G5 SPECulation

[GIR]

Hopeful specs for Apples G5…

I was trying to dig up all the info i could on potential configs for Apples first G5 based computers, and i came up with a list of some guaranteed things, and some of hopeful speculation:

GigaWire (firewire 2) [based on the spec being done and needing something that looks better on paper then USB2.0]

USB 2.0 [Have to keep up, i guess]

1.6GHz + processor speed [based on everything i read, however, 2.0GHz may not be out of the question if they release at MWNY]

Multi Core (2/4 per die), Dual/Quad processor [very hopeful speculation, but again, with the extra months till MWNY...]

ATA133 [Shooting themselves in the foot if they dont use this]

NV25 based GeForce4 [with faster bus and ram, would finally be able to make full use of this]

AGP 8x [not sure how this fits in with a new bus tech, but id like to see it if it does]

AirPort2 [i like speed upgrades]

Backlit Keyboard [ahh, the ultimate in cool rumor wise, most useful in notebooks, but...]

BTO 2button mouse w/wheel , and backlight[why not? Make a little extra cash]

Implementation of HyperTransport [this would be as huge as a multicore g5 being announced. i speculate some HUGE bus gains to feed even one G5 (they cant even feed the G4 ATM]

DDR memory w/ support for over 2gb on the mobo [this is also a little bus dependant, and since its all speculation..]

New enclosure [this i feel is a guarantee. Id also expect to be amazed]

Built in off-CPU 5.1 audio processor [this is going to become a necessity as games get better audio, and maybe to tie in with the Apple high end audio app..]

Srvers get their own 19in rack enclosures (could be tower too) [with 64-bit chips, support for 16gb ram, multicore/multiproc, i think this is a chance apple cant afford to miss]


Anyone got any other input?

 

[OSUbuckeyefan]

Re: G5 SPECulation

Originally posted by GIR
Hopeful specs for Apples G5…


Built in off-CPU 5.1 audio processor [this is going to become a necessity as games get better audio, and maybe to tie in with the Apple high end audio app..]

I would love to see this myself - I hope you are right in your thinking!

 

[Doraemon]

Re: G5 SPECulation

Originally posted by GIR
GigaWire (firewire 2) [based on the spec being done and needing something that looks better on paper then USB2.0]

Perhaps.

Originally posted by GIR
USB 2.0 [Have to keep up, i guess]

Likely.

Originally posted by GIR
1.6GHz + processor speed [based on everything i read, however, 2.0GHz may not be out of the question if they release at MWNY]

Max. 1.6 GHz. Entry level rather something like 1.2

Originally posted by GIR
Multi Core (2/4 per die), Dual/Quad processor [very hopeful speculation, but again, with the extra months till MWNY...]

Dual pehaps. No quad (at least not at MWNY)

Originally posted by GIR
ATA133 [Shooting themselves in the foot if they dont use this]

Yes.

Originally posted by GIR
NV25 based GeForce4 [with faster bus and ram, would finally be able to make full use of this]

Probabaly.

Originally posted by GIR
AGP 8x [not sure how this fits in with a new bus tech, but id like to see it if it does]

Don't think so.

Originally posted by GIR
AirPort2 [i like speed upgrades]

No.

Originally posted by GIR
Backlit Keyboard [ahh, the ultimate in cool rumor wise, most useful in notebooks, but...]

Unlikely.

Originally posted by GIR
BTO 2button mouse w/wheel , and backlight[why not? Make a little extra cash]

Definitely not.

Originally posted by GIR
DDR memory w/ support for over 2gb on the mobo [this is also a little bus dependant, and since its all speculation..]

Sounds good.

Originally posted by GIR
New enclosure [this i feel is a guarantee. Id also expect to be amazed]

Definitely.

Originally posted by GIR
Built in off-CPU 5.1 audio processor [this is going to become a necessity as games get better audio, and maybe to tie in with the Apple high end audio app..]

No. Only if Apple builds an audio machine and I doubt that.

Originally posted by GIR
Servers get their own 19in rack enclosures (could be tower too) [with 64-bit chips, support for 16gb ram, multicore/multiproc, i think this is a chance apple cant afford to miss]

No. That's not what Apple's servers are build for.


MWNY sounds good for a G5 release, though.

