Dual Processor Nehalem Mac Pro Review

[encorp]

Prepare for ludicrous speed: Ars reviews the 8-core Mac Pro - Ars Technica

Discuss.

 

[superj]

Nice piece of hardware...
Too bad the graphics options are so limited, and OC capability on Apple produced Mac is non-existent. That rig with dual OC'd i7 processors and crossfired/SLI'd graphics cards would absolutely dominate.

I'd take my 1GB 4870 Q9450 OC'd Hackintosh for value any day for my uses.

It's really kind of weird that Apple doesn't see the market for a consumer tower somewhere between the iMac and Mac Pro with some expandability.

 

[belgolas]

I still don't understand apple's reasoning that they don't include a workstation graphics card for a workstation computer. ????? Why wouldn't they?

Anyways Apple doesn't have a license for SLI. Also FB ram is not good for gaming plus not many games can use 8 threads.

 

[MacJunky]

They see it but then people would just buy that instead of the Mac Pro.

Apple had workstation GFX card for the last Mac Pro but I guess they axed it or something, probably due to not many people buying it.

 

[lowfat]

I still don't understand apple's reasoning that they don't include a workstation graphics card for a workstation computer. ????? Why wouldn't they?

Anyways Apple doesn't have a license for SLI. Also FB ram is not good for gaming plus not many games can use 8 threads.

They use ECC DDR3 now BTW.

 

[superj]

They see it but then people would just buy that instead of the Mac Pro.

Apple had workstation GFX card for the last Mac Pro but I guess they axed it or something, probably due to not many people buying it.

They covered that in the Anand article. Apparently Apple rights the Nvidia drivers and there wasn't a clear benefit in OS X to having an expensive work station card that was based off a consumer gaming card. The only benefit was more memory in OS X.

I'm glad that the 4870 is supported now anyhow. I've got my hack running with full 3D accleration in OS X with my 4870 as of last month.

You can flash a PC 4870 to work in a Mac Pro now it'll save you a couple hundred dollars.

 

[MushkinNick]

They use ECC DDR3 now BTW.

Yep. Fully-Buffered memory architecture won't be carried over into DDR3. Only ECC and ECC/R.

 

[Bojamijams]

Gaming on a mac? Hah!