10/14, 11:00pm
Apple may get early use of Gulftown Xeon
Apple may have a temporary exclusive on Intel's fastest workstation Xeons early next year, a purported leak argues tonight. An unnamed source says Apple is readying a Mac Pro based on the Xeon version of Intel's Gulftown six-core architecture and that the Mac builder would have a short exclusive for the processors, launching its own workstations in the winter while everyone else would have to wait until the spring. What configurations would ship aren't known by the MacBidouille tipster.
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10/13, 12:00am
Supports up to four drives
Trans International has introduced the DX4, a new drive mount for Mac Pros. The unit fits inside a Pro's case, and supports up to four 2.5-inch SSD or conventional hard drives. Using a third-party SAS/SATA RAID adapter, drives can be connected in RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 or JBOD configurations.
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09/11, 9:15am
iMac update targets ATI video card problems
Apple has posted two new firmware updates, addressing separate pieces of hardware. The iMac Graphics FW Update 1.0.2 fixes stability problems on iMacs running an ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro video card, or else the Radeon HD 2400 XT. Systems must also be operating on Mac OS X 10.5.2 or later.
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09/10, 5:40pm
Matrox MXO2 LE
Matrox this evening launched a new portable breakout box aimed specifically at Mac users editing at a pro level with Final Cut Studio. The MXO2 LE takes SDI, component, RCA and 10-bit HDMI video input from cameras or other sources and puts them in formats immediately usable by Color, Final Cut Pro and other apps in the suite, such as Apple's in-house ProRes 4:2:2 HQ format. It can also work with non-Apple software like After Effects and uses an XLR power input, making it friendly to a MacBook Pro at a video shoot where XLR may be more common than AC outlets.
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09/04, 10:15am
Radeon HD 5800 Five Parts
AMD's ATI Radeon HD 5800 line will have five models by the time it's complete, a detailed leak of data shows. The 5870 and 5850 known to be launching first are now believed by Xbit to be just upper mid-range parts that would replace the 4870 and 4850 sold today. Falling under the codename Juniper, they would use the same processor as higher-end chips but would be eclipsed by two higher-end models, Cypress and Hemlock.
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08/04, 2:50pm
Intel Xeon W5590 and More
Intel on Tuesday afternoon upped the performance of its Xeon line by adding a new flagship model as well as three new models for simpler workstations and servers. The 3.33GHz Xeon W5590 boosts the speed of the quad-core, dual-socket Xeon beyond its previous 3.2GHz ceiling. It has the same 6.4 gigatransfer per second (GTps), point-to-point interface bus as Intel's best processors as well as 8MB of Level 2 cache. At a peak thermal power of 130W, it's intended for full-size systems.
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08/03, 11:30am
Intel Westmere Spotted
Intel's six-core Xeon processor, known as Westmere, has been seen in a leak of an engineering sample today [caution: may not be safe for work). Still identified as a mainstream Core i7 chip by software, the Xeon W5590 example runs at a relatively low 2.4GHz clock speed but has 12MB of Level 3 cache shared between all cores and 256KB of Level 2 cache for each core. With Hyperthreading, which runs up to two program threads on a single core, the system shows as many as 12 effective cores.
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07/09, 11:35am
TransIntl ships new sleds
Trans International has launched 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch Mac Pro hard disk sleds, allowing Mac Pro owners to swap out hard disks and solid state drives. The sleds allow for keeping numerous drives on hand for swapping out -- backing up RAIDs or databases or keeping client projects on separate drives. The SATA-based sleds are available in two configurations, one for 2006/2007/2008- model year Mac Pros and the other for 2009 Mac Pros.
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07/07, 8:45am
NVIDIA 40nm GPUs in Sept
NVIDIA's first graphics chipsets based on a new 40 nanometer manufacturing process could be available by the start of the fall, a newspaper claimed on Tuesday. Taiwan's Commercial Times says the GeForce GT 220 and G210 are due to ship in late September. The story supports notions of a delay and says TSMC, which manufactures NVIDIA's chipsets, had initially suffered from poor yields of the 40nm parts but has since recovered and can supply enough for the last quarter of the year.
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07/01, 4:55pm
Apple May Drop NVIDIA
Apple and NVIDIA may be engaged in a fierce dispute that could exclude NVIDIA graphics chips from future Macs, according to sources reportedly aware of the talks. They claim to SemiAccurate that Apple views NVIDIA's proposals for renewed deals as "arrogance" and that much of the argument centers on the overheating material that triggered widespread failures in all GeForce 8400M and 8600M mobile graphics chips. The Mac firm has had to extend MacBook Pro warranties for up to three years and may be skeptical of NVIDIA's insistence that newer models aren't at risk of the same problem.
