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About the Quad-Core Intel Xeon
The one or two Quad-Core Intel Xeon “Harpertown” processors put up to eight cores of processing power to work in your Mac Pro, delivering the greatest number of cores ever in a Mac. Other Harpertown features include:

• 12MB of L2 cache per processor (6MB shared per pair of cores), which boosts performance by keeping more data and instructions close to the processor cores
• 1600MHz dual independent frontside buses that are perfectly suited to maximize processor bandwidth — up to 25.6GB per second on a dual-processor system

Which processor is right for you? The more time you spend using processor-intensive applications — such as video processing, image editing, 3D rendering, and others — the more you’ll benefit from the higher-performance processors.

Because accessing data from memory is much faster than accessing data from the hard drive, the more memory your system has, the faster it can manipulate your data, resulting in greater application performance especially when working with large files and memory-intensive applications, such as graphics, audio, video, and scientific applications.

The Mac Pro now uses faster 800MHz DDR2 fully buffered ECC memory, an industry-standard memory technology that allows for more memory capacity, greater bandwidth, and better reliability. To take full advantage of the 256-bit-wide memory architecture, four or more FB-DIMMs should be installed in the Mac Pro.

Please note: Apple created a more robust thermal specification for the Mac Pro FB-DIMM heat sinks that provide more efficient cooling than many other FB-DIMMs. These FB-DIMMs require less airflow to stay cool and allow the internal fans to spin at slower speeds, improving system acoustics. FB-DIMMs made by other manufacturers that do not include a sufficient heat sink may cause the fans to run faster (and louder) or the memory chips to run slower so as not to overheat.

The Mac Pro features a cable-free, direct-attach drive solution that lets you install and remove hard drives in a snap. Drives are attached to simple drive carriers that slide neatly into place — no cables or connectors to hassle with. And removing drives is just as easy. This solution is perfect for sharing drives among different workstations at home or in the studio.

About Serial ATA
For the maximum amount of internal storage, select Serial ATA drives for up to 4TB of internal storage. Perfect for film and video, music, and other drive-intensive operations, multiple Serial ATA drives can be setup in either a RAID 0 or 1 configuration. This all occurs through the software RAID feature built into Mac OS X. For even more data protection and drive I/O performance, add the optional Mac Pro RAID Card.

About SAS
Get the ultimate in disk I/O performance by configuring your Mac Pro with new 15,000-rpm high-performance Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) 3Gb/s drives. These 300GB drives provide up to 250MB/s in sustained RAID 5 sequential read performance and are particularly suited for demanding disk I/O scenarios like film and video projects. Please note: The Mac Pro RAID Card is required when selecting SAS drives.

Note: 1GB = 1 billion bytes; 1TB = 1 trillion bytes. Actual formatted capacity less.

A 16-lane, double-wide PCI Express 2.0 graphics slot supports the latest graphics cards for up to 8 GBps of data throughput, up to twice that of a previous-generation PCI Express slot. And by supplying up to 300 watts of total power to all PCI Express slots, the Mac Pro provides the headroom for high-performance, next-generation graphics cards.

Choose among these graphics card options.

ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT
For excellent all-around performance in creative and productivity applications, choose one or more ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT cards. This card features a 256MB GDDR3 frame buffer, PCI Express 2.0 interface, and two dual-link DVI ports. With up to four ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT graphics cards installed, a Mac Pro can support up to 8 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Displays.

NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT
For even greater graphics performance, choose the latest-generation NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT with 512MB of GDDR3 video memory. With a unified shader core and massive memory bandwidth, the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT brings advanced performance to graphics-intensive applications like motion graphics, 3D modeling, rendering and animation. Featuring a PCI Express 2.0 interface for high bandwidth connection to the Mac Pro and two dual-link DVI ports for connecting up to two 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Displays.

NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600
Featuring a massive 1.5GB frame buffer of GDDR3 memory, the NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600 is the ultimate workstation-level graphics card. It’s ideal for industrial-strength 3D design work, modeling, animation, and stereo 3D visualization. One of the most advanced graphics cards available, it has an integrated stereo 3D port, so you can use stereo goggles for stereo-in-a-window visualization applications. With two dual-link DVI ports, you can connect two 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Displays.

Dual-Display Modes
Each graphics card offers built-in dual-display support in two modes. Extended Desktop mode allows you to work on two monitors at once for increased desktop real estate and enhanced productivity. Video mirroring mode is useful when presenting to groups — the same image that you see on your local display also appears on a projector or auxiliary display. Simply attach two monitors and the Mac OS will recognize both displays. Use the Displays system preference to configure your monitors in either extended desktop or video mirroring modes.

You can attach multiple Apple flat panels with DVI connectors to your Mac Pro graphics card directly. If you have an Apple flat panel with an ADC connector, the optional Apple DVI to ADC Adapter is required (sold separately).

