Hacker Upgrades Mac Mini w/ Core 2 Duo

[081440]

Waiting For Core 3 Is Until 2008 or '09 - I Doubt You Will Do That. By the end of 2007 Core 2 Quad Leopards will be the rule inside everything. You gonna wait with a Core 1 past then? No way.

Why not? I lived with a G3 from when it was screaming fast in 1998 to 2003 when I got my dual 2.5 G5. A fantastic speed bump and the G3 earned its cost many times over. (its now a server in the basement)

 

[idea_hamster]

Windows does the same thing, pre production samples of Intel chips do not have the name embedded in to the chips firmware so simple show up as 'Genuine'. I have no doubt the person has indeed done this but quite where they sourced the chip from is a little more dubious.

Fascinating! I learn something every day -- and some days, it's from MR.

 

[zap2]

If you think that cracking a case with a palette knife, removing most of the innards before you get to the CPU easy, then yes, they have. QUOTE]


I upgrade the RAM on my Mini, while i broke the first one(strip a screw and it went downhill from there) it was because i did not have the right screwdrive for the job. Apple replace the Mini, i got a new screw drive and BAM! a new 1Gb stick of RAM in my Mini

 

[macidiot]

Read the guide before you post...

http://guides.macrumors.com/Merom

wtf.

You mean I got the part wrong about the mini being $600? Or the part that the merom is supposed to be ~20% faster? Or that the merom is >$400? Or that the merom is 64 bit?

Oh wait, those are all correct.

Maybe you should ****.

 

[Moe]

You got the part about the 2.13GHz Merom being 20% faster than the $600 1.5GHz Core Solo wrong. The Core 2 Duo Meroms are approximately 20% faster than a Core Duo of the same clock speed. The 2.13GHz Merom used by these guys is WAY more than 20% faster than either a 1.5GHz Core Solo or 1.66GHz Core Duo.

 

[ezekielrage_99]

You got the part about the 2.13GHz Merom being 20% faster than the $600 1.5GHz Core Solo wrong. The Core 2 Duo Meroms are approximately 20% faster than a Core Duo of the same clock speed. The 2.13GHz Merom used by these guys is WAY more than 20% faster than either a 1.5GHz Core Solo or 1.66GHz Core Duo.

That sounds more reasonable, I thought it sounded strange that there was on a performance gain of 20% from a 1.5Ghz Core Solo to a Core 2 Duo. If there was on 20% on the Solo it hardly seems worth upgrading a Mac Mini for the price.

 

[Evangelion]

Unlike the x86 architecture, which is only how old? Oh, that's right: It dates back to the 1970's! (I just couldn't resisit. Yes, I know there have beern many changes, but if we're going to date the architecture, let's be accurate, shall we?)

Question: What does it matter? Fact is that that "old" x86 is running rings around those "modern" CPU's. It's mopping the floor with them. It absolutely annihilates them. I know that it's fashionable in some circles to whine how "old" x86 is. But, in the end of day, IT DOES NOT MATTER!

And the primary thing that is hampered by the age of the architecture is x87 (floating point). And these days x87 has been all but replaced with SSE. And where plain 'ol x86 sucked (number of registers for example), x86-64 fixed things.

 

[psycho bob]

Query: Do you think, then, that the architecture itself has not been at all limited by maintaining backwards-compatability with chips designed almost 30 years ago?

(By the way, I'm not a G5 fanboy, as evidenced by my .sig, but I don't see where Any CPU could be called "modern". Name one mainstream (or even semi-maninstream) microprocessor that has an architecture that isn't somehow limited by what came before....

That's a very good point but I guess we have to look at what the alternatves are. Very rarely do we see a complete breakaway from mainstream thinking at least in the computer arena with software perhaps providing the occassional exception. I remember reading an article in the mid nineties which discussed how IBM was researching crystal structures as a way or storing data, not heard a thing on the subject since then.

