Pros
- New Nehalem microprocessor
- Easier to upgrade internal components
- Lower price
Cons
- None significant
At A Glance
The new Mac Pros, with their cutting-edge Nehalem processor technology, are able to execute more tasks at a faster clip, despite lower processor speeds. And their new internal design makes adding hard drives, memory cards, and PCI Express 2.0 cards easier than ever. The 2.66GHz quad-core Mac Pro , which out-performed the other Mac Pro in our tests, would be a fine purchase for anyone replacing an older Mac or buying a new one for the first time.
Manufacturer’s Description
The new Mac Pro introduces Turbo Boost: a dynamic performance technology that automatically boosts the processor clock speed based on workload. If you're using an application that doesn't need every core, Turbo Boost shuts off the idle cores while simultaneously increasing the speed of the active ones.
The Specs
| Pricing | |
|---|---|
| Part Number | MB871LLA |
| Processor | |
| Processor type | Intel Xeon Quad-Core 3500 |
| Processor speed | 2.66 MHz |
| Cache size | 8.0 KB |
| Bus speed | 1066.0 MHz |
| Processor count | 1 |
| Memory | |
| Memory type | DDR3 |
| Memory max | 16000.0 GB |
| Display | |
| Included monitor | No |
| Graphics | |
| Primary Graphics Chipset | Nvidia GeForce GT 120 |
| Number of Graphic Cards included | 1 |
| Video Bus | PCI Express 2.0 x16 |
| Storage | |
| Drive size | 640.0 GB |
| Hard Drive Speed | 7200 RPM |
| Drive Controllers | Serial ATA |
| Expansion slots | |
| Number of PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots | 3.0 |
| Green | |
| Energy Star compliant | 1.0 |
| Dimensions | |
| Width | 8.1 inches |
| Depth | 18.7 inches |
| Height | 20.1 inches |
| Weight | 39.9 pounds |
| Optical Drive | |
| Optical Drive Speed | 18.0 |
| Optical Drive Type | SuperDrive |
| optical_drive_1 | SuperDrive |
| optical_model_1 | SuperDrive |
| Included Software | |
| Operating System | Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) |
| Other Features | |
| Devices |
|
| Ports and Connections | |
| Ethernet Type | Ethernet (10/100/1000 Mbps) |
| Available Interfaces |
|
| Case | |
| Chassis style | Tower |
| 3.5 Inch Internal Bays | 4 |
Performance
| Macworld Labs | |
|---|---|
| SpeedMark 6 Score | 203 |
| Cinema 4D XL 10.5 | 0:18 |
| iMovie HD 6 | 0:29 |
| Tested Configuration | Mac OS X 10.5.6 with 3GB of RAM |
| iTunes 7.5 | 0:46 |
| Quake 4 | 81.2fps |
| Photoshop CS3 | 0:35 |
| Compressor | 0:47 |
| Cinema 4D XL 8.5 | 203 |
Review: Get your writing done with Yarny, a cloud-based, distraction-free writing environment 
The Week in iOS Apps: Music all around you!