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06/24, 8:55am
Final Cut Por 6.0.6 update
Apple has released a minor update to its flagship video editing suite, Final Cut Pro. The v6.0.6 patch addresses problems with real-time playback on early 2009 models of the Mac Pro and Xserve. Specifically, the hardware and software should now be better at handling complex sequences and/or formats which consume a lot of bandwidth. The update is a 19.15MB download, and requires Mac OS X 10.5.5.
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06/09, 10:20pm
GeForce GTX 386 for MacPro
Confirming earlier reports, EVGA on Tuesday launched the GeForce GTX 285 Mac Edition graphics card which offers similar features to the Windows variant. The accessory supports single or dual displays with resolutions up to 2560x1600, while providing 1GB of DDR3 memory and 240 processing cores. EVGA has designed the component for improved graphics-intensive operations such as gaming, motion graphics, 3D modeling, rendering and animation. Users can connect the displays to two dual-link DVI-I ports.
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06/09, 6:30pm
RocketRAID eSATA ships
HighPoint has released the RocketRAID eSATA controller, specifically designed for the Mac Pro. The device is used to manage disk drives and provides additional disk cache. The controller features PCI-Express x4 bus speed, enabling transfer rates of up to 1000MB per second. RocketRAID eSATA also has integrated boot support allowing the controller to boot a Mac Pro system from a single drive or RAID configuration. The controller is also capable of supporting almost every type of eSATA hard disk configuration, such as Silicon Image Port Multipliers and eSATA drive kits.
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05/27, 12:20pm
Multitouch, iPhone patents
Apple has won four new patents from the US Patent and Trademark Office, covering a range of technologies. Among these are ones for riser card housing in the Mac Pro, and a Mac OS-related concept called Computer system with graphical user interface including drawer-like windows. Important however is one for a touchpad surface, covering the multi-touch trackpad in the MacBook Air, and in a minor fashion the iPhone touchscreen.
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04/29, 8:05pm
NVIDIA GeForce for Mac Pro
NVIDIA is working on a high-end video card for the Mac Pro, the GeForce GTX 285 Mac Edition, according to AppleInsider. The company has not yet disclosed complete details, but the component will be manufactured by EVGA and offer two dual-link DVI ports instead of a Mini DisplayPort. The GTX 285 allegedly will match the performance of its Windows variant, which features 240 processor cores and 1GB of GDDR3 memory with the standard configuration.
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04/20, 10:10am
NVIDIA Quadro FX 4800 Mac
NVIDIA this morning remedied the absence of a pro video card for the new Mac Pro by launching the Quadro FX 4800 for Mac. Very similar to the Windows version, the Apple-friendly model has 192 graphics cores and a large 1.5GB of onboard memory that helps it antialias 3D visuals even with high detail or at high resolution. Unique to the Mac version is native support both for the expected Mac side as well as Windows when in Boot Camp.
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04/08, 4:55pm
MCE 8x Blu-ray drives
MCE is now shipping its 8X Blu-ray Recordable Drive, which supports burning to Blu-ray, DVD and CD media. The burner writes to BD-R media on systems with Mac OS 10.5.2 and higher, and using Roxio's Toast 10 software, supports burning HD content that can be viewed on dedicated Blu-ray movie players. It is designed for use in Mac Pro and Power Mac systems, with one version being designed specifically for the 2009 Mac Pro. An external model supports both USB 2.0 and eSATA connections.
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04/03, 11:55am
Mac Pros and iTunes HD
Some Mac Pro owners may find themselves unable to properly view HD-quality video bought or rented from the iTunes Store, an account alleges. In the wake the iTunes 8.1 update, at least one user is said to have discovered that his Mac Pro will no longer play HDCP-encoded iTunes videos over DVI output, despite previously having support with a GeForce 7300GT video card attached to a Samsung T240 monitor. The issue is also said to be linked to a firmware update for the 7300GT, which may have disabled HDCP on the device without notice.
