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Housed in the same aluminium enclosure as its predecessor, the Mac Pro is built around two 64-bit dual-core Intel Xeon 5100 'Woodcrest' processors, each running at up to 3GHz, and a new system architecture which Apple says makes it twice as fast as the Power Mac G5.

That architecture includes 4MB of shared L2 cache for each processor, independent 1.3GHz front-side buses and up to 16GB of fully-buffered 667MHz DDR2 memory with a 256-bit wide memory architecture.

As standard the Mac Pro's graphics are powered by an Nvidia GeForce 7300 GT with 256MB of video memory, which provides support for dual-displays and Apple's 30in Cinema HD Display. The ATI Radeon X1900 XT and the NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500, both with 512MB of video memory, are available as build to order options and provide built-in support for up to two 30in Cinema HD screens. The Quadro FX 4500 also includes a stereo 3D port to connect goggles for stereo-in-a-window applications - ideal, Apple says, for the most demanding animation, special effects and scientific visualisation applications. The Mac Pro also has slots for up to four PCI Express graphics cards to drive up to eight displays at once for advanced visualisation

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and large display walls.

However graphics is just one way in which the Mac Pro can be customised. Apple has dropped its traditional approach of selling fixed configurations with just a few options for the customer to specify in favour of a single model with more than 4.9 million possible configurations.

As well as graphics, customisation options include processor speed, up to four hard drives, an additional SuperDrive (CD and DVD burner), WiFi and Bluetooth or a Fibre Channel card.

The Mac Pro's redesigned innards include a new, 'direct attach storage solution' for cable free, snap-in installation of up to four 500GB Serial ATA hard drives. The machine's front panel includes both FireWire 800 and 400 ports and two USB 2.0 ports. Additional FireWire 800 and 400 and three USB 2.0 ports are located at the back, alongside dual Gigabit Ethernet ports, optical digital input and output and analog audio input and output.

With the simultaneous introduction of the new Xeon-powered Xserves, Apple no longer sells any Macs based on Power PC technology.

'Apple has successfully completed the transition to using Intel processors in just seven months - 210 days to be exact,' said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. 'And what better product to complete it with than the new Mac Pro, the workstation Mac users have been dreaming about.'

The Mac Pro includes Mac OS X Tiger 10.4.7 with install and restore CDs, iLife '06 and a wired keyboard and Mighty Mouse. For more information go to apple.com/uk/macpro.

The price depends entirely on the chosen configuration, but as a guide a dual 3GHz model, with 2GB of RAM, a 500GB HDD, SuperDrive, WiFi will cost £2,599 (£2,212 ex. VAT).