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Apple Mac Pro (Mid 2010) vs Apple Mac Pro (Mid 2012)

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleMac Pro (Mid 2010)AppleMac Pro (Mid 2012)
Overview
ReleasedAugust 2010June 2012
Performance
ProcessorIntel Xeon W3530, Intel Xeon W3565, Intel Xeon W3680, 2 × Intel Xeon E5620, 2 × Intel Xeon X5650 or 2 × Intel Xeon X5670Intel Xeon W3565, 2 × Intel Xeon E5645, Intel Xeon W3680, 2 × Intel Xeon X5650 or 2 × Intel Xeon X5675
CPU cores4, 6, 8 or 124, 6 or 12
CPU threads8, 12, 16 or 248, 12 or 24
GraphicsATI Radeon HD 5770 (1 GB GDDR5), ATI Radeon HD 5870 (1 GB GDDR5) or 2 × ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1 GB GDDR5 per card)ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1 GB GDDR5), ATI Radeon HD 5870 (1 GB GDDR5) or 2 × ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1 GB GDDR5 per card)
Memory3 GB, 6 GB, 8 GB, 12 GB, 16 GB, 24 GB or 32 GB6 GB, 8 GB, 12 GB, 16 GB, 24 GB, 32 GB, 48 GB or 64 GB
Storage512 GB to 2 TB512 GB to 2 TB
CPUStandard single 2.8 GHz quad-core Xeon W3530 (Turbo Boost up to 3.06 GHz) or two 2.4 GHz quad-core Xeon E5620 processors (up to 2.66 GHz; eight physical cores and sixteen threads in total). Maker factory upgrades are a single 3.2 GHz quad-core W3565 or 3.33 GHz six-core W3680, or two six-core X5650 at 2.66 GHz or X5670 at 2.93 GHz. Processor count means physical sockets; chip core and thread figures are per processor.Standard single 3.2 GHz quad-core Xeon W3565 (up to 3.46 GHz Turbo Boost) or two 2.4 GHz six-core Xeon E5645 processors (up to 2.67 GHz; twelve physical cores and 24 threads in total). Apple offers a single 3.33 GHz six-core processor or two six-core processors at 2.66 or 3.06 GHz; EveryMac identifies these original factory options as W3680, X5650 and X5675 respectively. Processor count in configurations means physical sockets, with chip figures per processor.
GPUATI Radeon HD 5770 or HD 5870 with 1 GB GDDR5; optional two HD 5770 cards with 1 GB each. Both cards have two Mini DisplayPort outputs and one dual-link DVI port. Graphics memory is per card.ATI Radeon HD 5770 or HD 5870 with 1 GB GDDR5; optional two HD 5770 cards with 1 GB each. Both cards have two Mini DisplayPort outputs and one dual-link DVI port. Graphics memory is per card.
Memory typeSingle-processor systems have four slots and dual-processor systems eight slots for DDR3 ECC SDRAM. Memory runs at 1066 MHz with 2.8/3.2 GHz single and 2.4 GHz dual processors, or 1333 MHz with the six-core processors. Factory order tables list 3, 6, 8, 12 or 16 GB for single-processor systems and 6, 8, 12, 16, 24 or 32 GB for dual systems. The current maker support sheet gives higher supported upgrade limits of 32 and 64 GB respectively using up to 8 GB DIMMs; these are distinguished from the original factory rows.Single-processor systems have four slots and maker-supported memory up to 32 GB; dual-processor systems have eight slots and up to 64 GB. DDR3 ECC SDRAM at 1066 MHz with the 3.2 GHz CPU and 1333 MHz with the other listed CPUs; 1, 2, 4 or 8 GB DIMMs.
Storage typeFour 3.5-inch cable-free drive bays with independent 3 Gb/s SATA channels and included carriers. Factory choices per bay are a 1 or 2 TB 7200 rpm hard drive with 32 MB cache, or a 512 GB SSD; up to 8 TB with four hard drives or 2 TB with four SSDs. Configurations list one selected drive, with optional additional drives described here. Optional Mac Pro RAID Card has 512 MB cache and 72-hour battery backup; SSDs are not compatible with this card in RAID or Enhanced JBOD mode. Standard 18x double-layer SuperDrive, optional second optical drive.Four 3.5-inch cable-free drive bays with independent 3 Gb/s SATA channels and included carriers. Each factory bay can hold a 1 or 2 TB 7200 rpm hard drive with 32 MB cache, or a 512 GB SSD. Listed configurations describe one selected drive; optional extra drives can bring total hard-drive capacity to 8 TB. One 18x double-layer SuperDrive is standard, with an optional second optical drive.
