SERVER G4s COMING SOON

[mnkeybsness]

just found this while browsing the apple store for school discounts on the new powermac page....i don't think anyone brought this up yet...kind of interesting since they have th Xserve.....???


image location:
http://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Images/promo_server_powermac_step1.gif

[Wes]

Probably just a dual 1.25 ghz with 2gb of ram.

[mnkeybsness]

not bloody likely....

the image location is above the "fastest" powermac (dual 1.25ghz) and says coming soon, with no link to anywhere....it's just an image, nothing more

[Wes]

Bloody likely, I don't think they would release a new dual 1.3 or the like for the server market and not say it's a graphics workstation. Even though the graphic designer would buy them anyway.

[mnkeybsness]

servers have different specs than normal powermacs...besides...if it was "just a dual 1.25 ghz with 2 gb ram," then it would be a "custom built" machine with it's own separate listing...which is already listed on the apple store...it's called "ultimate"

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/91/wo/YgIsY1F2aZNm45Fjss/0.3.0.3.34.37.1.0.1.3.1.3.1.1.0?126,48

so stick that in your pipe and smoke it

[alex_ant]

Apple has always sold Power Mac servers. Well, not at the moment apparently, but they did before the Xserve. This is just the next iteration of them.

[Wes]

Yeah and the powermac servers have always had the same spec except more ram, better networking capabilities and a few other things.

You smoke that.

[Hemingray]

W-_-W is right. The PMG4 servers have never been any better than the regular PMG4's released at the same time. Sorry, but better not get your hopes up. It's nothing special. (Except it's good news for that guy who was whining over at MacNN about no tower servers :rolleyes: )

[rice_web]

Do you think that we'll see Quad-G4s in these? I don't see why not.

While the Xserve holds two processors, a hefty server could fit four quite easily (or so I would imagine).

If a Tower Server held four processors, though, they'd most certainly have to be 7470s with the fastest DDR available to offer enough bandwidth.

[Wes]

Rice_web, Apple will not only make the servers quads, as mentioned before, graphics people will feel left out and a whole new pm would be released which I don't think is going to happen for a while.

[rice_web]

I misunderstood your last post with the "not"s thrown in there. Could you rephrase that for the sake of my stupidity?

[Wes]

Rice_web, Apple will not only make the servers quads, as mentioned before, graphic designers will want the update too, a whole new pm would be released which I don't think is going to happen for a while.

Sorry for the confusion

[alex_ant]

I think what he means to say is... Apple will not make the servers quads. :)

[rice_web]

Well, Quad-G4s would certainly be reason enough for the elaborate cooling system that is in place.

Although, I would expect that the Quad-G4 PowerMac would be a seperate line of G4s, running at roughly 900MHz and 1.16GHz. It would be a completely seperate line-up, and would probably feature MacOS X Server (although they'd probably give the option for both operating systems).

[Wes]

I hope they do, but it think it's unlikely.

[cyberfunk]

I dobut they';ll be coming soon, I just got a letter (email) from Apple telling me my new computer is delayed due to parts shortage for 15 days, and mine's a Dual Ghz standard config, now what the heck is that >????

[MacArtist]

In the past few iterations of the tower servers the only thing that set them appart from the normal towers were OS X Server and a quad ethernet card. Everything else you could get BTO on the regular tower. So I don't expect these to be much different than the current towers.

No Quad G4. No cpu faster than 1.25GHz.

[kungfu]

the coming soon image isn't just on the education store... it's on the consumer store too, check it out here (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/91/wo/rw8452IgjiGlGWzLNE/0.3.0.3.34.37.1.0.1.3.1.3.1.1.0?124,78) .

[Biggles]

Can you use an Xserve just like a normal PowerMac? I mean do u have to connect it to one of those massive racks? Or could u just set it on your desk with a power cord coming out the back?

[Wes]

You can put in on ur desk and use it as well.

[Blackcat]

The G4 Server Tower might use XServe drive modules. That might explain the nasty mirrored drive bay.

[Wes]

Originally posted by Blackcat
The G4 Server Tower might use XServe drive modules. That might explain the nasty mirrored drive bay.

Nasty? I think it looks cool! Too much chrome can look bad but not when apple designs it.

[crazylb1]

Don't diss the new pm's mirrored metal drive bays. I was at my local CompUSA and they had 3 of the new ones on display and they look so much sweeter than their older 3 pm's. It is practically a mirrored surface, its so shiny:p

[Hemingray]

Originally posted by W-_-W


Nasty? I think it looks cool! Too much chrome can look bad but not when apple designs it.

Yeah, until all those greasy thumbprints encircle the power button and headphone jack. :p And somebody sitting to the side of your desk accidentally places a nice huge scratch across it with their watch as they point to something on your monitor. The possibilities are as bad as the iPod (unless you keep the protective plastic on it, that looks SOOOO pretty! ;) )

[Wes]

Too keep it nice and shiny I'll be keeping a box of tissues by my mac, and a chrome repair kit.

[cyberfunk]

I'm so pissed that apple delayed my order for 15 days.. did anyone else have this happen to you ? Apparently it's just custom comps ? the only changes I made for the standard dual Ghz is to drop the modem and drop the superdrive.

[solvs]

Originally posted by Hemingray
(Except it's good news for that guy who was whining over at MacNN about no tower servers :rolleyes: )

Could you believe that was at the top of the MacNN Home Page?

