Woodcrest to power Apple's next-gen Mac Pro desktops
Apple Computer has selected dual-core Xeon server processors from Intel Corp. to power its next wave of high-performance professional Mac Pro desktops, AppleInsider has confirmed.
The 64-bit chips -- formerly code-named "Woodcrest" and officially unveiled by Intel last month as the Xeon 5100 series -- pack a 4MB L2 cache and run at speeds of up to 3.0GHz on a 1333MHz front-side bus.
Though the chips are almost architecturally identical to Intel's upcoming line of Core 2 Duo Extreme desktop processor (code-named "Conroe"), they differ in that they'll utilize the company's new Land Grid Array (LGA) 771 socket and also allow for multiple processor configurations.
Apple plans to take advantage of Woodcrest's multi-processor capabilities by offering versions of its upcoming Mac Pro professional desktops that will sport two of the dual core chips, people familiar with the Mac maker's plans have said. The new systems, which will succeed the Power Mac G5 at the forefront of the company's product matrix, will also be available in a single processor configuration for a substantially reduced cost, those people have since revealed.
Apple chief executive Steve Jobs is expected to showcase the new computers early next month as he demonstrates Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" -- the company's next-generation operating system -- during the annual Apple World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco, Calif.
The new Mac Pro desktops will represent the last of the Cupertino, Calif.-based company's personal computer systems to transition from IBM's PowerPC-based processors to Intel's chips. And sources who have crossed paths with pre-production units claim they will rival, if not exceed in speed, the most powerful personal computer systems on the market today.
As Apple began development of the Mac Pro last October, it turned to Intel's Oregon division for the expertise in constructing a logicboard capable of housing a dual-processor Woodcrest configuration (or in other words, a graphics powerhouse sporting a total of four cores of processing power). Initially, it appeared that the two companies had aspirations of developing a radically compact board design, but they later settled on one approximately the same size as those found in Apple's current Power Mac G5 systems.
In addition to being the fastest of Intel's chips suited for a personal computer system, Woodcrest is also the first family of microprocessors to utilize Intel's "Core" microarchitecture. The architecture includes an advance cache technology that allows one core of a dual-core processor to use the entire memory reservoir while the other core is idle. It also supports a feature called "Smart Memory Access" that can hide memory latency and bottlenecks, as well as "Wide Dynamic Execution," which widens the execution core and allows for more instructions per cycle.
Apple's decision to base the Mac Pro on Woodcrest rather than Conroe may also help the company further diversify its four primary Mac product lines as the holiday shopping season rolls around -- offering the potential for each line to differentiate itself from the others via a unique Intel chip variant.
Specifically, Apple may choose to updates its iMac consumer desktops with "Conroe" processors and its MacBook Pro professional notebooks with "Merom" chips, while continuing to build the consumer-oriented MacBook around "Yonah." Of course, Apple will also continue to offer its entry-level Mac mini desktop, which is currently available with either a dual-core and single-core "Yonah" chip.
Apple last updated its Pro desktop computers in October of 2005, when it introduced the Power Mac G5 Quad along with updated Power Mac G5 Dual models.
The 64-bit chips -- formerly code-named "Woodcrest" and officially unveiled by Intel last month as the Xeon 5100 series -- pack a 4MB L2 cache and run at speeds of up to 3.0GHz on a 1333MHz front-side bus.
Though the chips are almost architecturally identical to Intel's upcoming line of Core 2 Duo Extreme desktop processor (code-named "Conroe"), they differ in that they'll utilize the company's new Land Grid Array (LGA) 771 socket and also allow for multiple processor configurations.
Apple plans to take advantage of Woodcrest's multi-processor capabilities by offering versions of its upcoming Mac Pro professional desktops that will sport two of the dual core chips, people familiar with the Mac maker's plans have said. The new systems, which will succeed the Power Mac G5 at the forefront of the company's product matrix, will also be available in a single processor configuration for a substantially reduced cost, those people have since revealed.
Apple chief executive Steve Jobs is expected to showcase the new computers early next month as he demonstrates Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" -- the company's next-generation operating system -- during the annual Apple World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco, Calif.
The new Mac Pro desktops will represent the last of the Cupertino, Calif.-based company's personal computer systems to transition from IBM's PowerPC-based processors to Intel's chips. And sources who have crossed paths with pre-production units claim they will rival, if not exceed in speed, the most powerful personal computer systems on the market today.