 

[GIR]

server

No. That's not what Apple's servers are build for.

I know its not what apple servers are for NOW... but, as a consultant, I could sell lots of full on servers as i described in a second. Like the Apple UNIX servers of yesteryear - hot sawp fans/hds, easy part replacement(mobos, processors), etc etc. Right now i have to put HPs in on client demand because apple has no product to fill med/high end rack servers. I know its still onlikely, but its a segment that Apple should take off the ignore list again.

 

[Macmaniac]

G5

The G5 would be a great to see if they release it at MWNY. I would love for Apple to make a 2 button mouse. (Something really cool and funky) Gigawire would be nice, and if they put it on iPod, boy that would be unstopabale! I hope that they do iPod 2 with a bigger HD and windows compatiblity, I know crossing over hurts but, iPod would sell like crazy! Maybe a speed boost for TiBook or if they do do G5, put it on TiBook too!


_______________________________
Not all who wander are lost.

 

[OSeXy!]

Sorry...

Sorry to throw cold water, but no G5s for at least a year. Enjoy the Apollos now and let your imagination smolder.

 

[macmidi]

What are the major advantages of the G5 compared to the Apollo? (speed, I assume, but how?)

 

[GIR]

hmm...

I dont know the specifics, but i think, clock for clock, the G5 has been performing at ~2x a G4... im not positive on this. Id like to know too.

 

[dim]

Grrr...rrr..R...rr..

This will do fine for me.

I hope that 75% of these specs will pop in. ... let's pray.

dim

 

[TazGuido]

a new dome?

is it out of the question to think they will redesign the tower to better compliment the iMac or is the tower pretty much a mainstay at this point in technology? just curious -- i dont claim to have the inside track on anything but i dont think we will see anything for awhile just because of new design-- we all know that the new specs will be awesome but what else??!!

 

[Hemingray]

Re: Sorry...

Originally posted by OSeXy!
Sorry to throw cold water, but no G5s for at least a year. Enjoy the Apollos now and let your imagination smolder.

A year, eh? So you're saying the next line of Apollo G4's will probably be 1.2, 1.4, and 1.6 GHz. What, then, will they do with the G5's that supposedly clocked at that same speed late last year?

If it does turn out to be a year, I will be SO pissed. (Needless to say. )

 

[Unregistered.]

G5's SOON, Please, Apple!

Hi all,

My wife said I'm *ALLOWED* to buy the Second G5 PowerBook when it comes out. Not the G4TiBook, not the G5, but the SECOND G5 PB. Not before. Only the "Second Coming of the G5".

I pray to sweet dear Jesus it will be soon. Please please please i'm crying now please please have mercy on me i grovel and am pathetic please please please i beg you

Now that THAT'S over, I love Apple, but I haven't been dazzled by their *performance* for a long time, just their cool OS, and their cool look, and the cool iPod, etc. But technically, they're primitive in comparison to an $800 throwaway Dell. And they need to kick some ass to shut up the naysayers. If they want to get that "5 of the other 95", they better sell something soon that really SMOKES, and at less than a 50% margin - PC people don't buy PC's because they like Windows. They buy based on cost more often than not. Sad, but true. And the laws of economics will eventually catch up with Apple. If they don't do something to come up to par with the PC world soon, they're not gaining that 5 of 95, they're losing their own 5.

Apple seems to fall farther and farther behind spec-wise, offering less for more money, while the hype machine claims their stuff is still the greatest. Every "spectacular", "breakthrough", "way beyond the rumor sites" product is something that looks cool but is STILL crushed technologically by similar products already offered for years in the PC world - Apple is actually way BEHIND the rumor sites. So when you guesstimate G5's at MWNY, I sigh and hope, but... I got a bad feelin'. Macheads are usually overly optimistic in their predictions. Way optimistic. I wish Apple could work miracles like you guys seem to think. Sometimes they can, but more often, not.

A watched pot never boils. I'm losing it here. This is unfair. "Second G5PB". Aaaargh! That could take YEARS! I hope they come out soon, but Apple doesn't seem to obey Moore's Law like the PC world.

I need a Prozac now, so I must go.

 

[MacAztec]

Re: Sorry...

Originally posted by OSeXy!
Sorry to throw cold water, but no G5s for at least a year. Enjoy the Apollos now and let your imagination smolder.

