Intel 'Gulftown' CPU announcement fuels rumors of new Mac Pro

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Intel this week previewed its forthcoming 32nm Core i7-980X processor, a six-core CPU codenamed "Gulftown," and a new rumor has suggested the chip could find its way into Apple's Mac Pro line as early as next Tuesday.



Adrian Kingsley-Hughes at ZDNet wrote Wednesday that he had received tips from sources that the hexacore processor would make its way to the Mac Pro desktop systems on March 16.



"If you're thinking of buying a Mac Pro, you might want to wait a few days," he wrote.



The new processor carries a speed of 3.33GHz, six cores capable of 12 threads, and 130W thermal design power. He also noted that he's heard no reports of impending changes to the MacBook Pro line.



The new six-core Mac Pro with the Core i7-980X has been rumored for months, with the chip set to arrive on the open market sometime this month. The new 32 nanometer chips have 12MB of L3 cache. Apple usually doubles the processors in its high-end professional workstations, so it's possible the new Mac Pro system could have a total of 12 cores and 24 threads.







The "Gulftown" processor will be sold under the Intel Core i9 name, while the server version, which has been adopted by Apple in the past, will fall under the Xeon 5600 series.







The last major refresh to the Mac Pro equipped it with its Nehalem Xeon processors, with a high-end eight-core Mac Pro offering two 2.26GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5500 chips. Last year, Apple quietly upgraded that to a potential maximum 2.93GHz eight-core system.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 71
    Please let there be a blu-ray option.
  • Reply 2 of 71
    mactelmactel Posts: 1,275member
    It would be nice to see that offered in the Xserve line too. Does anyone use Xserve servers anymore?
  • Reply 3 of 71
    finetunesfinetunes Posts: 2,065member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacTel View Post


    It would be nice to see that offered in the Xserve line too. Does anyone use Xserve servers anymore?



    Hope that this is true. Next in line for an upgrade is the MBP.
  • Reply 4 of 71
    mike fixmike fix Posts: 270member
    This information seems to have been known since December. Complete with release date.



    http://www.crn.com/white-box/2220018...OSKH4ATMY32JVN
  • Reply 5 of 71
    I'd love to see this in a new Mac Pro tower (with blu-Ray)



    or also in the "mythical Midrage Mac Tower" which never comes. remember the old days when they had alot of desktop models?



    damn, they are moving alot of computers, but their desktop line is smaller than it ought to be.
  • Reply 6 of 71
    justflybobjustflybob Posts: 1,337member
    Oh, heck yeah!



    [looks nervously at bank account]



    Bring it!
  • Reply 7 of 71
    Please, please please, everyone start collectively wishing that Apple have changed the cheese-grater design for something a little less IKEA kitchenware. I have always hated the awkward incongruity of that ugly chunk of metal.



    MoBo's with Crossfire? SLI? Game companies are starting to look at Apple, now Mac gamers have to believe Apple are designing future Macs with better upgradability options especially in the GPU department.



    Oh, I just woke up.
  • Reply 8 of 71
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member
    I wonder what video cards will be offered?
  • Reply 9 of 71
    aizmovaizmov Posts: 989member
    I want a new Mac mini, when to expect that?
  • Reply 10 of 71
    daharderdaharder Posts: 1,580member
    [CENTER][CENTER]Why are rumors suddenly being fueled now?



    Intel's i3/i5/i7 processors have been around for over 7 months now, and Apple still doesn't offer any of them in their upper-line computers



    So much for providing 'leading edge' technology.

    \

    [/CENTER][/CENTER]
  • Reply 11 of 71
    woohoo!woohoo! Posts: 291member
    The Mac Pro with all these cores is really only good for programs that have such large static files to render that it can split the job amongst all the cores. Not many of Apple's "pro" apps can take advantage of Grand Central yet and they still they need very large files.



    For regular personal use all these cores are extreme overkill, like Al Gores machine with 3 - 30" monitors.



    You might use two cores all the time, rarely 4 or more constantly. Despite what some think, most people still do one major thing at a time and splitting up a small processing job amongst more cores takes longer than if it was done all on the first.



    For 3D gaming your better off with a PS3. Less expensive and more people online willing to play 24/7.



    However, if you need a Mac Pro, then 3D gaming is certainly a bonus option. Just be prepared to always be on the lookout for updated video cards, they can be in short supply for Mac's.



    If you do get a Mac Pro, take a look at Folding@home on it with TeamMacOSX, at least the idle processor cycles can be put to good use curing disease.





    Oh, I doubt BlueRay DVD movie playback will ever come to Mac's. Steve seems to really want to kill off any mechanical parts to consumer level Mac's and laptops.