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03/30, 4:30pm
Intel Nehalem Xeons
Intel this afternoon finally made its Nehalem-based Xeon processors available to a wider audience. First introduced in the Mac Pro, the single-socket Xeon 3500 (not used by Apple) and the dual-socket Xeon 5500 share the same roots as Core i7 and drop the old northbridge system controller and system bus in favor of a point-to-point architecture known as the QuickPath Interface that talks directly to memory and peripherals. The memory controller is now built-in and can talk to three memory channels, improving bandwidth even as it drops lag.
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03/13, 4:05pm
Trans Intl ships new RAM
Trans International has announced it is carrying RAM modules for the 2009 Mac Pro, making them the second independent carrier to provide an alternative to Apple's factory options. They join OWC in offering 1066MHz DDR3 PC8500 72-bit memory upgrades for the new Nehalem-chip Mac Pro models introduced last week. The new RAM chips meet all the JADEC & RoHS standards and conform to Apple’s thermal, mechanical and electrical design specifications, and the thermal EEPROM is installed.
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03/12, 3:00pm
OWC ships Mac Pro RAM
OWC is now offering Mac Pro RAM upgrades up to 32GB. The new RAM sets are said to be selling at a substantial discount over Apple's factory-installed RAM offerings, up to a maximum of $1,620 in savings. The 1066MHz DDR3 ECC memory upgrades -- for the new Nehalem-based Mac Pros introduced last week -- meet Apple Design Specifications, are fully RoHS and JEDEC compliant, and carry a lifetime warranty.
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03/10, 5:05pm
Apple refurbs: Macs
Current refurbished Mac models at the Apple store include iMacs, MacBooks, Mac Pros and more. Two Mac models are being offered at $849: the 2.1GHz white MacBook, and the 20-inch 2.4GHz iMac. Four unibody MacBooks are being offered starting at $1099, the 2.0GHz model with 2GB of memory and 160GB hard drive; the same configuration with a 128GB SSD instead of a 250GB hard drive is priced at $1699; the 2.4GHz MacBook with 2GB of memory and 250GB hard drive is priced at $1399 and the same configuration with a 128GB SSD is $1899. MacBook Pros start at $1699 for the 2.4GHz model with 2GB of memory and a 250GB hard drive and top off at $2799 for the 2.8GHz model with 4GB of memory and a 128GB Solid State Drive. The Mac Pro is available in two configurations: the 3.0GHz model with 2GB of memory and a 320GB hard drive, priced at $3099 and the 3.2GHz model with 2GB of memory and 500GB hard drive is $4099.
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03/03, 3:25pm
Kaufman on new Macs
Analyst Shaw Wu of Kaufman Bros. has rated Apple a buy in response to today's refresh of the desktop Mac line. New Mac Pros, iMacs and Mac minis were all announced, with upgraded CPUs and graphics cards. Wu says he is pleased with the earlier-than-expected refresh, and positive on the price drop for the base 24-inch iMac, now $1,500 instead of $1,800. The analyst is disappointed in the entry-level iMac's cost -- which remains at $1,200 -- and prices for the new Minis, which still start at $600. More aggressive cuts would be better in light of the global recession, he suggests.
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03/03, 9:15am
Nehalem Mac Pro
Apple on Tuesday morning updated the Mac Pro Mac Pro based on Intel's Nehalem architecture. The first-ever Mac to use the technology now supports triple-channel, DDR3 ECC memory and builds a memory controller directly into an updated, faster line of Xeon processors. Doing so gives about 2.4 times more memory bandwidth and reduces memory lag by about 40 percent, according to Apple. The new systems also have an updated interior that provides much easier access to RAM slots as well as space for a RAID card that doesn't require cables to link with hard drives in the four bays above.
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03/02, 9:45am
New Macs Mar. 24th?
Long-awaited refreshes to Apple's desktop computers may finally be announced later this month, rumors propose. Two Apple news sites, World of Apple and My Apple Guide, are both citing anonymous sources which claim that new Macs will launch during a special event on March 24th. It is specifically believed that Apple is updating the Mac Pro, Mac mini and iMac; the last is again expected to switch to NVIDIA-based graphics hardware.
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02/02, 10:55am
Kaufman on new iMacs
Updated iMacs may well ship within a matter of weeks, says Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu. Wu points to reports that Apple is deliberately reducing current iMac shipments, which if true, is believed to be a sign that the company is clearing out inventory in advance of new models. New products are typically announced just weeks after old models are drawn down, the analyst comments, which would be consistent with recent checks pointing to iMac refreshes in the second or third quarters of the year.
