Intel is presenting is new Nehalem-EX CPU with 8-core and 16-threads.
It’s really likely that we will see it on refreshed Mac Pro line up, with 8-core 16-thread mono-cpu basic system, and 2-cpu 16-core 32threads system on custom design (as well as 6-core 12-threads or 4-core 8-thread entry-level customized Mac Pro).
Hope to see it fast 
Here in canada, we saw the first bunch of iMac Core i5 and Core i7 on the Applestore Refurb, with iMac Core i7 at 1949$, 370$ less, a good deal
And at least it is a proof that Apple delivers them, finally!!!
I just compiled results of Core i3 to Core i7 Mobile GPU, with Geekbench benchmark, comparing them to actual flagship of the Mac laptop, Core2 Duo T9600 2×2.8Ghz (2 threads). And results are astonishing!
The graphic just to have an overview on 32bits (blue) and 64bits (green) :
Core i3 Mobile
The Core i3 mobile cpu is available in 2×2.13Ghz and 2×2.26Ghz, with 2 physical cores and 4 threads (hyper-threading) but only 3MB cache. They offers approximately the performance of Core2 Duo 2×2.53Ghz and 2×2.66 Ghz respectively, that is speed of mainstream actual MacBook Pro in 13″ and 15″, at the entry-level of the new Mobile lineup!
Core i5 Mobile
The Core i5 mobile cpu is available in 2×2.26, 2×2.4Ghz and 2×2.53Ghz, with 2 physical cores and 4 threads (hyper-threading) with 3MB cache as Core i3, but they add Intel Turbo-Boost technology, with respectively 2×2.53, 2×2.93 and 2×3.06Ghz. Latest model (Core i5 540M 2×2.53 to 2×3.06Ghz) have not been tested on Geekbench, so there’s no result at this time.
Turbo-boost enable the entry-level Core i5 Mobile processor to largely outperform the Core i3 Mobile of same frequency, offering performance between actual Core2 Duo 2×2.8Ghz and 2×3.06Ghz! First Core i5 Mobile equal the best Core2 Duo Mobile CPU, at only 2×2.26Ghz so needless to say, Core i5 is the way to go, if possible to upgrade your laptop.
2×2.4Ghz with Turbo-boost up to 2×2.93Ghz just outperforms any existing Mobile Mac CPU…
Core i7 Mobile
The Core i7 Mobile CPU will be available on 2×2.66Ghz on Mac laptops with 2×3.33Ghz Turbo-boost, as other Core i mobile cpu, it integrates 2 physical cores and 4 threads with hyper-threading, it have the more impressive Turbo-boost, and sports 4MB cache instead 3MB.
This is a real fast processor with 4900 GeekBench score on 32bits and 5500 on 64bits, offering a 12% boost on 64bits due to it’s larger cache, and 20% faster than 2×3.06Ghz Core2 Duo Mobile.
Which one of these you will find on February 16th, 2010 MacBook Pro?
The early-2010 MacBook Pro lineup is expected this next tuesday, and we won’t be sure of which one will sport which processor, but some choices are obvious:
MacBook Pro 13″ will be offered with Core i3 Mobile processor in 2×1.13 and 2×2.26Ghz, offering same cpu performance-level of actual MacBook Pro 15″ 2.53Ghz and 2.66Ghz. For thermal reason we might not see the Core i5 on 13″ MacBook Pro.
MacBook Pro 15″ will sport the Core i5 processor at 2.26Ghz, 2.4Ghz and 2.53Ghz, offering performance level on a par with 2×3.06Ghz actual customized MacBook Pro, and over! Core i7 maybe offered as a custom option.
MacBook Pro 17″ will probably sports Core i5 2.53Ghz and Core i7 2.66Ghz as custom option, maybe 2.8Ghz if Apple overclock the Core i7 as it did for some previous generations. The 17″ will probably offers 4 DDR3 DIMM support to be upgradeable up to 16GB DDR3 RAM!
Depending on the configuration the CPU performance-level will increase from 10% to 25%, for same price-level… Considering Apple pricing, it’s a gift of $200 to $300! So wait until tuesday to discover the new Mac lineup, and probably new ATI Radeon Mobile GPU too
A last word: with these dual-core 4-threads cpu, the MacBook Pro will reach the performance-level of original Mac Pro, sporting 2 dual-core server-grade CPU! And I find it exciting!
There’s a faked GeekBench score of 5260 for an hypothetical MacBook Pro 6,1 with Core i7 620M. The CPU might be a Core i7-620M Mobile, dual-core 2×2.66Ghz with Turbo-boot up to 2×3.33Ghz, and hyperthreading. Some draw conclusions that new MacBook Pro will have Core i7 620M CPU, but they are missing something…
The Geekbench 32bits score associated with this hypothetical MacBook Pro 6,1, equipped woth Core i7-620M Mobile processor is strangely high: it’s 10% over other Geekbench 32bits scores of the same processor under Windows. On other CPU, scores tends to be similar between Mac OS X and Windows, and somewhat even better on Windows computers!
So this might be a prototype of Apple, but it’s more likely an overclocked laptop PC with Mac OS X installed (a hackintosh), as the Mac OS X distro is a current one, and not an internal Mac OS X version, as it is usually the case with new Apple products.
Also notice that the 10.6.2 doesn’t support the GMA HD integrated with new Core ix Mobile CPU, so it’s unlikely that this “MacBook Pro 6,1″ is an Apple product. But Apple will probably unveil new MacBook Pro unibody lineup within Q1′2010 anyway with Core ix CPU.
Some people are talking about Mac Mini Server as being a Lightweight server, not really able to host real website with traffic.
I am currently CTO of a web startup company and our main website is on LAMP (Linux+Apache+MySQL+PHP) technology. Our web servers are 1500$ boxes (we bought them 3 years ago), Core2 Duo 2×1.86Ghz or 2×2.4Ghz, 2GB RAM, 160GB SATA hard-drive : less powerfull than a Mac Mini Server. Even our dedicated MySQL server might be hosted on a Mac Mini Server.
Our web servers stack
Each of these Web Server have an average 1.5 millions unique visitors per month, so there’s up to 65 000 unique visitors per day, on boxes that are slower than a Mac Mini, occupying each one 6X the space used by a Mac Mini Server, and consuming 3X the power of a Mac Mini (350W vs. 110W).
The dedicated MySQL server of the whole structure serves the DB Queries for 7.5 millions visitors per months, up to 325 000 unique visitors per day, it occupy 6X the space needed for a Mac Mini Server and 4.5X the power consumption (500W vs 110W).
Not only Mac Mini Server may be a good fit for real-world web servers, but it’s less expensive in any way, more reliable (with RAID-1 2×500GB hard-drive instead single 160GB drive), and consume less power.
The benefits to switch to Mac Mini Server should not be overlooked:
So, for a 7.5 millions unique visitors per month, with up to 3600 Mb/s Internet throuput, Mac Mini Server might be a real-world solution that will save us money from day 1, while performing better and more reliably than our 1U server boxes!
Yes, the Mac Mini Server is not so lightweight than you may think, and as a Web Startup CTO that count it’s budget each month have to provide quality of service to millions web users, I think it will be a great server for our needs!
PS: In fact we could replace these 6 boxes by 5 entry-level Mac Mini + 1 Mac Mini Server with RAID-1 hard-drives, it’s a bargain, we will save 2500$ ( 5×599$ + 999$ instead 5×1000$ + 1500$)!