Mac Pro April 2007 Performance page

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Upgrade to the performance package.

Powered by the new Dual-Core Intel Xeon processor — at speeds up to 3GHz — Mac Pro runs up to 2x faster than the Power Mac G5 Quad, answering your dreams for world-class performance,

workstation graphics, and (with more than 4 million possible configurations) outstanding opportunities for future expandability. Upgrade to the Performance Package.

Film and Video

Any Project in Any Format

No matter what the format — DV, SD, HDV, HD, or even film — the Mac Pro gives film and video professionals the freedom and power to create studio-quality and award-winning projects.

• Mac Pro systems with two Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors speed up editing and enhance multistream and multicamera production using Final Cut Pro. In addition to supporting more simultaneous streams and real-time effects, they also accelerate video processing and rendering.
• High-performance PCI Express graphics cards — such as the ATI Radeon X1900 XT or the Nvidia Quadro FX 4500 — boost motion graphics and animation performance in such applications as Motion, Maya, Modo and Aperture.
• Thanks to its new double-wide PCI Express graphics slot, Mac Pro lets you enjoy workstation graphics performance and still have three open PCI Express expansion slots.¹ Install the latest cards from AJA Video and Blackmagic Design (for video acquisition and playback) or the Apple Fibre Channel card (for connecting to Xserve RAID or an Xsan storage area network).
• Install up to four 750GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drives for up to 3TB of internal storage and stripe them together using Mac OS X RAID for fast access to all of your digital media files.
• Mac Pro provides two optical drive bays. One comes filled with a 16x SuperDrive with double-layer support. Adding an optional second SuperDrive makes it easy to author commercial-grade DVDs in record time using DVD Studio Pro
• A workflow based on Mac OS X and QuickTime provides the flexibility to author in any format, while XML extensibility allows project sharing between applications.

Final Cut Pro (DV) rendering

Final Cut Pro Rendering Results

Up to 1.4x faster than Power Mac G5 Quad. Digital video (DV) rendering

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 3GHz)

1.4x

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 2.66 GHz)

1.3x

Power Mac G5 (Quad G5 2.5GHz)

Baseline

• Testing conducted by Apple in July 2006 using preproduction Mac Pro units and shipping Power Mac G5 Quad units. Mac Pro testing conducted with a beta version of Final Cut Pro.

Final Cut Pro (DV) encoding

Final Cut Pro Encoding Results

Up to 1.4x faster than Power Mac G5 Quad. Digital video (DV) MPEG-2 encoding

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 3GHz)

1.4x

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 2.66 GHz)

1.3x

Power Mac G5 (Quad G5 2.5GHz)

Baseline

• Testing conducted by Apple in July 2006 using preproduction Mac Pro units and shipping Power Mac G5 Quad units. Mac Pro testing conducted with a beta version of Final Cut Pro.

Final Cut Pro (HDV) rendering

Final Cut Pro Rendering Results

Up to 1.3x faster than Power Mac G5 Quad. High definition video (HDV-1080i60) rendering

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 3GHz)

1.3x

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 2.66 GHz)

1.2x

Power Mac G5 (Quad G5 2.5GHz)

Baseline

• Testing conducted by Apple in July 2006 using preproduction Mac Pro units and shipping Power Mac G5 Quad units. Mac Pro testing conducted with a beta version of Final Cut Pro.

Final Cut Pro (HDV) encoding

Final Cut Pro Encoding Results

Up to 1.4x faster than Power Mac G5 Quad. High definition video (HDV-1080i60) MPEG-2 encoding

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 3GHz)

1.4x

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 2.66 GHz)

1.4x

Power Mac G5 (Quad G5 2.5GHz)

Baseline

• Testing conducted by Apple in July 2006 using preproduction Mac Pro units and shipping Power Mac G5 Quad units. Mac Pro testing conducted with a beta version of Final Cut Pro.

modo 202 3D rendering

modo 202 Rendering Results

Up to 1.8x faster than Power Mac G5 Quad. 3D rendering

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 3GHz)

1.8x

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 2.66 GHz)

1.6x

Power Mac G5 (Quad G5 2.5GHz)

Baseline

• Testing conducted by Apple in July 2006 using preproduction Mac Pro units and shipping Power Mac G5 Quad units. Mac Pro testing conducted with a beta version of modo. Test files = BathFaucet.lxo and Couch.lxo.

Cinebench 9.5 rendering test

Cinebench 9.5 Results

Up to 1.4x faster than Power Mac G5 Quad. Multiple-processor rendering test

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 3GHz)

1.4x

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 2.66 GHz)

1.2x

Power Mac G5 (Quad G5 2.5GHz)

Baseline

• Testing conducted by Apple in July 2006 using preproduction Mac Pro units and shipping Power Mac G5 Quad units.

