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Quad Core Apple Mac Pro #MB871LL/A

The "Nehalem" advantage.

Many quad-core processors are composed of two separate dies, which means some cached data has to travel outside the processor to get from core to core. That's an inefficient way to access information. Enter the Quad-Core Intel Xeon "Nehalem" processor.

Its single-die, 64-bit architecture makes 8MB of fully shared L3 cache readily available to each of the four processor cores. The result is fast access to cache data and greater application performance. Combine that with the other technological advances and you get a Mac Pro that's up to 1.9x faster than the previous generation.1

Memory bottlenecks begone.

System memory is often connected to a processor through a separate I/O controller. But each Intel Xeon "Nehalem" processor features an integrated memory controller... another leap forward for workstation system architecture. By connecting memory directly to the processor, the new Mac Pro processors have faster access to data stored in memory, and memory latency is reduced by up to 40 percent.

The integrated memory controller, along with fast 1066MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM, also gives Mac Pro up to a 2.4x increase in memory bandwidth over previous generations.2 More bandwidth allows for more data to be fed to the processor faster, helping each core spend its time processing data, not waiting for information to arrive. And Error Correction Code (ECC) corrects single-bit errors and detects multiple-bit errors automatically. That's especially important in mission-critical and compute-intensive environments.

Power when (and where) you need it.

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, up to 3.33GHz on a 2.93GHz Mac Pro.

The virtue of virtual cores.

The new Intel Xeon "Nehalem" processors support Hyper-Threading, which allows two threads to run simultaneously on each core. So an 8-core Mac Pro presents 16 virtual cores that are recognized by Mac OS X. Performance is enhanced because Hyper-Threading enables the processor to take better advantage of the execution resources available in each core.

Path of least resistance.

A new bidirectional, point-to-point connection... called QuickPath Interconnect... gives the Intel Xeon "Nehalem" processor quick access to the disk, I/O, and other Mac Pro subsystems. In the new 8-core Mac Pro, there's a QuickPath Interconnect between the two quad-core processors as well. This connection acts as a direct pipeline, so processor-to-processor data doesn't need to travel to the I/O hub first. It's another way the new Mac Pro boosts performance across the board.

Powerfully efficient.

Based on an industry-leading 45-nm process technology and combined with improved power management capabilities, the new Intel Xeon "Nehalem" processors are more energy efficient than before. So the Mac Pro is faster than ever, while using less energy when idle.

The fastest Mac graphics ever.

DonÕt keep those pixels waiting. If youÕre a pro who wants a desktop computer that keeps pace with your imagination, the Mac Pro delivers with faster graphics application performance across the board. Whether youÕre decoding H.264 content in Final Cut Pro, creating 3D graphics in Motion, processing massive RAW images in Aperture, or playing the latest games, the graphics hardware in the new Mac Pro makes graphics applications faster.

The foundation of this new graphics architecture is the latest generation of GPUs connected to the system via a fast and wide PCI Express 2.0 16-lane bus. Couple that with Core Animation, Core Image, and Core Video technologies in Mac OS X Snow Leopard. The result is a graphics platform for applications to seamlessly tap into a teraflop of graphics power.

Performance. ItÕs in the cards. All-new high-performance graphics cards from AMD and NVIDIA make Mac Pro graphics technology faster than before. Perfect for motion graphics, 3D modeling, rendering, or animation, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 with 512MB of GDDR3 memory comes standard Ñ and provides up to 2.9x the performance of previous Mac Pro standard graphics cards.

For even more graphics horsepower, upgrade to the ATI Radeon HD 4870 with 512MB of GDDR5 memory. An ideal choice for the most demanding applications, this card features a wider memory bus and higher-performance GPU, resulting in up to 2x faster performance compared with the NVIDIA GeForce GT 120.

Graphics on display.

Every new Mac Pro graphics card features two display ports for maximum workspace flexibility. A Mini DisplayPort connects the new 24-inch Apple LED Cinema Display with ease.

A dual-link DVI port connects a 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Display or any other DVI display. And with support for up to four NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 cards, you can connect more displays Ñ up to eight total.

Expansion made easy.