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01/28, 3:50pm
Barracuda Mac fix details
Seagate has outlined specific instructions for Mac users to remedy firmware problems with certain Barracuda 7200.11, ES.2 SATA, or DiamondMax 22 hard drives. The issue can cause the drive to lock on certain systems, leaving the stored data inaccessible. Upgraded firmware can only be installed on Intel Macs, such as the Mac Pro and iMac. The 2.5-inch notebook drives are not affected, ruling out the need to install firmware on the MacBook, MacBook Pro or Mac Mini.
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01/23, 5:00pm
25 years of Mac
January 24th will mark the 25th anniversary of the Macintosh, Apple's flagship product. The computer was the first commercially successful system to include a mouse and a graphical interface, and is widely seen as having made personal computers accessible to the general public, rather than just people with technical expertise. Apple would continue to expand the technology over the coming years, and adopt a number of different names, such as Performa, PowerBook, iMac and Mac Pro.
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01/06, 6:05pm
Apple refurbs: Shuffle
Today at the Apple store there is a wide selection of refurbished Mac products including iPods, MacBooks and Mac accessories. Starting at $39 is the 1GB iPod shuffle in purple, silver, green or blue. Other iPod models include the 4GB Nano in silver for $79, the 8GB Nano in pink for $99, the 80GB Classic in black is $169, and the 8GB iPod touch is $179. Two MacBook Air models are offered, the 1.6GHz model with 80GB hard drive is $999 and the 1.8GHz model with 64GB solid state drive is $1,299. MacBook Pros start at $1,799 for the 17-inch, 2.33GHz model with 2GB of memory and a 160GB hard drive and go up to $2,299 for the 2.6GHz model with the same memory and hard drive specs as the first.
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01/04, 10:45pm
Apple preps NVIDIA-iMacs
Supporting previous rumors (also here), Apple will likely launch new line of iMacs with previously rumored NVIDIA-based graphics and may introduce a new 28-inch model based on Intel's i7 Core platform, according to a new report. The report says that Apple is prepping the launch of four new iMac computers, including two 20-inch iMacs that will be offered with an NVIDIA integrated-GPU chipset based on the MCP79 design, the same design chipset using using the new line of consumer MacBooks and professional-level MacBook Pros launched late last year. In addition, the report indicates that at least one of those will include the mobility GeForce 9600-series discrete GPU, which will allow the computer to use one or both GPU chips to accelerate graphics (and other system) performance.
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12/26, 4:35pm
Apple refurbs: Shuffle
Apple's online store is currently offering a wide variety of refurbished products from iPods to Mac Pros. One and two gigabyte iPod shuffles are priced at $39 and $59 respectively and come in silver, blue, purple and green. The 160GB iPod classic is available in black or silver for $249. MacBooks start at $849 for the 2.1GHz model with 1GB of memory and 120GB hard drive. The 2.0GHz Mac mini with 1GB of RAM and 120GB hard drive is also available for $679. Mac models top off at $4099 for the 3.2GHz Mac Pro with 2GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive. Mac accessories include the wireless keyboard for $69, the MacBook Air external SuperDrive is $79, and two Time Capsule models are featured in 500GB ($249) and 1TB ($419) configurations.
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12/01, 12:50pm
Cyber Monday Mac deals
Apple retailers across the net have reduced the prices on Mac models from the new unibody MacBook to the Mac Pro. Starting at $544 (after mail in rebate) is the 1.83GHz Mac mini, which is $55 less than the MSRP of $599 at Amazon.com. Next up is the 2.1GHz MacBook with 1GB of memory and a 120GB hard drive priced at $918.97 after a $50 mail in rebate making this $80 less than the MSRP of $999 at MacMall.com. Also at MacMall is the 1.6GHz MacBook Air with 2GB of RAM and a 120GB hard drive for $1,649.99 after a mail in rebate offer making this $149.01 off the MSRP of $2,499.
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11/13, 12:20pm
Xeon i7 in Early 2009
Intel's Core i7 architecture will translate to workstation- and server-class Xeon processors early next year, leaks from server builders and separate sources indicates. Though not in time for the holidays, the faster Xeon 5500 line will be dominated by quad-core chips and should be headlined by a 3.2GHz, 130-watt Xeon W5580. Its Level 2 cache will drop from 12MB to 8MB but should be offset by Core i7's QuickPath architecture, which reduces the lag in accessing memory and peripherals. It should cost about $1,600 in batches of 1,000 for computer suppliers.
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11/03, 10:10am
iMac, Mac mini refreshes?
