Today Intel released its latest workstation and Xeon server CPUs, using the new Westmere micro-architecture. Westmere is a “process shrink” of the previous Nehalem architecture, which provided many performance improvements over prior generations. This means not only will we see higher performance and clock-speeds from the new Xeon parts, but also, lower power consumption on some models.
It seems likely Apple will be announcing new Mac Pros with both single CPU quad, single CPU hex (6 core), and dual hex CPU configurations in the near future. Having 12 processing cores at one’s disposal will make a big difference for Cinema 4D users, and users of other multi-core-aware applications. Hopefully Apple will have listened to the many complaints that arose about the prior generation’s odd RAM configurations and inflated price points. Who knows, maybe there will even be a fast SSD option for the first time!
