In addition to releasing new Mac Pro systems, Apple on Tuesday updated its 1U rackmount Xserve. The new server is up to twice as fast as its predecessor, according to Apple.
The Xserve is configurable with up to two Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5400 processors running up to 3.0 GHz with 12MB of L2 cache per processor.
Like the Mac Pro, the Xserve features a new high-bandwidth hardware architecture, dual-independent 1600 MHz front side buses and up to 32GB of 800 MHz DDR2 ECC FB-DIMM memory. This gives the Xserve a 64 percent increase in memory throughput, Apple said.
With two PCI Express 2.0 expansion slots the Xserve has up to four times the I/O bandwidth of the previous Xserve to support the latest high-bandwidth expansion cards including multi-channel 4Gb Fibre channel and 10Gb Ethernet cards.
Xserve also includes built-in accelerated graphics to drive up to a 23-inch Apple Cinema Display and a new front-facing USB 2.0 port.
The Xserve is available today — pricing starts at $2,999.