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Latest Apple rumor: Mac Pro desktop to be updated with Ivy Bridge-E processors, Nvidia Kepler graphics

We just heard about a potential redesign of the MacBook Pro laptop, and now the latest rumors have Apple gearing up to refresh its Mac Pro desktop as well.In particular, M.
Written by Sean Portnoy, Contributor

We just heard about a potential redesign of the MacBook Pro laptop, and now the latest rumors have Apple gearing up to refresh its Mac Pro desktop as well.

In particular, M.I.C. Gadget is reporting that the workstation will be graduating to Intel's new eight-core Ivy Bridge-E (for "Extreme") CPUs when they launch in a couple of months. Since you can currently get a pair of six-core processors for the Mac Pro, this update will presumably give you the option of a 16-core pairing, albeit one that will set you back about $5,000. Ivy Bridge should not only bring performance improvements, but also power savings as well thanks to the greater efficiency of its 22nm manufacturing process.

In addition, the same site reports that Apple will dump ATI graphics for this refresh, opting instead to throw its hat in with Nvidia's forthcoming Kepler lineup. AMD reportedly had difficulties with the drivers for the previous Mac Pro graphics, so Apple is jumping to its competitor, whose CUDA GPGPU cores should be useful to the workstation crowd.

How this will all shake out in terms of pricing and released is still TBD. Are you excited for a Mac Pro refresh? Will you be in the market for a new version? Let us know in the Talkback section.

[Via Fudzilla]

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