The Apple Mac Pro Computer

The Mac Pro is Apples top of the range Mac computer. The first thing you notice is how different it is when compared to the other Mac desktop computers. The almost standard unibody design is replaced by a more traditional tower case.

It is aimed very much at the professional computer user, such as a film editor who uses Final Cut Pro, a graphic designer, a software developer or just somebody who likes powerful computer systems!

Mac Pro Server - Front and Rear Views Mac Pro - Front and Rear Views Image courtesy of Apple

Includes a Powerful UNIX Based Operating System

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The Mac Pro is a serious piece of computer equipment. It is designed to use State-of-the-Art components and accessories. As a result the professionals using these computers will expect to see an equally powerful operating system.

The latest version of Apple's Mac OS X operating system, now named OS X Lion, meets these stringent demands. Lion is built on top of a core UNIX based operating system which is standards compliant.

The screenshot below shows OS X Lion running the latest version of Xcode and the Terminal program which allows the command line to be used, which is ideal for the computer professional who is comfortable working at such a low level.

OS X Lion Running Xcode and Terminal

The beauty of having a UNIX based operating system, with a powerful GUI desktop means that services like iCloud and the Mac App Store can still be used to sync the latest data or to install the latest software.

Attractive Tower Design with Easy Expansion

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The picture below clearly shows how expandable the Mac Pro is. With the side panels removed there is access to the PCI Express expansion slots, the memory slots, the optical drive bays and the four SATA drive bays.

Mac Pro - With Open Side Panel Image courtesy of Apple

This means that off the shelf accessories can be used to upgrade it into a specialist system capable of handling the most demanding computing tasks.

Intel Xeon Processors with Upto 12 Cores

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Image courtesy of Intel

The first thing you notice when you read the Apple product information is that the Intel Xeon processor is available with 4, 6, 8 or an incredible 12 cores.

So how do Apple achieve these configurations? Well, the Mac Pro can be fitted with upto two processors, and the Intel Xeon processor is available with either quad cores or six cores.

So, for example the standard configuration is the 8-core system which has two 2.4GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon E5620 "Westmere" processors. Or alternatively, the Quad-Core version comes with One 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon W3530 "Nehalem" processor.

Upto 5x Faster Graphics Powered by AMD

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The Mac Pro with the Apple Cinema Display The Mac Pro with Apple Cinema Display Image courtesy of Apple

The Mac Pro comes with either an ATI Radeon HD 5770 with 1GB of GDDR5 memory fitted, or an ATI Radeon HD 5870 with 1GB of GDDR5 memory. These are both PCI Express 2.0 cards that take up a single slot.

These graphics cards come with two Mini DisplayPort outputs, and one dual-link DVI port meaning that each card can drive three displays.

Alternatively, if you have a really high end computing need you can install two of the HD 5770 cards and drive six displays. Yes, I did say six displays!

A Powerful System Must Have Great Connectivity Options

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You will be pleased to hear that you get powerful connectivity options, as standard, with both front and rear ports to help connect your peripherals.

It gets standard WiFi and dual Gigabit networking, Bluetooth, as well as USB and Mac FireWire 800 ports.

Mac Pro Accessories

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Check out the list of accessories below that are designed to enhance Mac computer.

Fibre Channel PCI Express card

The Mac Fibra Channel Card Image courtesy of Apple

The Fibre Channel PCI Express card allows you to connect an external Fibre Channel storage or an Xsan network.

This card is supplied as a user installable kit, which contains an Apple Dual Channel 4Gb Fibre Channel PCI Express Card, two 2.9-meter 4Gb Active Copper Fibre Channel SFP to SFP interconnect cables.

The cables are used to connect to the SFP port on a Fibre Channel storage device. This card allows a serious server system to be created.

The Mac RAID Card

The Mac Raid Card Image courtesy of Apple

The Mac RAID Card is available as an add-on. It offers improved storage performance and data protection for your Mac.

The RAID card is ideal for users with demanding storage needs, such as with video and graphic applications.

The hardware RAID option supports RAID levels 0, 1, 5, 0+1, and Enhanced JBOD. It has 512MB of cache and an integrated 72-hour battery for protecting the RAID cache.

Note that the card needs to occupy the top PCI Express slot (slot 4) and connects to the four internal drive bays, and allows high-performance SAS drives to be used.