IBM Announces the PowerPC 970MP

[Val-kyrie]

Please

read before you post. There are many PC sites that have confirmed the debut of Yonah dual cores in Q4 2005/Q1 2006 with Merom (=64 bit dual core) slated for Q3/Q4 2006. This information has already been made public by Intel itself.

2nd - The dual core Yonah (intel) chip for high-end portables probably won't be in production until late 2006.

 

[Val-kyrie]

AMD and PCs

What is more expensive, a dual-core 2.4 Ghz AMD or a single 2.7 Ghz (2.8 Ghz?) AMD?
What do people on the PC side think is the better processor?

The dual core is more expensive but also performs much better. Go read the article on the dual core AMD chips on www.anandtech.com. I don't have the exact link but you'll find it there easily enough--just look.

 

[Val-kyrie]

Actually

Come on guys!!!

You all know that new powerbooks will be out late next month THE LATEST!!!!

Apple knows that they need new G5 powerbooks now if they want to keep selling. Also you should notice that apple said long time ago they have everything was ready for the new G5 powerbooks but the processors because of the power consumtion.

Take a look to all...... in tiger one of the features is the 64bit processors (look at apple.com/tiger), powerbooks by intel wont be out till at least june '07, for the first time PC notebooks are getting ahead apple, etc.....

just think about it.

Intel notebooks from Apple could be out by Q4 2005 if Intel gets Yonah out early (possible). The Yonah chip is slated either Q4 2005 or Q1 2006. I doubt Apple will release a 64 bit laptop because the only chips where Intel is at par or ahead of RISC based chips is in the P-M line. The Intel equivalent (Merom) of a low-powered G5 (read portable 64 bit chip) won't debut until Q3 or Q4 of 2006. This will be too late for a June 2006 release and you don't really think Steve is going to go bonkers over a MacIntel mini only, do you?

 

[Multimedia]

Way Cheaper

The upgrade cost of the additional CPU requirements and the price of the slave EyeTV 500 together make me think that buying an HDTivo (which will work on OTA, not just DirecTV) or some other hackable HD PVR would probably be cheaper.

Way cheaper. But no way to compress and archive those shows fromt the HD Tivo that I know of.

 

[Val-kyrie]

Paris

What is obvious is that Apple will show something really good next september in Paris Expo, that everybody will wanna have.

Here you have one reason: "apple is giving ipods mini for free if you get a mac till september 24th".

will hopefully debut the new MacIntel laptops and possibly MacMini--IF Yonah is ready.

 

[~loserman~]

I wonder if we'll see the Power 5 or 6 in Apple's Xserve? It would certainly be a way of keeping a performance edge and customer interest in top-of-the-line servers while consumer machines move to Intel.

Not very likely....
Actually IMO 0% chance.

A single 1.6 Ghz Power5 CPU costs $5000. They are also very hot. IBM sells them currently in 2U and larger enclosures.
So far the highest clock speed is 1.9 Ghz.
One of the main reasons for the extra heat is the HUGE 36 meg level 3 cache.

As far as performance goes we tested on a 1.6Ghz and it out performed 3 Xserves with our code.

 

[GregA]

Not very likely.... <snip> A single 1.6 Ghz Power5 CPU costs $5000. <snip>

Ahh, yes a bit expensive. Thanks for the info.

As far as perforce goes we tested on a 1.6Ghz and it out performed 3 Xserves with our code.

3 times faster than an Xserve?

 

[Val-kyrie]

Advice

I am buying my 12" PB for my B-Day, Sept 21. So I am planning on ordering it mid September.

You might want to wait at least until the Apple Paris Expo is over before you order--just in case.

 

[Val-kyrie]

Where?

Latest inside info that I heard had Yonah being seriously delayed. Bulk production may not happen until 4th Qtr 2006.

Could you please give a reference, because that is contrary to everything I have read.

 

[Val-kyrie]

Yes

Okay, here's my stupid idea: dual-core G5 iBooks, Intel PowerBooks?

(go easy on me, I don't usually post in this area.)

Stupid. You were right.

 

[Val-kyrie]

Cool?

The 970fx chips may go into the iMacs, at least.

I'm thinking so and I hope so. That'd be cool.

A step backwards, perhaps. Last I checked, the iMacs were clocked above 1.6 GHz (actually at 1.8 and 2.0)--I have no desire to go backwards, even if you think it is cool.

Cool? Think "For the MacMini"

 

[sacear]

A step backwards, perhaps. Last I checked, the iMacs were clocked above 1.6 GHz (actually at 1.8 and 2.0)--I have no desire to go backwards, even if you think it is cool.

Cool? Think "For the MacMini"

Yes. I was not thinking about it based on speed alone. Speed alone is not the only measurement of the quality of a chip.

Think cool.

 

[~loserman~]

Ahh, yes a bit expensive. Thanks for the info.3 times faster than an Xserve?

Well technically it was 2.78 times faster.
We are likely to buy 129 nodes.
We expect to get super-scaling because at that node count our code and problems will fit entirely in cache. 128 x 36 meg= 4.6 GBytes of cache.
Currently we run problems on the order of 2.5 to 3 Gbytes in size.