    A BlueRay data/burning drive could be a build to order internal option for Mac Pro's, like a second Superdrive. But since it's available as a external option, I don't see the need for Apple to bother.
  • Reply 12 of 71
    nerudaneruda Posts: 439member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    ...that the hexacore processor would make its way to the Mac Pro desktop systems on March 16.



    Please let this be true. Need a new Mac Pro at work and we've been waiting a long time for this.



    Also looking forward to the day that apple grand centrals all of its pro apps.
  • Reply 13 of 71
    stonefreestonefree Posts: 242member
    [QUOTE=mitchelljd;1587738

    or also in the "mythical Midrage Mac Tower" which never comes. remember the old days when they had alot of desktop models?



    damn, they are moving alot of computers, but their desktop line is smaller than it ought to be.[/QUOTE]



    They restrict the number of desktop models to make a point about how their laptop sales exceed desktop sales. They'd rather have an unsuccessful laptop (MB Air) than a new successful desktop. And since I know someone will respond with "ZOMG!!! How do you know MB Air is unsuccessful?!?!" - I live in San Francisco, the Mac capital of the US ,where so many residents have seemingly unlimited disposable income, and in the giant sea of Macs everywhere you go, I rarely see an Air.
  • Reply 14 of 71
    stonefreestonefree Posts: 242member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mitchelljd


    or also in the "mythical Midrage Mac Tower" which never comes. remember the old days when they had alot of desktop models?



    damn, they are moving alot of computers, but their desktop line is smaller than it ought to be.



    They restrict the number of desktop models to make a point about how their laptop sales exceed desktop sales. They'd rather have an unsuccessful laptop (MB Air) than a new successful desktop. And since I know someone will respond with "ZOMG!!! How do you know MB Air is unsuccessful?!?!" - I live in San Francisco, the Mac capital of the US ,where so many residents have seemingly unlimited disposable income, and in the giant sea of Macs everywhere you go, I rarely see an Air.
  • Reply 15 of 71
    igeniusigenius Posts: 1,240member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaHarder View Post


    So much for providing 'leading edge' technology.

    \

    [/CENTER][/CENTER]



    Apple uses only leading edge technology.
  • Reply 16 of 71
    sheffsheff Posts: 1,407member
    This thing is gonna be beastly, but will there be programs that would utilize the full power of this beast. Yea we got GCD, but even with that I doubt all 6 cores would be utilized. Is there gonna be a dual CPU version with 12 cores?
  • Reply 17 of 71
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by stonefree View Post


    They restrict the number of desktop models to make a point about how their laptop sales exceed desktop sales.



    That is one of the most inane things I have heard.



    Go read this article:



    http://www.mobileedgeblog.com/2009/0...tops-sales-up/



    Industry wide, people are simply buying laptops, and desktop purchases are ridiculously rare.



    The reasons are simple. A laptop can serve the purpose of a desktop, but not vice versa. Besides, laptops nowadays are cheap (Apple's cheapest laptop is only a couple of hundred dollars more than the cheapest desktop, and in PC land, the price differences are even smaller).



    More importantly, however, laptops are powerful enough to do anything 90% of the computer buying public wants to do.



    Simply, Desktops, in their current form have outlived their usefulness.



    That being said, I think Apple, with the iPad, might actually be the savior of the desktop....
  • Reply 18 of 71
    woohoo!woohoo! Posts: 291member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by stonefree View Post


    ...I rarely see an Air.



    I've been around the country recently for two months and haven't seen a Air in the wild yet.





    People keeping them in a special case or something for support? They are rather thin and fragile.





    15" MacBook Pro's I see the most with a few Hummer 17" and a good dose of black or white MacBooks.
  • Reply 19 of 71
    foo2foo2 Posts: 1,077member
    "Last year, Apple quietly upgraded that to a potential maximum 2.93GHz eight-core system."



    The above bit of mis-information keeps getting repeated on AI stories about the Mac Pro.



    The Nehalem series of Mac Pros were available from the beginning (early 2009) in an 8-core 2.93 GHz configuration. The quad-core systems were later upgraded to a 3.33 GHz option. 2.93 GHz was and still is the maximum for the 8-core systems. Kasper's Automated Slave needs a bit of reprogramming!
  • Reply 20 of 71
    al_bundyal_bundy Posts: 1,525member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Woohoo! View Post


    I've been around the country recently for two months and haven't seen a Air in the wild yet.





    People keeping them in a special case or something for support? They are rather thin and fragile.





    15" MacBook Pro's I see the most with a few Hummer 17" and a good dose of black or white MacBooks.



    tons of them in the refurb store
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