After letting its top-end professional line of computers and displays languish without significant upgrades for nearly two years, Apple today announced revised Mac Pro workstations and an accompanying 27" LED Cinema Display. The new Mac Pros can be fitted with up to 12 Xeon processing cores in a dual-CPU configuration, up to 4 512GB SSD drives, and almost-top-end ATI Radeon GPUs. All that graphics power can be pushed to the new 27" LED Cinema Display with its 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution.

The new Mac Pros still retain the same case as the previous models—though the design dates back to the Power Mac G5, Apple seems loath to update the look—but are available with Intel Xeons inside, including the latest 32nm 6-core Westmere-EP variants.

The low-end model comes with a single 2.8GHz quad-core Xeon W3530 processor with 8MB of L2 cache. Build-to-order options include a 3.2GHz quad-core Xeon W3565 with 8MB L2 (these 3500-series are 45nm Bloomfield variants), with a top-end option of a 3.33GHz 6-core Xeon W3680 with 12MB of L2—this one being a 32nm Westmere. Stock RAM is 3GB of 1066MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM, and single-CPU models max out at 16GB.

The high-end model comes with dual 2.4GHz quad-core Xeon E5620 processors with 12MB L2 cache to start, but can be built to order with dual 2.66GHz 6-core Xeon X5650 or dual 2.93GHz 6-core Xeon X5670 CPUs, all with 12MB L2 cache; all these processor options are 32nm Westmeres. Stock RAM is 6GB of 1066MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM, and can be outfitted up to a full 32GB.

All models share the same GPU, storage, and connectivity options, and come equipped with an ATI Radeon HD 5770 with 1GB of GDDR5 memory, two Mini DisplayPorts and one dual-link DVI port; a 1TB 7200 RPM SATA hard drive; an 18x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW); four PCI Express 2.0 slots; five USB 2.0 ports; four FireWire 800 ports; two Gigabit Ethernet ports; AirPort Extreme 802.11n WiFi; Bluetooth 2.1+EDR; optical digital audio input and output TOSLINK ports; and analog stereo line-level input and output minijacks.

Build-to-order options include two ATI Radeon HD 5770 cards with 1GB of GDDR5 memory; one ATI Radeon HD 5870 card with 1GB of GDDR5 memory; up to four 512GB solid state drives or up to four 1TB or 2TB SATA hard drives; a Mac Pro RAID card; dual-channel or quad-channel 4Gb Fibre Channel card; and up to two 18x SuperDrives. For input, each Mac Pro is supplied with an Apple Keyboard with numerical keypad and a wireless Magic Mouse, but options include the new Magic Trackpad—capable of multitouch gestures, a wired Apple Mouse, and the wireless Apple Keyboard.

The long-anticipated 27" LED Cinema Display is exactly what was expected. Just like its smaller 24" sibling, it comes complete with built-in iSight, microphone, stereo speakers, 3 USB 2.0 ports, and MagSafe power port for powering MacBooks and MacBook Pros. It also connects using Mini DisplayPort. However, the new model uses the same 27" LED-backlit IPS LCD panel as the 27" iMac, offering 2560 x 1440 resolution.

UPDATE: We just heard back from Apple, and have some additional details to share about the LED Cinema Display update. The current 24" LED Cinema Display has been discounted $100 down to $799, and will be available while supplies last. The aging 30" Cinema Display is also available at its current price while supplies last. Reading between the lines, the 27" LED Cinema Display will be Apple's only external display option going forward from September.

Since it will be the only display (and a pricy one at that), Apple has tweaked a few details for the 27" LED Cinema Display. The cable is 6" longer than the cable on the 24" model, which should make it easier to connect to a Mac Pro stowed underneath a desk. Apple also beefed up the built-in audio output from 12W to a total output of 49W, making it a much better option for listing to music or even watching HD movies.

In announcing its new kit, Apple extolled the environmental benefits of the easily recyclable aluminum enclosures as well as the arsenic-free glass and mercury-free LED backlighting in the LED Cinema Display. Both the Mac Pro and 27" LED Cinema Display are BFR and PVC free, and both products meet Energy Star 5.0 requirements and are EPEAT Gold-rated.

Apple expects the new Mac Pros to be available in August, and they are not currently available to order. However, a single-CPU, quad-core Mac Pro will start at $2,499, while 8-core machines start at $3,499. If you want dodecacore Mac Pro, though, you'll have to loosen the purse strings and dig deep; 12-core models start at $4,999. Those wanting to pair their new Mac Pro with a new 27" LED Cinema Display will have to wait another month, however. Apple says the new displays will be available in September for $999.