Apple quietly updates Mac Pro and Xserve hardware configuration options

[Matthew DeCarlo]

Apple has quietly upgraded its Mac Pro and Xserve systems a handful of new component options. The single-processor Mac Pro can now be configured with a 3.33GHz quad-core Intel Xeon chip, as opposed to the dual-CPU model that is limited to 2.93GHz.

The Xserve now accepts 4GB memory modules and can recognize up to 24GB of RAM in the single-processor model, and 48GB in the dual-processor system. Both machines can also now be configured with 2TB drives (up from 1TB), expanding the official capacities up to 8TB for the Mac Pro, and 6TB for the Xserve.

None of these upgrades come cheap, of course. The 3.33GHz Xeon adds $1,200 to the default 2.66GHz unit, and $800 to the 2.93GHz chip. Meanwhile, choosing 24GB of RAM increases the price by $2850, 48GB costs $5,850, and Apple is charging $550 for each 2TB HDD. All of these options are available today, but they could add two to four business days to the processing time.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/37220-apple-quietly-updates-mac-pro-and-xserve-hardware-configuration-options.html

 

[compdata]

Man, Apple hardware pricing is so much worse that any other OEM, and ridiculously more then buying the same hardware yourself. To bad Apple treats all of its customers as children and tells them not to change anything on their system "or else". They have some great human factors engineering, and their OS is top notch, but they are bordering on becoming just as evil as MS has been in the past.

 

[compdata]

compdata said:
Man, Apple hardware pricing is so much worse that any other OEM, and ridiculously more then buying the same hardware yourself. To bad Apple treats all of its customers as children and tells them not to change anything on their system "or else". They have some great human factors engineering, and their OS is top notch, but they are bordering on becoming just as evil as MS has been in the past.

Ok, so i jumped the gun on the processor pricing which sort of reasonable, but the other items are crazy. I can buy 24GB of DDR3 RAM (6 - 4Gb modules) off TigerDirect for $744 and 2TB hard drives run ~$180+.

 

[Adhmuz]

LMAO at the price of the HDDs and that RAM, I hope it comes with solid gold heat sinks or something for that price. Leave it to Apple to know how to make heaps of cash off its loyal consumers. Way to go Apple, way to go...

 

[treeski]

I've got 6GB of DDR3 ram on my main machine, and I rarely (if ever) use all of it up.

What do people need 24GB of ram for?

Also, are there PC builds that will take 24GB of ram+?

 

[compdata]

treeski said:
I've got 6GB of DDR3 ram on my main machine, and I rarely (if ever) use all of it up.

What do people need 24GB of ram for?

Also, are there PC builds that will take 24GB of ram+?

Yes. Almost all of the LGA 1366 motherboards have 2 three channel DDR3 banks for a total of 6 RAM slots. Many of them don't support 4GB modules yet though so if you want this much RAM make sure you get one that does.

 

[slh28]

$550 for a HDD??? I'm willing to bet that's a vanilla 7200prm one knowing Appl€. For the same price you can get a very nice and fast SSD with enough left over to buy your own 2TB HDD.

 

[poundsmack]

ya, for those prices i hope they at least bought you dinner first. geez, thanks Apple.

 

[SNGX1275]

The people that are buying these for personal machines either have a ton of money or they buy the extra RAM and HD space elsewhere and put it in themselves.

The people that buy these for a business likely have their company buy at whatever price, so of course Apple is going to keep prices high like that if they still sell. Its like the insane prices for 'professional' software. The only difference is the little guys pirate software and they can't pirate hardware.

 

[BlackIrish]

Perhaps they are putting such prices up so they get talked around... Kind of like shock marketing, so they can get their bottom end products (macbook) to sell better.

 

[Xclusiveitalian]

lol they really want to make a profit huh?! For that you can buy a hyped up PC computer and save.

 

[buttus]

Apples pricing has always been excessive when compared to Windows boxes. Even the Xserve is stupid expensive for storage. Still, every year we all complain about Apple pricing and every year it stays exactly where it is.

I suppose that is why Apple only makes gains in the desktop/notebook arena as opposed to servers as the cost is easier to justify for consumers then it is for big business.

 

[Guest]

I wonder if this CPU upgrade applies to Mac Book Pro?

 

[lfg18]

Well the hardware they are selling is beyond of the needs a normal user would use, I have never seen somebody with more than 8 Gb RAM in their PC but 24? not necessary. The prices they are setting are way too high, i know apple software and hardware is very petty and works well too, but that is too much, you can get better deals if you just assembly the computer yourself and just install the OS. Apple is just trying to make easy money from us.

 

[Guest]

What a great deal! I think I'll buy one for my wife too. Great for editing billboard size family photos in photoshop which we like to do a few times each day like most families.

But seriously, video houses can chew up 48GB ram, Quad Cores, and Tetrabyte drives in a flash. Multi-OS virtual servers too. Those memory prices are a bit nutso - not sure why apple high balls memory like that. It'd be interesting to find out what the thinking is there.

 

[ET3D]

For a Dell Precision 7500 the 48GB memory option costs $9750. It's ECC memory (same as used in the Apple), not the garden variety. Dell charges $555 just for upgrading the 250GB HD to 1.5TB. So Apple's prices look very good to me by comparison.

 

[BMfan]

I am going to start a company and name it after a fruit so i can rip people off aswell and then all the fanboys will back me up also.