Intel Launching Woodcrest, Conroe and Merom Early?

[Dr.Gargoyle]

OK, yeah, that's cool if you have the money to spend...but for the rest of use, it means Mac machine will depreciate quicker and we will have to replace the whole machine to keep up (if you need the speed). In the PC world where professionals (and gamers) rely on the fastest machines they can get their hands on, they can upgrade their machines by swapping out the motherboard and replacing the chip. Their machines have a longer shelf life due to upgradablity. In the Intel Mac world, we might be stuck with something that is "old" within 6 months unless Apple lets us replace the motherboard and chip. Having said that, one of the reasons previous Macs have held their value so well it that they were slow on generational releases. A two year old G5 is still a pretty darn good machine, but the switch to Intel is going to change that. PC's on the other hand, are practically worthless for resale if you keep them more than a year. Most PC builders run their machines into the dust, but they can get at least 3 or 4 life cycles via upgrading components before they need to start over.

The intel transition might as you pointed out become expensive for Mac FPS gamers. But, if you like me prefer strategy games you can run a new game on an old machine. I really dont see any reason why you need to a FPS on a computer, when you have PS, Xbox... Computers has become more and more specialized over the years. Building a computer that does it all, is like building a amphibious car. You get a really crappy car and a really crappy boat all in one. I believe that most users would object to that direction eventhough it might come in handy now and then.
The reason I chose a Mac was stability. I use my mac in for research, hence I dont have any room for crashes or dataloss. I believe that the stability of OSX would be compromised if Apple allowed for upgrades.
I would seriously consider a designated gamebox if I were into FPS games.

 

[eXan]

TG Daily claims that faced with increasing competitive pressure from AMD, Intel has accelerated the launch of its upcoming processors.

Competition is a good thing! (for us, users )

 

[Lollypop]

All apple needs to do is to now make their machines easily upgradable to the newer processors, I know the iMac and mini are, but its not so easy to do so. If apple could bring their ease of use to the hardware side they could really keep the new intel macs from loosing value as fast as the rest of the PC world does.

 

[runninmac]

Wow so is WWDC going to be moved forward for this? I can garuntee Apple wants to announce a hell-of-a-setup there. I think this is great news, if only my iPod would get back from repair so I could back up my iBook then sell it.

 

[aegisdesign]

hmm i've just ordered my imac 20" and its arriving in a few days.

What are the advantages of merom?

20% less power used, 25% more performance per clock, faster clock speeds, 64bit support, 128bit SSE4 implementation that runs twice as fast as the Core Duo and almost as good as AltiVec...

They might even use Conroe in the iMac so it'd get up to a 1333Mhz FSB and come in up to 3Ghz too if the rumourmill is to be believed.

Is it worth the returning my imac.

hmmm..... this is interesting

Only if you can cope without a Mac for the next 4-6 months or so and believe rumour sites.

If you need to run PowerPC software, it's pointless buying one in the first place though.

I said it back in January, Core Duo is the last of the old tech, a stop gap measure for marketing purposes before the real Core architecture arrives. Merom, Conroe and Woodcrest are the real deal.

Thanks everybody for working out the bugs for us lot waiting for the first proper Intel Macs and native software though.

 

[AidenShaw]

So I guess we'll probably see a preview of Conroe-based Mac Pros (?) at WWDC? In August I believe? Maybe Woodcrest Xserves "coming soon"?

Conroe cannot run in a dual-socket configuration, so a Conroe-based system is limited to two cores. Not really a replacement path for the quad PMG5.

Woodcrest will do dual-socket (4 cores total), but Intel has always priced their Xeon-class CPUs and chipsets at a premium.

Aiden's prediction is:

• Conroe - new dual-core small mini-tower form factor ("PowerMac"), more RAM capacity (8 GiB), PCIe x16 graphics card (user-upgradeable), 3.5" SATA disk (up to 500 GB), room for second HD or second optical. Fills huge product gap between the MiniMacIntel and the PowerMac G5 maxi-tower.
• Woodcrest - maxi-tower replacement for the PMG5 ("PowerMac Pro"). Dual-socket (4 cores), 16-32 GiB RAM, more disks than PMG5, $500 price increase from PMG5

 

[Roller]

hmm i've just ordered my imac 20" and its arriving in a few days.

What are the advantages of merom?

