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Apple Store iMacs: Core Solo?

karichelle

karichelle

macrumors member
Original poster
May 26, 2006
72
0
Ohio
While I was at the Apple store yesterday, I was playing around with two of the 17" iMacs and decided to check their specs to see how much they had boosted it up over the base model they were actually selling. I was a little confused as to what I saw when I viewed "About This Mac" though...and I didn't see what was expected.

Instead of 1.8 mHz Intel Core Duo...both of them said Core *Solo*.

Any ideas on why they would both say this when they are supposed to be Core Duos? Or are the stores getting Core Solo machines as demos?
 
I call your bluff.

Unless "About This Mac" reads Core Solo when one of the CPU's is disabled, but can you even do that on an iMac? :confused:
 
It's not a bluff...I can promise you that. I would have no reason to lie about this; I'm just not that kind of person. I'm pretty much asking the question to see if anyone else has seen this or knows anything about it.

I guess I should have taken a screenshot, eh? :p If I end up going back tomorrow or sometime soon, I will.
 
someguy said:
I call your bluff.

Unless "About This Mac" reads Core Solo when one of the CPU's is disabled, but can you even do that on an iMac? :confused:
Click to expand...

I doubt it, at an Apple Store especially. Why would they turn off one of the cores?? All of the computers are password-protected from those kind of changes.
 
FWIW, they were both self-disclosing as Core Solos with 1 gig of RAM. I didn't open the System Profiler to see further details, as the RAM was what I was mostly interested in. I didn't check a 20" though, so I'm not sure if those said Duo or Solo.
 
You need to take a screenshot and post it in this thread from the store tomorrow. Then, post a photobooth pic with an Apple Store employee in it so we know it is legit. :D

Maybe the machine you looked at had a core go bad and disable itself. Can anything like that even happen???
 
I have been to 4 different apple stores in 2 states; Freehold NJ, Menlo Park NJ, South Shore Plaza Mass, and Cambridge Mass, and from what I have seen the 20+ times I have gone before I got my Mac because I loved playing with them, I never once saw a Core Solo Imac they were all core duo's becuase I always click about this mac just to see what's in it.
 
Why does anyone even think I'm lying in the first place? That's awfully welcoming to a new member here... What would I have to gain from lying?

The store is over an hour away and gas is expensive, so who knows when I'll make it back there, but when I do, I'll take a screenshot. This was the Cincinnati store, BTW.

When I noticed it, I wasn't thinking about having to have "proof" for anyone, and in fact I didn't even decide to ask about it until today. I was just curious as to if anyone else had noticed anything or looked. When I looked at it, I just thought it was odd, and went "Hmm...interesting." I wasn't interested enough in it at the time to ask an employee about it (plus they were extremely busy), nor to take a screenshot.

And if I do take a screenshot and no one believes me without a Photobooth pic, then I guess no one is going to believe me because I hate having my picture taken and I don't really feel like I have anything to prove.

Sorry I brought it up.
 
karichelle said:
Why does anyone even think I'm lying in the first place? That's awfully welcoming to a new member here... What would I have to gain from lying?

The store is over an hour away and gas is expensive, so who knows when I'll make it back there, but when I do, I'll take a screenshot. This was the Cincinnati store, BTW.

When I noticed it, I wasn't thinking about having to have "proof" for anyone, and in fact I didn't even decide to ask about it until today. I was just curious as to if anyone else had noticed anything or looked. When I looked at it, I just thought it was odd, and went "Hmm...interesting." I wasn't interested enough in it at the time to ask an employee about it (plus they were extremely busy), nor to take a screenshot.

And if I do take a screenshot and no one believes me without a Photobooth pic, then I guess no one is going to believe me because I hate having my picture taken and I don't really feel like I have anything to prove.

Sorry I brought it up.
Click to expand...

what store was it, perhap someone else it going there? It just we can't go around and taking everyone's word or else we would be faked out too much. As for being a new person here, that can't help. Some people get kicks out of people believing in false truths.



