AppleInsider StaffThe Mac Pro Server comes with one 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon "Nehalem" processor, 8GB of RAM, and two 1TB hard drives. It also has Mac OS X Server unlimited with a client license, and an ATI HD 5770 graphics card with 1GB of GDDR5 memory.
The new configuration starts at $2,999 and ships in 2 to 4 weeks. Apple's previously available quad-core and 8-core Mac Pro systems ship within 24 hours, while the 12-core model takes 3 to 5 days to ship.
The new Mac Pro Server can also be upgraded, with custom build-to-order options offering up to two 2.93GHz six-core Intel Xeon "Westmere" processors, for a total of 12 processing cores at an added cost of $3,475. Users looking for the best possible system can also add $3,400 to the price and get 32GB of RAM.
The new hardware became available Friday after Apple quietly announced on its website that it would no longer offer its Xserve rackmounted servers after Jan. 31, 2011. New Xserver orders will be accepted through that date, and the hardware will be backed by Apple's standard one-year warranty.
Apple also issued documentation aimed at helping customers transition from Xserve to Apple's remaining server options, the Mac mini Server and Mac Pro Server. Apple's guide notes that the 12-core Mac Pro with Snow Leopard Server meets or exceeds the performance of the baseline Xserve hardware.
However, while Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server is much less powerful than Xserve, Apple's smallest desktop footprint has been the company's most popular server system since its introduction in the fall of 2009.
Charles Martin
Malcolm Owen
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
Wesley Hilliard
201 Comments
Does anyone else think that the discontinuation of the XServe product is a harbinger of Apple's push into cloud computing? While a Mac Mini or a Mac Pro is great for typical office networking needs, it isn't a great solution for large-scale hosting. But if Apple is moving in that direction with it's new data center, perhaps that should be less of a concern. Thoughts?
And I'm going to jam that into the 2U space in my rack how????
Yet another boneheaded move in a string of boneheaded moves by Apple...
Of course the new Mac Pro meets or exceeds the specs of the current Xserves - because they didn't rev the Xserve hardware with the new CPUs!
I think the actual plan is to take Mac Pros and have customers run them through the Reality Distortion Field to shrink them to a 1U format. \
At least they are being up front at this point about their lack of interest in enterprise support. When they put out an actual rack mount server one may begin to believe that Apple cares about working with big business. That would be a horrible misconception. Having worked with their support to try to fix a bug in OS X Server I discovered that their techs are more interested in trying to convince you that you must be doing something wrong, and that Apple employees seem to be severely allergic to the word bug.
They have shifted their focus back to what they are actually good at: disposable consumer electronics.
This isn't clear for me... Why on the hardware that is intended to work as a server there is a video card with 1Gb of RAM ???? Looks like the new server standard for installing OS