As Apple began development of the Mac Pro last October, it turned to Intel's Oregon division for the expertise in constructing a logicboard capable of housing a dual-processor Woodcrest configuration (or in other words, a graphics powerhouse sporting a total of four cores of processing power). Initially, it appeared that the two companies had aspirations of developing a radically compact board design, but they later settled on one approximately the same size as those found in Apple's current Power Mac G5 systems.
In addition to being the fastest of Intel's chips suited for a personal computer system, Woodcrest is also the first family of microprocessors to utilize Intel's "Core" microarchitecture. The architecture includes an advance cache technology that allows one core of a dual-core processor to use the entire memory reservoir while the other core is idle. It also supports a feature called "Smart Memory Access" that can hide memory latency and bottlenecks, as well as "Wide Dynamic Execution," which widens the execution core and allows for more instructions per cycle.
Apple's decision to base the Mac Pro on Woodcrest rather than Conroe may also help the company further diversify its four primary Mac product lines as the holiday shopping season rolls around -- offering the potential for each line to differentiate itself from the others via a unique Intel chip variant.
Specifically, Apple may choose to updates its iMac consumer desktops with "Conroe" processors and its MacBook Pro professional notebooks with "Merom" chips, while continuing to build the consumer-oriented MacBook around "Yonah." Of course, Apple will also continue to offer its entry-level Mac mini desktop, which is currently available with either a dual-core and single-core "Yonah" chip.
Apple last updated its Pro desktop computers in October of 2005, when it introduced the Power Mac G5 Quad along with updated Power Mac G5 Dual models.
Comments
one Mac Pro model with Single Xeon CPU as well ...
Originally posted by shanmugam
yep, this line of product good, hopefully there will be good price difference as well to difference in config ...
one Mac Pro model with Single Xeon CPU as well ...
That's the part I don't get. A Mac Pro with a single dual-core processor at $2000 has to be at least 2.67 GHz to not look dumb next to the Conroe-based Dell PCs. And having 2 x 2.0 is cheaper than having 1 x 2.67. Unless that single Xeon model is gonna be $1600 or something.
Originally posted by solsun
So how much do you think these babies will cost? 2 dual cores at 3.0 ghz each sounds expensive....
Not only will they be the fastest on planet earth, they will be the most expensive.
YIKES!!
Originally posted by solsun
So how much do you think these babies will cost? 2 dual cores at 3.0 ghz each sounds expensive....
G5s were apparently not cheap either. I don't expect much of a price hike, if any. I think the 3 current models can go all Quad for the current price points with a decent margin for Apple.
Originally posted by ZachPruckowski
That's the part I don't get. A Mac Pro with a single dual-core processor at $2000 has to be at least 2.67 GHz to not look dumb next to the Conroe-based Dell PCs. And having 2 x 2.0 is cheaper than having 1 x 2.67. Unless that single Xeon model is gonna be $1600 or something.
I expect it'll be clear enough to consumers that one is a different processor than the other; you know how well Apple's segmentation works: unless that person is a pro who actually needs Woodcrest power, it's unlikely they'll even get beyond a Conroe iMac in the store.
That said, I think this opens the door for a Conroe Mac sub-Pro between $1499 and $1999, perhaps in addition to the Conroe iMac.
Oh, and I would expect the 2x3.0ghz Woodcrest configuration to cost upwards of $3499, probably around $4000 given Apple's traditional 30% margins minimum at the high-end.
Originally posted by shanmugam
yep, this line of product good, hopefully there will be good price difference as well to difference in config ...
one Mac Pro model with Single Xeon CPU as well ...
I believe we will see an ALL QUAD CORE lineup for the Mac Pro.
- 2x2GHz starting at $2200
2x3GHz will be offered as a BTO option for $500.2x2.33GHz starting at $2700
2x2.67GHz starting at $3500
The above prices will include built-in RAID 0,1 support, 1GiB RAM, 16X double layer super drive, >=250GB SATA II hard drive, and a low to mid-end graphics card. High end graphics will be optional.
Originally posted by mwswami
I believe we will see an ALL QUAD CORE lineup.
I doubt it -- it'd be overkill.
Just for comparison's sake, a 3ghz quad-core (dual-core dual-processor) Xeon workstation from Dell will currently run you $3400. And that's the low-end of the Xeon spectrum, too. They go up to 3.73ghz.
