apple cpu

It’s been a while since we’ve seen a significant refresh to Apple’s Mac Pro desktop range, and so a rumor regarding what overwhelming components the company might slot inside is certainly timely. According to Hardmac’s sources, Apple intend to outfit the Mac Pro with a 6-core, 12-thread Intel Xeon (Gulftown) processor, built on 32nm processes and with 12MB of shared cache.

The hexacore CPUs will be accompanied by up to 128GB of RAM and a 10Gbit/s ethernet port. That will be thanks to a newly modified, custom mainboard with support for 8GB and 16GB memory modules. Early testing of the CPUs, at least, have indicated that the hexacore Xeon requires less power than a current-gen quadcore Xeon of the same 2.4GHz clock-speed.

Apple have quietly updated their Mac Pro desktop systems, adding a new processor option together with greater storage. Buyers looking for the most powerful Mac Pro around are now able to specify a 3.33GHz Intel Xeon quad-core CPU, which is a whopping $1,200 on top of the regular machine. The new CPU joins the existing entry-level 2.66GHz Xeon and 2.93GHz Xeon, the latter of which is a $400 option.