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iMac -- Why no increase in system bus speed?

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dolstein

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 9, 2002
10
0
The iMac's system bus speed has been stuck at 100mHz for nearly two years. I suppose it won't get bumped up to 133mHz until after the system bus speed for the PowerMac line gets an increase.

How difficult would it be for Apple to increase the bus speed of the iMac? Would they have to redesign the motherboard? And is an L3 cache completely out of the question?

Does anybody think there's a chance will see an iMac with a 1gHz processor and 133mHz system bus at MWSF?

On edit: actually, I think it's been MORE than two years since the last increase in system bus speed. I think the original iMac had a 66mHz system bus, which was bumped up to 100mHz when the slot-loading drive iMac was introduced in late 1999.
 
I

iH8Quark

macrumors 6502
Jan 17, 2002
344
0
Big Shoulders
RE: Why no increase

because then they couldn't overcharge you for old technology.

It would probably cost a jumbo amount to add faster bus and L3 cache. Their chance to change all of that was when they designed the new iMac the first time.
 
D

dolstein

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 9, 2002
10
0
There are plenty of other things that differentiate PowerMacs from iMacs. PowerMacs are expandable and, except for some overlap between the hi-end iMacs and low-end PowerMacs, have faster processors and better graphics chips. You also have more flexible display options with the PowerMac.

I believe there may have been a brief period of time when both the iMacs and the PowerMacs had the same bus speed. But I suspect that the iMacs won't get a bump until the PowerMacs do. I still think two and a half years is a VERY long time to go without a bump in the system bus speed.
 
jefhatfield

jefhatfield

Retired
Jul 9, 2000
8,803
0
Re: iMac -- Why no increase in system bus speed?

Originally posted by dolstein
The iMac's system bus speed has been stuck at 100mHz for nearly two years. I suppose it won't get bumped up to 133mHz until after the system bus speed for the PowerMac line gets an increase.

How difficult would it be for Apple to increase the bus speed of the iMac? Would they have to redesign the motherboard? And is an L3 cache completely out of the question?

Does anybody think there's a chance will see an iMac with a 1gHz processor and 133mHz system bus at MWSF?

On edit: actually, I think it's been MORE than two years since the last increase in system bus speed. I think the original iMac had a 66mHz system bus, which was bumped up to 100mHz when the slot-loading drive iMac was introduced in late 1999.
Click to expand...

i think the bus speed will go up by mwsf and 1 ghz will happen

i am ok with apple's consumer offerings with a 17" inch lcd imac on the desktop end and an ibook as low as $1199

but the pro users have to get much faster processors (1.2-1.5 ghz with dual options) and it would be nice if tibook was 1 ghz already

right now, for pro end stuff, the pc looks to have the better value...that is until mac starts making headway for ddr ram and an honest attempt towards 2 ghz over next year or less

i know that sounds optimistic, but i do fully expect the ddr ram and faster bus by january
 
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