARDWARE for average Joe user. Seriously, only real pros buy the Quad G5, this thing is faster than that. So why not release a single processor model at a more affordable price to the average consumer.

Sorry, I don't get it. No to mention they couldn't even come up with a decent new case.

Mac Pro is not for the average Joe.

The new case specs are pretty decent with twice the drive bays and room for bigger graphics cards without losing slots... I'm surprised they're not offering 750G drives, which have been on the market for months.

Originally Posted by G5power

Quick Google on the video card.

Sorry, No GeForce 7300 Here
One card we left out of the test group is the GeForce 7300, as we do not consider it a gaming graphics card. It only has four pixel pipelines on the GS model and eight on the GT. Clearly, the eight pipeline card is capable of some gaming, but not under the stress of current and future titles. You cannot, for example, play at higher resolutions or enable image quality settings with the eight pipeline card. The four-pipeline card is out of the question, but another limitation is that not all of the GeForce 7300 models have a 128 bit wide memory interface. GS model cards only have a 64 bit wide bus, while only some of the GT cards have a 128 bit interface

Lastly, this card can also come with TurboCache, which might only have 32 MB of physical graphics memory while sectioning off a portion of your system memory for its needs. That is not a performance proposition as graphics data has to run across a slower bus and wait for slower RAM. We feel that these cards are best suited for an entry level gaming system for older titles, a multimedia PC or a home theater PC.

http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/07/...ear/page2.html

Note the Mac Pro has the 7300 GT. A comptent card for desktop use, but gamers will want the X1900.

chrisford · Aug 7, 2006, 02:33 PM

I think Greenamp has a point Lateralus - and I think that there's a difference between wanting all that power and needing all that power. If you need that oomph, then you'll pay the bucks for it. If you don't, you won't.

If you seriously want a cheaper box of silicon, then go for a Wintel. Oh. Wait...

Anyway, I'm waiting for UK prices. Here's hoping that Apple stick to their usual not-based-in-any-world-that-I-know-of-dollar-to-pound ratio. Harumph.

TimmyDee51 · Aug 7, 2006, 02:36 PM

Originally Posted by greenamp

Get real. If you are complaining that a quad core 2.6 Xeon Mac Pro with 1gb ram, 256 GPU, 250gb hd for $2500 is too much hardware, then you are not in need of a pro machine. And the iMac is an awesome computer. You're silly if neither the iMac nor the Mac Pro are suitable for your needs.

That's a pretty blanket statement. I'm not a video or audio pro, but I do have the need for a powerful computer that can drive two monitors for my research (GIS). There's no way I want to go back to an iMac. In fact, here's a list of things keeping me from going back to an iMac.

-use of my existing displays
-room for more than one internal HDD
-room for more than one optical drive (as I have in my current MDD)
-option to upgrade the GPU in the future
-greater memory expandability

Just because my wallet can't support a current Mac Pro doesn't mean I don't have the use for a cheaper, bit less feature-filled tower.

Simon · Aug 7, 2006, 02:38 PM

You guys all need to calm friggin down. There's a 2GHz model. 2499 is for a mid model. The exact same price it used to be.

And BTW 2499 for a quad core machine with the extras the MP offers is a very good price. Get real.

wintermute1 · Aug 7, 2006, 02:38 PM

Originally Posted by thebunny

Amen. It's ridiculous that there isn't a basic expandable Mac yet. iMac isn't it. I ain't buying the 256 MB main RAM freaking Xeon for $2500 (I betcha they're tossing in the x1600 for that price, cheapskates). Give me a dual-core Conroe at a reasonable price (read: sub $1800). This sucks!

As indicated on the apple web site, 1 Gb is standard.

You can now officially move your rant to another subject.

mduell · 02:52 PM

With the two downgrades available at the Apple Store, you're looking at a quad for less than $2200.

Summary of the Mac Pro release:
Cut the price of a quad by over $1000
Doubled the drive capacity
Upgrade the bottom video card from a 6200 to a 7300GT
Doubled the memory in the bottom model

discotronic · Aug 7, 2006, 02:45 PM

Since they are all BTO, how will someone be able to return it if Apple doesn't take returns on BTO systems?

bernt · Aug 7, 2006, 02:49 PM

Who said they don't do returns on BTO/CTO? I've done it several times...

Lateralus · Aug 7, 2006, 02:55 PM

Originally Posted by bernt

Who said they don't do returns on BTO/CTO? I've done it several times...

Huh? Apple has never taken returns on BTO/CTO units unless there was a defect.

Simon · Aug 7, 2006, 02:55 PM

Before any other people decide to make this a rant feast, let me quickly compare:

Power Mac - $1999
• two 2.0 GHz G5 cores, 1x1GHz bus
• 512 MB RAM
• 160GB HDD
• DL SD
• GeForce 6600 LE, 128MB

Mac Pro - $2124
• four 2.0GHz Woodcrest/Core2 cores, 2x1.33GHz bus
• 1GB RAM
• 160GB HDD
• DL SD
• GeFore 7300 GT, 256 MB RAM

Anybody who is complaining about the additional $125 for all the superior stuff the Mac Pro offers is a moron - the two additional cores alone are more than worth it.

If you want another Mac (gamer box, slim desktop, shuttle, whatever), fine, you didn't get it. Tough luck. Yes, I'd personally also like to see something expandable and headless between mini and Pro, but this isn't it. That doesn't make this machine bad. This Mac Pro is an incredibly good deal. Period.