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How many years til macbook's get dedicated graphics?

A

anotherarunan

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 18, 2007
372
61
London, United Kingdom (UK)
Before people assume Im just another "buy now or wait?" person, Im not. I have no plans to buy any apple computer in the next 2 years. Its just out of curiousity that i ask, will consumer trends eventually make a macbook with a dedicated graphics chip essential in the future? I.e is it part of the progression trend with macbooks, or will apple always use this as a major seperating point between the MB and MBP. Because surely MBs cant have integrated graphics in like, 3 years time can they? :confused:
 
If integrated graphics keep climbing in performance (and drivers are updated and developed BEFORE the hardware is launched *poke :apple: poke*) I don't see why not for at least 3 years.

The MacBook sells like hot butter and it's for a market who only uses it for very little or no gaming at all.
 
The lower end of the market remains keen on integrated graphics as a way of reducing costs. I don't see that changing in the near future.
 
More like, 'when are MBP going to start having integrated graphics chips'.

I would not be surprised if in 5 years notebook computers no longer had separate graphic cards but had the motherboard do it all. Just different grades of performance. Isn't that a trend from Intel with the Santa Rosa platform and the following, unreleased platform?

Cuts down on power consumption, shrinks the innards, reduces heat, etc. Desktops = no way. But I would imagine integrated graphics getting better and better in notebooks.

That all being said, Macbooks won't see huge boosts. Ever. NOT a gaming or rendering platform. Squarely aimed at the iTunes, iPhoto, email, Word, Excel, iMovie bunch. And fair enough, that's probably 90% of the notebook market.

EDIT: Damn. This is pretty much an inefficient wording of what ExRex said above.
 
I highly doubt they will ever get a dedicated graphics processor. The iBooks that they have replaced had a dedicated graphics processor and they have since downgraded when Apple switched to the Macbooks. Thats the main difference between the Macbook anbd Macbook Pro.
 
This is a reason to get users to upgrade to the MBP.

I have a MBP, MB, and Mini, and while I do not do anything "graphics intensive", I can never even tell the difference. It would be nice if the other computers could run a 30", but that will come with time with integrated graphics...
 
I just wish they could put something like an 8400m into the macbooks. That'd be reasonably powerful but it'd still give the MBP a far enough performance gap to warrant buying one.
 
the approximation of that date could be expressed as turning an "8" 90 degrees to either side.
 
i think its more of a question of "when will energy saving CPUs with integrated graphics become powerful enough to eliminate the need for a battery sapping discrete GPU"

probably like 5 years.
 
There isn't a need for a discrete card except when laptops without discrete cards are compared to those that have them. It's like asking when the Macbook Pro will get a high-end desktop graphics card, and bemoaning how you just can't find one on an MBP. The MBP isn't built for that market any more than the MB is built for the dedicated card market. Accept that the MB will never have graphics capabilities equal to those of the MBP, much as you've already accepted that the MBP will never have graphics cards equivalent to those found in similarly priced performance desktops.
 
anotherarunan said:
Before people assume Im just another "buy now or wait?" person, Im not. I have no plans to buy any apple computer in the next 2 years. Its just out of curiousity that i ask, will consumer trends eventually make a macbook with a dedicated graphics chip essential in the future? I.e is it part of the progression trend with macbooks, or will apple always use this as a major seperating point between the MB and MBP. Because surely MBs cant have integrated graphics in like, 3 years time can they? :confused:
Click to expand...

Probably never. Having a dedicated graphics card is the main distinguishing feature of the MacBook Pro. If Apple remove that they have shot themselves in the foot.
 
here's an answer - never

intel's integrated graphics are "good enough" and will continue to evolve into better "good enough" products for years to come. Apple knows that if you want a nice graphics chip, you'll pay for it :)
 
slipper said:
I highly doubt they will ever get a dedicated graphics processor. The iBooks that they have replaced had a dedicated graphics processor and they have since downgraded when Apple switched to the Macbooks. Thats the main difference between the Macbook anbd Macbook Pro.
Click to expand...
The iBooks had no choice but to use a dedicated graphics chip - there's no such thing as a G4 system with an integrated graphics controller.

That said, the GMA950 and the current X3100 are faster than anything ever put in an iBook anyway.
 
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