10-09-2009, 09:41 PM
JoeH wrote:
As for the Mac Pro itself, its heat output can easily match or exceed that of a G5, depends entirely on its configuration. The maximum current draw listed for a Mac Pro 8-core is 12 A at 115 V, which exceeds that of the last generation G5 with a maximum draw of 10 A. Main difference is that the newer machine has twice as many processing cores and still has greater capacity for drives and higher power usage video cards.
Power numbers
Mac Pro (Early 2008) - 8 core: 318W max
Power Mac G5 Dual 2 GHz: 604W max
It's not just about energy draw, it's about heat output.
Mac Pro (Early 2008) - 8 core - min: 528 BTU/h max: 1085 BTU/h
Power Mac G5 Dual 2 GHz - min: 410 BTU/h max: 2060 BTU/h
I picked the two machines out of the group that use the most power. The dual dual core G5 actually was a little lower. The G5s run hotter in almost all circumstances, that's why some of them had to be liquid cooled.
The main difference is that the G5's run about 65°C at idle, and the Xeons run about 30° at idle.