Apple Readies PowerMac Replacements with “Conroe”, “Woodcrest”.

zippyjuan · 07-14-2006, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Apple Readies PowerMac Replacements with “Conroe”, “Woodcrest”.
Apple’s New Performance Computers with Core 2, Xeon 5100 Chips

Category: Other

by Anton Shilov

[ 07/14/2006 | 04:17 AM ]

Apple Computer is expected to present replacements for the PowerMac computer at its Worldwide Developers Conference in August. The new computers are expected to be called Mac Pro and feature dual-core Core 2 Duo or Intel Xeon 5100-series processors.

According to web-sites – AppleInsider and ThinkSecret – dedicated to Apple Computer’s products, there are going to be several models of Mac Pro available: entry-level will feature dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo or even Extreme processors, whereas higher-performance machines will use Intel Xeon 5100-series chips. It is also projected that the new desktops from Apple will have cases, which design is different compared to the PowerMac machines.

Apple had reportedly contracted a design team at Intel to help design mainboard for the forthcoming Intel-based PowerMac computers. The reason why the Cupertino, California-based computer company decided to ask Intel’s help is aggressive transition to x86 processors: the company had to develop hardware for the new iMac, MacBook Pro, MacBook and Mac mini products launched in the first months of 2006.

The first formal showcasing will be carried out by Apple chief executive Steve Jobs during the demonstration of Mac OS X 10.5 “Leopard” – the company’s next-generation operating system – during the annual Apple World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco, California, which kicks off on August 7 and lasts till August 11, 2006.

While it is clear that Apple was expecting high-performance Intel Core 2 Duo microprocessors for the launch of its workstation-class Apple Mac Pro desktops, the new “Leopard” system may have improved Rosetta software, which allows applications developed for IBM Power processors to run on x86 chips. While generally performance degradation because of Rosetta was negligible, in the high-end market any performance decrease is unacceptable.

Apple Computer did not comment on the news-story.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/other/d...714041641.html

eSDee · 07-14-2006, 06:25 PM

Can't wait.

zero2dash · 07-14-2006, 10:27 PM

I'm just waiting to see the prices...that's what my million dollar question is about.

I'm sure they'll charge more because it's a Mac and you're getting the Mac experience, but how much overhead will be there? If they're talking about selling a system with a $539 E6700 as the high end Core 2 Duo Mac Pro and sticking a $2500+ sticker on it, then forget about it.

My worry is - that's exactly what they're going to do.

I'm sure the Quad Mac Pro (using a Woodcrest) will be well over $3 grand (and consequently, about 100 miles out of my ballpark price range), but I'm hoping the mid/high end Core 2 Mac Pros offer good prices. Man WWDC can't get here soon enough...

zero2dash · 07-17-2006, 09:40 AM

http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1877

Quote:

Woodcrest to power Apple's next-gen Mac Pro desktops

By Kasper Jade
Published: 09:00 PM EST

Apple Computer has selected dual-core Xeon server processors from Intel Corp. to power its next wave of high-performance professional Mac Pro desktops, AppleInsider has confirmed.

The 64-bit chips -- formerly code-named "Woodcrest" and officially unveiled by Intel last month as the Xeon 5100 series -- pack a 4MB L2 cache and run at speeds of up to 3.0GHz on a 1333MHz front-side bus.

Though the chips are almost architecturally identical to Intel's upcoming line of Core 2 Duo Extreme desktop processor (code-named "Conroe"), they differ in that they'll utilize the company's new Land Grid Array (LGA) 771 socket and also allow for multiple processor configurations.

Apple plans to take advantage of Woodcrest's multi-processor capabilities by offering versions of its upcoming Mac Pro professional desktops that will sport two of the dual core chips, people familiar with the Mac maker's plans have said. The new systems, which will succeed the Power Mac G5 at the forefront of the company's product matrix, will also be available in a single processor configuration for a substantially reduced cost, those people have since revealed.

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs is expected to showcase the new computers early next month as he demonstrates Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" -- the company's next-generation operating system -- during the annual Apple World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco, Calif.

The new Mac Pro desktops will represent the last of the Cupertino, Calif.-based company's personal computer systems to transition from IBM's PowerPC-based processors to Intel's chips. And sources who have crossed paths with pre-production units claim they will rival, if not exceed in speed, the most powerful personal computer systems on the market today.

As Apple began development of the Mac Pro last October, it turned to Intel's Oregon division for the expertise in constructing a logicboard capable of housing a dual-processor Woodcrest configuration (or in other words, a graphics powerhouse sporting a total of four cores of processing power). Initially, it appeared that the two companies had aspirations of developing a radically compact board design, but they later settled on one approximately the same size as those found in Apple's current Power Mac G5 systems.