Xsan for Video Workflows

Mac Pro is the perfect client for Xsan, Apple’s enterprise-class storage area network (SAN) solution. Xsan provides concurrent access to terabytes of storage on centralized Xserve RAID volumes from multiple computers — providing the high performance required by individual editors, as well as the stability and security valued by network administrators.

An Apple Fibre Channel PCI Express Card can connect Mac Pro to Xserve RAID and an Xsan network. Built-in dual Gigabit Ethernet ports and the new double-wide PCI Express graphics slot on Mac Pro frees up slots for specialized cards such as a PCI Express video I/O card or an audio DSP or I/O card for sound editing.

For more information on the Xsan video workflow, visit www.apple.com/xsan.

Recommended Mac Pro Film and Video Workstation

• Two 3GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors
• 4GB 667MHz DDR2 FB-DIMM ECC memory
• ATI Radeon X1900 XT graphics card
• Four 500GB SATA 3Gb/s hard drives
• 16x SuperDrive

“We couldn't believe it when we realized that Mac Pro renders images 2x faster than even the Power Mac G5 Quad. This really is an amazing machine.”
- Dana Batali, Director of RenderMan Development, Pixar Animation Studios

More quotes…

Music and Audio

Create Without Limits

Innovative tools for the Mac platform — such as Logic Pro, Logic Express, Soundtrack Pro, Digidesign Pro Tools, MOTU Digital Performer, Ableton Live and Waves — provide composers and sound designers with a wealth of software for capturing every inspiration. With Mac Pro, there’s even more power available to compose, record, edit, mix, and perform.

• Two Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors in every Mac Pro let you synthesize more instruments and apply more effects than ever before.
• Up to 16GB of fast 667MHz fully buffered memory provides ample memory bandwidth to compose using an unprecedented number of tracks.
• Up to 3TB of fast internal hard drive space supports the local storage of massive amounts of audio files — ready and waiting at your fingertips.
• Three full-length PCI Express expansion slots support state-of-the-art audio DSP and I/O solutions, such as those from Digidesign and Apogee.
• Built-in optical digital and analog stereo audio ports support both new and legacy hardware, and convenient FireWire and USB ports allow connection to virtually any audio, MIDI, and storage devices.
• Dual display support in every Mac Pro graphics card provides added screen real estate — perfect for spreading out application windows, tool palettes and timelines.

Logic Pro Platinum Verb reverb

Logic Pro 7.2.2 Results Up to 1.8x the plug-ins of Power Mac G5 Quad

Number of concurrently playing Platinum Verb reverb plug-ins

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 3GHz)

1.8x

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 2.66 GHz)

1.6x

Power Mac G5 (Quad G5 2.5GHz)

Baseline

• Testing conducted by Apple in July 2006 using preproduction Mac Pro units and shipping Power Mac G5 Quad units. Mac Pro testing conducted with a beta version of Logic Pro.

Logic ProSculpture modeling

Logic Pro 7.2.2 Results Up to 1.8x the modeling synths of Power Mac G5 Quad

Number of concurrently playing Sculpture modeling synths

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 3GHz)

1.8x

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 2.66 GHz)

1.7x

Power Mac G5 (Quad G5 2.5GHz)

Baseline

• Testing conducted by Apple in July 2006 using preproduction Mac Pro units and shipping Power Mac G5 Quad units. Mac Pro testing conducted with a beta version of Logic Pro.

Soundtrack ProCommon application tasks

Soundtrack Pro 1.1 Results Up to 1.6x faster than Power Mac G5 Quad

Common application tasks

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 3GHz)

1.6x

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 2.66 GHz)

1.4x

Power Mac G5 (Quad G5 2.5GHz)

Baseline

• Testing conducted by Apple in July 2006 using preproduction Mac Pro units and shipping Power Mac G5 Quad units.

Audio in Mac OS X

Mac OS X integrates a range of audio technologies into a modern platform, delivering stunning audio quality from 24kHz to 192kHz, outstanding performance, and ease of use for musicians, composers, sound designers, and audio editors. The Audio Units plug-in architecture allows plug-ins to be used across Mac OS X audio applications. Apple supplies several Audio Units in Mac OS X, including one that adjusts timing without affecting pitch and a matched pair that streams audio over a network.

Also integrated are MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) Services for increased stability and performance, as well as Audio MIDI Setup for managing MIDI needs and defining a systemwide MIDI configuration that’s available to all applications.