Is it worth the returning my imac.

hmmm..... this is interesting

I've had an Intel iMac for a week and I'm thrilled with it. I was going to wait until the Intel "PowerMacs" came out, but Boot Camp and Parallels changed all that - I had been using Virtual PC to run a few Windows apps, but this is so much better.

I understand what some people are saying about Intel Macs depreciating faster with shorter upgrade cycles. Still, I much prefer this situation to the days when we Mac users were desperate for any news from Motorola and then IBM. I also think that the speed of the Intel transition has been remarkable.

It's also worth remembering that many of the improvements in Intel CPUs will be in areas like power consumption rather than clock speed, so the feeling that what you buy today will become obsolete tomorrow will be less.

 

[Edge100]

Like I said time and again, best to wait it out and get a Rev B or Rev C MacBook Pro.

Or you could just keep waiting...and waiting...and waiting.

 

[aswitcher]

Given this announcement what do people expect of the next rev of the intel iMac?

How much faster?
Cheaper?

 

[Edge100]

hmm i've just ordered my imac 20" and its arriving in a few days.

What are the advantages of merom?

Is it worth the returning my imac.

hmmm..... this is interesting

No.

Your iMac will be fast, fast, fast. When the Merom chips come out, your iMac will not slow down.

You can ALWAYS wait for something faster/bigger/better. Or you can get what you need today, and upgrade if (and only if) you NEED faster/bigger/better.

Your iMac will be fast "enough" for a number of years.

 

[Multimedia]

Conroe, Woodcrest & Merom Macs Still Won't Be Ready Before September

Fine. But Conroe, Woodcrest & Merom Macs Still Won't Be Ready Before September. All this means is that the first MacIntel desktops and 64-bit mobiles may be released a month earlier than Apple was planning on. But it still means AFTER WWDC and likely September at the earliest. Not really that much sooner than I was expecting anyway. No biggie.

Read Alden Shaw's Post 33.

 

[Peyton]

This is such great news, I have 2 tests today and this really brightens up everything!

I was planning on the 17 incher, but now maybe wait... maybe apple had somehints about this and was waiting for to release the 17 along with merom...

I can only hope

 

[Max on Macs]

OK, yeah, that's cool if you have the money to spend...but for the rest of use, it means Mac machine will depreciate quicker and we will have to replace the whole machine to keep up (if you need the speed). In the PC world where professionals (and gamers) rely on the fastest machines they can get their hands on, they can upgrade their machines by swapping out the motherboard and replacing the chip. Their machines have a longer shelf life due to upgradablity. In the Intel Mac world, we might be stuck with something that is "old" within 6 months unless Apple lets us replace the motherboard and chip. Having said that, one of the reasons previous Macs have held their value so well it that they were slow on generational releases. A two year old G5 is still a pretty darn good machine, but the switch to Intel is going to change that. PC's on the other hand, are practically worthless for resale if you keep them more than a year. Most PC builders run their machines into the dust, but they can get at least 3 or 4 life cycles via upgrading components before they need to start over.

Just because they will get better quicker, doesn't mean you will have to upgrade quicker. If you don't want to upgrade you won't have to. Unlike PCs Macs don't degrade over time, even if they are using Intel chips, it's the OS that makes PCs degrade over time. Actually, they don't, but the OS does (partly because the more of an NTFS partition you use the slower it gets and partly because of the registry and the other mess that is Windows) and your aerage pleb will just say "My computer is getting slow so I need a new one" that doesn't happen much at all on a mac and so their lifespan will stay the same, even if they get better quick, it's only the pros and people who need performance who will stay current all of the time.

 

[ImAlwaysRight]

hmm i've just ordered my imac 20" and its arriving in a few days.

What are the advantages of merom?

Is it worth the returning my imac.

hmmm..... this is interesting

No telling if Apple is even going to use the Merom in the iMac, at least not right away. Merom chips may not even be used in the MacBook Pro the minute the Merom is available from Intel but could be delayed for months for cost reasons. Anyone seen pricing on the Merom? How does it compare to Yonah chips?

I think there is a good chance we'll see the MacBook and possibly iMac stick with Yonah well into 2007, while MacBook Pro would be the obvious first to transition to Merom. Now if the MacBook is released with Merom in it, and the MBP and iMacs are immediately announced to be shipping with Merom in July 2006, that would be a shocker.

 

[MIDI_EVIL]

If Apple put a socketted Intel Processor in the Mini, there is no doubt they will put one in the PowerMac.

