Broadwater/faster Xeons: the real reasons for WWDC Mac Pros?
I've been wondering a while why Apple has chosen, apparently, to release their Powermacs at WWDC in mid-August, while other workstation manufacturers have already announced configurable Xeon 5100-based workstations.
First, I'm unclear on whether the Broadwater/965 Express chipset is shipping in quantity yet. Are there chipsets currently capable of supporting the Xeon 5100 other than Broadwater? If so, perhaps Apple is waiting for this chipset before announcing a Mac Pro built around it.
A second possible reason could be that Apple is waiting for the high-clock Xeons (2.93 and then 3.2) to come out so that they can be offered right off the bat instead of being quietly added a month after launch.
Thoughts?
First, I'm unclear on whether the Broadwater/965 Express chipset is shipping in quantity yet. Are there chipsets currently capable of supporting the Xeon 5100 other than Broadwater? If so, perhaps Apple is waiting for this chipset before announcing a Mac Pro built around it.
A second possible reason could be that Apple is waiting for the high-clock Xeons (2.93 and then 3.2) to come out so that they can be offered right off the bat instead of being quietly added a month after launch.
Thoughts?
Comments
Thus I'd have to revise my statement about Apple waiting until WWDC. I don't mind them waiting but they have to start shipping Mac Pro's right after the announcement if not slightly earlier.
Dempsey and Woodcrest both share the Broadwater platform and are LG771 socket CPU so they are interchangable.
Originally posted by kukito
I believe Broadwater is the 965 chipset for desktop Core 2 and below, while Blackford is for Xeon 5000/5100.
D'uh they sound so close. You're correct it's Blackford that is the Workstation/Server platform.
Thanks for the catch.