Six-Core Mac Pro in Early 2010?

**Paul Daniel Ash** · 10-15-2009, 08:49 AM

image via ZDnet

Apple is testing Intel's as-yet unreleased hexacore "Gulftown" processor - reported to be 22% faster than the current Core i7 Xeon - according to the French site MacBidouille.com. Since the unit is said to be compatible with the current Mac Pro motherboard used with the "Nehalem" Xeon processor, it's believed that the high-end desktop is slated for the upgrade, possibly as soon as the beginning of next year.

What's more, MacBidouille's source indicates that Apple will have exclusive use of the new chip when it's released, making the future Mac Pro - temporarily at least - a power leader in the industry.

The chip is based on Intel's "Westmere" microarchitecture - a 32nm die shrink of the 45 nm "Nehalem" architecture - and actually has a total of 12 cores: six physical and six virtual. It's reported to share the Nehalem's 130W thermal design point and have 12MB of Level 3 cache. Gulftown will feature QuickPath Interconnect with 25.6 GB/s processor-to-processor bandwidth, and will support tri-channel memory. The fact that it will fit the LGA 1366 socket on existing X58 motherboards will likely make it popular with power-hungry users of the current "Nehalem" Core i7 chip.

Though there has been no announcement as yet from Intel, the chip is widely rumored to be called Core i9.

The report also asserts that the new Mac Pro's motherboard will be fitted with a 10Gbit/second Ethernet port and will support 8GB and 16GB RAM modules, giving it a potential max of 128GB of physical memory.

**zatpgw** · 10-15-2009, 08:53 AM

Sweet!

Oh, and second.

**Poseidon79** · 10-15-2009, 08:57 AM

*Drool* Daddy like!

**DarkDragonAn** · 10-15-2009, 09:11 AM

128GB of physical memory, That is F-Crazy. I don't need one I just want one. HAHAHAHAH!.............The power the programs I can run without slowing down Hell Yeah!.

**hollow0** · 10-15-2009, 09:20 AM

what the heck would you run that kind of power with anyway? only servers need that much power. the average joe the plumber prob games but not to the extent that he/she needs that power that's insane. I wonder what kind of powersupply one needs...

**xxpwnxx** · 10-15-2009, 09:36 AM

a computer on exctasey....dangerously insane

**Acidlump** · 10-15-2009, 09:51 AM

It's not enough. It's never enough.

**StealthBravo** · 10-15-2009, 09:53 AM

I will take two

**spazturtle** · 10-15-2009, 10:27 AM

Originally Posted by hollow0

what the heck would you run that kind of power with anyway? only servers need that much power. the average joe the plumber prob games but not to the extent that he/she needs that power that's insane. I wonder what kind of powersupply one needs...

People said that about 1ghz processor in the past

**mattharris85** · 10-15-2009, 10:30 AM

Originally Posted by xxpwnxx

exctasey

good spelling lol

Maybe this will be my first mac...

**sonyman74** · 10-15-2009, 10:44 AM

Daddy wants one ;>

**StevenB** · 10-15-2009, 10:50 AM

Originally Posted by spazturtle

People said that about 1ghz processor in the past

They did but there aren't that many programs that take advantage of the full power of a quad core let alone a 6 core.

**Winterboarder** · 10-15-2009, 12:01 PM

The only reason to spend money on a mac is to make apps and make money. The college computers are brand new macs and I run Adobe CS 4 applications and Quark 8. They don't run any better than my 2 year old Dell xps, and on top of that the keyboard layout sucks.

**rwin84** · 10-15-2009, 12:09 PM

GIMME GIMME GIMME!!!

BTW, if anyone can help with this it would be greatly appreciated...
HELP! After successful 3.1.2-> 3.0 downgrade all "Official" apps are crashing! HELP!

**Luppin** · 10-15-2009, 12:12 PM

Hmm given the fact that as StevenB said, hardly any programs take full advantage of quad core processors, Intel should be more concentrated on shrinking the manufacturing process of their processors instead of advancing a technology that the industry is already greatly lagging behind in.

**nighthawk283** · 10-15-2009, 01:40 PM

I like it but by that year there going to way faster prosscor that it be faster even though this one has 6

**spazturtle** · 10-15-2009, 01:54 PM

Why are people complaining about progress?

**awesomeSlayer** · 10-15-2009, 02:02 PM

Now that's sexy.

**plcrules** · 10-15-2009, 02:47 PM

um there is already an 8 core mac wats so gr8 bout 6??

**awesomeSlayer** · 10-15-2009, 02:57 PM

Originally Posted by plcrules

um there is already an 8 core mac wats so gr8 bout 6??

There's an 8 core mac already? Now 8 is sexier than 6.

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Thread: Six-Core Mac Pro in Early 2010?

Mac News

General Apple/Mac

image via ZDnet Apple is testing Intel's as-yet unreleased hexacore "Gulftown" processor - reported to be 22% faster than the current Core i7 Xeon - according to the French site

Your favorite Apple, iPhone, iPad, iOS, Jailbreak, and Cydia site.

Thread: Six-Core Mac Pro in Early 2010?

Mac News

General Apple/Mac

image via ZDnet Apple is testing Intel's as-yet unreleased hexacore &quot;Gulftown&quot; processor - reported to be 22% faster than the current Core i7 Xeon - according to the French site

image via ZDnet Apple is testing Intel's as-yet unreleased hexacore "Gulftown" processor - reported to be 22% faster than the current Core i7 Xeon - according to the French site