Also you could not use PhotoBooth to take a picture on a Mac, and im guessing your not going to pick upi a Mac and use it, but if you do, you can blur you face out! or use you digital camera or Cell Phone if you have one
 
zap2 said:
what store was it, perhap someone else it going there? It just we can't go around and taking everyone's word or else we would be faked out too much. As for being a new person here, that can't help. Some people get kicks out of people believing in false truths.



Also you could not use PhotoBooth to take a picture on a Mac, and im guessing your not going to pick upi a Mac and use it, but if you do, you can blur you face out! or use you digital camera or Cell Phone if you have one
Click to expand...

I already have a Mac and I'm typing on it right now. ;) But I don't have an iSight. I could take one on that iMac though but I'm not going to. :p

As I said in the last reply I made, it was the Cincinnati store, Kenwood Towne Centre. AFAIK there's only one official store in Cinci.

And, as I've already said several times, I'm certainly not a liar, and I'm honestly not trying to start any groundbreaking rumors or news or anything...I was just asking out of my own curiosity.

Once again, I'm sorry for bringing it up.
 
If you turn off one of the cores, it will show up in "about this mac" as a core solo (just tried this on my MBP), so they probably turned one off to either prevent them getting hot/noisy (don't know if this is an issue with iMacs), or, who knows, to save power.

EDIT: actually, it keeps reporting it as a solo after I turn the other core back on!?!
Not in system profiler though. Maybe "about this Mac" only gathers information once, then remember it.
 
NJuul said:
If you turn off one of the cores, it will show up in "about this mac" as a core solo (just tried this on my MBP), so they probably turned one off to either prevent them getting hot/noisy (don't know if this is an issue with iMacs), or, who knows, to save power.

EDIT: actually, it keeps reporting it as a solo after I turn the other core back on!?!
Not in system profiler though. Maybe "about this Mac" only gathers information once, then remember it.
Click to expand...
Might it run a single core only until it needs a dual core to save power?
 
Might it run a single core only until it needs a dual core to save power?
Click to expand...

Definitely not, the CPU whine is there when both cores are on, if one is turned off, it's blissfully quiet. So nice.
It just scales down the speed of the CPU to save power (which makes it whine).
 
NJuul said:
If you turn off one of the cores, it will show up in "about this mac" as a core solo (just tried this on my MBP), so they probably turned one off to either prevent them getting hot/noisy (don't know if this is an issue with iMacs), or, who knows, to save power.

EDIT: actually, it keeps reporting it as a solo after I turn the other core back on!?!
Not in system profiler though. Maybe "about this Mac" only gathers information once, then remember it.
Click to expand...

The iMacs really don't have heat or whine issues. I run mine very hard all day.
 
intrepkid21 said:
Not trying to be a jerk but are you sure it wasn't a mac mini hooked up to a cinema display?
Click to expand...

Yes, I'm sure...unless the cinema displays are now white and much larger like iMacs. ;) Plus, the Mini doesn't come in 1.8 ghz.

I guess what they must have been doing is turning one of the cores off, either to save on noise since they have so many of them hooked up and running throughout the store, or to save on power for the same reason. Or maybe to keep the combination of all of the machines running at once from making them have to run their A/C harder to keep the store cool. Makes sense to me.

How would I tell if they've done this? My fiance and I are thinking of going to the Cheesecake Factory to eat tonight which is in the same mall, and if we do, we'll stop by and check...and I will take a screenshot this time. ;) Is it in the System Preferences?
 
You can install the chud tools, and it gives you an icon in the tool bar where you can very easily turn off one of the cores.

And as others have said, when you turn one off, the 'about this mac' Says Core Solo.

So it most likely was just an iMac with one of the cores turned off. Problem solved.
 
someguy said:
I call your bluff.

Unless "About This Mac" reads Core Solo when one of the CPU's is disabled, but can you even do that on an iMac? :confused:
Click to expand...
chud tools...

UPDATE:
ME figured it out. If you disable onecore, It does say you have a core solo. However, If you enable one core again, you must reboot you machine to get it to say core duo.:)

Thanks, yeah, I know, I am so smart ;) J/k!
 
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