It is quite possible that we could have come up with an entirely new form of microprocessor technology but who's to say we wouldn't have hit a complete wall with ir shortly after. Evolution works for a reason, it allows us to finely wean out what isn't working well (Netburst, MMX) and to introduce fresh thinking.

I'm an audiophile and kept a very close eye on the whole SACD, DVD-A and CD battle. CD in many ways is similar to the original x86 format. It was introduced long ago and has been steadily updated albeit more in the materials side of things but had to stay Red Book compatible with the very first CD players. I don't like DVD-A but SACD did indeed sound great and would have made a worthy successor to CD but it never took off as it should have done due to cost and the fact CD had a 20 year back catalogue and on the face of it was exactly the same to Joe Public. x86 isn't the only technology out there but has climbed to the top and will be with us for a very long time because no company and certainly most consumers aren't able to except widespread change.

x86 has evolved to include RISC like processing in certain stages thus incorporating one advantage of a competing technology it will keep on doing this. Man evolved from Apes and there came a point where we stopped being one and became who we are today (whoever that may be ) the same should be said about processors; all evolve but at some stage they grow beyond what they once were and what their DNA says they still should be.

 

[MS bulldog]

I'd agree, otherwise. Anybody buying the cheapest computer only to upgrade it with the most expensive parts the same day is pretty silly.

what about buying the cheapest bc its your first mac and all you do now is email, photos/music and web browsing? some day when cpu prices are much cheaper, it would be nice to upgrade the cpu instead of buying another machine. is it still silly to buy the cheapest with the intent of upgrading cpus 2 to 3 years from now?

 

[Eidorian]

wtf.

You mean I got the part wrong about the mini being $600? Or the part that the merom is supposed to be ~20% faster? Or that the merom is >$400? Or that the merom is 64 bit?

Oh wait, those are all correct.

Maybe you should ****.

The price part. Who said you just had to pop in the fastest Merom into that mini Core Solo? Buy a refurb and stop whining.

 

[stephenli]

Please G5 was nothing more then feeding the fan club. Anyone buying a G5 machine the past few months just isnt paying attention.

Yes, I have become a member of Quad G5 fan club a month ago. You are right. I never play any attention to Gaming performance of G5, as my gaming machine is PS2 and CG but not PC or Mac. I did persuaded myself to get an intel mac, but just failed tolerate the speed on Adobe CS right now.

Why would Apple even bother with games and why would anyone care if an Athlon can "spank any G5 in Gaming" if it can't run MacOSX?

Good say! Thats the point!

 

[Dunepilot]

Grrr, why did I buy a Powerbook in September, knowing I would have to keep it for 5 years!!

Because you bought a product near the end of its life cycle you have something stable that runs existing software very well and doesn't suffer from all sorts of wierd teething problems. I wouldn't knock it myself.

The Intel machines may be the latest and greatest thing, but they're not all that different from PPC Macs. I use both on a daily basis.

 

[briansolomon]

How are these people getting Core 2 Duo's already? Are they insiders?

 

[Mord]

intel hands out engineering samples.

 

[bloodycape]

the difference in production and pre is near non existent

Really? That good to know. The only thing I don't like about AMD atm is the fact they keep chaning sockets(I guess it is for the good since the new socket DDR2/3).
Hopefully Core 2 Duo wont be running as hot as their core duo. If it is Intel should take page out of their(or other cpu makers) old playbook and make it run cooler?

 

[psycho bob]

Really? That good to know. The only thing I don't like about AMD atm is the fact they keep chaning sockets(I guess it is for the good since the new socket DDR2/3).
Hopefully Core 2 Duo wont be running as hot as their core duo. If it is Intel should take page out of their(or other cpu makers) old playbook and make it run cooler?

I don't think Core Duo necessarily runs that hot. I realise at this point a few thousand MBP owners will target this post but I feel any such issues are more to do with Apple's implementation of the chip and assembly issues. On paper it should run cool at least compared to its competitors. Merom consumes a little more power but it shouldn't present any issues if the cooling system is designed right.

