Dual-Core PowerMacs, New G4 PowerBook, and G5 Mini?

[SiliconAddict]

I disagree..... If Apple can make a G5 iMac, they could make a G5 mini.

Umm no. Have you ever looked inside an iMac? Check out the heatskink on the RAM and CPU sometime. Check out the size of the fan pulling heat out the top. Hardware in the iMac is spread out...not so in the mini. The mini has layers ontop of layers. In point of fact the harddrive is sitting VERY close to the CPU with the optical drive sitting on top of that doing a nice job of keeping the heat inside the unit. Put a G5 in there and watch your hard drive burn up. Even with a quiet fan it would get pretty damn toasty in there. You really can't compare the two.

 

[MacsRgr8]

Keep in mind that a single CPU 1.6 GHz G5 (orso), which probably would be placed in the rumored G5 mini, is no way near a high-end Mac. We're at Dual 2.7 GHz, updates expected.
Consumers bying a new Macintosh (cheap mini or not) may expect some speed. A 1.25 GHz G4 is a very old processor, delivering very old performance. The first Mac with a 1.25 GHz G4 was introduced more than two years ago.

Giving the Mac mini a processor which was introduced in an iMac (consumer computer) a year ago isn't bad IMHO.
Not only do the Pro-apps take advantage of a speedy processor, but the whole user experience in Mac OS X gets a boost. The iLife apps are just as power-hungry.

 

[digitalbiker]

Bad comparison!

Umm no. Have you ever looked inside an iMac? Check out the headskink on the RAM and CPU sometime. Check out the size of the fan pulling heat out the top. Hardware in the iMac is spread out...not so in the mini. The mini has layers ontop of layers. In point of fact the harddrive is sitting VERY close to the CPU with the optical drive sitting on top of that doing a nice job of keeping the heat inside the unit. Put a G5 in there and watch your hard drive burn up. Even with a quiet fan it would get pretty damn toasty in there. You really can't compare the two.

Bad comparsion between these two because it would not be the same chip.

The mini would use the newly announced low-power and slower clocked G5. This chip generates a lot less heat and was announced as the chip that would allow Apple to construct G5 PB's if they wanted to do so.

 

[MacsRgr8]

Umm no. Have you ever looked inside an iMac? Check out the headskink on the RAM and CPU sometime. Check out the size of the fan pulling heat out the top. Hardware in the iMac is spread out...not so in the mini. The mini has layers ontop of layers. In point of fact the harddrive is sitting VERY close to the CPU with the optical drive sitting on top of that doing a nice job of keeping the heat inside the unit. Put a G5 in there and watch your hard drive burn up. Even with a quiet fan it would get pretty damn toasty in there. You really can't compare the two.

Maybe the rumored low-powered (and maybe even lower-clocked) G5 will just run cool enough. Dunno.
Maybe they could change the shape of the mini.

 

[MacsRgr8]

Bad comparsion between these two because it would not be the same chip.

The mini would use the newly announced low-power and slower clocked G5. This chip generates a lot less heat and was announced as the chip that would allow Apple to construct G5 PB's if they wanted to do so.

U beat me to it.

 

[plinden]

I was holding off buying a new Mac until the Intel ones (despite advising some people to buy now if they want to or need to ... but I don't actually need one right now so was prepared to wait)

But I'm due a $5000 bonus at the end of the month, and if there's any truth at all in this, I could start work on wearing down my wife's resistance so she'll give me permission to buy ... not that I'm holding out much hope that this is accurate.

I think we're all just getting het up for nothing, so when whatever upgrades there are are announced, we can all be extremely disappointed and moan about the crappy upgrades.

 

[KA2357]

New powerbooks would be great. I just really hope it is something more than a speed bump. It is obvous they have hit the wall as far as speed goes (for now). If they want to make people happy they better had some extra features.

I'm in agreement with quackattack: New PowerBooks would be great and are sorely needed. It's been a while since a major update and with the current crop of iBooks, Apple needs to re-establish the difference between the two lines in the eyes of most consumers. However, even if the drop in the 7448 (with double the L2 cache), speed the bus up from 167 to 200, add faster memory, give us a dual-layer SuperDrive, that would actually be a nice upgrade---all the little speed bumps combined would make a faster overall package.