Anticipated refreshes of the iMac and Mac mini could happen as early as next week, according to anonymous sources. Described only as "persistent," the sources say that an announcement is scheduled for November 10th, rather than Macworld, Apple's next confirmed publicity event in January. The primary reasoning is said to be Mac Pro, which is also due for an update, but which may not have enough chips ready for mass production. The Pro will instead take the place of the iMac and Mini at Macworld, two of the sources suggest, in exchange providing more holiday sales of the latter systems.
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10/24, 9:00pm
Apple deals: refurb Macs,
A vast selection of refurbished Macs are currently being offered at Apple's online store at discount prices. The 20-inch iMac with 1GB of memory, 250GB hard drive and 2.4GHz processor is priced at $999. Get a Mac Pro with 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor, 2GB of memory and 320GB hard drive for $1,999. Currently one MacBook model, in white, is being offered at $1049 with a 2.4GHz processor, 2GB of memory and 160GB hard drive. Fifteen inch MacBook Pros start at $1,299 with 1GB of memory, 120GB hard drive and 2.16GHz processor while 17-inch MacBook Pro models start at $1,899 with 2GB of memory, 160GB hard drive and 2.33GHz processor. Lastly is the 1.6GHz MacBook Air with 2GB of memory and 80GB PATA hard drive for $1,349.
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10/22, 4:25pm
Apple deals cinema display
Currently Apple's online store is offering some great deals on refurbished Apple products. The Time Capsule is available with two storage capacities to chose from, 500GB ($249) or 1TB ($419) along with Apple TV units in 40GB ($199) and 160GB ($279) configurations. Cinema displays come in three sizes, 20-inch for $499, 23-inch for $749 and 30-inch for $1499. Apple certified Mac Pro models are available in two configurations: 2GB of RAM, 320GB hard drive and 2.8GHz Intel Xeon processor for $2399 and 2GB of RAM, 500GB hard drive and 3.2GHz Intel Xeon processor for $4099.
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10/07, 2:55pm
Pro Drive 2.5-inch RAID
Trans International has released its new Pro Drive for the Mac Pro. The Pro Drive is a 2.5-inch dual hard drive enclosure, designed to replace a Mac Pro's hard drive. The drive can be setup (via a switch on the enclosure) to run in a RAID 0 or 1 configuration, for speed (RAID 0) or redundancy (RAID 1), while occupying the space of a single 3.5-inch drive. Trans International is promising 400MB per second performance when four Pro Drives are loaded in a Mac Pro and set for RAID 0.
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10/01, 4:55pm
Apple on Mac Pro toxins
There is no evidence so far that Mac Pros are emitting dangerous chemicals, an Apple spokesman claims. Reports recently emerged from France of scientific testing, which suggested that Mac Pros were regularly emitting several toxic yet not immediately threatening kinds of fumes, including benzene, propanal and acetic acid. The major concern is said to be long-term exposure, as benzene, for example, is known to be a carcinogen.
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09/29, 12:10pm
Mac Pro toxic? [u]
(Updated with corrections) Mac Pros may be producing fumes that contain toxic chemicals, according to tests posted on a French site for Mac enthusiasts, MacBidouille. The testing laboratory, Analytika, used multiple sensors over a period of eight days to collect air circulated by the cooling fan. Using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, the report claims to have identified seven organic contaminants in the vapors.
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09/15, 10:35am
Mac demand beats economy
Apple may be one of the few computer makers to continue doing well throughout tough economic problems, a new ChangeWave survey indicates. Of 4,416 people polled in August, only 15 percent said they would spend more on electronics in the next 90 days, while 34 percent said they would be spending less. Although the number predicting less is traditionally higher except in November, the gap for August is still 13 points greater than it was during the same period last year, nearing a record level.
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08/22, 3:30am
Apple refurbs Mac Pro
Currently the Apple store has a wide selection of refurbished Apple products to chose from. The refurbished Mac Pro Quad is $1,999 for a 2.66GHz model with Intel Xeon processor, 1GB of memory and 250GB hard drive while the Mac Pro 8-core is available in two configurations: 2.8GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, and 320GB hard drive for $2,399 as well as a 3.2GHz processor, 2GB of RAM and 500GB hard drive for $4,099. White MacBooks start at $899 for 1GB of memory, 120GB hard drive and a 2.1GHz processor; $1,099 for 2GB of memory, 160GB hard drive and 2.4GHz processor; and $1,299 for the black model with 2GB of memory, 250GB hard drive and 2.4Ghz processor. Refurbished Apple TV in 40GB and 160GB configurations can also be purchased for $199 and $279 respectively.
