Motorola, The G4 and PowerBook Updates

MacRumors · Jun 25, 2003

The Register provides some insight and rumors into upcoming G4 processors from Motorola. According to their article, MPC7457 processors from Motorola are arriving sooner than expected:

While originally slated for Q4 2003, according to Synergy Microsystems (a Motorola customer):

Final 7457 boards will ship in Q3, says Synergy, "when production quantities of the [7457] become available".

The new chip from Motorola (announced in February) increases the L2 cache as well as the L3 cache and provides a max speed of 1.3GHz -- and incorporates a 200MHz frontside bus, allowing for DDR400 support.

The Register expects this chip to be the most likely processor for the upcoming PowerBook.

This is consistent with one unverified rumor that upcoming PowerBooks come in at 1.3GHz.

QuiteSure · Jun 25, 2003

I think the G4 has to have a future for Apple. Apple has to create a computer for the sub-$1000 market, and only the G4 will fit the bill. I see this as excellent news.

MattG · Jun 25, 2003

1.3Ghz with a 200mhz front side bus is plenty, G5 or no G5. I'd be plenty happy with that. Come on Apple, MAKE IT!

Laslo Panaflex · Jun 25, 2003

Sounds pretty likely to me considering the recent comments that the powerbooks won't be seeing a G5 iteration any time soon. A 200mhz frontside bus DDR 400 1.3 gig G4 laptop would be pretty sweet.

Freg3000 · Jun 25, 2003

Well, if Joswiak says that we won't see a G5 in the PowerBook soon, I guess this is the next best thing.

I really hope Apple has two competing chip makers in the future.

Eric_Z · Jun 25, 2003

and provides a max speed of 1.3GHz

For the MPC7457 not the XPC7457...

alia · Jun 25, 2003

If that's the case, I won't feel quite so bad about not getting a powerbook with a G5. I don't know if I can actually wait that long.

I've been waiting to switch for 6 months.

Alia

wondermite · Jun 25, 2003

15" PB update: NOT

Apple will NOT update the 15" to a faster CPU than the 17". They have never done that, never will.

*The 15" will be updated when the rest of the line is updated in late Q3.* Get used to it. Meanwhile, I'm using my crappy paint-peeling slow-arse G4/550.

tjwett · Jun 25, 2003

Personally I think the G4 is a mule and always will be. I'd much rather see the portables switch to G3 across the board. The iBooks could use the standard and the PowerBooks could use the Gobi or whatever the one is that has AltiVec tacked on. If it would help on the heat issue I think it'd be great. Hell, they could even call it a G4, I won't tell anyone.

DanUk2003 · Jun 25, 2003

WE WANT G5 POWERBOOKS!!!!

FOR GOODNESS SAKE!!!

Sorry.... rant over with, but for crying out loud, PowerBook's are PRO models - so let's give them G5's, and FINALLY make the iBook's G4.

dswoodley · Jun 25, 2003

Re: 15" PB update: NOT

Originally posted by wondermite
Apple will NOT update the 15" to a faster CPU than the 17". They have never done that, never will.

*The 15" will be updated when the rest of the line is updated in late Q3.* Get used to it. Meanwhile, I'm using my crappy paint-peeling slow-arse G4/550.

yes, this true...but only because the 17" is brand new

wondermite · Jun 25, 2003

Re: Re: 15" PB update: NOT

Originally posted by dswoodley
yes, this true...but only because the 17" is brand new

I meant "never upgraded the middle of a line to be better than the high end of the line. In other words, 15" PBs will never be the top of the PB line, unless the 17" is dropped.

beefcake · Jun 25, 2003

If the new 1.3 Ghz PB's are available before August, I'll buy one.

encro · Jun 25, 2003

No, keep the iBooks with a G3.
Just add Altivec in with the Gobi's.

G4's are terrible processors. I own one. The only benefit that the G4 had over G3 was AltiVec.

mymemory · Jun 25, 2003

Originally posted by tjwett
Personally I think the G4 is a mule and always will be.

No wonder I exchange my Dual 500 for a Powerbook G3 500, if I'm gonna run slow at list let me enjoy some portability.

QCassidy352 · Jun 25, 2003

Originally posted by encro
No, keep the iBooks with a G3.
Just add Altivec in with the Gobi's.

G4's are terrible processors. I own one. The only benefit that the G4 had over G3 was AltiVec.

quite right! And the Gobi G3s are rumored to debut at 1.2 Ghz, and be able to hit 2 Ghz. I bet we would have seen them in ibooks by now if not for the incredibly slow progress on the G4 powerbook processors.

aaronvegh · Jun 25, 2003

G4 is what???

Originally posted by encro
No, keep the iBooks with a G3.
Just add Altivec in with the Gobi's.

G4's are terrible processors. I own one. The only benefit that the G4 had over G3 was AltiVec.

What's with the G4 dissin'? This is the first time ever I've heard anyone badmouth the G4. And now twice on this page?!

