"Harpertown" Mac Pros?

Apple is ready and waiting to unveil a revamped Mac Pro using Intel's forthcoming Penryn processor, according to a report from AppleInsider. The Cupertino-based company is allegedly already prepared to roll out the new professional desktop systems, and is waiting on Intel's ability to ship its new 45-nanometer CPUs. Refreshed Mac pro models will features 8-core configurations with two quad-core "Harpertown" Intel processors boasting front-side bus speeds of 1.6GHz alongside 12MB of L2 cache. Intel's new Xeons are expected to begin arriving in mid-November, and will feature clock speeds of up to 3.2GHz, according to the report.

Apple's current Mac Pro models include one of two Intel processors, depending on the number of cores customers select when they purchase the workstation: 8-core systems feature two quad-core Intel Xeon "Clovertown" processors, while quad-core Mac Pros include two dual-core Intel Xeon "Woodcrest" processors.

Intel's new 45-nanometer "Harpertown" chips that will likely power Apple's new Mac Pros -- which AppleInsider expects to arrive no later than January of 2008 in time for Macworld Expo -- are said to boost speeds by 45 percent for bandwidth-intensive applications over the company's Clovertown processors driving current 8-core Mac Pros.

by MacNN Staff