Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Is the next update going to be big?

A

alex00100

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 17, 2011
469
1,227
Moscow, Russia
Hi everybody!
i use hackintosh now and im really tired of its problems.
im thinking about buying 6-core mac pro, but the next update is in 2012, so i have to wait over a year for it. i still study, so summer for me is a great time for my my projects(im animator) and i just cant stay with my old laptop.
so here is my question, is the next update likely to be big? anything important?
thanks. i hope you understand my bad english. XD
 
Last edited:
There will be a big jump in processor performance due to Sandy Bridge being on average 15% faster clock for clock, clock speeds being higher, more cores at some price points Apple already use.

Other things that will be there: PCI-Express 3.0, quad channel memory - don't expect any more memory slots, Thunderbolt ports, maybe native USB 3.0, faster graphics cards that may or may not support older systems, SATA 6 Gbit/s.

It isn't a great time to be buying a new Mac Pro - but if you need it, you need it.

To make the most of purchasing now you could upgrade the processor yourself. The W3670 is a 3.2GHz 6-core that can be had for around $600. There are ways to get a 2.8GHz quad cheaper than $2,499 and you'd have the processor to sell. Flash a PC graphics card, shop around for memory etc.
 
From all the reports I've read, Sandy Bridge is scary fast. Sandy Bridge-based iMacs should outperform the current generation of Mac Pros in many (though not all) regards. And of course, once Sandy Bridge makes it to the Mac Pro, it should be amazingly fast.

As others said, only buy a Mac Pro now if you absolutely need it and/or if you get a great deal (used, refurbished, etc.). Otherwise, much better machines are coming later in 2011. That's for certain. The only thing not known publicly is when they will be released.
 
Xeon Sandy Bridge Chips

gglockner said:
From all the reports I've read, Sandy Bridge is scary fast. Sandy Bridge-based iMacs should outperform the current generation of Mac Pros in many (though not all) regards. And of course, once Sandy Bridge makes it to the Mac Pro, it should be amazingly fast.

As others said, only buy a Mac Pro now if you absolutely need it and/or if you get a great deal (used, refurbished, etc.). Otherwise, much better machines are coming later in 2011. That's for certain. The only thing not known publicly is when they will be released.
Click to expand...


Try 2012.. assuming the mac pro isn't delayed another several months like the 2009-2010.
 
alex00100 said:
so, what is the most likely time for releasing a new mac pro? third quarter of 2011? fourth? 2012?
Click to expand...

Intel Xeon E5-26xx/24xx and Xeon E5-46xx aren't due until Q1 2012 so I could see a 2012 MP coming around late Q1 2012 or Q2 2012. Apple is not currently focused on the MP so I would say later estimates are safer than earlier, especially considering that the product lifecycles between MP generations seems to be lengthening.
 
so its not in 2011 at all, right? sadly for me. ill have to buy the current model. i can wait a whole year. :( so i will buy 6-core 3.33GHz model. is it an ok choice?
also one more question, should i upgrade processor and/or video card or just buy a new computer in 4-5 years?
 
alex00100 said:
so i will buy 6-core 3.33GHz model.
Click to expand...

I went from a pretty built up 2006 MacPro 1,1 2.66 to the 6 x 3.33 with 32GB of ram and a 120GB SSD for boot. I can tell you that the money I will save in increased productivity alone will be at least 4-5 times that of which I might spend to upgrade to a Sandy Bridge machine at the end of 2012, so I can take the hit down the road if I decide to upgrade a year to 18 months later.

For someone who actually earns a paycheck in using this hardware, I can tell you there is almost no such thing as a bad time to upgrade your hardware. If it were only 3-4 months out, that might be a different story.

But again, it all depends on what you are upgrading from and what your actual needs are in the cost / benefit ratio.
 
so, there is a year before mac pro will be released? now i have a cheap PC laptop i installed hackintosh on. its very laggy(one of the biggest reasons to buy real mac). processor is dual-core 2.4GHz.
im 3D/2D animator. what should i do now??? i really have no ideas. both waiting a year and buying old hardware isnt good. help me choose, please! :) what is worse?
 
alex00100 said:
so, there is a year before mac pro will be released? now i have a cheap PC laptop i installed hackintosh on. its very laggy(one of the biggest reasons to buy real mac). processor is dual-core 2.4GHz.
im 3D/2D animator. what should i do now??? i really have no ideas. both waiting a year and buying old hardware isnt good. help me choose, please! :) what is worse?
Click to expand...

I hate to say it like this, but after about 1-2 days of research, a professional would know exactly what to do.
 
Macshroomer said:
I hate to say it like this, but after about 1-2 days of research, a professional would know exactly what to do.
Click to expand...

We'll in terms of rendering, having an 8 core machine will make you far more efficient. So a year of struggling wouldn't really be worth it...
 
alex00100 said:
so, there is a year before mac pro will be released? now i have a cheap PC laptop i installed hackintosh on. its very laggy(one of the biggest reasons to buy real mac). processor is dual-core 2.4GHz.
im 3D/2D animator. what should i do now??? i really have no ideas. both waiting a year and buying old hardware isnt good. help me choose, please! :) what is worse?
Click to expand...

Personally I would spend around $800-$1000 and build a mid-range hack. I've done several hack builds and now that we can use vanilla kernel they are, in my experience, just as stable and fast. I own a real Mac too, of course, and obviously nothing beats the quality and beauty of the real thing. But if you just need something with a little more juice to tide you over for the 2012 Mac Pro, that's what I would do. Also I wouldn't expect much more than LGA 2011 + Thunderbolt in the 2012 MP. Highly doubt we'll see native Blu-ray or USB 3 given Apple's current stance.
 
I hate to say it like this, but after about 1-2 days of research a professional would know exactly what to do.
Click to expand...
Yes, im not a professional in hardware, im professional in animation. :)

I will do some more research about 6 cores and 8 cores, but my main question is solved, i think. I will buy now.
Thanks for helping!
 
Last edited:
Update

As one who enjoys keeping his computers past 3 years, I don't believe the 2012 will be very significant.. as a 12-core and even 6-core 2010 is still a tough contender..

My belief: Intel Macs and Macs in general(PowerPC included) - so long as the machine(s) do what you throw at them, they will never be obsolete.. but as soon as you try to do something on an older machine and it won't work, then its time to move up.

I don't think the 6-core 2010 is going to be "obsolete" for some time to come.. Maybe if Mac OS XII were to come out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back