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howard

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Nov 18, 2002
2,017
4
sorry if this has been brought up already, i couldn't find it though so anyway...

you think with a 17 inch powerbook they could have enough room to put 2 processors in there...what do you think? imagine how much booty that would kick, most pc laptops run at the same speed as desktops, i saw an alienware laptop with that 3ghz hyperthreading processor that just came out. now maybe apple can get their laptop line up closer to their desktop line.
 

MrMacMan

macrumors 604
Jul 4, 2001
7,002
11
1 Block away from NYC.
Re: dual processor powerbooks?

Originally posted by howard
sorry if this has been brought up already, i couldn't find it though so anyway...

you think with a 17 inch powerbook they could have enough room to put 2 processors in there...what do you think? imagine how much booty that would kick, most pc laptops run at the same speed as desktops, i saw an alienware laptop with that 3ghz hyperthreading processor that just came out. now maybe apple can get their laptop line up closer to their desktop line.

Can you say hot hot hot? I mean besides for heat the power on the thing, probably no battery life what-so ever.

Inless Apple creates a super battery, no.
 

WannabeSQ

macrumors 6502
Oct 24, 2002
361
0
That alienware is hardly a laptop, a better description would be small computer with intetgrated mouse keyboard and monitor. It doesn't even have a battery. It is freakin huge, like 2 inches thick or more, and costs a fortune (though not as much as the 17" PBook)

I think making the 17 a true desktop replacement would make dual processors a necessity. Imagine the bragging rights. I imagine they could put in some code to turn off one CPU for battery saving needs. I wouldn't buy one, but plenty of video editing people would (they are already getting the 17" now)
 

rainman::|:|

macrumors 603
Feb 2, 2002
5,438
2
iowa
it would get HOT beyond your wildest imagination. Go look at the blowers required for the Xserve, or Powermac. it's an engineering marvel that they can keep 1 G4 cool, let alone two... you'd have to rest your laptop on an icepack just to keep internal components from mellting, and even then your processors would STILL fry.

sorry, the Tibooks are maxed out for now. Maybe the next chip will have a lot less heat, then it might be possible... but then it won't be necessary anway :)

pnw
 

Over Achiever

macrumors 68000
One reason apple made their desktops dual processors is because the desktops are falling way behind on speed. With duals, they can boast higher gigaflops, and not worry about power consumption or heat.

Apple is doing fine in laptops, and they're speeds are quite comparable. Even tho' the 17" is big, and might be able to hold two processors, that would cut the battery life in half. Unless Apple finds a way to have 8-10 hour battery life on the 17" Alubook, Apple isn't going to market a laptop that can only last "up to 2-3 hours". Because that would mean 1-2 hours real life...and many disappointments.

But many are thinking with the release of the IBM chip, that apple will go dual...we'll see.

I doubt it tho...but my next laptop in a couple of years might have dual processors...we'll see in a couple of years.
 

RBMaraman

macrumors 65816
Jul 25, 2002
1,228
39
New Albany, IN
I think when the 970 comes out, we are going to see Apple moving completely away from dual processor systems.

People complain about the prices of dual machines now. We know that the 970 is going to be an expensive chip. I don't think anyone's going to pay $4500 or more for a dual processor 970 desktop.
 

jefhatfield

Retired
Jul 9, 2000
8,803
0
Re: Re: dual processor powerbooks?

Originally posted by MrMacman


Can you say hot hot hot? I mean besides for heat the power on the thing, probably no battery life what-so ever.

Inless Apple creates a super battery, no.

growing lithium polymer technology and/or .11 or .09 micron chip fabrication will handle battery problems in the future

as far as heat, macworld magazine's latest review on the 1 ghz tibook seems to think it is cooler

the issue of dual tibooks has come up a lot and it will stop being on these rumor boards when apple does something about it

a smaller, cheaper, lighter powerbook and a sub-$1000 ibook have also been issues until apple came out with those

and on the desktop front, flat panel and/or g4 imacs have been here in endless speculation and rumors before it came out...all at once to our delight

along with the dualie tibooks/albooks, a g4 ibook would also be nice and it seems will eventually have to come out in one way or another
 

Wano

macrumors 6502
Oct 23, 2002
487
0
I saw on Macosrumors.com that there will be a dual processor poewrbook by the second half of the year.
 

ryan

macrumors 6502
May 17, 2002
283
0
Denver, CO
Re: Re: dual processor powerbooks?