Recommended Mac Pro Music and Audio Workstation

• Two 3GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors
• 4GB 667MHz DDR2 FB-DIMM ECC memory
• NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT graphics card
• Two 500GB SATA 3Gb/s hard drives
• 16x SuperDrive

“Our customers will be totally energized by the power of the Mac Pro. It’s optimally suited for serious audio processing - effects plug-ins and software virtual instruments will thrive on this machine.”
- Dave Lebolt, General Manager, Digidesign

More quotes…

Science and Technical Computing

Faster Time to Discovery

The new Mac Pro workstation lets scientific researchers visualize data beautifully, analyze data efficiently, and achieve results quickly. Whether it’s 3D molecular modeling with PyMOL, searching for DNA alignments with HMMER, or modeling equations with Mathematica, scientific insights arrive faster with Mac Pro.

• With four 64-bit Intel Xeon processor cores and an enhanced 128-bit SSE3 vector engine, you’ll see dramatic acceleration of the most processor-intensive scientific applications such as HMMER, BioConductor, and VIDA.
• Up to 16GB of fast 667MHz DDR2 fully buffered ECC memory makes light work of enormous tasks and data sets.
• The optional NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 workstation graphics card supports such advanced scientific visualization applications as stereo 3D visualization in a window² — perfect for complex 3D stereo data analysis applications such as PyMOL from Delano Scientific.
• With four PCI Express slots, you can install up to four graphics cards to drive an array of up to eight Apple Cinema Displays for large visualization projects and display walls.³
• PCI Express expansion supports Apple’s Fibre Channel card for connecting to high-speed external storage such as Apple’s Xserve RAID and the latest scientific data collection devices.
• UNIX-based Mac OS X lets you run complex scientific applications and command-line tools alongside essential productivity applications, such as Microsoft Excel — all on the same computer and operating system.

PyMOLWizard Benchmark CPU-based tests

PyMOL .99 Results Up to 1.5x faster than Power Mac G5 Quad

Wizard Benchmark CPU-based tests

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 3GHz)

1.5x

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 2.66 GHz)

1.3x

Power Mac G5 (Quad G5 2.5GHz)

Baseline

• Testing conducted by Apple in July 2006 using preproduction Mac Pro units and shipping Power Mac G5 Quad units. Results based on CPU-based tests from the built-in PyMOL Wizard Benchmark.

OsiriXVolume and surface render

OsiriX 2.4 Results Up to 1.4x faster than Power Mac G5 Quad

Volume and surface render

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 3GHz)

1.4x

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 2.66 GHz)

1.3x

Power Mac G5 (Quad G5 2.5GHz)

Baseline

• Testing conducted by Apple in July 2006 using preproduction Mac Pro units and shipping Power Mac G5 Quad units. Test file = DICOM sample image set MANIX.

MathematicaMathematicaMark5.2

Mathematica 5.2.2 Results Up to 1.4x faster than Power Mac G5 Quad

MathematicaMark5.2

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 3GHz)

1.4x

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 2.66 GHz)

1.2x

Power Mac G5 (Quad G5 2.5GHz)

Baseline

• Testing conducted by Apple in July 2006 using preproduction Mac Pro units and shipping Power Mac G5 Quad units.

XcodeBuild project

Xcode 2.3 Results Up to 1.8x faster builds than Power Mac G5 Quad

Build project

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 3GHz)

1.8x

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 2.66 GHz)

1.7x

Power Mac G5 (Quad G5 2.5GHz)

Baseline

• Testing conducted by Apple in July 2006 using preproduction Mac Pro units and shipping Power Mac G5 Quad units. Results based on build time of AdiumX 0.89.

LinpackSingle-precision results

Linpack Results Up to 1.5x faster than Power Mac G5 Quad

Single-precision results

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 3GHz)

1.5x

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 2.66 GHz)

1.3x

Power Mac G5 (Quad G5 2.5GHz)

Baseline

• Testing conducted by Apple in July 2006 using preproduction Mac Pro units and shipping Power Mac G5 Quad units. All systems were configured with 4 gigabytes of RAM. Results based on the 1000s and 1000d Linpack benchmarks available from www.netlib.org/benchmark using a matrix size of 20,000 for the single-precision results and 16,000 for the double-precision results. Power Mac G5 was tested using the Accelerate Framework; Mac Pro was tested using Intel's MKL 8.1.

