With virtually no fanfare (save for the persistent rumors), Apple announced new Mac Pros today, much to the delight of creative professionals everywhere.
The updated Mac Pro now features up to 12 processing cores and “up to 50% greater performance than the previous generation,” Apple states. The latest quad-core and 6-core Intel Xeon processors can be found inside the new machines, giving them a long-awaited boost of power.
The Mac Pros also include all-new ATI graphics and an option for up to four 512GB solid state drives (pricey, but worthwhile to have the choice, yes?). There are also options to upgrade the graphics to a pair of video cards or to go all out with a 1GB HD 5870 card as Engadget puts it, “if you’re keen on maxing out those frame rates.”
The enclosure looks to be almost identical to the end-user, since Apple has found a way to make expansion easy and look incredibly sleek (though you might want to bulk up before you plan on moving it around). The hard drive bays are still located in the same section of the tower, and are expandable to 8TB (yep, terabytes), by the way.
The Mac Pro has also expanded its display options. There are now two Mini DisplayPorts and one dual-link DVI port located on the back. The addition of the second Mini DisplayPort output allows customers to connect two LED Cinema Displays without an additional graphics card or adapter. The dual-link DVI port supports legacy DVI-based displays with a resolution up to 2560 × 1600 pixels.
Of course, Apple has continued to accelerate their environmental efforts as well. The Mac Pro is BFR-free (brominated flame retardant-free) and all internal cables are PVC-free. Again, the enclosure has stayed solid aluminum, which is highly recyclable. It is rated EPEAT Gold and standard configurations meet ENERGY STAR 5.0 requirements.*
With all of these changes, the Mac Pro becomes the solid winner as a pro machine again, as the name should imply. The iMac kept coming so close in recent years that for the money, many people chose that instead. No more. The Mac Pro, with all of its expandability, power and connectivity features, is the Mac to choose for longevity and demanding professional work.
Quad-Core Mac Pro: from $2499.99
8-Core Mac Pro: from $3299.99
12-Core Mac Pros look to start at $4999.99.
Click here to view all Mac Pros!
*Only Mac Pros configured with a Mac Pro RAID Card or Fibre Channel card do not meet ENERGY STAR and EPEAT requirements.