Work station system Desktops

The Bottom Line: Apple's new eight-core Mac Pro demonstrates marked improvements over the older model in high-intensity digital media and multitasking scenarios. We also love the design tweaks that improve on Apple's already industry-leading sensibilities. Any Apple-bound design professional would welcome this new tool in his or her arsenal.

Specs: Intel Xeon (2.26 GHz), 6 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 640 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce GT 120, EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Gold, Apple MacOS X 10.6, Personal computer

Specs: Intel Xeon Quad Core E5410 (2.33 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 80 GB Standard, NVIDIA Quadro NVS 290, WEEE, EPA Energy Star, RoHS, Microsoft Windows Vista Business Edition, Workstation

Specs: Intel Xeon Quad Core E5405 (2.0 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 250 GB, NVIDIA Quadro NVS 290, Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS v5

Specs: Intel Xeon Dual Core 5140 (2.33 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 160 GB Standard, EPA Energy Star, Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Workstation

Specs: Intel Xeon W3503 (2.4 GHz), 2 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 250 GB Standard, NVidia Quadro NVS290, DOS

Specs: Intel Xeon E5502 (1.86 GHz), 2 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 250 GB Standard, ATI Fire Pro V3700, DOS

Specs: AMD Second-Generation Opteron 2218 (2.6 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 73 GB Standard, NVIDIA Quadro FX 3500, EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Gold, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Business, Workstation

Specs: Intel Quad-Core Xeon E5405 (2 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 160 GB Standard, EPEAT Gold, EPA Energy Star, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Business / XP Professional downgrade, Workstation