Stealth Upgrades of Mac Pro, XServe Appear

**Paul Daniel Ash** · 12-05-2009, 10:59 AM

Having recently released a fast new iMac line, Apple quietly released a new upgrade option to the Mac Pro. The Apple Store now shows the top-of-the-line desktop with faster Intel Xeon processors clocking at 3.33GHz - an upgrade that will add $1,200 to the price of a Mac Pro .

Recent updates to the iMac line gave the all-in-one desktop a powerful new Intel Core i7, which brought the iMac up to about the performance level to the Mac Pro, which has a much higher price tag. Though a hexacore configuration has been projected for next year, the high-end desktop hadn't been updated since March 2009. The Mac Pro can also be factory-configured with 2 TB hard drives at $350 per drive, increasing the storage capacity to 8 TB.

Apple also added horsepower to the company's server line, providing Xserves with the same optional 2TB hard drives, taking the total potential capacity of these systems up to 6TB. In addition, memory can be configured with up to 4GB in all six slots, for a potential maximum 24GB of RAM.

image via Apple

**plcrules** · 12-05-2009, 11:11 AM

that is insanely powerful

**plcrules** · 12-05-2009, 12:58 PM

this comp has 2 processers and the can hold up to 24GB of ram this can b used for anything u can imagine

**desepticon** · 12-05-2009, 01:22 PM

I remember when I bought a top of the line Dual G5 tower a few years ago. I used to think it screamed. Now my Macbook is 5 times as powerful. Go figure.

It sure is freakin' heavy though.

Oh, and 8 TB max capacity internal storage on these new mac pros, WOW!
Sure is damn expensive though. You could drop 15 grand on a suped up mac dream machine. Sure is better than a Lisa though.

**awesomeSlayer** · 12-05-2009, 02:05 PM

Holy Cow! I need one of those!!

**Zeal** · 12-05-2009, 04:00 PM

Worthless.

**cpotoso** · 12-05-2009, 04:25 PM

Originally Posted by Rota

Does anyone actually buy these? You can build i7 machines for well under $1000 any more and you'll never notice the difference in performance. The price gouging just blows my mind. With the dime-a-dozen video cards they're throwing in there, what can you actually accomplish with this machine? Someone, please enlighten me. I can't see the Mac Pro being used for anything other than a server.

Well, 3 years ago I bought a Mac Pro with 2 quad xeons (3 GHz) for a total of 8 cores. It surely works quite well for running computer simulations of several physical systems, and even 3 years later it is still going strong. The codes are programmed with Intel C and/or Fortran compilers. Sometimes they run multi-threaded, sometimes I simply have 8 programs running at once...

**rhekt** · 12-05-2009, 05:17 PM

i want this now

**MetallicaFan1991** · 12-05-2009, 06:06 PM

They are soo nice and neat inside but way to expensive for what they are.

**xwinger** · 12-05-2009, 09:05 PM

Let's just say that if I was a millionaire, I would have one of these.

**ishamiyal** · 12-06-2009, 05:17 AM

As an IT Professional, I own both of these products. I keep the Xserve in a rack at my house along with several other multi-processor, multi-core servers from DELL and Compaq. I currently keep the Mac Pro with me here in Iraq.

I use the X-serve to service the 5 Macs at my home, run directory services, host email, file storage, software update services, etc. I use the X64 machines to run VMWare ESXi 4 running virtual routers, several instances of Windows Server 2003/08 R2 serving DNS, running Exchange, Web Hosting, etc. I also run instances of various other OS's on them, including a virtual SAN through Open Filer. I need HOT-SWAP capability as well as Lights-Out capability to admin all my boxes remotely from Iraq. Home user grade equipment is one off, and unsupportable remotely. I need up-time, administer-ability, and reliability. I pay a premium for this and it doesn't bother me. If I need to completely rebuild the servers from the ground up remotely, I can (and have) done it. I probably have 20K dollars tied up in that setup. I have a leased line for internet access.

As for the Mac Pro, it cost me around 6800 dollars configured with 4 TB of storage, 16 GB RAM, Apple RAID card, multiple displays, etc. It's beyond stupid-fast. I chose it because I WANT to run the Mac OS, not Windows. This precludes a PC (no, I am not screwing around with a Hackintosh). It also precludes an iMac because of storage limitations, no RAID, RAM limitations, etc. I use it to run a number of virtual machines, OS X server, Photoshop, video editing, Office, file services, etc.- simultaneously. I do not play video games with it.

No home user can really justify this hardware in terms of cost vs what they would do with it. Generally people that ask why anyone would by this, have more time than money. In my case, I have more money than I do time to piss around with homebuilt PC's running an OS I don't really care for. I have to support Windows all day long, but virtually none of my IT counterparts use Windows on their personal machines as their primary OS either.

When I am on the move I use uni-body MacBook- best bang for the buck of any notebook I have ever owned- I normally get new one once a year since 1995.

**ifonemaniac** · 12-06-2009, 09:27 AM

Originally Posted by ishamiyal

As an IT Professional, I own both of these products. I keep the Xserve in a rack at my house along with several other multi-processor, multi-core servers from DELL and Compaq. I currently keep the Mac Pro with me here in Iraq.

I use the X-serve to service the 5 Macs at my home, run directory services, host email, file storage, software update services, etc. I use the X64 machines to run VMWare ESXi 4 running virtual routers, several instances of Windows Server 2003/08 R2 serving DNS, running Exchange, Web Hosting, etc. I also run instances of various other OS's on them, including a virtual SAN through Open Filer. I need HOT-SWAP capability as well as Lights-Out capability to admin all my boxes remotely from Iraq. Home user grade equipment is one off, and unsupportable remotely. I need up-time, administer-ability, and reliability. I pay a premium for this and it doesn't bother me. If I need to completely rebuild the servers from the ground up remotely, I can (and have) done it. I probably have 20K dollars tied up in that setup. I have a leased line for internet access.

As for the Mac Pro, it cost me around 6800 dollars configured with 4 TB of storage, 16 GB RAM, Apple RAID card, multiple displays, etc. It's beyond stupid-fast. I chose it because I WANT to run the Mac OS, not Windows. This precludes a PC (no, I am not screwing around with a Hackintosh). It also precludes an iMac because of storage limitations, no RAID, RAM limitations, etc. I use it to run a number of virtual machines, OS X server, Photoshop, video editing, Office, file services, etc.- simultaneously. I do not play video games with it.

No home user can really justify this hardware in terms of cost vs what they would do with it. Generally people that ask why anyone would by this, have more time than money. In my case, I have more money than I do time to piss around with homebuilt PC's running an OS I don't really care for. I have to support Windows all day long, but virtually none of my IT counterparts use Windows on their personal machines as their primary OS either.

When I am on the move I use uni-body MacBook- best bang for the buck of any notebook I have ever owned- I normally get new one once a year since 1995.

tl;dr but from what i scanned you're smart kthxbai

**hollow0** · 12-06-2009, 12:04 PM

Geez that's a lot of power and memory. What could someone use 24GB of RAM for anyway? I guess rendering videos?

**rwin84** · 12-07-2009, 10:24 AM

Way outta my price range..

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