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08/13, 3:30pm
CardReader Pro coming soon
Nervian has unveiled the CardReader Pro, a media card reader designed to integrate seamlessly with the Apple Mac Pro and PowerMac G5 cases. The CardReader Pro installs in three steps, it can be slid under the upper or lower handle of a Mac Pro or PowerMac G5 case, then fastened with a special latch mechanism and finally plugged into the computer with a high speed USB cable. All of the major memory card formats are supported along with many variations and revisions, adding up to 52 different supported formats.
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08/12, 9:45am
NVIDIA Desktop GPU Risk
NVIDIA's mobile graphics faliures may be only the sign of a larger problem affecting desktop hardware as well, says a claim by the Inquirer. Four video card makers have allegedly reported unusually high failure rates in boards made using NVIDIA's G92 and G94 chips, which are used for most mid-range GeForce 8800-series cards, 9800-series cards and the high-end 8800M notebook series. The 9600 GT is also said to be affected.
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07/31, 9:35am
IEEE Approves FW 3200
The IEEE standards organization today approved the next generation of FireWire. Officially known as IEEE 1394-2008 but also referred to as S3200 or FireWire 3200, the connection specification operates at up to four times the speed of FireWire 800 (S800) with up to 3.2 gigabits per second of data while preserving the energy properties that allow it to power some devices without needing a direct power supply. The extra speed is believed to be useful for multi-disk hard drive arrays and other devices where earlier FireWire would be inadequate.
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07/23, 3:30pm
Apple MobileMe rebates
Rebates are being offered to new MobileMe subscribers in select regions, Apple has announced. In the United States, between July 22nd and October 20th, people who have bought any type of Mac -- including MacBooks and Mac Pros -- will be eligible for a $30 discount on a standard one-year subscription, bringing the price down to $69. People wanting a Family Pack, which provides four sub-accounts, will also pay $30 less at $119.
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07/21, 10:50am
VT installs Mac cluster
Virginia Tech has recently installed a new Mac-based supercomputing cluster, according to an announcement. The cluster is being used by the university's Center for High-End Computing Systems, and consists of 324 Mac Pros operating as servers, with eight cores apiece, for a total of 2,592 cores. The computers are networked together via a 40Gbps copper LAN connection.
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07/16, 7:15pm
HighPoint eSATA RAID
HighPoint Technologies on Wednesday unveiled the RocketRAID 3122 PCI-Express controller card, offering users a low-cost, performance solution for connecting eSATA hard drives to a Mac Pro. The RocketRAID 3122 requires a 1x PCI-express slot, and can use up to 10 daisy-chained drives on two external 3Gb/s eSATA ports. Users can choose between RAID levels 0 and 1. HighPoint is selling the RocketRAID 3122 for $170, available from the company or its various certified resellers.
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07/03, 10:25pm
HighPoint RAID system
Power Mac G5 and Mac Pro gamers have a new high-performance disk system available to them, through HighPoint Technologies' RocketRAID 2640x4, a 4x PCI-E SAS hard drive RAID system. The system offers users 56-percent increased performance over 10,000 RPM SATA drives, with 128MB per-second transfer speeds, offering users lower average latency and lower read/write seek times. The RocketRAID 2640x4 sells for $165 from HighPoint's website.
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06/28, 4:10pm
Mac Pro overclockable
ZDNet has announced what it says is the first tool for overclocking the Mac Pro. Windows options for overclocking are prevalent, but none have been available for the Mac Pro, according to ZDNet. It claims that the new software, called ZDNet Clock, is capable of speed increases of 15 to 20 percent, and most computers with 2.8GHz chips should be able to meet or exceed 3.2 GHz. The version 1.0 software supports Intel processors on a Mac Pro or Xserve and requires Max OS X 10.5; it is available for download now, free of charge.
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06/24, 3:30pm
New SATA cable for Mac Pro
Newer Technology has announced its first eSATA Extender Cable, which is compatible with all Mac Pro models. The cable connects to the two unused internal Mac Pro SATA ports and replicates them in a PCI slot, allowing users to use two external eSATA connections. The cable is engineered as a "Perfect Fit Solution" enabling six total SATA drives to access the motherboard. NewerTech's eSATA Extender Cable costs $25 and is available now.
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