Which series Core Duo are the new Mac Pros using?

[mazeroth]

My brother is a big Mac fan and we got into an argument over how expensive Macs are. He tried defending them, saying how they're the only computer to not run a BIOS, which makes them sooo much faster. Now, don't get me wrong, I think Macs are great computers and I love OS X. This argument is only over how expensive the Macs are.

With that, the dual core Xeons they're using. Are they closer to Core Duos or Core 2 Duos?

Another thing I don't get is the cheapest Mac Pro you can get is $2199. The next least expensive non-laptop is the Mac Mini dual core, which is $799. That's a $1400 price gap, with nothing in the middle.

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/W...oa/wo/0.RSLID?mco=AFBB8654&nclm=MacPro

 

[Furen]

They're Woodcrests, so they're actually slightly faster than equally-clocked Core 2s (because they have a higher FSB, most of this benefit goes away curtesy of FBDimms, though). MacPros are actually pretty damn well price, to tell the truth. One thing I'd dispute is this: a BIOS only slows down boot up, not the system itself, for the most part. MacPro is a workstation, it has 2 CPUs by default (4 cores) and they're competitively priced, at that.

Apple has yet to release a regular Mac based on Intel CPUs, which it should do in the near future, so that's why there's a huge void between $1k and $2k.

 

[tylerw13]

the woodcrest is actually a little faster processor than the core 2 duo at stock speeds...i cant remember where i saw you info on it but i read it somewhere...ill try to find it and update...im a mac fan but i really enjoy overclocking...i just wish i could use os X on my computer now...and get the gaming and everything i can on windows....i love the operating system just need more games!!!

 

[dexvx]

The only reason Woodcrest is faster is because its on a 1333 DI-FSB.

But unfortunately for you, your bro is right. A moderate Mac Pro ($3000-4000ish) is a rather good deal in terms of hardware, unless you're maxxing out memory or HDD.

Furen: I believe the Mac-Mini uses a regular Core-Duo. Some people on XS have upgraded them to Merom with no problems.

 

[Soul Colossus]

Mac Mini and MacBooks = Core Duo, but I believe they'll be moving over to Core2s

The Mac Pros' Xeons are Woodscrests which are just 1333mhz FSB Conroes, thus -slightly- faster. Clock for clock, the Woodcrests are nearly equally priced to the Conroes, so there really isn't a loss there. I do believe FB-DIMMs are more expensive, I don't remember. The Mac Pros are actually cheaper than comparable Dells, but you can still build a Core2 PC for cheaper since it's always cheaper to build your own.

So your friend is pretty much right about prices in regards to OEM PCs, but he's wrong about about the BIOS. Using EFI (Apple's replacement for BIOS) likely improves performance by a factor of zero except in the case of booting. My girlfriend's MacBook logs into OSX from complete shut down in like 15 seconds.