You must be able to upgrade the processor in the next gen of PowerMacs.

As for the Motherboard, maybe that will be a possibility as manufacturers may decide to produce for Mac since the Intel switch.

Apart from the frontside bus, what other benefits would there be to upgrading a motherboard on a two year old Intel PowerMac?

Rich.

 

[adamfilip]

Really? hmm.. well thats no good
woodcrest better be used then in the new PowerMacs or whatever

i really want 4 or more cores
otherwize id just buy the current quad

Conroe cannot run in a dual-socket configuration, so a Conroe-based system is limited to two cores. Not really a replacement path for the quad PMG5.

Woodcrest will do dual-socket (4 cores total), but Intel has always priced their Xeon-class CPUs and chipsets at a premium.

Aiden's prediction is:

• Conroe - new dual-core small mini-tower form factor ("PowerMac"), more RAM capacity (8 GiB), PCIe x16 graphics card (user-upgradeable), 3.5" SATA disk (up to 500 GB), room for second HD or second optical. Fills huge product gap between the MiniMacIntel and the PowerMac G5 maxi-tower.
• Woodcrest - maxi-tower replacement for the PMG5 ("PowerMac Pro"). Dual-socket (4 cores), 16-32 GiB RAM, more disks than PMG5, $500 price increase from PMG5

 

[BenRoethig]

So I guess we'll probably see a preview of Conroe-based Mac Pros (?) at WWDC? In August I believe? Maybe Woodcrest Xserves "coming soon"? That would also allow Apple to brag "We said we'd finish transitioning before WWDC '07 - well, we're a year early! Watch our stock!"

If Apple uses the desktop class conroe instead of the server class Woodcrest to replace the server class PPC970MP just to save a few bucks, it'll be a huge mistake. Say goodbye to the quad for starters.

 

[adamfilip]

i bet apple will use conroe in the low and med end version
and a dual woodcrest to make a high end quad

 

[shanmui1]

They might even use Conroe in the iMac so it'd get up to a 1333Mhz FSB and come in up to 3Ghz too if the rumourmill is to be believed.

THAT + Lepoard is what I'm "striving hard" to hold out for Oh yeah, I hope they put the 7900 Go in there, and that will be SuperMac.

Approximately what is a 3 GHZ Conroe in Pentium 4 terms? 5 GHZ?

 

[firsttube]

Well this just changed my plans.... Anyone want to buy an almost new 20" iMac intel???

Why don't you just swap out your Core Duo chip for a better one?


phil

 

[Stella]

You make it sound like a bad thing. But it's a brilliant thing - all it means is that computers are getting better, faster.

This also meant a top of the line Mac wasn't equal to the top of the line PC, referring to the G4.

 

[Multimedia]

Bern Thinks Straight - Not Only Is He A Rocket Scientist, He's Logical Too

Like I said time and again, best to wait it out and get a Rev B or Rev C MacBook Pro.

Right on Bern. This is the only way to avoid a lot of headaches. It would have to be a 17" Merom, ExpressCard/54 and FW800 and/or an external SATA port before they could get a rise out of me. Don't see how that could be before Rev B if not C. It's still a case of processor LAG. We're still waiting for 64-bit mobiles after all these years. Amazing how long it takes for a concept to become a reality in this business.

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

Schweeet. This might mean I will be able to retire my PM G4 MDD as a mail/file server around September. I just hope they don't change the casing of the PM. I like the clean design. Since the new PM most likely will come with PhotoBooth, I wonder if that means we will see a new cinema display line with integrated iSight.

They allready released the Intel version of Powermac to developers,intel version iMac & Mini I would expect a new design from apple rather then just throwing the developers edition on the market with a real video card. If you think about it Apple hasnt released a all new model in quite some time. Expect an all new Powermac this summer.

 

[pincho]

this is awesome news, but honestly, i dnt think people should start returning their iMacs/MacBook Pros because of Conroe and Merom. Seriously, i'm pretty sure these machines are plenty powerful for most users, and for those who it isn't, well theres the PowerMac, there will always be something 25% better down the track. Good to hear of the Intel transition going better than expected though

 

[Surreal]

no one has pointed out that there is the possibility of the most beautiful moment in apple laptop history could be within our grasp.

if apple announces a 17" MBP with merom at NAB the tears would flow like rivers.