Posted on by Terry White

Apple Announces the Mac Pro Update I’ve Been Waiting For

My current "work horse" Mac is my NEW MacBook Pro core i7. Don't get me wrong, I have a Mac Pro in my home office. However, my current Mac Pro is the original Mac Pro introduced back in 2006. That's ancient in computer years. Before that purchase I was usually upgrading my tower with every other release (about every 2-3 years). Over the years I wasn't seeing significant enough performance gains to spend the money. Then they introduced an update in March of 2009 that made me think it's time to upgrade, but I just kept putting it off. Now that my favorite Adobe Creative Suite Apps are 64bit enabled with the CS5 release I knew it was time for some new hardware. The problem is  I just didn't want last year's models. So once the new MacBook Pro core i7 came out, I ordered it (from work) day one! When I got it, I ran a speed test against my Mac Pro and was wowed by the fact that it BEAT IT! Granted that really shows just how fast the new MacBook Pros have become, but what it really showed me was just how slow my old Mac Pro was. So I waited and today Apple Announced the Mac Pro update I've been waiting for. Although there was no new case design, that doesn't bother me. It does seem odd though that Apple (a company focused on design) would continue use virtually the same design they introduced with the Power Mac G5 back in 2003!

 

There are 3 new configurations, Dual Core, Quad Core (8 cores) and Dual 6 Core (12 cores)

My only debate is do I spend the $5 grand on the 12 cores or settle for the 8 cores ($3,500). My gut tells me to go 12 core simply because I don't upgrade my tower as often as I used to and the faster the machine I get the longer it will last me. I have a little bit of time to think about it because Apple is not even taking orders yet. They're saying "August" for availability. I'll likely bite the bullet and go 12 cores to have the fastest Mac rendering speeds I can get. As far as video cards go I'll replace the stock ATi card for an Nvidia card to take advantage of Adobe Premiere Pro CS5's accelerated Mercury Playback Engine. <-this was a sneak peek video before CS5 was announced.

Other things announced today

The Magic Trackpad

If you like the Trackpad from your MacBook you can now order it as a separate bluetooth wireless Magic trackpad for your desktop Mac. It has the same multi-touch gestures of the trackpad. Personally I'm not that big of a fan of the trackpad since they removed the separate button, but if you are a fan you can have the trackpad experience now working with any Mac desktop. $69 (I'll stick to a mouse and tablet).

 

Apple Battery Charger

If you want an Apple branded battery charger to go with your wireless keyboard/trackpad, you can get one now.

$29 (it includes 6 AA high capacity rechargeable batteries and recharges 2 at at time.)

 

Updated iMacs

The iMac line got speed bumps too replacing the low end core 2 duo with a much anticipated Core i3 processor. So you can now get a Core i3, Core i5 or Core i7 iMac depending upon your needs. Honestly, if I didn't want to put in a specific video card in my Mac, I would have seriously considered a 27" iMac Quad Core i7 instead of the Mac Pro.

Starting at $1,199 and going up to $2,199 for the 27" Quad Core i7 model.

 

27" LED Cinema Display (16:9 aspect ratio)

Apple also released a 27" version of their Display Port enabled LED Cinema Display. Since all current Macs are Display Port enabled, this Display will work on the Mac mini all the way up to the Mac Pro and it will also work as an external display on the MacBook line. $999

17 Replies to “Apple Announces the Mac Pro Update I’ve Been Waiting For”

      1. On that note, have you used an accelerator or capture card (like Blackmagic Intensity) for the PCI slot in the mac pro? They say they are for video, After Effects, & even PS. I haven’t tried it yet, but it would seem to be another useful boost to the custom graphics card?

  4. You said, “Although there was no new case design, that doesn’t bother me. It does seem odd though that Apple (a company focused on design) would continue use virtually the same design they introduced with the Power Mac G5 back in 2003!”

    First of all, the case design has been refined over the years. And, in its current implementation, this case design is surely the finest example of how to do it right. This is the state-of-the-art! I think it’s foolish to fall into the trap of change for its own sake– reminds me of the GM of old and MS Office. Rather than mildly dissing the heritage of the case design, you should extol its virtues. It is one awesome tower.

  5. I am impressed by the speed and power potential of this new Mac. I am in the market for this machine, aw well. However, I am disappointed by the absence of the following: USB 3.0, Firewire 1600+, and an external eSATA port. Certified USB 3.0 peripherals have been on the market since January. When I consider that I kept my existing Mac Pro for four + years, it seems that, in external port terms, this new machine will be way behind the times in a couple of years. I know you can add cards in the future but I would argue the base configuration should be state of the art in terms of ports today.

  7. I had a Personal Shopping appointment yesterday at the Apple store to see about replacing my 4 year old iMac which has only 1g of RAM – not enough for Lightroom 3. Imagine my surprise to find out that new iMacs had been released that day. The same thing happened to me 4 years ago. They were just starting to unpack them so I didn’t come home with a new computer. Maybe today. My question: will I hate the glare on the screen?

    1. Lynn, the glossy display can be a nuisance depending upon your room lighting conditions. Hard to say as it’s different for everyone.

  8. Hi Terry,
    My Macbook Pro (2.33 Core2Duo / 4gigs ram / 500Gb HD) is showing its age, and I’m getting some (really annoying) lag when I use my 21″ Cintiq with it (mainly in Sketchbook pro).

    Thing is, I’d love to get the new iMac that just came out (8GB ram, and the i7 processor), but will I see the same issues? Graphics cards being what they are, I know that an older and expandable Mac Pro could probably handle the load a bit better… albeit cost as much as two iMacs, whereas I’d be stuck with the difficult-to-expand all-in-one. How well does a 27″ iMac graphics card handle an external display like the 21UX?

    What do you think? Any suggestions, advice or opinions?

    Thanks!

    1. Hi Mark,
      A core i7 iMac should be sufficient to run today’s hardware/software with acceptable performance. However, if you plan to not upgrade for a while a Mac Pro might be a better long term solution as you can swap out for a better video card down the road if you need to.

  9. Terry,
    You had said you are going to go with a Nvidia graphics card. I was just curious which one and if you think there will be a increase of options with the new mac pro? Also, do you see it being a problem using the newer graphic cards with the last mac pro before this one?

    1. I don’t see Apple adding Nvidia as a CTO option for the current line. Anything is possible, but Apple tends to make deals for a particular period of time and for now it looks like they are dealing with ATI.
      As far as which card I plan to go with, it will likely be the Nvidia Quadro FX 4800. Yes it does work in the previous 2009 and 2008 models.

  10. Hi Terry,
    I took a class from you in OS7! back at Meteor over 100 years ago & ran into you at the Apple Store during the iPhone 3G launch.

    Friday, I ordered a 12 core Mac Pro to replace my G5 dual 2.0. About to order RAM, drives, etc from OWC & ran into an unlikely speed bump, the UPS. APC recommends their SMT 2200VA unit but it’s $900 & some say I’d have to run a dedicated 20 amp line to my home office to run it. When I ordered the computer, the salesman on the Apple Business line tried to sell me a low end APC saying that it was all I’d need. I posted my questions to the Mac Discussions forum http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=12158200#12158200 & the two guys that helped me say that a 1500VA 1000 watt unit would be enough & that I should get one that produce Sine Wave power.

    Just wondering what your take on this would be? Did you buy a 12 core, if so, what are you using?
    Thanks

      1. Thanks for getting back with me. Your APC 1500, is it a SMT1500 or one of their other 1500… RS, ES, XS?

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