Apple Busts Out 8-Core Macs -- Campus Technology

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Apple Busts Out 8-Core Macs

By David Nagel
04/04/07

Apple Wednesday formally released a new high-end Mac Pro workstation that sports two quad-core Intel Xeon "Clovertown" processors. The rest of the Mac Pro workstation lineup remains at four processor cores, ranging from two 2.0 GHz dual-core "Woodcrest" Xeons to two 3.0 GHz dual-core "Woodcrest" Xeons.

As has been the case for some time now, Apple no longer offers its workstation lineup in a "good, better, best" pre-configured arrangement. Instead, purchasers choose from one of four processor configurations, then build the machine up from there. At the low end are three configurations offering two dual-core "Woodcrest" chips each: 2.0 GHz, 2.66 GHz, and 3.0 GHz.

But the new eight-core configuration adopts Intel's "Clovertown" Xeon chips: two quad-core processors running at 3.0 GHz apiece. The most basic configuration runs $3,997 (about $300 less with a single-unit education discount). It includes:

1 GB RAM (667 MHz DDR2 ECC) with eight slots;
256-bit memory architecture;
A 250 GB internal SATA drive;
Dual gigabit Ethernet;
A 256 MB Nvidia GeForce 7300 GT;
A 16x internal SuperDrive (DVD±RW, DVD+R DL, CD-R/RW);
Two FireWire 400 ports;
Two FireWire 800 ports;
Five USB 2.0 ports;
Three open, full-length PCI Express slots;
Optical audio (Toslink) IO; and
Analog line in/out.

Unlike Apple's lower-end machines, the Mac Pros do not come stock with wireless capabilities, but these can be added as options, including 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR.

The machines also have four internal bays for bard drives (up to 3 TB internal storage) and a second optical drive bay. It can support up to four graphics cards (GeForce 7300 GT) and also supports the 512 MB ATI Radeon X1900 XT and the 512 MB Nvidia Quadro FX 4500.

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About the Author

David Nagel is the former editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal, STEAM Universe, and Spaces4Learning. A 30-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art, marketing, media, and business publications.

He can be reached at [email protected]. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrnagel/ .

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