Dodeco-Mac Pro in the works?


Rumor puts six-core Xeon processors in Mac Pros before anyone else.

Hardmac is reporting that Apple may get early dibs on Intels upcoming Gulftown processors. The latest revision puts 6 cores and 12 threads into a CPU, up from four cores in recent Macs. Also upgraded will be the shared cache of 12 MB up from 8 MB, with smaller engraving down to 32-nm from 45-nm. With the smaller design, the processors are expected to require a bit less power, even with more cores.

This would suggest we might see a dual processor Mac Pro with a tingling 12 core. Apple has gotten early chips from Intel on a number of occasions, first the current 2009 models and Apple got the first four core Xeons when it introduced the 8 core Mac.

Processors over the past few years have focused on cores and data bandwidth rather than GHz. The Nehalem, for example, are faster than the previous generations even at the same or lower clock speeds. With OS X in general and Snow Leopard's Grand Central, Macs seem to be well positioned to see significant performance gains with added cores.

Future Mac Pro: Apple to Enjoy Short-Term Exclusive Use of Future Xeon CPU?