My Rev A 17in Powerbook ran far hotter then my current 1.67GHz version I put this down solely to the subtle revisions in internal layout, fan behaviour and cooling setup. The 17in MBP has shown what the system can do when designed carefully and correctly, the 15in versions are just rougher diamonds. Come the next major revisions i expect cooling concerns to go away.

Intel are having to change sockets next year I believe. AMD's recent move to AM2 was all to gain one more pin to go from 939 to 940.

 

[beatle888]

wtf.

...Maybe you should ****.

damn, and i got banned for telling someone to stop polluting the Nike/Apple thread with politics


the Mods here suck

 

[AidenShaw]

Intel are having to change sockets next year I believe. AMD's recent move to AM2 was all to gain one more pin to go from 939 to 940.

Dempsey (Netburst dual-core Xeon), Woodcrest, and Clovertown quad core share the same socket.

Intel should be able to keep the same socket at least until sometime in 2008 (that is, until the more advanced FSB is released).

Since AMD put the memory controller on the CPU chip, AMD needs to change sockets to use different memory. (That's why you won't see DDR2 until the new socket.)

 

[Mord]

so much for the days where it was socket A A or A :/

 

[psycho bob]

Dempsey (Netburst dual-core Xeon), Woodcrest, and Clovertown quad core share the same socket.

Intel should be able to keep the same socket at least until sometime in 2008 (that is, until the more advanced FSB is released).

Since AMD put the memory controller on the CPU chip, AMD needs to change sockets to use different memory. (That's why you won't see DDR2 until the new socket.)

Interesting

Apparently according to a number of early reviews AMD's decision to move to a new 940 pin socket was purely one of marketing and to avoid confusion to those who may try and fit a DDR2 CPU to an earlier motherboard. With the large number of pins included in modern sockets there must be some redundancy built in at least in number if nothing else.

 

[AidenShaw]

Apparently according to a number of early reviews AMD's decision to move to a new 940 pin socket was purely one of marketing and to avoid confusion to those who may try and fit a DDR2 CPU to an earlier motherboard.

This is very common to keep people from frying CPUs by plugging them into a wrong socket, and is the "need" that I said.

With the large number of pins included in modern sockets there must be some redundancy built in at least in number if nothing else.

A 100watt 2volt chip needs 50 amps of power, and 50 amps of ground.

Over half the pins are used for power and ground. There's not much redundancy on any other pins (except obvious parity and ECC signals).

 

[Ripmax2000]

what about buying the cheapest bc its your first mac and all you do now is email, photos/music and web browsing? some day when cpu prices are much cheaper, it would be nice to upgrade the cpu instead of buying another machine. is it still silly to buy the cheapest with the intent of upgrading cpus 2 to 3 years from now?

It is silly because you won't be able to buy the same socket CPU in 2 years time. Merom will be using a different pin config by eary next year, so unless people upgrade within a few months of buying, they won't be able to at any later point.

 

[bloodycape]

I know what you people are saying about redundency as AMD went from their prior chip to the 939 chip pretty quickly.


Now does anyone know much about what the Centrino Duo is? Is that the same as the core duo or is it like Pentium 4 D but instead on a Centrino based chip?

 

[Moe]

It is silly because you won't be able to buy the same socket CPU in 2 years time. Merom will be using a different pin config by eary next year, so unless people upgrade within a few months of buying, they won't be able to at any later point.

I started to respond that "a few months" was ridiculous. Historically, processors are available long after that. Then I considered what a short production life this interim Yonah-compatible 1st generation Core 2 Duo is going to have... possibly less than a year, with an associated lower total production. So you may be onto something and those of us planning to use it for upgrade might reconsider doing it a year from now instead of two. I'm glad you brought that up.

 

[zap2]

It is silly because you won't be able to buy the same socket CPU in 2 years time. Merom will be using a different pin config by eary next year, so unless people upgrade within a few months of buying, they won't be able to at any later point.

Its called ebay

But its very possible to find old chips from other sources, to say once intel stops making it, it will be impossible to find, is simple not true. That said it might be harder to find then it was when intel was still making it