When the super-scaling effect hits we expect on a per processor bases we will be somewhere around 5 to 6 times as fast as a single Xserve.

All that being said.... The Power 5 is not really suited for something like an Xserve. Many codes will not necessarily run as fast on it as ours does.
One might even say that our code performs so poorly that it takes a really awesome high end CPU with tons of cache to even get our code to run well, and not be far from the truth.

 

[Val-kyrie]

Prediction

I thought the first ones to get the intel chips were Mac mini => iBook => iMac => Powerbook => Powermac
I am in the market for a new computer and would love a G5 powerbook (i know this is a bit of a stretch but it would be nice)

After thinking about this a bit, I tend to agree with the general thrust from an ArsTechnica article. Here's my take:

iBooks and PBs will get Yonah while MacMini gets 970FX; iMacs, PMacs, and XServes get 970MP.

When Merom is released the MacMini will be transitioned to the Intel chips along with updated iBooks and PBs, and no earlier if it receives the 970FX because then it would be a 64bit to 64bit transition. About the same time, Conroe and Woodcrest, both 64 bit desktop chips based on Merom (all ultimately based on Yonah) will be released. This puts the transition for desktops, including the MacMini, into late 2006/early 2007(at the latest)--just in time for the release of Leopard!

 

[Val-kyrie]

I would be shocked

No, MacMini will be first. This is about the home entertainment box that intel longs to be part of. see: http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2005Jul/gee20050708031277.htm
They made an offer to Jobs that he couldn't refuse.

if the MacMini was first, simply because if it does not receive the 970FX, I don't know what Apple product will. And if the MacMini receives the 970FX, Apple won't put Yonah in it because that would be moving backwards from 64 bit to 32 bit!

 

[Mac_Freak]

We may never see G5 PowerBooks for many reasons, most of them were noted in previous posts, so read them if you want to know them.

Although, with those new low power 970FX chips it is possible to have dual processor PowerBook, 17" at least. With Apple power management this should be possible. Stay with me for a little longer.
Some people say Apple would not use them cause they are 64-bit and move to Intel would mean downgrading to 32-bit. But 64-bit Intel are on the road map of Intel, so until then 12-18 months G5 PowerBooks will be more than enough.

About redesigning PB in 12 moths is not worth for Apple. If I am correct Apple has tried to put G5 in PB for a while now, so the design for G5 could be already in place, waiting for new cool chips.
That scenario would fit with consumer machines first pro later transition rumors.

 

[~loserman~]

A step backwards, perhaps. Last I checked, the iMacs were clocked above 1.6 GHz (actually at 1.8 and 2.0)--I have no desire to go backwards, even if you think it is cool.

Cool? Think "For the MacMini"

A single 970MP would be a great update for an iMac.

 

[Multimedia]

Yonah Delayed til late 2006?

will hopefully debut the new MacIntel laptops and possibly MacMini--IF Yonah is ready.

Someone else posted that Intel is having Yonah production problems that will delay its shipping until late 2006. Can anyone here confirm or refute that post? I myself have no idea what the truth is. But I think September Yonah any Macs is highly unlikely. I was hoping for a Yohan PowerBook announcement at January 2006 SF MacWorld at the soonest. Now I don't know what to expect when. Any timeframe insight here?

 

[Val-kyrie]

There is.

All I know is this: we're going Intel, let's move on and pray for the best (I'm not a religious man... I just wish there was a God right now)!

He calls himself I AM.

BTW--Everyone is religious whether or not they associate with a religious institution.

 

[Mac_Freak]

A single 970MP would be a great update for an iMac.

That is something I would like to see.

 

[GregA]

Latest inside info that I heard had Yonah being seriously delayed. Bulk production may not happen until 4th Qtr 2006.

Really?

Well, inside information is hard to predict. My guess is this is why Apple has told developers NOT to use SSE3... they want to have an option for if Intel's plans slip. In fact, if Apple learns that Yonah will slip even 3 months they might put out the current Pentium-M, earlier than they planned.

 

[Val-kyrie]

A step backwards, perhaps. Last I checked, the iMacs were clocked above 1.6 GHz (actually at 1.8 and 2.0)--I have no desire to go backwards, even if you think it is cool.

Cool? Think "For the MacMini"

A single 970MP would be a great update for an iMac.

I agree. Just for clarity, I was referencing a poster's comment about the 970FX.

 

[sacear]

I doubt any Intel Macs will be announced at MW Paris Expo.
Yet, maybe some updated Macs with these new 970s.

Being wrong in this case, might be nice and fun too.

 

[Val-kyrie]

Cool Running

Yes. I was not thinking about it based on speed alone. Speed alone is not the only measurement of the quality of a chip.

Think cool.

Nor am I. I just don't believe that a lower clocked 970FX will outperform a the higher clocked current production 970. A speed decrease, regardless of name evolution, will not be looked upon favorably. That is my reasoning--all speculative, of course.

 

[Mac_Freak]

Are those 970MP and FX chips used by someone than Apple?
If only Apple uses them, then there is a huge chance of them being implemented in upcoming Macs*

*just which and with what configuration?