Product Reviews

Farewell, PowerPC chip, you served us well. Yes, with the introduction of the new Mac Pro (and the updated Xserve line) the PowerPC chip, culminating in the G5, is history, and Apple has completed its transition to Intel chips. Only 210 days after the introduction of the Intel-powered MacBook Pro and iMac, Apple has produced a machine that reaffirms its commitment to the high-end desktop market, and to the creative professional market that has traditionally been the backbone of its customer base.

This really is a computer we Mac users can be proud of, and in the same way that the MacBook's reportedly high sales figures suggest a rash of upgrading and newcomers to the Mac, the Mac Pro looks set to do well in a market that has been holding off upgrading its pro desktop machines knowing the Intel-powered versions were just around the corner.

Of course, part of the reason professional sales have been sluggishis that we're still waiting for Universal Binaries of Adobe's Creative Suite range; although, QuarkXPress was recently updated.

This is indeed a cracking computer, and one you should feel happy about investing in, particularly if you're still running a G4-based desktop.

Here's the thing, though: Apple is trying to tell you that the Mac Pro is all about speed. MacUser is here to tell you differently. We're not disputing that the Mac Pro is fast, but the real advantage this system has - particularly over later, high-spec G5 systems, which are no slouches - is its flexibility and expandability.

From the outside, though, the casual observer would be hard-pressed to tell the Mac Pro apart from the G5, inside, things are very different.

The real reason for this is the processors that power the range. All have at their heart two dual-core Xeon chips. These are the powerful chips we predicted Apple would use in its G5 successor, and are at the top end of Intel's line of Core 2 chips. They're truly meaty, 64-bit processors, and the architecture of the entire line allows for up to 16GB fully buffered Ram. Each dual-core processor has 4MB L2 cache, helping keep data and instructions closer to the processor cores, and should one core be idle, the other can hog all 4MB to itself. Processor bandwidth is truly impressive, quoted at up to 21.3GB/sec, thanks largely to the 1.33GHz dual independent front-side buses.

But, as we've said, it's

ADVERTISEMENT

not the speed that matters: it's the efficiency of the processors. Each consumes significantly less power than the G5, despite being more powerful, so generates less heat. All this means that less of the case has to be devoted to airflow, and so more components can be packed into the enclosure.

The practical upshot of all this is that the Mac Pro boasts four dive bays to configure up to 2TB of Sata II storage - more if you use the new 750GB drives available from companies such as Seagate - space for two optical drives, and enough room to take four full-length PCI Express cards. One of the PCI slots is even double-height, allowing you to fit today's big, fat graphics cards without losing a second slot. Apple refuses to be drawn on speculation about which next-generation optical drive may be offered at a later date - it's still hedging its bets over Blu-ray and HD-DVD.

Despite the fact that there's so much more going on inside the case than there was with the G5s, it's still a beautiful machine, inside as well as out. Pop the latch - which now doubles as a security anchor - and you have access to the innards. Fitting hard disks is dead easy - just pull out the caddy, screw the new drive to it and slot it right back in. Compared to the trouble of removing drives from the G5 case, this is a massive improvement. Fitting Ram is a joy - it's held on two Mac mini-footprint-size boards that quickly and easily pull out - and the screws that hold the PCI blanking plates in place are knurled to allow screwdriver-less fitting.

There are also lots of smaller welcome additions too; with more ports for expansion front and back, two USB ports, one FireWire 400 and now even a FireWire 800 port in the front panel.

All graphics cards in the range, including the card in the single default configuration - a 256MB Nvidia GeForce 7300 GT - can power Apple's huge 30in display, and all boast two DVI ports to allow you to drive two displays. Configuring four of the standard cards costs only £300, and means you can power eight displays from one Mac.

This kind of customisation is key, with Apple only offering one standard configuration, but up to nearly 5 million possible set-ups through the build-to-order page. Apple's own component prices are, as usual, higher than those from third parties - with 750GB hard disks available retail for the same price Apple is charging for 500GB versions - although some have temporary compatibility issues with Ram, if you need a Pro quickly, you'll just have to pay Apple's prices. Incredibly, AirPort and Bluetooth aren't included, although you do get a keyboard and Mighty Mouse.

As our test results show, even the lowest-spec processor provides plenty of power, but the key thing about this range - and the one that will get you reaching for your wallet - is it's expandability and future-proofing. Not everyone needs this power or flexibility - there's always the iMac - but it's excellent value for the real pros.