LinpackDouble-precision results

Linpack Results Up to 1.4x faster than Power Mac G5 Quad

Double-precision results

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 3GHz)

1.4x

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 2.66 GHz)

1.3x

Power Mac G5 (Quad G5 2.5GHz)

Baseline

• Testing conducted by Apple in July 2006 using preproduction Mac Pro units and shipping Power Mac G5 Quad units. All systems were configured with 4 gigabytes of RAM. Results based on the 1000s and 1000d Linpack benchmarks available from www.netlib.org/benchmark using a matrix size of 20,000 for the single-precision results and 16,000 for the double-precision results. Power Mac G5 was tested using the Accelerate Framework; Mac Pro was tested using Intel's MKL 8.1.

The Mac Pro delivers the performance, ease of use, and interoperability you need to accelerate your research and make your next discovery.

Scientific Visualization and Stereo 3D

In fields such as molecular modeling, genomics, computational chemistry, GIS, or medical imaging, scientists depend on advanced graphics and visualization to extract meaning from their data sets. In some cases, they need to visualize more data than a conventional planar display can present. By turning to stereoscopic technologies, researchers can add another dimension to the data they’re visualizing, helping them investigate extreme large data sets — e.g., drug protein interactions — or extremely complex data — e.g., a detailed aerial photograph.

To view such an added dimension on CRT displays, researchers using Mac Pro can employ the optional NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 graphics card which features a stereo 3D graphics port, enabling the use of stereo 3D goggles (such as those available form Stereo Graphics Corporation). Stereo-in-a-window support in Mac OS X further enhances visualization, letting researchers interact with their data in real time — to control the model, edit data, or make notations — while viewing the rest of their workflow seamlessly in 2D windows.³

Recommended Mac Pro Science Workstation

• Two 3GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors
• 4GB 667MHz DDR2 FB-DIMM ECC memory
• NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 graphics card
• 250GB SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
• 16x SuperDrive

“Apple continues to bring the best hardware for science and engineering to market in record time.”
- Theodore Gray, Co-founder, Wolfram Research

More quotes…

Design and Print

Perfect 2D, 3D, and Color

Whether you design for print or for the web, you can realize your ideas as fast as you can conjure them with the Mac Pro workstation and industry-standard tools such as Photoshop and QuarkXPress. The latest version of QuarkXPress 7 is now universal, delivering 100% native performance on the Intel-based Mac Pro. And, with new Rosetta improvements in Mac OS X v10.4.8, Photoshop CS2 performance on today’s Mac Pro has taken a leap ahead. Stay tuned for Adobe’s forthcoming universal version of Creative Suite.

• New quad-core Mac Pro systems with two Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors crunch through huge images and layouts. They also let you work with multiple applications, generate PDFs, print in the background. All simultaneously and without interrupting your creative process.
• Up to 16GB of fast 667MHz DDR2 fully-buffered ECC memory enables fast manipulation of massive media files.
• Every Mac Pro supports dual displays. While using extended desktop mode, you can maximize your viewable screen real estate.
• Integrated dual Gigabit Ethernet, high-speed I/O, and additional front I/O ports provide both high-bandwidth and convenient connections to networks, printers, scanners, cameras, and storage devices.
• The Quartz graphics engine in Mac OS X renders breathtaking content across mediums, while ColorSync ensures perfect color from capture to edit to output. Mac OS X Tiger also includes Automator, which simplifies the automation of repetitive tasks to streamline workflow.

Photoshop CS2 vs Power Mac G5 Dual 2.3GHz

Photoshop CS2 Results Outstanding Rosetta performance

45-filter function test Performance compared to 2.3GHz Power Mac G5 Dual

Mac Pro (Quad 3GHz Xeon)

8% faster

Mac Pro (Quad 2.66GHz Xeon)

As fast as

Power Mac G5 (Dual 2.3GHz G5)

Baseline

• Testing conducted by Apple in September 2006 using shipping units and a prerelease version of OS X (Tiger) 10.4.8. File size = 400MB, system memory = 4 GB.

Photoshop CS2 vs Power Mac G5 Quad 2.5GHz

Photoshop CS2 Results Outstanding Rosetta performance

45-filter function test Performance compared to 2.5GHz Power Mac G5 Quad

Mac Pro (Quad 3GHz Xeon)

77% the performance of

Power Mac G5 (Quad 2.5GHz G5)

Baseline

• Testing conducted by Apple in September 2006 using shipping units and a prerelease version of OS X (Tiger) 10.4.8. File size = 400MB, system memory = 4 GB.

Photoshop CS2vs Power Mac G4

Photoshop CS2 Workflow Results

Mac Pro Quad Xeon 3GHz is 48% faster than Power Mac G4

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 3GHz)

1.48x

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 2.66GHz)

1.30x

Power Mac G4 (Dual G4 1.25GHz)

Baseline

• Testing conducted by Pfeiffer Consulting in November 2006 using shipping units and Mac OS X (Tiger) 10.4.8. File size = 50MB, 100MB, 200MB, 400MB; system memory = 4GB.