Hopefully the new mobos follows with a new case configuration as well. A wider array of options that pros have been missing since the days of cases sized like the 9500-9600: multiple drives, an array of video cards, more expandability. This is Apple's shot at showing that they can build nice yet more flexible machines on the new architecture.
Curious to see if new x-serves will be out soon too. The workplace is moving house to grow in the fall and some shiny new servers in the mix would be just lovely.
Anyone notice how the price of the quads went up (PPC) when they were announced? People bought them.
Now that the Intels will scream-- people will buy. The prices are going to go up-- not because Apple is trying to milk consumers, though. Consumers are supposedly taken care of by fast imacs and such. The pro macs are going to be the cheapest workstations on the market. This is abolut business. Target-- Dell, HP, the other M$ sycophants...
My $.0095.
Originally posted by Hobbes
I doubt it -- it'd be overkill.
Just for comparison's sake, a 3ghz quad-core (dual-core dual-processor) Xeon workstation from Dell will currently run you $3400. And that's the low-end of the Xeon spectrum, too. They go up to 3.73ghz.
The 3.73GHz version is not Woodcrest - it's the Xeon 5000 series. Woodcrest (5100 series) tops out currently at 3GHz.
I configured a 2x2GHz Dell a little while back for about $2100. Currently due to short supply Dell has a big markup on 5100 series processors. For example they are selling the 3GHz model for $1250. It's price (for 1000+ units) is suppose to be around $850. Of course Dell (and so should Apple) gets about 40% off as volume discount as well ...
Originally posted by mwswami
I believe we will see an ALL QUAD CORE lineup for the Mac Pro.2x2GHz starting at $2200
2x2.33GHz starting at $2700
2x2.67GHz starting at $3500
2x3GHz will be offered as a BTO option for $500.
Ouch...nobody's gonna buy a products from a lineup with those price tags.
2x2.33 for 2700?
2x2.67 for 3500? sheeesh.
2x2.33 costs Apple at most $1000.
2x2.67 costs Apple at most $1350.
With the other components, these things wouldn't be cost Apple more than $2000 and $2350 at *most*.
The markup would be ridiculous. Nobody would buy these machines. Remember that Apple now competes with other PC manufacturers.
Originally posted by kim kap sol
Ouch...nobody's gonna buy a products from a lineup with those price tags.
2x2.33 for 2700?
2x2.67 for 3500? sheeesh.
2x2.33 costs Apple at most $1000.
2x2.67 costs Apple at most $1350.
The markup would be ridiculous. Nobody would buy these machines.
These prices are very competitive. If fact, they may be too conservative for the low end ... Try configuring a similar machine at Dell or Boxx ....
Forget 2.0 ghz anything. That number is older than dirt, back with the original G5. Get that outta here.
Quad 2.3 Woodcrest $1999.
Quad 2.6 Woodcrest $2499
Quad 3 ghz Woodcrest $3299
This will finally get the ProMac sales above 100K per quarter -- Enjoy!
PS -- Maybe a single 2.3 in there for $1599.
Originally posted by mugwump
Funny how some of you set yourselves up for high prices. For the record, I originally expected quads across the entire line...
Forget 2.0 ghz anything. That number is older than dirt, back with the original G5. Get that outta here.
Quad 2.3 Woodcrest $1999.
Quad 2.6 Woodcrest $2499
Quad 3 ghz Woodcrest $3299
This will finally get the ProMac sales above 100K per quarter -- Enjoy!
PS -- Maybe a single 2.3 in there for $1599.
For the record I think the speeds are right but the price will be $2199/$2799/$3499 for the 2.3/2.66/3.0 respectively. That still makes them cheaper compared to other Woodcrest workstations
Originally posted by mugwump
Forget 2.0 ghz anything. That number is older than dirt, back with the original G5. Get that outta here.
I am a systems software developer and I like the 2x2Ghz option because it gives me good concurrency at a very cheap price ($315/Socket). Speed of the processor is less important to me. Of course, I may be in the minority ...
Originally posted by mugwump
PS -- Maybe a single 2.3 in there for $1599.
For a single socket (2 cores) machine, its better to go with Conroe - it will save you hundreds of dollars in cheaper motherboard, CPU, and memory.