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Will there be a Quad intel mac?
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Yes there probably will be.
Intel's Woodcrest processors are tipped to replace the Dual Core G5s in the PowerMacs. They are 64bit dual core desktop versions of the upcoming Merom dual core mobile processor. They are more expensive than the up coming Conroe processors but Conroe doesn't support a second chip and so could only ever be a two processor system.
64bit systems support waaay more than 4GB of RAM so yeah, that's no problem.
EDIT: Whoops, meant Woodcrest
Intel's Woodcrest processors are tipped to replace the Dual Core G5s in the PowerMacs. They are 64bit dual core desktop versions of the upcoming Merom dual core mobile processor. They are more expensive than the up coming Conroe processors but Conroe doesn't support a second chip and so could only ever be a two processor system.
64bit systems support waaay more than 4GB of RAM so yeah, that's no problem.
EDIT: Whoops, meant Woodcrest
Almost assuredly, yes.
Intel has in the plans for their next set of chips the 'Woodcrest' core chip, which is a dual-core chip made for 'multiprocessor' systems (meaning it's made for two-socket or more configurations.) And being 64-bit, it will support more than 4 GB of memory. (Intel's current desktop, workstation, and server chips already support more than 4 GB.) And to top it off, Woodcrest is expected to launch at 3.0 GHz, with a 4 MB L2 cache (per pair of cores.)
So Apple could make a dual-socket (dual-core) Woodcrest system that would end up as a 'quad' just like the dual-dual 'quad G5'.
Their desktop chip, the 'Conroe', is also dual-core, but will only be released to work in single-socket configurations. (It would be good for the non-quad 'Power Mac', and for the iMac.) Other than being single-socket only, it's specs are almost identical to Woodcrest (it will have either 2 MB or 4 MB L2 cache, depending on configuration.)
Take a look at of the 'Woodcrest Processor in Power Mac' thread, about halfway down, for info on the various upcoming Intel processors. (One lists codenames, another shows configurations and expected prices.)
Intel has in the plans for their next set of chips the 'Woodcrest' core chip, which is a dual-core chip made for 'multiprocessor' systems (meaning it's made for two-socket or more configurations.) And being 64-bit, it will support more than 4 GB of memory. (Intel's current desktop, workstation, and server chips already support more than 4 GB.) And to top it off, Woodcrest is expected to launch at 3.0 GHz, with a 4 MB L2 cache (per pair of cores.)
So Apple could make a dual-socket (dual-core) Woodcrest system that would end up as a 'quad' just like the dual-dual 'quad G5'.
Their desktop chip, the 'Conroe', is also dual-core, but will only be released to work in single-socket configurations. (It would be good for the non-quad 'Power Mac', and for the iMac.) Other than being single-socket only, it's specs are almost identical to Woodcrest (it will have either 2 MB or 4 MB L2 cache, depending on configuration.)
Take a look at of the 'Woodcrest Processor in Power Mac' thread, about halfway down, for info on the various upcoming Intel processors. (One lists codenames, another shows configurations and expected prices.)
'Cause you need four terabytes of RAM!Josias said:It's more the extra power in woodcrest people would care for, and not the extra ram ability. Intel 32-bit porcessors have for many years supported up to 64 GB of ram, while their 64 bit support up to 4 terybate.
Gotta have it!
(One sec... According to Crucial.com, 4 TB of RAM for your Power Mac would cost $583,960 US, and that's a conservative estimate, because I used 1 GB sticks. 2 GB sticks would cost more.)
In a word, yes.
When the physical limits of silicon are reached (years away yet, but still), clock speed will plateau meaning that increased perfomance will require more cores.
When the physical limits of silicon are reached (years away yet, but still), clock speed will plateau meaning that increased perfomance will require more cores.