Photoshop CS2 vs Power Mac G5 Dual 2.3GHz

Photoshop CS2 Workflow Results

Mac Pro Quad Xeon 3GHz is 8% faster than Power Mac G5 Dual 2.3GHz

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 3GHz)

1.08x

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 2.66GHz)

.95x

Power Mac G5 (Dual G5 2.3GHz)

Baseline

• Testing conducted by Pfeiffer Consulting in November 2006 using shipping units and Mac OS X (Tiger) 10.4.8. File size = 50MB, 100MB, 200MB, 400MB; system memory = 4GB.

Photoshop CS2 vs Power Mac G5 Quad

Photoshop CS2 Workflow Results

Mac Pro Quad Xeon 3GHz is 96% as fast as Power Mac G5 Quad

Mac Pro (Quad Xeon 3GHz)

.96x

Power Mac G5 (Quad G5 2.5GHz)

Baseline

• Testing conducted by Pfeiffer Consulting in November 2006 using shipping units and Mac OS X (Tiger) 10.4.8. File size = 50MB, 100MB, 200MB, 400MB; system memory = 4GB.

View the complete report.

Professional Color Management

Mac Pro, Mac OS X Tiger, and an Apple Cinema Display lets designers implement an entirely digital, color-managed workflow — improving the quality of printed output while saving time and money. Apple’s groundbreaking ColorSync technology, based on the International Color Consortium (ICC) standard for color management, is built into every phase of a Mac-based design workflow. From capture to edit to output, color translates accurately from one device to another.

Apple Cinema Displays work as a virtual color palette, with advanced panel technology for flicker-free viewing and twice the brightness, sharpness, and contrast of a CRT. A calibration device from X-Rite can be used to calibrate the Apple Cinema Display, resulting in consistent color proofs, reduced express shipping expenses, and fewer proofing cycles.

For more information about how color management in Mac OS X can enhance workflow and improve final output, visit www.apple.com/pro/color.

Recommended Mac Pro Design and Print Workstation

• Two 3.0GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors
• 4GB 667MHz DDR2 FB-DIMM ECC memory
• NVIDIA 7300 GT graphics card
• 250GB & 500GB SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
• 16x SuperDrive

Photography

Shoot RAW?

Then you’ll want to focus your attention on the blazing fast, highly expandable Mac Pro. That’s because it addresses just about every need that might arise for digital photographers.

• Two Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors — quad-performance in every system — deliver all the speed you need to display your large RAW files. Instantly and as large as screen real estate permits.
• By upgrading to a high-performance graphics card, you can make the most out of such OpenGL accelerated applications as Aperture.
• Four hard drive bays give you options. Stripe your drives in a RAID 0 to build an extra large volume of up to 3TB. Or pair two drives in a RAID 1 for redundant reliability and instant backups.
• Work large. Thanks to built-in support for the 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Display, you can edit, compare, rate, organize, and adjust images full screen in Aperture. And because Mac Pro offers built-in support for two displays, you can compare multiple images at once to find your selects faster.
• Integrated dual Gigabit Ethernet and high-speed I/O provide high-bandwidth and convenient connections to networks, printers, scanners, cameras, and storage devices.

Working with a Big Canvas

So many images, so little time. When it comes to the demanding task of reviewing hundreds — or thousands — of images and identifying your best work, nothing beats having a truly large canvas on which to make your selects. Like the canvas provided by a pair of big, beautiful Apple Cinema Displays.

Because both Aperture and Mac Pro were designed with multiple displays in mind, you have numerous options for building your perfect photographic workstation. With the ATI Radeon X1900 XT graphics card, for example, you can connect two 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Displays and have a canvas that’s practically life size.

Recommended Mac Pro Photographer’s Workstation

• Two 3GHz Dual Core Intel Xeon
• 4GB 667MHz DDR2 FB DIMMs
• ATI Radeon X1900 XT graphics card
• Three 500GB SATA 3Gb/s hard drives
• 16x SuperDrive

1. PCI Express slots are not compatible with PCI or PCI-X expansion cards.
2. Stereo-in-a-window requires an NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 graphics card, a CRT display, and stereo goggles (sold separately). The NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 graphics card can be installed in the Mac Pro’s double-wide, 16-lane PCI Express slot, leaving the adjacent PCI Express slot available for another PCI Express expansion card.
3. To support up to eight 20-inch or 23-inch Apple Cinema Displays, install up to three additional NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT graphics cards.