There have been rumors elsewhere about a possible video rez upgrade on the 17" models, again that would be nice. Personally, I'm happy with the current rez and would prefer seeing something like the Hitachi 7K100 (7200rpm-100G) hard drive, which would be a very nice upgrade.

In any event, I'm ready to order a PB, but will hold off till Paris Expo to see what gets upgraded... either way, I'll order the next day, BUT like everything else here, we're just speculating and have to wait.

 

[mac_zealot88]

1. Not a chance they combine a monitor with the mini, thats the entire point of it, keep it a cheap headless mac so PC switchers can use there own and old monitor and keyboard

2. Who said you need to use an ACD, i don't think anyone has ever said you have to, but your right if you were required by law to get one and spend 499 or 599 plus 799 for a monitor then yes you should get an iMac

Who in the hell would want to use a big ass CRT moniter with a brand new mini? Oh wait those cheap ass PC switchers! But most people when they buy a new computer want new everything, and that includes a new display. So to me it would be more appealing to the consumer to bundle a display with it. And drop the LCD prices for gods sake, Apple your making enough money as it is with hardware! If they want to keep things cheap for PC switchers they have to drop prices. I aggree you pay for what you get, but in the end it's all about prices for PC consumers, as for die hard Apple people we don't mind paying extra because we have no other choice. What are we going to do go back to PC's! (yeah right!!)

 

[mac_zealot88]

You just barely beat me to it...

I was thinking the "G5 mini" rumor might actually be a G5 cube -- i.e. a headless iMac. Rather than being an update to the mini (which just got updated, remember?) it would be a whole new product.

I'm imagining a desktop product line where the Mac mini is the headless version of the eMac, the theoretical G5 Cube is the headless version of the iMac, and then the Power Mac sits at the top by itself.

All Apple really needs to make all this work is a low-end display (or line of displays)! As has been mentioned many times in the past, it doesn't make a lot of sense to buy a $500 Mac mini and then have no displays offered in the Apple Store except the Cinema Displays starting at $800. It wouldn't make much more sense with a G5 Cube.

THANK YOU!!! $800 display they're crazy!

 

[SiliconAddict]

Bad comparsion between these two because it would not be the same chip.

The mini would use the newly announced low-power and slower clocked G5. This chip generates a lot less heat and was announced as the chip that would allow Apple to construct G5 PB's if they wanted to do so.

Hmm didn't think about that...Still it would create one hell of a hot system.

Try getting a G5 even a cooler G5 into this:

Why do you think the Mac Mini did't get reved to a 1.5Ghz G4 a couple weeks ago. I'm betting its heat. The thing is prob borderline as it stands.

 

[runninmac]

Dont worry about the Macminis killing the powerbooks becuase the minis biggest problem is the slow HD speed the powerbooks is 1200RPM faster. I dont have a problem with new G5 minis... also who said the mini has to be in the same form factor? mabey a little bigger will = bigger fans so it wont be as loud and an 3.5inch drive

 

[SiliconAddict]

Dont worry about the Macminis killing the powerbooks becuase the minis biggest problem is the slow HD speed the powerbooks is 1200RPM faster. I dont have a problem with new G5 minis... also who said the mini has to be in the same form factor? mabey a little bigger will = bigger fans so it wont be as loud and an 3.5inch drive

New form factor = redesign = not going to happen with a x86 Mini due out within 6-8 months. Hell a G5 Mini means a redesign anyways...guys give it up. Its not going to happen.

 

[~Shard~]

The PowerBooks do really need an update, so if September gives us a realtively minor update, I think that's a tell-tale sign that we'll be seeing Intel PowerBooks sooner rather than later, possibly MWSF.

How about PCIe for the PowerMacs? There are huge advantages with that technology over AGP, I'm surprised Apple hasn't moved to it yet...

 

[yellow]

U beat me to it.

Actually, gekko513 beat you both to it.

 

[fabsgwu]

If they put out a G5 Mini, I might have to BMOMT (Buy My Own Monitor Today!) I have the other M and K at the ready

 

[GFLPraxis]

A G5 Mini? I find that to be a dubious rumor at best. Maybe if it was a regular mini sandwiched between 2 colosal fans.

It makes sense now. Remember; they announced single ultra-low-power 1.6 GHz G5's that would fit in a laptop. That'd be perfect for a high end Mac mini. Maybe 1.4 GHz for the low end.

