Apple revealed the first Mac Pro 20 years ago today — its Intel Xeon-powered flagship desktop took the reins from the Power Mac G5
20 years ago today Steve Jobs took to the Apple WWDC stage to unveil the first-ever Mac Pro desktop computer. This is when Mac workstations transitioned from PowerPC to Intel Xeon chips.
Twenty years ago, on the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) stage, Steve Jobs introduced the first Mac Pro desktop computer. This marked a significant shift as it was the first workstation desktop to transition from PowerPC to Intel x86 architecture. Apple had previously offered Intel-powered versions of its iMac, Mac Mini, and MacBook starting in 2006, but now replaced the powerful PowerMac G5 tower.
Though users may fondly recall Intel-era Mac Pro models, such as the 'trash can' and 'cheese grater', the initial x86-chip Mac Pro resembled its predecessor closely. The unveiling focused on the new processors and the machine's performance, which Apple claimed to be "up to twice the performance of the Power Mac G5 Quad." The top configuration featured two dual-core Intel Xeon processors running at up to 3.0 GHz, each equipped with 4MB of shared L2 cache and separate 1.33 GHz front-side buses.
Nvidia GeForce 7300 GT and ATI Radeon X1900 XT, or Nvidia Quadro FX 4500 video cards with 512MB of memory, were available. Storage options ranged from a 250GB HDD expandable to 2TB to four bays, while the 16x SuperDrive provided double-layer DVD support.
The first Mac Pro came with 1GB of DDR2-667 fully buffered memory, expandable to 16GB, and included a 500W power supply. Connectivity options comprised 2x Gigabit Ethernet, optional Wi-Fi, and a 56k V.92 USB modem. Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and four USB 2.0 ports were also available along with FireWire 400 and 800 ports. Up to four PCIe 1.0 slots and a dual-wide slot accommodated high-end graphics cards. The Mac Pro was compatible with Mac OS X Tiger and supported up to 10.6 Snow Leopard.
At launch, three processor choices were available, including the most powerful with a pair of dual-core Core Xeon 5160 CPUs running at 3.0 GHz. Prices ranged from $2,499, including a Mighty Mouse and Apple Keyboard, for the base model featuring a Core Xeon 5150 x2 (2.66 GHz) and standard specifications. The last Mac Pro, equipped with an M2 Ultra chip, was released in 2023, and Apple confirmed there would be no further revisions of this desktop workstation flagship.
Written by urgent.news from Tom's Hardware's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