Originally posted by MrMacman


Can you say hot hot hot? I mean besides for heat the power on the thing, probably no battery life what-so ever.

Inless Apple creates a super battery, no.
To get around the heat/battery issues Apple could allow only one processor to be active when the machine wasn't plugged in.
 

jefhatfield

Retired
Jul 9, 2000
8,803
0
Re: Re: Re: dual processor powerbooks?

Originally posted by ryan

To get around the heat/battery issues Apple could allow only one processor to be active when the machine wasn't plugged in.

since dual processor desktops rarely use the second processor anyway in most uses, shutting off the second processor while on laptop battery is a good workaround

of course, some pcs lower the clock speed of the one processor it is running while on battery
 

Nipsy

macrumors 65816
Jan 19, 2002
1,009
0
Originally posted by Wano
I saw on Macosrumors.com that there will be a dual processor poewrbook by the second half of the year.

I saw on Macrumors.com that Elvis used a Quad Processor Powerbook to kill Kennedy just before he was abducted by aliens who reshaped him into a two headed lizard baby.
 

janey

macrumors 603
Dec 20, 2002
5,316
0
sunny los angeles
Originally posted by Nipsy


I saw on Macrumors.com that Elvis used a Quad Processor Powerbook to kill Kennedy just before he was abducted by aliens who reshaped him into a two headed lizard baby.

Are you serious? I thought it was Bill Gates and a four headed gorilla.
 

GeneR

macrumors 6502a
Jan 2, 2003
708
0
The land of delusions, CA.
Hmmm. So much heat from a dual PB= sterilized user?

I'm sure it's pretty dumb, with this all that heat down there resting on my lap in close proximity to certain anatomical features, I'd figure that I would just have to scratch the idea of ever having children if I had one of those things...

:D
 

law guy

macrumors 6502a
Jan 17, 2003
997
0
Western Massachusetts
Laptop burns we-wha

Originally posted by GeneR
I'm sure it's pretty dumb, with this all that heat down there resting on my lap in close proximity to certain anatomical features, I'd figure that I would just have to scratch the idea of ever having children if I had one of those things...

:D

It has happend - see story "Man Burns ***** with Laptop" below:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/28245.html

I originally read this on CNN, but a Google search shows the title of the article, the link is no longer there. Anatomy terms must make them fidgit.
 

Sun Baked

macrumors G5
May 19, 2002
14,937
157
A dual G4 laptop might be pushing the tolerable heat limits for your body, but buying a dual Pentium laptop and you might as well change your name to Mr. Peter Burns.
 

GeneR

macrumors 6502a
Jan 2, 2003
708
0
The land of delusions, CA.
Wow. I'm squirming already...

Thanks for the, uh, head's up about the laptop situation. I'm sure we're going to hear a lot more about laptop stories like this in the future (hopefully not involving Apple PBs). However, in the meantime, I guess wearing an oven apron while using your laptop wouldn't be such a bad idea. Posterity will LITERALLY thank you for it...

:D
 

jefhatfield

Retired
Jul 9, 2000
8,803
0
Re: Laptop burns we-wha

Originally posted by law guy


It has happend - see story "Man Burns ***** with Laptop" below:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/28245.html

I originally read this on CNN, but a Google search shows the title of the article, the link is no longer there. Anatomy terms must make them fidgit.

the peanut is a very sensitive area of the middle east, and if it is subjected to a superhot tibook, one must withdraw the saugage appendage from the hot laptop...or vice versa:p


...it is only common sense
 
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