Mac Pro 'hexacore' Xeon Core i7-980x coming Tuesday…or Friday?

Seth Weintraub
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March 10, 2010
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ZDNet reports that they've heard rumors that there will be a new Mac Pro next week:

I’m getting tips in from sources who claim that Apple is set to revamp its high-end Mac Pro line, adding a ‘hexacore’ Core i7-980x model to the line up.

All information points to this happening next Tuesday, March 16th.

The Core i7-980x is Intel’s first six-core part. Here’s the spec:

3.33GHz (TurboBoost to 3.6GHz), 6 cores / 12 threads, 32nm architecture, Socket LGA1366 130W TDP

Separately, we've heard there could be a release as early as Friday.  I'd rather see a Core i7 Mac Mini though.

In somewhat related news, Maya 2011 64-bit was released today.

Comments (41)

Xalio (not verified) | March 10, 2010 - 1:25pm

I want new Macbook Pro!!!!!

Tallest Skil (not verified) | March 10, 2010 - 1:33pm

Please, Apple, do whatever you want with the next Mac Pro's processor, just give us some more GPUs with these new models so that I can get rid of my 4870/GT120 combo for something better.

Darrell (not verified) | March 10, 2010 - 9:40pm

Hope that Apple puts ATi 5970 in the new Mac Pro that would be awesome

(not verified) (not verified) | March 10, 2010 - 1:38pm

That's great news :)Now that's the stuff :) Please support 2 cpus.... 12 cores / 24 threads... grrrrBut more importantly better graphics card support... 

adnoh (not verified) | March 10, 2010 - 1:51pm

from Italy we want new macbook pro too!

Jorge Machado (not verified) | March 10, 2010 - 2:00pm

 I want the new mac  books pro too . can anyone predict that ? admins if you can help email me. thanks

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 10, 2010 - 2:18pm

I am sure Macs will get their upgrade once iPad preorder is out of the way.

bruno (not verified) | March 10, 2010 - 2:18pm

Yes, we want the new macbook pro!

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 10, 2010 - 2:30pm

I want a new iPhone!  And a new Airport Express that supports more than client devices! 

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 10, 2010 - 2:30pm

Might have to wait on buying the new 27inch iMac if this is true. I want new MBPs as well. 15inch i7 with 1tb disk space and 8gb memory.  

Lexequinerad (not verified) | March 10, 2010 - 2:33pm

Holy shit. I really don't like superlatives, but Seth, where are your "sources," emanating from? If it is true, there has going to be some "masterful engineering," in order to get this Intel Gulftown hexacore processor, integrated into the MacBook Pro. If it is accomplished by Apple and Intel, this machine is going to "be a monster," and appropriately priced. I may have to reconsider my next business laptop purchase, and switch operating systems to Mac. They say, once you switch to Mac, you never go back. I haven't heard of any Windows OS 7 high-end laptops,yet, running this Gulftown. Does Apple, have an "inside proposition" with Intel, for the first mobile 32nm "mobile" hexacore chips? That is a lot of power, 6 cores, and 12 threads, along, with 12MB of Smart cache. I wonder what graphics chip that Apple is going to use? Maybe it will be ATI Radeon, that will appease the problem with Intel & Nvidia. Please, keep us fully posted on this outcome.

admin | March 10, 2010 - 2:41pm

Wow.  Just Wow.   Mac Pro, not MacBook Pro

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 10, 2010 - 5:05pm

Learn how to read.

Semi Noob (not verified) | March 10, 2010 - 2:41pm

Let me help you guys understand one thing...the 8 core Mac Pro 3.2 gig+ with 6 gig of RAM is one of the slowest Macs I've ever owned. I spent a bundle, and it's been a total waste of money. Even software that is using all 8 cores at once is still slow as hell.Don't believe the hype.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 10, 2010 - 2:58pm

In that case you're doing something very, very wrong - or- your machine is faulty -or- there's something very wrong with your software installation. I have applications here starting up in under 2 seconds a 150+meg photoshop files processing unsharp mask in less than a minute...

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 10, 2010 - 3:38pm

Maybe your process is I/O bound?

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 10, 2010 - 2:42pm

Uh, the Mac Pro is a large, desktop box.  The Macbook Pro is a laptop.  The article is about the Mac Pro.

Lexequinerad (not verified) | March 10, 2010 - 3:00pm

I stand to be corrected. When I first read the post, the first two comments, were about MacBook Pro's. The article is about the new, top-shelf Mac Pro desktop workstation. Of course,... makes perfect sense. You know, I am a MS Windows person, and got "sidetracked." Still, it looks like a nice move by Apple. What will be the GPU? I heard the top of the line ATI Radeon, (5870?), is the "biggest and badest," for now, until the Nvidia Fermi is released. But, it is still possible to imagine a high-end laptop, with a "mobile," low watt power, hexacore Intel Gulftown, running at 3.4 GHz. Let's guess, who will be the 1st manufacturer to debut, the mobile Intel (or AMD) hexacore, and what month and year.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 10, 2010 - 3:27pm

It will be Xeon processor... not i7

apple (not verified) | March 10, 2010 - 8:28pm

‘hexacore’ xeon Core i7-980x

Beto (not verified) | March 24, 2010 - 4:31pm

that doesn't even exist

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 10, 2010 - 4:28pm

iUm, this is all good..but I seriously want a new MacBook Pro. Hopefully, they release them on the same day. if they don't, apple has serious issues.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 10, 2010 - 5:39pm

HOW RETARDED DO YOU HAVE TO BE TO COMMENT ON AN ARTICLE ABOUT MAC PROS WITH PERSONAL WISHES FOR COMPUTERS YOU WANT?!?!?!THAT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE! COMMENT ON THE MAC PRO OR GO TO THE FORUM, START A THREAD AND DREAM YOU ASSES OFF.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 10, 2010 - 6:20pm

Loud noises! Calm down bro.....take the tampon out.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 10, 2010 - 9:56pm

Seriously!  Talk about an over reaction

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 11, 2010 - 4:29am

I WANT A NEW MACBOOK PRO!! WHAT I WANT IS THE IMPORTANT THING!! I WANT A NEW CORE i7 MACBOOK PRO!! I WANT I WANT!!

Darrell (not verified) | March 10, 2010 - 9:38pm

Time to sale my 2008 Mac Pro 3.2Ghz for one of these bad boys putting my Mac on ebay this week, wonder what kind of GPU Apple is putting in there 2010 Mac Pro? and do you guys thank Apple is going to revamp the 30 inch to LED?

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 10, 2010 - 9:41pm

okay so here's the latest video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42idEAEdKnw

link building services (not verified) | March 10, 2010 - 10:22pm

The X58 chipset supports only 2 x16 PCIE 2.0 slots not the processor. The 1156 socket processors are the ones that have the PCI-E lanes built onto the processor and not the chipset.

Derek Martin (not verified) | March 11, 2010 - 5:17am

Check your facts, yo. Hex = 8. The article specifically says 6. That would be sextacore, not hexacore. Yes, your source got it wrong, too.