Can someone explain what's wrong with the G4? And what makes the Gobi a superior processor?

richard5mith · Jun 25, 2003

Originally posted by DanUk2003
Sorry.... rant over with, but for crying out loud, PowerBook's are PRO models - so let's give them G5's, and FINALLY make the iBook's G4.

Do you not think Apple would put the G5's in there if they could?

The new Power Mac has NINE fans in it, that thing is giving off so much heat. They have to have a cheese grater front and back to get the air to flow through it adequately.

Therefore putting it in a one inch thick case is not exactly something that is just going to happen overnight. These things take engineering time and money, and they haven't even got the new Power Mac's shipping yet. Unless of course you want red hot laptop for dinner.

And yes yes, you can talk about supposed 1.4Ghz G5's all you want, but the G5 hasn't been designed as a laptop chip and therefore I doubt even that model comes anywhere near the 16.6W the new G4 comes in at (especially when the 1.8 G5 comes in at 42W).

You should just be thankful they don't have to totally cripple the G4 to make it work in a laptop, unlike the PC side of things where the laptops are always slower than identical Mhz desktops. It's one of the reasons Mac laptops sell so well, the speed difference between them and PC laptops isn't really there.

There's nothing wrong with the G4, I have a 667Mhz Powerbook that is serving me fine. And it should serve me even better once Panther is on there if reports of it's increased speed are any indication.

(of course, it'll run better on my G5 tower when I get that in August...

)

hvfsl · Jun 25, 2003

I am expecting 1.1Ghz and 1.3Ghz G4 Powerbooks soon then (before the end of July). I hope they use ATI's Radeon 9600M instead of the slow Nvidia Geforce 4Go. I am looking to get a new Powerbook and since it looks like there will be no G5 Powerbooks for a while a new G4 will have to do.

tpjunkie · Jun 25, 2003

What's with the G4 dissin'? This is the first time ever I've heard anyone badmouth the G4. And now twice on this page?!

Where have you been while moto's been NOT developing the G4? THe G4's been getting ripped on for quite some time...at least once it became apparent that the 970 was coming

moosecat · Jun 25, 2003

Originally posted by hvfsl
I am expecting 1.1Ghz and 1.3Ghz G4 Powerbooks soon then (before the end of July).

Why do you think they'll ship by then? The chips aren't even shipping until "Q3" (which could mean anything from July to September), and surely they need at least a few weeks to put the machines on shelves. I took this news bit as BAD news for quick PowerBook updates.

This is really important to me -- if it's going not going to be until August or September, I'm going to give in to the little devil on my shoulder and buy a 12". If it's going to be July, I'll surrender to the little angel on my shoulder and wait it out.

MattG · Jun 25, 2003

Originally posted by richard5mith
Do you not think Apple would put the G5's in there if they could?

The new Power Mac has NINE fans in it, that thing is giving off so much heat. They have to have a cheese grater front and back to get the air to flow through it adequately.

Yeah, but don't forget that the 9-fan cooling system has to cool Dual 2-ghz processors, a hard drive (two hard drives in some systems) that spins at 7200 RPM (faster than the hard drives in the notebooks and puts off more heat), PCI devices, a huge graphics card (I *know* those put off heat), etc. etc.

Steamboatwillie · Jun 25, 2003

Gee-whats-this-4

What a painful time. The Current G4's got slower, the faster G5's aren't available, the G3 is still the G3 and any sane person would hold on to thier money until the storm settles! Not that any of the current line wouldn't serve you well it's just that it seems like, all of a sudden, whatever you buy today will be "That 'ol piece of crap" in a few months. This has always been somewhat of a truth but now it seems clearly laid out. By the time the G5's are shipping what will be released that is due to ship in the following months? I'm excited as the rest of you but I feel like my head is spinning! I bought a dual 1.25 w/1mb cache in February and the machine runs like a champ. Now, four months later, the better 2mb cache version is $400 less and a base G5 is the same price. I don't feel ripped 'cause the box is champ and I totally love it. I guess I just wish there was some sort of upgrade or trade in path. Apple would get more money from me more often if there was. Sorry about the rant. That being said I guess the news of the new G4's pretty much means nothing to me.

tjwett · Jun 25, 2003

Re: G4 is what???

Originally posted by aaronvegh
What's with the G4 dissin'? This is the first time ever I've heard anyone badmouth the G4. And now twice on this page?!

Can someone explain what's wrong with the G4? And what makes the Gobi a superior processor?

the G4 is HOT for one thing, power hungry, and obviously not very scalable. it's a dead horse, let's not keep beating it.
Go G3!!!

MattG · Jun 25, 2003

I guess I just wish there was some sort of upgrade or trade in path.

I agree. As a 1+ year Mac user, that's probably the thing that frustrates me the most (well, that and the lack of an eject button on the CD-ROM drives, but that's a whole other thread). I buy something, and then six months later it's obsolete, and there's NOTHING I can do to it. At least with my PC, I can rip out the processor and stick a new one in there.

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