Ars Technica has gotten its hands on a Mac Pro and opened it up to peek at the insides, run a whole variety of benchmarks on the system, and all in all given Apple’s new Intel-based desktop the once-over and returned to us with the results. The Ars reviewers take a look at every part of the new machines, from the Xeon 5100 series, better known as “Woodcrest,” to the system’s new interior design and the hard drive bays to its massive heat sinks (that are still much better than the liquid cooling devices in the old Macs, which the reviewer shows for nostalgic head-shaking) and intricies of the motherboard design. Additionally, the kind of RAM the system uses, upgradability, and benchmarks in both MacOS and Windows XP are available in the review.
All in all, Ars gives the new Mac Pro a good solid shakedown and a good solid review, with surprisingly positive results at the end. The machine scores a firm nine on Ars’s 1-10 scale, and the system looks impressive, even when considering its price tag. ($2499 USD for the default configuration) Head over to check out the review; if you’re in the market for a new Macintosh and have been waiting for the Intel transition to be complete, wake up-it is, and the best of the product line is definitely here.