Expansion slotsOne double-wide PCI Express 2.0 x16 graphics slot and three further full-length slots (one x16 and two x4); 300 W combined maximum. All slots mechanically accept x16 cards. Optional dual- or quad-channel 4 Gb Fibre Channel card.One double-wide PCI Express 2.0 x16 graphics slot and three further full-length slots (one x16 and two x4); 300 W combined maximum. All slots mechanically accept x16 cards. Optional dual- or quad-channel 4 Gb Fibre Channel card.
Display
ScreenNone built inNone built in
Connections
Ports5 × USB-A, 2 × Ethernet, headphone jack5 × USB-A, 2 × Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet1 Gb/s1 Gb/s
Wi-Fi802.11n802.11n
Bluetooth2.1 + EDR2.1 + EDR
Front portsTwo USB 2.0 ports, two FireWire 800 ports and a headphone minijackTwo USB 2.0 ports, two FireWire 800 ports and a headphone minijack
Back portsThree USB 2.0 ports, two FireWire 800 ports, two independent Gigabit Ethernet ports with jumbo-frame support, optical TOSLINK audio input and output, and analogue stereo line input and output. Graphics outputs vary by card; FireWire and DVI are described here because the main port list has no fields for them. Included keyboard has two additional USB 2.0 ports, excluded from chassis counts.Three USB 2.0 ports, two FireWire 800 ports, two independent Gigabit Ethernet ports with jumbo-frame support, optical TOSLINK audio input and output, and analogue stereo line input and output. Graphics outputs vary by card; FireWire and DVI are described here because the main port list has no fields for them. Included keyboard has two additional USB 2.0 ports, excluded from chassis counts.
External displaysUp to three displays with one graphics card, or six with two HD 5770 cards. Digital resolution up to 2560 × 1600 and analogue up to 2048 × 1536; optional Mini DisplayPort/DVI/VGA adapters. Multichannel audio through Mini DisplayPort.Up to three displays with one graphics card, or six with two HD 5770 cards. Digital resolution up to 2560 × 1600 and analogue up to 2048 × 1536; optional Mini DisplayPort/DVI/VGA adapters. Multichannel audio through Mini DisplayPort.
SpeakersInternal speaker and front headphone output; optical and analogue audio input/outputInternal speaker and front headphone output; optical and analogue audio input/output
Keyboard and mouseApple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad and Magic Mouse; optional Apple Wireless Keyboard, Apple Mouse or Magic TrackpadApple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad and Magic Mouse; optional Apple Wireless Keyboard, Apple Mouse or Magic Trackpad
Design and power
TypeTowerTower
Width × depth × height206 × 475 × 511 mm206 × 475 × 511 mm
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Size and weight detailStandard quad-core configuration weighs 18.1 kg; standard eight-core configuration 18.7 kg. Actual weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process; a shared weight is omitted.Quad-core standard configuration weighs 18.1 kg; standard twelve-core configuration 18.7 kg. Actual weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process, so a shared weight is omitted.
Power supplyAC input 100–120 V or 200–240 V, 50–60 Hz; maximum current 12 A at low voltage or 5 A at high voltageAC input 100–120 V or 200–240 V, 50–60 Hz; maximum current 12 A at low voltage or 5 A at high voltage
NoiseApple gives operator-position sound pressure of 26 dB for the 2.8 GHz model and 25 dB for the 2.4 GHz dual-processor model at idle, 26 dB for both during hard-drive access and 37 dB during optical access. Sound power is 3.6 B at idle, 3.7/3.6 B during hard-drive access and 4.6 B during optical access.Apple gives operator-position sound pressure of 26 dB for the 3.2 GHz model and 25 dB for the 2.4 GHz dual-processor model at idle or during hard-drive access; 42 dB during optical-drive access. Corresponding sound power is 3.7/3.5 B at idle and 4.7/5.1 B during optical access.
MaterialsRecyclable aluminium enclosure; BFR-free and internal cables PVC-freeRecyclable aluminium enclosure; BFR-free and internal cables PVC-free
In the boxMac Pro, power cord, Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, Magic Mouse, USB keyboard extension cable, install/restore DVDs and documentation. Mac OS X Snow Leopard and iLife included; Mac OS X Server and professional applications optional.Mac Pro, power cord, keyboard, Magic Mouse, USB keyboard extension cable and documentation. Current maker sheet describes OS X Mountain Lion and iLife; the generation was introduced before Mountain Lion. Apple also offered a server configuration with OS X Server, 8 GB memory and two 1 TB drives, supplied without keyboard or mouse; its distinct bundled software and drive arrangement are described here.

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