C'mon. How do you know this? You got your "sources" right? I highly doubt a year on this. Apple made no big deal on the release of the PM 1GHz, which means new G5s must be soon. Apple would have surpassed 1 GHz if something bigger wasnt on the way. Please stop with the "no way, not for another year" crap.

 

[arn]

Re: Re: Sorry...

Originally posted by Mac_User


Apple made no big deal on the release of the PM 1GHz, which means
new G5s must be soon.

How does this make any sense at all?

Because Apple didn't make a big deal about the PM 1GHz really doesn't tell us anything about the G5.

And Apple doesn't have much to do with the G5's timetable... Motorola does.

arn

 

[GIR]

well, some things i seem to remember from macosrumore...


the G5 was already clocking up to 2.2GHz, with something like an average of 1.3... the situation can only get better, so i full expect to see 2GHz as the high end on release.

I also remember reading on macosrumors that the chip was done and set to enter production dec/january... if they held off onl this for a speed ramp up, all the better, but i think we may see perfect timing on the chip resulting in G5s available form the apple store to SHIP a week after the show or less.

Well, in apple tradition, speed bumps mean that you have 3+ months to wait till you see another speed bump or a new line. Notice the TiG4 got no bump? i expect in less then 3 months that a new model is released along with a new apple app or device, since they will want all the thunder for MWNY... the obvious place to have G5 introduced. I think the 1.13GHz G4's will hit in the next speed bump.

 

[Kethoticus]

Gotta love the puppy dog-like optimism of some Mac fans

I'm a Mac fan, and I love the IDEA of these dream/fantasy configurations. But if history has taught us anything, it's that the reality is nearly always beneath the fantasy, and by a fairly large margin.

People here WANT to believe in the G5, so it's coming out within the next few months. When it doesn't, the hopes that were dashed into the rocks quickly recuperate and resurrect themselves, and then align themselves with apologetics.

Folks, c'mon. I'm not saying that a G5 will NOT be released any time soon and that that's the final word. But honestly, think about all the speculation that was going before MWSF: 1.6GHz G5s, DDR-RAM & gigawire would all find their way into new towers. It's definite, just a question of precise specs. Others said that we will probably not see a G5, but more likely trans-1GHz Apollos (i.e., past the 1GHz mark, not merely AT it), again, with other mobo advancements. None of these predictions came to pass. And in fact, it took 3 weeks after the Expo to even announce a G4 that finally made it to 1,000MHz, and with no mobo improvements, except for a crippled Geforce card. No ATA133, no gigawire, no DDR-RAM. And like a faithful cockerspaniel, some of you keep coming back for more sustenance from fantasies that continue to let you down.

I've been fooled more than once by rumors and hopeful expectations that were based on what I wanted and not what I had proof of. I suggest that we all temper our optimism with facts, with some of these facts being the history of past Mac announcements vs. their rumors.

Speaking of facts vs. fantasies, I can only come up with an opinion, as my facts are not equal to the task at hand. But if I had to guess, based on what Apple's done so far and based on Moto's track record, I'd hafta say that we have quite a wait for G5-based Macs. Moto seems optimistic that their new Apollo has some scalability to it, and so they'll try to milk that baby as long as they can. Now if they milk it good and hard, that really wouldn't be such a bad thing, would it? Of course, if I'm wrong and a 2GHz G5 was announced at, say, Tokyo, I'd join the rest of you and probably have a coronary. But I'm not going to dream up all sorts of hopeful nonsense and then get disappointed and angry at Apple when it doesn't come close to being realized.

Okay. I'm sure some of you see me as an Intel guy in one of those silvery lab suits, and yourselves as the soldiers of the PowerPC. So ladies and gentlemen, start your flame guns! (I'm sure someone here will take at least some offense to what I've said.)

 

[britboy]

aw go on, let them have their fun! Besides, if it weren't for optimists and dreamers, america might never have been discovered! (now i'm dreaming )

 

[OSeXy!]

We'll see

I do think the G5 is about a year away from release. From what I've read, that seems realistic. Obviously, this is a case where I'd LOVE to be proven wrong.

I think the G5 will coincide with a major release of OS X (10.5?), which will be able to take full advantage of its capabilities. This is some way off.

