Intel Core i9 Processors Coming to Mac Pro? [Intel Gulftown Processor Rumored for Q1 2010 Mac Refresh]

Just yesterday I was telling you how I’m really interested in the future Core i9 processors from Intel and today I hear that Apple’s future Mac Pro line might get them as soon as Q1 2010.

In other words folks, if you plan on buying a new Mac Pro in the following days or just before Christmas then hold your thoughts. There’s no point doing that now only to be pissed off about it in a few months. If the rumors turn out to be true then you should definitely want to wait for a Mac Pro with Intel’s Core i9 processor on board.

Dubbed as Gulftown, Intel’s six-core processor has been briefly tested by Polish website PCLab. Although not official, testing has shown “strong increases in performance for the chip” according to AppleInsider. The results aren’t available anymore as Intel has requested to be taken down for the time being.

The tests showed what you’re naturally expecting. The Gulftown processors are faster and use less power than the previous-gen quad-core Xenon processors. If you want specific numbers then how does 50% faster and 50% less power sound like?

The chip is expected to arrive in the future Mac Pro refresh which is bound to happen in the first quarter of next year. The Core i9 chip is Intel’s first six-core dual-socket processor and it features 12MB of L3 cache. Apple seems to have a short-term exclusive on the i9 processors so we’re definitely waiting for the refresh to see what those new Macs can do.

As a side note, rumor has It that the new Mac Pro line comes with a new motherboard too. Features like 10Gbit/second Ethernet port, support for 8GB and 16GB RAM modules for a maximum of 128GB of RAM could really turn your Mac into a powerful machine ready to handle all your computing needs. So what do you say folks? Interested in the new Mac Pro line already?