The redesigned interior of the new Mac Pro feels like the well-organized workstation it is. No rat's nest of components here. You don't need to turn the system on its side or struggle to reach into awkward spaces to make changes. Just remove the side panel for instant, easy access to everything. Slide out the processor tray to add memory.

Slide out hard drive bays to add storage. Slide a simple bar to change up to four expansion cards at once. And with plenty of I/O ports both front and back, you'll have room for all your external devices.

Tool-less PCI.

When itÕs time to upgrade, a quick slide of the retention bar frees up the four expansion card slots for easy access. Thanks to a thumbscrew PCI bracket, you can swap out cards without any tools. All four slots are now PCI Express 2.0 for up to twice the performance of the previous generation. And since the graphics slot in the Mac Pro is double-wide, your graphics card wonÕt cover an adjacent slot.

Store more with massive storage.

The Mac Pro comes with four 3.5-inch internal hard drive bays for an enormous amount of internal storage Ñ up to 4TB when you install four 1TB Serial ATA 3Gb/s drives.1 Each bay provides its own independent 3Gb/s channel for fast access to data. And thanks to the cable-free, direct-attach installation system, adding (or replacing) hard drives is a surprisingly simple process.

Ready to RAID Ñ with a new card.

For the ultimate in data protection and enhanced performance, add the new Mac Pro RAID Card with 512MB of RAID cache, a 72-hour cache-protecting battery, and hardware RAID levels 0, 1, 5, and 0+1. A new cableless connection and intuitive Apple software make it a snap to install this optional card. Once installed, high-performance 15,000-rpm SAS drives may be used.

ItÕs the perfect solution for workgroup servers, video pros working with high-bit-rate assets, or anyone who wants to protect critical data.Even without a RAID card, Mac OS X lets you stripe two, three, or all four hard drives in a RAID 0 array to increase performance and create a massive volume for tasks such as video editing; or create a RAID 1 mirror to protect digital media assets from a drive failure.

Double-layer burner times two.

Sure itÕs great to have one 18x SuperDrive at your disposal, but think how much more productive you could be with two. Imagine backing up your data to two double-layer DVDs at once.

Or burning Aperture projects to one DVD, while importing music from a CD into your iTunes library. With two optical drive bays in every system, the Mac Pro lets you do exactly that.

The greenest Mac Pro ever.

Apple has worked hard to eliminate many of the toxins that are a common part of computer manufacturing. Apple engineers removed brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) from circuit boards, internal cables, connectors, insulators, adhesives, and more.

Apple has removed these toxins from all new Mac Pro systems and all of its configuration options (including graphics cards, Fibre Channel cards, and RAID cards). We've done the same for the aluminum-based MacBook family; our new Mac mini and iMac systems; and the Apple LED Cinema Display, iPod touch, iPod classic, iPod nano, and iPhone 3G.

Highly recyclable.

The new Mac Pro is built with a recyclable aluminum enclosure. Aluminum is very desirable to recyclers, which means the raw materials used in the new Mac Pro can be reused in other products. We also simplified the internal design, replacing over 6 feet of cables with more material efficient connectors that allow easy disassembly at end of life. In addition, one of the few remaining plastic assemblies in the Mac Pro is made from postconsumer recycled plastic.

More energy efficient.

Even though the Mac Pro is the fastest Mac ever, nearly 2x faster than before,1 it is also more energy efficient. The energy-efficient hardware components in the Mac Pro work hand in hand with Mac OS X to create a system that can dynamically adjust power consumption to reduce the overall energy used. For instance, the CPU architecture allows individual cores to go into a low-power state to reduce energy consumption when they are not needed.

The graphics card does the same, reducing power draw when not running graphics-intensive applications. The result is a smarter and more energy-efficient system that is not only as fast as possible when you need it, but also throttles down power use when it's not needed. Compared with the previous-generation Mac Pro, the power used when the system is idle has been reduced by 15 percent.

The Mac Pro meets the stringent power requirements set by the EPA, earning ENERGY STAR certification. In addition, it meets the latest efficiency requirements of ENERGY STAR Version 5.0 Specification for Computers before its July 2009 effective date. ENERGY STAR 5.0 sets significantly higher efficiency limits for power supplies as well as aggressive limits for the computer's typical annual power consumption.2

Rated EPEAT Gold.