I think AIM have invested a huge amount of dosh getting the G4 where it is and they are going to want to make back as much on it as they can. Because of that there will yet be PMacs with G4s at 1.2 - 2GHz. These will eventually be accompanied by a new motherboard design with faster RAM, disk support, system bus, I/O, etc., introduced all at once, or in (two?) revisions.

The fact that Moto seems to have produced a proto-G5 with good specs doesn't mean they are about to release it. They do test builds periodically to see if they can get the yield/quality ratio right. From all accounts this has not happened yet, but the tests have given some promise that they might (soon?). As far as I understand, test builds do not always predict the actual specs of the processor when actually released. The Apollos are a case in point.

I could go on. As I say, I hope I am wrong about this, but I have a feeling I might be right. I DO think we will see great things at MWNY -- just not a G5...

 

[Kethoticus]

Hey Britboy

Your jealousy of America aside ;-), I believe the difference between the kind of dreaming you're talking about and the kind going on in these rumors fora are that in the former case, the people dreaming were also the ones in a position to make the dream come true. In the latter, none of the dreamers are in control, unless some of them join Moto's engineering team.

I agree with OSeXy. G5s possibly at MWSF2003.

 

[macmunch]

Think so ....

MWSF 2002

iMac ----> goes G4
PB ----> is G4
PM ----> is still G4
iBook ---> G3 !
(there is the point)


On February or March[/B:
Soon we will see a massive speed bumped iBook with a G3 "Sahara" we all expected to be in "new" iMac.

Also an Updated PB will be there I think 700 till 800 MHz G4 not more.

Later this year:
The G5 comes and the iMac gets speed bump.
iBook gets G4
In Feb or March 2003 the PB gets G5.


Apple cant have the same Chip in all Macs
Thats not good you see it right now all people buy iMacs not PM !

And why ? Yes, because there cheaper for 800MHz and a Superdriv.

So there must be a new chip, that the people will buy PMs and that chip will be the G5.

New lineup at end of this year will be: (believe me)

PM ---> G5
PB ---> G4 "apollo" or 7455
iBook ---> G4
iMac ---> G4


Yes right the G4 allows Higher clock rates, but where to go when he cant get Higher ?????
So apple will switch professionals to G5 that the consumers can get faster G4s and when he is at maximum the G5 will take place of the G4 in cosumer line but till this time its a long time. maybe 2004.


My english is not the best.

 

[keithcobbett]

Originally posted by macmunch

PB ---> G4 "apollo" or 7455
iBook ---> G4


[/B]

Not sure on this though. Why would I by a PB G4 if the iBook has the same processor? There would have to be a good amount of things different to justify the price.

Also, Airport won't have an upgrade probably till next January. They are still hashing out the standards for version 802.11 G

 

[macmunch]

Right, but how buys an PM when there is an iMac G4 ????

its the same on the books

P.S. from airport i dont say anything.

 

[jadam]

noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo G4 in ibooks, what will IBM do with their sahara line of G3's?????? they run up to 1 ghz, have a 200mhz bus, DDR ram, and have integrated SIMD instruction set giving G4 style performance. we will see G5's at MWNY, heh i live in NY so ill know, we will see G5 power books in MWSF, and speed bumbed G4 power books in MWTY, not to mention 1ghz imacs in MWNY

 

[macmunch]

Hey JADAM !!

look at my last post scroll a little bit up !

 

[GIR]

too old

The G4, from a marketing perspective(and that of investors) is getitng long in the tooth, as it were. Apple can ill afford not to have the G5 ready at MWSF. A .2GHz bump for the G4 wont make MW headlines. The order of announcements coming from apple should go like this:

Jan2002 - Speed bump G4
February - Sybold i think, might be a note book speedbump or new app, but id wait for...
March - TiPB speedbump
April-|april or may Imac speedbump (tough call with MW so close, but, it would releave them of having the iMac take away from any new product anouncments)
May-|
June -
July -MACWORLD
G5 Intro (even if its availability is a month + off)
1Ghz TiPB
Some new Apple Pro App and/or appliance



The G5 HAS to be released... if the dont have it at macworld their stock will go to ****.

I dont see what bumps apple could provide to all thir lines for a whole year... i mean, a GHz is noce, but its not breaking the perceived performance barrier.