Mac Pro Arrived! Pics Included

[Chundles]

Yup,looks like you might be right Chundles. I wish it was more clear, however.

Yeah, for a Pro machine they certainly are lacking a bit in the information.

 

[JoshRtek]

Does someone know whether you can upgrade an Airport card and Bluetooth module on your own? Or do you need an Apple service to upgrade both on an Mac Pro?

The word is "yes," apparently. I ordered mine without the Bluetooth and Airport Extreme option because I needed the computer right away...

However, I made a call to the online Apple store, and the representative told me that while the current AP/BT module for the G5 on sale at most Apple stores will NOT work with the Mac Pro, a new module will become available that will be either user or Apple-tech installable.

However, you could also just buy another cheap D-Link wireless router and use it as a range extender to your current wireless router, and place that in the room where your Mac Pro resides, and plug an ethernet cable from the Mac Pro into the wireless router. It would probably be cheaper than buying an Airport Card upgrade, seeming as though most people won't be moving their Mac Pro around constantly.

 

[Josias]

DELL offer the 4gb dimms on that 690 workstation, i havent seen then anywhere else either

Apple offers 4 GB dimms for the Xserve (available in October).

 

[brbubba]

Sorry to spam a bit on this thread, but I wanted to throw this out:

For my work I do various consulting tasks and last week one involved setting up a Dell Precision 690 (the exact system apple compared with the MP in the keynote) to run some fluid dynamics software. Being highly-demanding computational software, the system was equipped with 64Gb of memory. Yes, I said 64Gb.

I was wondering if anyone knows why apple would ever choose to cap this at 16Gb when there is a clear need for some applications to address more than 16Gb. The mobo is uncannily similar as well (the physical memory setup is identical) so it's apparently not a "too-big" problem and 64-bit can go to 16 exabytes...

I just figured if they were competing with the Dell that they would at least shoot for the same memory config to keep competitive for high-end users.

WOW. To upgrade that system from 2GB to 64GB is a $49,000 option!

Can the fluid dynamics software be run via a distributed computing system or is this a real time single system package? And is it even available for OS X?

 

[Lollypop]

Yup,looks like you might be right Chundles. I wish it was more clear, however.

Even the intel website is a bit vague, but it seems like it is a single 16x slot, and the remaining ones can scale up to 8x, meaning they are compatible with 1,2,4 and 8x cards, but not 16. If apple does go dual graphics cards would the main one have to be scaled down (in software) to 8x?

Im personally not surpised that Apple hasnt gone out of their way to support SLI or CrossFire, I think they will wait for a standard and for it to become bit more mainstream before jumping on it.

 

[yellow]

Im personally not surpised that Apple hasnt gone out of their way to support SLI or CrossFire, I think they will wait for a standard and for it to become bit more mainstream before jumping on it.

I wonder how the purchase of ATI by AMD will effect the outcome?
Will that mean that SLI & nVidia becomes the standard in Macs because they're tied to Intel?
Doubtful, since I don't think AMD will stop selling ATI cards..

 

[uelef]

I got another four questions for the early adopters:

- Did someone do a test on the Firewire 400 and the Firewire 800 speeds?

- Did you also use the Mac Pro for audio? The first G5 had noisy power supplies - and the MacBook Pro also got problems with audio... What about the Mac Pros?

- I'm also interested in power consumption... Any values?

- Can you still use the Mac Pro with minimum CPU speed (energy preferences)? I was able to configure my old G5 that way - on my iMac CoreDuo there's no way to change the CPU speed...

 

[uelef]

However, I made a call to the online Apple store, and the representative told me that while the current AP/BT module for the G5 on sale at most Apple stores will NOT work with the Mac Pro, a new module will become available that will be either user or Apple-tech installable.

The developer notes from Apple for the Mac Pro say something else:

"AirPort Extreme: The Mac Pro computer has an optional, internal AirPort Extreme module connected to a dedicated 1-lane PCI Express bus. The AirPort Extreme module is available as a fully-integrated configure-to-order option or as an Apple Authorized Service Provider kit, which can be installed by an Apple retail store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider."

Hm....

 

[vakej]

Congrats on your mac pro...

You know for $2,500, you'd think that apple would include bluetooth, and airport extreme as a standard.

It's a standard feature on a $600 mac mini

vj

 

[kevin.rivers]

The Santa Rosa chipset is slated to be capable of dual (integrated?) video chipsets. I realize this if for mobile, but maybe Intel is working on its own version of SLI/Crossfire that will be in its next gen Xeon chipsets. Intel could surely do this so that it supports Intel, nVidia, and maybe ATI graphics cards.

 

[Chundles]

WOW. To upgrade that system from 2GB to 64GB is a $49,000 option!

Yikes! Although, back when I was a little boy it was probably that much to take the RAM from 512k up to 4MB - if you could fit 4MB in that is.

 

[Trekkie]

I saw one reply to the gripe about Woodcrest being 85W, and I wanted to expand on it a bit.

The 3.0GHz Woodcrest TDP is 85W.

All the other lower speeds TDP is 65W.