Because the Mac Pro is environmentally innovative, it has earned the highest rating of EPEAT Gold. The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, or EPEAT, evaluates the environmental impact of a product based on how recyclable it is, how much energy it uses, and how it's designed and manufactured.

A commitment that starts with products.

When it comes to being environmentally friendly, Apple approaches the challenge differently... through products like the new Mac Pro. Unlike other companies, Apple controls every aspect of the production of its computers. So Apple designers and engineers can minimize their carbon footprint in ways others can't.

They design them with fewer parts and eliminate many harmful toxins. They build them using recyclable materials. They even create software that makes them more energy efficient. The result is a new standard in green design.

RAM and the 2009 Mac Pro

The new Mac Pros use a new type of RAM, PC3-8500 DIMMs (not FB-DIMMs, like the previous generations). Additionally, you no longer have to install in matched pairs; you can install as many or as few chips as you want of any size.

However, for best performance, there IS an optimum configuration.But first, a simple overview of machine design.

• The Quad-Core Single Processor ("Quad-core") machine has 4 RAM slots, one bank of four slots for one processor.
• The Quad-Core Dual Processor ("8-core") machine has 8 RAM slots, two banks of four slots for two processors.

The memory controller for each processor has THREE channels from the slots to the processor. Slots 1, 2, 3 each have a channel straight to the processor; Slot 4 shares slot #3's channel. Additionally, for the dual processor model (8-core), Slots 5, 6, 7 each have a channel straight to the second processor; Slot 8 shares slot #7's channel. So, for optimum RAM performance, all three channels should be populated for each processor, meaning only 3 out of 4 slots per bank.

For the dual processor machine, that's 6 chips... 3 of 4 in each of both banks, NOT 4 in one and 2 in the other. You do not have to leave the extra slots empty. If total RAM volume is more important than RAM performance, then you can fill that 4th (and 8th) slot. But there could be a drop in memory performance as slots 3 & 4 (and 7 & 8) will be sharing the same channel.

Additionally, Apple has tested and qualified the single processor machine with ONLY 1GB and 2GB modules. Apple is NOT saying 4GB modules won't work... they just won't guarantee that they WILL work. But that still means you can install up to 8GB of RAM in the single processor machine without going getting into any gray areas... and 8GB is still a lot of RAM.

1. Testing conducted by Apple in February 2009 using preproduction Mac Pro 8-core 2.93GHz units and shipping Mac Pro 8-core 3.2GHz units. SPEC is a registered trademark of the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC); see www.spec.org for more information. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of Mac Pro.

2. Mac Pro systems configured with multiple graphics cards, a Mac Pro RAID Card, or Fibre Channel cards do not meet ENERGY STAR requirements.

Processing

• 8-core: Two 2.26GHz, 2.66GHz, or 2.93GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5500 series processors
• Quad-core: One 2.66GHz or 2.93GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 3500 series processor

Next-generation Intel microarchitecture

• 8MB of fully shared L3 cache per processor
• Integrated memory controller
• Turbo Boost dynamic performance (up to 3.33GHz on 8-core 2.93GHz system)
• Hyper-Threading technology for up to 16 virtual cores
• 128-bit SSE4 SIMD engine
• 64-bit data paths and registers
• Optimized for energy efficiency

Memory

1066MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM

• 8-core: Eight memory slots (four per processor) supporting up to 32GB of main memory using 1GB, 2GB, or 4GB DIMMs
• Quad-core: Four memory slots supporting up to 8GB of main memory using 1GB or 2GB DIMMs

Graphics and displays

• Double-wide, 16-lane PCI Express 2.0 graphics slot with one of the following graphics cards installed:
• NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 with 512MB of GDDR3 memory, PCI Express 2.0, one Mini DisplayPort, and one dual-link DVI port
• ATI Radeon HD 4870 with 512MB of GDDR5 memory, PCI Express 2.0, one Mini DisplayPort, and one dual-link DVI port
• Multiple graphics card configurations available with two, three, or four NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 cards
• Support for up to eight 30-inch displays 1
• Support for digital resolutions up to 2560 by 1600 pixels
• Support for analog resolutions up to 2048 by 1536 pixels

Video adapters available for:

• Additional DVI output using Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter (optional)
• Additional dual-link DVI output using Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (optional)
• VGA output using Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter or DVI to VGA Display Adapter (optional)

Communications

• Two independent 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet (RJ-45) interfaces with support for jumbo frames
• Bluetooth 2.1 + Enhanced Data Rate (EDR)
• Optional AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi card with 802.11n 2 (based on an IEEE 802.11n draft specification); IEEE 802.11a/b/g compatible

Storage

• Four 3.5-inch cable-free, direct-attach hard drive bays with built-in independent 3Gb/s Serial ATA channels; four internal hard drive carriers included
• Up to 4TB of internal storage3 in hard drive bays 1 through 4 using hard drives in the following capacities:
• 640GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s, 7200 rpm, 16MB cache 3
• 1TB Serial ATA 3Gb/s, 7200 rpm, 32MB cache 3
• Optional Mac Pro RAID Card with 512MB cache and 72-hour cache battery backup
• 18x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
• Writes DVD+R and DVD-R discs at up to 18x speed
• Writes DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL discs at up to 8x speed
• Writes DVD+RW discs at up to 8x speed
• Writes DVD-RW discs at up to 6x speed
• Reads DVDs at up to 18x speed
• Writes CD-R and CD-RW discs at up to 32x speed
• Reads CDs at up to 32x speed
• One open optical drive bay for optional second SuperDrive

Electrical and operating requirements

• Line voltage: 100-120V AC or 200-240V AC (wide-range power supply input voltage)
• Frequency: 50Hz to 60Hz single phase
• Current: Maximum of 12A (low-voltage range) or 6A (high-voltage range)
• Operating temperature: 50 to 95 F (10 to 35 C)
• Storage temperature: -40 to 116 F (-40 to 47 C)
• Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
• Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet

Environmental

• BFR-free
• PVC-free (internal cables)
• Highly recyclable aluminum enclosure
• Meets ENERGY STAR 5.0 requirements 4
• Rated EPEAT Gold

Connections and audio

• Four FireWire 800 ports (two on front panel, two on back panel)
• Five USB 2.0 ports (two on front panel, three on back panel)
• Two USB 2.0 ports on included keyboard
• Front-panel headphone minijack and internal speaker
• Optical digital audio input and output TOSLINK ports
• Analog stereo line-level input and output minijacks
• PCI Express expansion
• Three open full-length PCI Express expansion slots 5
• One PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot
• Two PCI Express 2.0 x4 slots
• All slots provide mechanical support for 16-lane cards
• 300W combined maximum for all PCI Express slots

Software

• Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard (includes iTunes, Time Machine, Quick Look, Spaces, Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Photo Booth, Front Row, Xcode Developer Tools)
• iLife '09 (includes iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb, and GarageBand)

Size and weight

• Height: 20.1 inches (51.1 cm)
• Width: 8.1 inches (20.6 cm)
• Depth: 18.7 inches (47.5 cm)
• Weight (standard configuration):
• 8-core: 41.2 pounds (18.7 kg) 6
• Quad-core: 39.9 pounds (18.1 kg) 6

In the box

• Mac Pro
• Power cord
• Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad and Mighty Mouse
• USB keyboard extension cable
• Install/restore DVDs
• Printed and electronic documentation

1. Requires installation of four NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 graphics cards.

2. Wireless Internet access requires base station or other wireless access point and Internet access (fees may apply). Achieving optimal 802.11n data rates requires that all users have an 802.11n AirPort Extreme Card and connect to an 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station. Speed and range will be less if an 802.11a/b/g product joins the network. Actual performance will vary based on range, connection rate, site conditions, size of network, and other factors. Range will vary with site conditions. Based on IEEE 802.11n draft specification.

3. 1GB = 1 billion bytes and 1TB = approximately 1 trillion bytes; actual formatted capacity less.

4. Mac Pro systems configured with multiple graphics cards, a Mac Pro RAID Card, or Fibre Channel cards do not meet ENERGY STAR requirements.

5. PCI Express slots are not compatible with PCI or PCI-X expansion cards.

6. Actual weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.

Intel, Intel Core, and Xeon are trademarks of Intel Corp. in the U.S. and other countries.

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