Apple has rolled out the all new Mac Pro that highlights the incorporation of the Intel “Nehalem†Xeon processors, high-performance graphics card and next-generation system architecture to provide outstanding performance.
Claimed to offer nearly twice the performance as compared to the previous model, the new Mac Pro delivers up to 2.93 GHz speed of the superior processors. It features an integrated memory controller, three channels of 1066 MHz DDR3 ECC memory, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 with 512MB of GDDR3 memory and an optional ATI Radeon HD 4870.
In addition, the Mac Pro also incorporates four direct-attach cable-free hard drive to hold up to 4TB of internal storage when using 1TB 7200-rpm Serial ATA drives. Apart from that, it also has an optional cable-free Mac Pro RAID card to offer performance up to 550MB/s. It is compatible with RAID 0, 1, 5, or 0+1 configurations that promise to deliver enhanced disk performance and redundant data protection.
The Mac Pro also bundles a Mini DisplayPort and DVI port, a 24-inch Apple LED Cinema Display and support for the 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Display or other DVI based displays.
Compliant with Energy Star 5.0 requirements, the new Mac Pro enclosure is developed by using highly recyclable aluminium and the interior is created to be more material-efficient. Moreover, the system has attained EPEAT Gold status and is made of PVC-free internal cables and components with no brominated flame retardants.
Based on Leopard operating system, it offers Time Machine to effortlessly take back-up on a Mac, a redesigned Finder to rapidly browse and share files between multiple Macs, and Quick Look to directly view files without opening an application. It also provides Spaces to form groups of applications and instantly switch between them, along with Mail and iChat.
Users can also make use of Apple’s innovative iLife ’09 suite of applications to easily organize photos, make movies and create playlists. The iLife ’09 comprises of iPhoto to simply arrange and manage images by Faces and Places indication, iMovie with powerful easy-to-use new features like Precision Editor, video stabilisation and advanced drag and drop, and GarageBand to help users to learn how to play piano and guitar. Optional Apple professional applications are also available that include Aperture, Final Cut Express, Final Cut Studio, Logic Express, Logic Studio and Shake.
Apple has introduced two versions of the Mac Pro. The new quad-core Mac Pro model is powered by a 2.66 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 3500 series processor with 8MB of L3 cache. It carries a price tag of £1,899 (approx. Rs. 138,235).
Next is the new 8-core Mac Pro version that runs on two 2.26 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5500 series processors with 8MB of shared L3 cache. It cost £2,499 (approx. Rs. 181,910).
Both the iterations come equipped with 3 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM memory that can be expanded up to 8 GB, NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 graphics with 512MB of GDDR3 memory, 640 GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drive, 18x SuperDrive with double-layer support four PCI Express 2.0 slots, five USB 2.0 ports, four FireWire 800 ports and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR. Users can also make use of the Apple Keyboard with numerical keypad and a Mighty Mouse.
The new Mac Pro will hit the Apple store in the UK by next week. It will be available at Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorised Resellers as well.
