Mac Pro (Mid-2006/Original)

Notes

Architecture Details:

• CPU: 64-bit
• EFI: 32-bit
• Graphics: 32-bit?

OS Support:

• Shipped: Mac OS X 10.4.6 Tiger (Intel)
• Maximum: Current OS X Lion
• Windows: XP, Vista (32)

History:
The initial Mac Pro may not have been that much of a game-changer for Apple; after all, it was the last to complete the Intel changeover from PowerPC in August of '06. Yet, a staggering array of improvements highlighted the release: two Xeon 5000-series dual-core processors started you off, built on an Intel 5000 core-logic set with fully-buffered DDR2 memory for stability and performance.

But because the new model ran cooler and hence had no need of nine fans as the Dual and Quad G5's before it needed fans, Apple made provisions for four variable-width PCI Express slots (the lane width being user-configurable in the OS), one of them double-wide for a stacked graphics card; and for four user-installable SATA hard drives, with one 250 GB hard disk in the "recommended" setup.

This model may have sold well, if not for a lack of Intel-ready professional software in its day and a buggy Rosetta framework, both of which were mostly fixed by the time new models arrived, almost 18 months later.

Other/Advisory:

• Windows may not install properly if less than 2 GB RAM is configured on this unit
• On a machine with two or more hard disks, Vista will not install unless all but the intended target disk is removed. This is a known issue, per Apple and Microsoft's respective support databases,