So only the top bin is 85W, not all of them. For the performance difference I would say 85% of the people using a Mac Pro would be better off with a 2.66GHz from a cost & price/perf perspective. And you'd use less power.

 

[kevin.rivers]

Just wait til the 3.6Ghz chips and higher hit the market. There will be tons of 3.0Ghz chips being sold from these Mac Pros if they are indeed socketed, which I am sure they are.

 

[Shadow]

Thanks on the bootup times, it seems most new Macs are quite similar in this area (my MacBook gets about 27 secs-give or take 1 or 2). Can't think what the limiting factor is, mind. My friends Mini G4 takes about 90 seconds to boot !

As for the Photoshop test, the PowerMac G5 Quad only won because its UNIVERSAL. The Mac Pro is using ROSETTA. Do the math. My MacBook gets about 6 mins on the photoshop speed test by BakedBeans (which is less time than my same freinds Mini G4 ).

 

[Multimedia]

Even Basic Applications Like Lots Of Cores • OS X Delegates Work Across Cores

But both are high end applications that can use a CPU and split up their work load, people are sayings its going to be about the core count and not the clock speeds, what sompa was trying to point out (i think) is that SUN has a 32 core cpu, its great for server work, but will suck in a general desktop, its going to be about cores, clock speeds and IO all put put together, the entire system!

I dont have a quad core mac just lying around, but I suspect in your case that two cores are for video and audio, and the third is for the program itself, mail, safari ect dont have such a incredible load that it even needs a second, nevermind a third core.

I've been on the Quad since February and I can tell you that I use almost all 4 cores almost all the time. Even Mail etc use multiple cores when running at the same time. So you are mistaken as I see it or as think I understand what you think. The operating system automatically delegates different apps to the core that has the lowest load on it so other cores can keep going with loads they already are doing.

 

[Cameront9]

Congrats on your mac pro...

You know for $2,500, you'd think that apple would include bluetooth, and airport extreme as a standard.

It's a standard feature on a $600 mac mini

vj

I think it has been established that the reason for not doing so is that some corporations do NOT want Airport or Bluetooth.

 

[kevin.rivers]

Congrats on your mac pro...

You know for $2,500, you'd think that apple would include bluetooth, and airport extreme as a standard.

It's a standard feature on a $600 mac mini

vj

You know, that Mac mini has a cheap Core Solo in it, small hard drive, no superdrive and half the ram. In comparison to a dual processor, large hard drive and expandaibility, more ram, superdrive, faster graphics.

Not to mention most people wouldn't be connection a pro machine via wireless. Chances are they would be using a Gigabit Ethernet setup, and the Mac Pro has dual gigabit mind you.

It would be nice if they would add it, but lets look at the whole picture instead of singling out one thing.

 

[MovieCutter]

Saw a G5 Quad go for $2100 with 4GB of RAM. Let the prices keep on falling!

Glad I sold mine for $4k three months ago!!!!

 

[Chundles]

As for the Photoshop test, the PowerMac G5 Quad only won because its UNIVERSAL. The Mac Pro is using ROSETTA. Do the math. My MacBook gets about 6 mins on the photoshop speed test by BakedBeans (which is less time than my same freinds Mini G4 ).

You're using incorrect (and confusing) terminology. The reason for Photoshop running faster on a G5 Quad isn't because it's "Universal" it's because it's running "natively". "Universal" means that the application runs natively on both PPC and Intel Macs, Photoshop does not. You are correct about the Mac Pro, Photoshop is emulated through Rosetta and thus runs slower.

When Photoshop is a Universal Application it will run much, much faster on the Mac Pro than on the PowerMac G5 Quad.

 

[chairguru22]

wow super fast! they just unveiled it like two days ago...

 

[Multimedia]

Use TELEPHONE To Change Order • You Are Losing $150 For Nothing

I configured the Mac Pro with the standard Geforce 7300, and then ordered the Radeon X1900 separately here.

OK Call them up and change the order on the TELEPHONE. You have just spent an extra $150 because you didn't order the 7300 GT Alacarte for only $149 each here while you can get the Radeon X1900 with your Mac Pro for only $350 when you order it with the computer.

IE change your order or you just paid for another GeForce 7300 GT for NOTHING.

What I want to know is why is Apple saying you can only use GeForce 7300 GT in the Mac Pro and not in the Quad G5? Is the power different in the Mac Pro PCI Express bus so the newer faster cheaper card won't run in Quad G5?

 

[SWC]

That looks a pretty definitive answer.

I think what he meant was will there even be a need for a specific mac version of the x1900 the reason you needed a special card before was because the video card has its own bios to communicate with the ppc sytems now that its a standard intel system the only real difference is the operating system so if apple has a driver for that card it SHOULD work off the shelf.

 

[DeepIn2U]

I'm thinking the card wont work in a G5 due to bandwidth!

 

[devmage]

I know they describe using RAID on http://www.apple.com/macpro/expansion.html but OSX has always had software raid. Do you get any indication this machine has hardware RAID on it?

Grats BTW I ordered the 2.66 with a X1900 in it, shipdate of Sept 12

 

[Cygnus311]

Am I the only one that thinks the power input should be towards the bottom and not the top?