In addition to being the fastest of Intel's chips suited for a personal computer system, Woodcrest is also the first family of microprocessors to utilize Intel's "Core" microarchitecture. The architecture includes an advance cache technology that allows one core of a dual-core processor to use the entire memory reservoir while the other core is idle. It also supports a feature called "Smart Memory Access" that can hide memory latency and bottlenecks, as well as "Wide Dynamic Execution," which widens the execution core and allows for more instructions per cycle.

Apple's decision to base the Mac Pro on Woodcrest rather than Conroe may also help the company further diversify its four primary Mac product lines as the holiday shopping season rolls around -- offering the potential for each line to differentiate itself from the others via a unique Intel chip variant.

Apparently there's no Conroe MacPro planned?

Biiiiiig mistake. I agree with a lot of people on the Mac Rumors forums who are saying that Apple needs an in-between model between the iMac and the MacPro. iMac will (soon) have Conroe cpus, but it's not as upgradeable as a MacPro is. You've got 1 HD and 2 RAM slots (AFAIK); anything else you need external (ie 2nd HD). Meanwhile a lot of people will want something powerful and upgradeable but not as $$$ expensive as a MacPro. Why not release a $1500 (or so) minitower running Conroe with expandability?

One more interesting tidbit:
http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1886

Quote:

Apple's Mac Pro to sport modified Power Mac enclosure

By Kasper Jade
Published: 02:05 PM EST

Contrary to published reports, Apple Computer does not plan to introduce new enclosures alongside its first Intel-based Mac Pro desktops and will instead employ only slightly modified Power Mac G5 casings, AppleInsider has learned.

Click Here!
The current Power Mac G5 enclosure -- first detailed by AppleInsider back in June of 2003 -- is believed to be well suited for Apple's first Intel-based professional desktops due to the similarities in size and shape between the new Mac Pro logic-board and the one presently shipping in the Power Mac G5.

People familiar with plans for the next-generation Apple desktops say there appear to be only a couple of cosmetic differences between the Mac Pro and Power Mac G5 casings, specifically the addition of a second optical disc drive slot on the face of the Mac Pro.

In a move that is somewhat reminiscent of recent Windows PC designs, Apple also appears to have relocated the computer's power supply from the base of the unit up towards the top, those same people say.

The additional optical disc drive slot and bay are likely to ship empty in the first Mac Pros, which will allow users to adopt emerging but pricey high-definition DVD drive standards, such as Blu-ray and HD-DVD, at their discretion.

Sources previously reported that Apple has chosen Intel's relatively new dual-core Xeon 5100 (Woodcrest) series of processors to power the next-generation desktops, and that models will be available in both single and dual processor configurations.

Since AppleInsider's report on the subject, an unauthenticated Mac Pro product specifications sheet has been making the rounds, indicating that Apple may forgo inclusion of Intel's 3.0GHz Xeon 5160 chip in its three Mac Pro standard configurations.

This is interesting.
Cheaper than what I thought...but...some of those specs are miniscule. 512 RAM on a $1799 computer is pretty absurd. Why not a gig? Not only that - but they could use a Conroe in the lower end ones (single processor) and leave the Woodcrest for the quad and not only would they save money, but they could offer them at a lower price to the buying public. Win-win, right?

Two steps forward, one step back.

Now I'm waiting to see if they release a minitower (new model?) running Conroe. If they do - I'll get one of those most likely. If they don't...I'll probably get the 20" iMac when they release those with Conroe chips.

07-14-2006, 06:25 PM	#2
eSDee Old Skooler Numba 1 Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Diego Posts: 10,063	Can't wait. __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3 days ~ Willie Nelson 3 days I dread to see arrive 3 days I hate to be alive 3 days filled with tears and sorrow yesterday today and tomorrow

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07-14-2006, 10:27 PM	#3
zero2dash Commander Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Fenton, MO - but I wish I was at the beach. ANY beach. Posts: 1,367	I'm just waiting to see the prices...that's what my million dollar question is about. I'm sure they'll charge more because it's a Mac and you're getting the Mac experience, but how much overhead will be there? If they're talking about selling a system with a $539 E6700 as the high end Core 2 Duo Mac Pro and sticking a $2500+ sticker on it, then forget about it. My worry is - that's exactly what they're going to do. I'm sure the Quad Mac Pro (using a Woodcrest) will be well over $3 grand (and consequently, about 100 miles out of my ballpark price range), but I'm hoping the mid/high end Core 2 Mac Pros offer good prices. Man WWDC can't get here soon enough...

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