I mean... duh. Apple has always eventually released a server version of the desktop, which is basically just the regular Tower with some added stuff and an unlimited server license. Even if they don't, just buy a Tower, the 10.2 Server OS, more RAM, and another ethernet card. It's never been much of a discount as an Apple package, especially considering the guy who posted that said his clients were gonna buy a SCSI RAID. Just something new to b*tch about I suppose.

Here's the link for anyone who wants to see bad "jounalism" at it's best.

http://www.macnn.com/news.php?id=15934

For that reason, and several others including an inability to post comments using several different computers (some weird problem with the web browser I use) or weird slow downs and crashes, I have deleted them from my Favorites. You can get most of the same stuff from MacCentral and others anyway. I used to love them, but I have found many other sources for "news" about Apple.

This site included (;) nod to ARN).

At least most of the other sites know how to spell, too.

[AmbitiousLemon]

Originally posted by W-_-W
Too keep it nice and shiny I'll be keeping a box of tissues by my mac, and a chrome repair kit.

latex gloves work well.

[whfsdude]

latex is amazing isn't it?

[nickgold]

The desktop servers have had redundant power supplies in the past, and will probably continue to do so, doncha think?

[Jimong5]

"I'm so pissed that apple delayed my order for 15 days.. did anyone else have this happen to you ? Apparently it's just custom comps ? the only changes I made for the standard dual Ghz is to drop the modem and drop the superdrive."

I haven't been notified of any delays With My Dual 867 + super & Radeon 9000, perhaps its the combo drive that is causing the shortage?

[MacMaster]

Originally posted by kungfu
the coming soon image isn't just on the education store... it's on the consumer store too, check it out here (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/91/wo/rw8452IgjiGlGWzLNE/0.3.0.3.34.37.1.0.1.3.1.3.1.1.0?124,78) .
hehe...timed out:p

[Buggy]

I hope no one has already posted this, but I got tired of reading all of the posts in this topic that had nothing to do with a G4 server.

I suspect this may be available to education for small lab situations where there is no rack to mount an X serve.

I suspect that apple heard a few complaints over this. I doubt they want to do this (have a tower server and a u1), but they need ot keep their education customers happy.

[b8rtm8nn]

It's not just education, the pic shows on either site when you are speccing a G4. The tower server is nice for duual optical drives, reduced cost of HDs (since you don't have to buy the cages) and PCI slots. Our purpose for one is a development server before rolling out on the xServe. I usually just put an illegal copy on my development machines since they aren't in production use anyways, why spend $1000 for software just to validate that it works as expected?

[MacMaster]

See...Up near the corner...

[kenohki]

Originally posted by rice_web
Do you think that we'll see Quad-G4s in these? I don't see why not.

While the Xserve holds two processors, a hefty server could fit four quite easily (or so I would imagine).


You can't do quad configurations with the G4 because it's not fully MERSI compliant. Therefore you're limited to duals.

[Wes]

Originally posted by kenohki


You can't do quad configurations with the G4 because it's not fully MERSI compliant. Therefore you're limited to duals.

Can you prove that? I thought it was understood that g4s could be quads... as do most people here

[rice_web]

Apple once made a 16-processor server just to show off the G4s capabilities (I think it was 16). It can certainly work with four G4s, even if it isn't fully MERSI compliant.

[Sun Baked]

The XServe & the Mirror Macs are similar in architecture to each other, but do they differ just a bit.

Mirror Macs

ATA-100
|
UniNorth Controller ---> DDR Memory
|
| <--- 33 MHz/64-bit PCI bus
|
|---> Boot ROM
|---> PCI Slots
|---> Key Largo ---> I/O including (E-IDE to 2 Front Optical Bays) & (U-DMA to 2 HDs)


XServe PCI Different

UniNorth Controller ---> DDR Memory
|
| <--- 66 MHz/64-bit PCI bus
|
|---> Boot ROM
|---> PCI Bridge ---> PCI Slots
|---> PCI Bridge ---> Key Largo ---> I/O incl. (bus to Front Optical Bay)
|---> ATA-100 Interface ---> 2 Apple Drive Modules -- (Four independent
|---> ATA-100 Interface ---> 2 Apple Drive Modules -- master interfaces)

[ryan]

Originally posted by W-_-W


Can you prove that? I thought it was understood that g4s could be quads... as do most people here

What's the point of having quads given that the current Xserve, PM G4's memory/bus architecture can't keep dual processors busy?

[kenohki]

Originally posted by W-_-W


Can you prove that? I thought it was understood that g4s could be quads... as do most people here

Okay I should have been more specific. The 7400 specification specifies the MERSI cache coherency protocol. But the 7450s support only the MESI subset. (Not having the Reserved/Recent state). That makes it inefficient in SMP systems having more than two processors. You can find this information in Motorola's documentation for the 7450 series chips on mot-sps.com.

[gopher]

16? How about project Appleseed? Over 50 G3s and G4s together in a distributive computing network. http://exodus.physics.ucla.edu/appleseed/appleseed.html

[ryan]

Originally posted by gopher
16? How about project Appleseed? Over 50 G3s and G4s together in a distributive computing network. http://exodus.physics.ucla.edu/appleseed/appleseed.html
Distributive computing is ***COMPLETELY*** different from having multiple processors in one box.