Apple Updates
At last, Apple has updated the Mac Pro, which now maxes out at a staggering 12-cores at 2.93 GHz! The new line, available next month, will offer computers with 4, 6, 8 and 12 cores. Also part of the update is the introduction of ATI Radeon HD 5770 and 5870 graphic cards. SSD storage is also available to the Mac Pro, with up to 4 units of 512 GB SSD drives, making it one hell of a monster.
To cap the update is the introduction of the 27-inch LED monitor (coming in September), which is modeled after the 27-inch iMac model. Like the now-discontinued 24-inch LED monitor introduced earlier, it features the MagSafe power adapter for charging your MacBook Pro. It also comes with a USB 2.0 hub, and the mini-Display Port connection.
Another interesting introduction is the Magic Trackpad, which brings the multi-touch gestures to the realm of the desktops. Multi-touch, common in the iPhones, iPod Touch and MacBook computers, had never before been offered to the desktops like the iMacs and Mac Pro.
Also updated is the iMac line, which now spots i3 chips in their base models (i3-540 and i3-550), with dual-core i5 (i5-680), quad-core i5 (i5-760) and i7 (i7-875K) models on the high-end. The new models also come with ATI Radeon graphic cards as standard. The 21.5-inch models have the 4670 (with 256 MB video RAM) and 5670 cards (with 512 MB video RAM), the 27-inch base model uses the 5670, whereas the quad-core options use the 5750 card (with 1GB video RAM). The 27-inch models also offer the incorporation of two storage drives, and can pair a HDD with a SSD. Unfortunately, a post-upgrade is difficult, since units shipping with a solo drive do not spot mounting brackets for the additional drive.
Interestingly, the i3 processors feature hyper-threading, but no turbo-boost. The dual-core i5-680 features both hyper-threading and turbo-boost (from 3.6 GHz to 3.86 GHz), while the quad-core i5-760 features turbo-boost (from 2.8 GHz to 3.33 GHz), but no hyper-threading. The i7-875K features both, with the turbo-boost pushing the clock-speed to 3.6 GHz.
The base model iMac (21.5 inch screen with i3-540 processor) costs $1788, while the souped up quad-core i7 (27 inch screen) costs $3187.60 without any additional add-ons. The Magic Trackpad retails at $98. Pricing for the Mac Pro and 27-inch monitors is not yet available in Singapore, but will retail at US$999 for the monitor, and US$2499 for the base-model quad core Mac Pro. The 12-core options will retail above US$5000.
To cap the update is the introduction of the 27-inch LED monitor (coming in September), which is modeled after the 27-inch iMac model. Like the now-discontinued 24-inch LED monitor introduced earlier, it features the MagSafe power adapter for charging your MacBook Pro. It also comes with a USB 2.0 hub, and the mini-Display Port connection.
Another interesting introduction is the Magic Trackpad, which brings the multi-touch gestures to the realm of the desktops. Multi-touch, common in the iPhones, iPod Touch and MacBook computers, had never before been offered to the desktops like the iMacs and Mac Pro.
Also updated is the iMac line, which now spots i3 chips in their base models (i3-540 and i3-550), with dual-core i5 (i5-680), quad-core i5 (i5-760) and i7 (i7-875K) models on the high-end. The new models also come with ATI Radeon graphic cards as standard. The 21.5-inch models have the 4670 (with 256 MB video RAM) and 5670 cards (with 512 MB video RAM), the 27-inch base model uses the 5670, whereas the quad-core options use the 5750 card (with 1GB video RAM). The 27-inch models also offer the incorporation of two storage drives, and can pair a HDD with a SSD. Unfortunately, a post-upgrade is difficult, since units shipping with a solo drive do not spot mounting brackets for the additional drive.
Interestingly, the i3 processors feature hyper-threading, but no turbo-boost. The dual-core i5-680 features both hyper-threading and turbo-boost (from 3.6 GHz to 3.86 GHz), while the quad-core i5-760 features turbo-boost (from 2.8 GHz to 3.33 GHz), but no hyper-threading. The i7-875K features both, with the turbo-boost pushing the clock-speed to 3.6 GHz.
The base model iMac (21.5 inch screen with i3-540 processor) costs $1788, while the souped up quad-core i7 (27 inch screen) costs $3187.60 without any additional add-ons. The Magic Trackpad retails at $98. Pricing for the Mac Pro and 27-inch monitors is not yet available in Singapore, but will retail at US$999 for the monitor, and US$2499 for the base-model quad core Mac Pro. The 12-core options will retail above US$5000.