Choose the Apple Mighty Mouse if you always work close to your desktop system. Or go wireless to be free of the constraints and clutter of wires. The wireless Mighty Mouse provides a reliable and secure connection, using a Bluetooth module that allows wireless operation from as far away as 10 meters (33 feet) from your Mac. An advanced power management system automatically switches to low-power modes during periods of inactivity for longer battery life.

About the Mighty Mouse
Available in both wired and wireless models, the Apple Mighty Mouse features the amazing Scroll Ball that lets you move anywhere inside a document, literally without lifting a finger. And with touch-sensitive technology concealed under the seamless top shell, you can choose either the versatility of a four-button mouse or the simplicity of a single-button beauty. The wired Mighty Mouse is powered by a precision optical sensor, while the wireless Mighty Mouse features laser tracking technology that allows it to work on more surfaces with greater precision.

Use AirPort Extreme in your Mac Pro to join a wireless network, connect to an Apple TV, or share your network connection wirelessly with another computer. You can even stream music from iTunes to your stereo using an AirPort Express Base Station.

AirPort Extreme is based on an IEEE 802.11n draft specification and offers up to five times the performance and twice the range of 802.11g wireless networks.* AirPort Extreme allows your AirPort Extreme-enabled Mac Pro to communicate with local AirPort Extreme networks or with other Wi-Fi Certified 802.11a, 802.11b, or 802.11g networks, including earlier versions of Apple's AirPort Extreme Base Station and the AirPort Express Base Station.

Notes:
Wireless Internet access requires a wireless-enabled computer, a base station or other access point, and Internet access; fees may apply. Some ISPs are not currently compatible with AirPort and AirPort Extreme.

*Performance is based on a comparison with Apple's 802.11g products. Comparison assumes AirPort Extreme network with 802.11n-enabled computer. Speed and range will be less if an 802.11a/b/g product joins the network. Accessing the wireless network requires an AirPort- or AirPort Extreme-enabled computer or other Wi-Fi Certified 802.11a/b/g-enabled computer. Actual performance will vary based on range, connection rate, site conditions, size of network, and other factors. Range will vary with site conditions.

• Speed: Data up to 56Kbps, fax at 14.4Kbps
• Supports caller ID, wake on ring, telephone answering (V.253), modem on hold*
• V.92 software support

• Installation of an Apple Fibre Channel PCI Express card in Mac Pro reclassifies these systems as FCC Class A devices.
• Optical connection requires SFP transceivers and optical cables.
• The dual-channel and quad-channel 4Gb Fibre Channel cards occupy one of the available PCI Express slots.

About Pre-installation
If you choose to preinstall the Mac OS X Server v10.5 software on your Mac Pro, you’ll receive backup media disc that includes the Mac OS X Server Installer, the electronic version (PDF) of the User Guide, and other important files.

The World's Easiest Server
Mac OS X Server v10.5 Leopard represents the biggest improvement to the server operating system since Mac OS X Server was launched. With Mac OS X Server, users can effortlessly share files, schedule meetings and events, exchange instant messages, send and receive mail on the Internet, access the organization's network remotely, publish podcasts, and host websites, wikis, and blogs.

About License Options
Mac OS X Server is available in 10-client and unlimited-client editions. Client restrictions apply only to simultaneous file sharing services for Mac and PC clients. The Mac OS X Server 10-Client Edition is designed for small workgroups and Internet hosting services that do not require simultaneous file sharing to more than 10 Mac and PC clients. The Mac OS X Server Unlimited-Client Edition is perfect for classroom labs, small businesses, creative professionals and medium-to-large workgroups with high volumes of file sharing activity.

The SAN file system for Mac OS X
Xsan is a powerful and scalable solution for storage consolidation, enabling businesses to reduce data duplication and more efficiently use and share data in demanding IT data centers, video post-production, television broadcast workflows.

Combining enhanced performance with Apple’s legendary ease of use, Xsan 2 makes it easier for first-time users to quickly set up and deploy a SAN. It also introduces MultiSAN, which allows users on a single workstation to access multiple SANs at the same time. Xsan 2 is fully integrated with Mac OS X Leopard and Leopard Server and is qualified to work with third-party RAID storage hardware.

Top New Features in Xsan 2

Xsan Admin 2
Xsan 2 makes it easier for first-time users to quickly set up and deploy a SAN. And the completely redesigned administration application simplifies day-to-day SAN administration.

MultiSAN
Now a single workstation or server can access Xsan volumes simultaneously. MulitSAN is ideal for users who need to access multiple Xsan volumes from the same workstation or server.

Spotlight
Support for Spotlight, Cover Flow, and Quick Look in Leopard makes it easy for users to find and access content on your SAN volumes.

Leopard Server Integration
Mac OS X Server features such as iCal Server, Mail Server, and Podcast Producer integrate with Xsan 2 to support clustered file systems and improve performance and scalability.

RAID Storage
Xsan 2 is qualified to support RAID storage hardware including Xserve RAID and the Promise VTrak E-Class RAID Subsystem.