 

[fabsgwu]

I agree 100%. If Apple can make a G5 mini, they could make a G5 powerbook.

And soon, a G5 powered v.iPod!

 

[ZildjianKX]

This is just the kind of story that gets people dissapointed when less than stellar products come out instead of what we want, like a widescreen iBook...

 

[ScubaDuc]

Hmm didn't think about that...Still it would create one hell of a hot system.

Try getting a G5 even a cooler G5 into this:
g[/IMG]

Why do you think the Mac Mini did't get reved to a 1.5Ghz G4 a couple weeks ago. I'm betting its heat. The thing is prob borderline as it stands.

I respectfully disagree since I remember reading an article i which people have overclocked their mini to 1.5Gh for a while and have been stable. Apparently, if I remember correctly the article, there is a set of pin which controls the CPU speeds. 1.25 mini are stable at 1.33 but not all at 1.5 GH while all the 1.42 GH were stable at 1.5

Similarly, people have been switching the HD to 7200 rpm one which generate more heat but aside from the fan buzzing a bit more often there were no problems reported

So, bring on a G5 mini BUT with a decent video card, PLEASE!

 

[BlizzardBomb]

Hmmm... So what about the eMac? Forgotten? It would be the only desktop computer left on a G4. Maybe they'll kill it off...

A G5 mini is possible with those low power chips. It would get rid of those crippled FSB's too. And anyway, if the Mini gets say a 1.4Ghz and a 1.6Ghz G5, the Powerbook would still have a 1.7Ghz and maybe a 2Ghz G4 which would make them have pretty similar performance. Or maybe, just maybe, they could shove those low-power G5's into a Powerbook too. They only use 12 - 16W so it shouldn't be too much of a problem with power consumption. A G5 Powerbook would definately pull loads of sales for the Christmas season.

 

[StkhlmSyndrm23]

I'm sure the low power G5's will generate significantly less heat, and the Minis have a large external power source which eliminates a large ammount of heat. Apple has become a master of thermodynamics, don't underestimate them. The problem with the G5 PowerBook anyway was that you'd have to have the thermal situation solved (with the high-power G5s) and have a decent batter life on top of that. I'm sure it's a lot easier to get a low power G5 in a mini than a PB.

 

[Bakey]

As I stated in other forums/blogs, the G5 Mac mini is highly unlikely because there was just a Mac mini update not even a month ago.

But don't forget that someone around these parts also suggested the rather limp mini update was simply to satisfy the 'back to school' brigade.

I personally don't think the mini's form will change, well at least not the width and depth, as there's simply too many 3rd parties now producing 'miniesque' peripherals, eg. Belkin and those super smart looking Lacie mini's [mmmmm, nice!]

Whatever happens September's Paris Expo will no doubt be interesting even if it not in an immediately positive way!

 

[AidenShaw]

high performance 64-bit dual-core here now

The PM wouldn't go Intel until 64 bit high performance dual cores were available say mid 2007.

The Pentium D and Pentium EE are high performance 64-bit dual-core chips, and are available now.

The Xeon is a high performance 64-bit dual-capable chip, and is available now.

The dual-core, dual-capable and quad-capable (2 to 8 CPUs) 64-bit Xeons will be released by the end of this year (2005) http://news.com.com/Intel+speeds+dual-core+Xeon+debut/2100-1006_3-5833345.html

Perhaps Apple will wait for the next generation lower wattage chips, but if they wanted to they could have 8 processor 64-bit PowerMacIntels by MWSF....

 

[hyperpasta]

Part 2

Here's more comments for each rumor:

PowerMac - This could become dual-core because the Powermacs will be last to go Intel. Sort of a PowerMac G5.5 (not saying it will happen at Expo Paris)

Powerbook - I think we're in for an incremental update because they're gonna switch to Intel next year. Although it may be technically possible.

Mac mini - The mac mini is not a headless eMac OR headless iMac. Its a headless iBook. It uses a laptop optical drive, hard drive, processor. Therefore, I think it will stay in the same league (they were updated at the same time!).

G5 Cube - This is a really good idea. It would be the real headless iMac. I'm not sure it will happen, though!

 

[FF_productions]

What about the emac? If they put a g5 processor in there, it would just be a chunky iMac....Is the emac pretty much done for if these updates happen?