667Mhz dicontinued?

[rickag]

http://www.macuser.co.uk/macsurfer/p...le.php3?id=975

MacUser claims the 667 MHz model is no longer in production.

'When you're manufacturing microprocessors, you clock up the speed as high as you can get it,' said a source close to the AIM (Apple, IBM, Motorola) alliance. 'If they're getting high yields of the 733MHz chip, they won't be producing quantities of the 667MHz one.'

"high yields of the 733MHz chip" - Could it be that higher clocked chips are really around the corner? If so, I wonder what the low end tower configuration will be? Would they upgrade the low end tower's graphics card to the Radeon or Geforce?

[Jahy]

If this is true, it would be great. My brother is going to get a new computer for college (he's going to be a freshman) and he would love the expanded capabilities.

[ebeitzuri]

My suspicion is that most folks were opting for the dual processor 533 over the single processor 667. The 667 is a 'nowhere' product. Kinda like the cube.

[arn]

As processor speeds continue to rise, the gap between models need to be greater...

350, 400, 450 mhz models are ok

but

1050, 1100, 1150 mhz is silly.

arn

[OreoCookie]

Apple is facing serious problems here, as far as the strategy is concerned. The 7450 aka G4+ is produced in volume, so that Apple will offer dual-configurations for larger G4s real soon. The performance gain when using say an 800 or 866 is comparatively small, but these chips are not available in such a volume that dual configurations may be offered without Apple struggling to get enough of these chips at hand.
Thus, I assume, it makes more sense that dual configurations of the current G4 733 and 667 will be offered than offering single 866. They should come later, when dual configurations (or even quad configs) can be sold.

[rickag]

The Apple Store no longer lists the G4 667MHz tower.

Possible reasons could be
1. Margins on 667MHz machine lower than the 733MHz
machine and availability constricted, so dump the lower
model.
I don't like this reason.

2. Yields on the G4 7450 chip are exceeding expectations
and Apple is or has been receiving higher clocked chips
Apple is or has been manufacturing G4 Towers with these
faster chips(800, 866, 933MHz????) and will be
introducing them shortly
I really like this reason.

Hopefully, Apple will be introducing faster machines shortly and then @ MacWorld July adding a faster motherboard.

I only need to save up another $220 to reach $1699. Let's see @ $10/week that works out to August/September. Heck, while I'm dreaming, might as well hope Apple drops the price of the low end tower to $1599.

1) the low-end model will probably receive the GeForce2
2)top-of-the-line might get radeon but i doubt that
3)about ram and logicboard design, some company, i can't remember which, has almost finished developing QDR (Quadruple Data Rate) so i doubt DDR (Double Data Rate) will be much heralded.
4)recently, AGP 8X wuz introduced and is an option on PCs. it probably won't come to us mac users for a while but i say, who needs it? macs have alwayz had better graphics even without graphics cards than pcs for years. why bother about it now?
5)Apple just want's to make it seen like they are putting out faster comps in a shorter time than b4. i remember when advances in clock speed were every 50Mhz and now they're every 33. also the numberz remind me of PCs.
6) the introduction of the G4 not long after the G3, and the rumors of a G5 coming out soon also are PC-esque (P, P-Pro, P-II, P-III, P-IV, and rumored P-V)

[LiamLunchTray]

The reason that speeds increase in 33mhz increments is the bus speed. The new G4's have 133mhz bus' and the older ones had 100mhz bus'. Depending on how the bus multipliers work out you can sometimes end up with round numbers with an od numbered bus (IE My beige G3 with a 66mhz BUS is currently set to 400mhz processor speed)
Liam

Originally posted by Jade90Dragon
1) the low-end model will probably receive the GeForce2
2)top-of-the-line might get radeon but i doubt that
3)about ram and logicboard design, some company, i can't remember which, has almost finished developing QDR (Quadruple Data Rate) so i doubt DDR (Double Data Rate) will be much heralded.
4)recently, AGP 8X wuz introduced and is an option on PCs. it probably won't come to us mac users for a while but i say, who needs it? macs have alwayz had better graphics even without graphics cards than pcs for years. why bother about it now?
5)Apple just want's to make it seen like they are putting out faster comps in a shorter time than b4. i remember when advances in clock speed were every 50Mhz and now they're every 33. also the numberz remind me of PCs.
6) the introduction of the G4 not long after the G3, and the rumors of a G5 coming out soon also are PC-esque (P, P-Pro, P-II, P-III, P-IV, and rumored P-V)

[macboy]

There was a news article sent to my email about this not long ago. I believe that Apple said that they are pulling the 667Mhz PowerMac to make way for a Dual Processor 667Mhz PowerMac.


MacBoy

[rickag]

macboy
...pulling the 667Mhz PowerMac to make way for a Dual Processor 667Mhz PowerMac.

Unfortunately, I was hoping the 667MHz model was discontinued because yields were so good Apple would be releasing 866 - 933MHz models very soon. Like for example during the recent May 1st announcements.

[macboy]

That would be nice. I just read another news article that was sent to my email but I deleted it, oops, that said Jobs said that Apple will soon hit 1 gigahertz mark. That must mean that G4s - 1 gig

To bad no iMac at a gig! That would sure boost apple's sales!


MacBoy