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iPods, Notebooks, and... iMacs before the Holidays?

AidenShaw said:
Hmmm....

eclipse-up-small.jpg
http://www.hardwarezone.com/news/view.php?id=11521&cid=

Nehalem and X58 are looking very good right now...

Quad Core i7, 24 GiB of DDR3, SLI, hmmmmm.

__________

Maybe we'll see the single socket Mac Pro Junior - the fabled mini-tower soon!
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Here's a dual cpu version from Supermicro:
supermicro_x8da3-i.jpg


Tylersburg workstation board
The first two were very similar, the X8DT3 and the X8DT3/i pictured above. The former has two sockets and an Intel IOH-36D chipset (aka Tylersburg). It will support three PCIe 2.0 8x slots, one physically 16x, and a lone 4x as well. There are eight LSI-based SAS ports, six SATA, dual LAN, VGA, six USB and optional KVMs.
If you lose the KVM and add in two full 16x slots instead of three 8x, you have a good idea what the /i variant is. The base board is for servers, the /i is for workstations. /i also loses the SAS ports, you can see the blanks on the lower left, but other than that, it is basically the same thing.
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Nom said:
Well, I've been holding off making the switch to Mac, waiting for 2 things to reach the iMac range.

1. Built in Blue-Ray Player - I'm not really interested in writing, just playing

2. New video card - I spend most of my time gaming, so that's pretty much a must-have.

I was considering going to to Mac Pro, for about as long as it took me to find out it was a Xeon based system. ECC memory is a huge pain in the wallet, since I would never settle for less than 4GB memory.
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I'm sorry, it just cracks me up when someone says they want better gaming ability for a Mac. That's what gaming PC's are for.
 
jpmittins said:
I'm sorry, it just cracks me up when someone says they want better gaming ability for a Mac. That's what gaming PC's are for.
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You know the saying "we aren't laughing with you; we are laughing AT you?"

Thats what's happening right this second. I game on my Mac, all the time. Wow on OSX, TF2, BF2, Source, on bootcamp.

The days of lolmac gaming are over.

P.S- This is on a ****** first gen x1600 MBP.
 
iMacmatician said:
And it's not like all gamers need SLI'd GTX 280s or anything like that. I think most Mac gamers would be satisfied with one reasonably high-end new GPU.
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technically no gamer needs that. its just nice to have but its not a requirement..
 
iMacmatician said:
And it's not like all gamers need SLI'd GTX 280s or anything like that. I think most Mac gamers would be satisfied with one reasonably high-end new GPU.
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iMac can have the 4850 Mobility as standard, the Mac Pro should just have the 4870 as standard.
MacBook can have an low-end ATI GPU (ATI 3200 IGP?) and MacBook Pro can have the 4850 mobility if the power draw is not too high.

Everybody would be happy then.
 
Okay, to all Mac gamers out there:
It makes me laugh when people want better graphics options and gaming ability in a Mac because they are not made to be gaming machines. And for a lot of games, Boot Camp its necessary (which means buying a copy of Windows anyway). So when people say that they want better gaming options in their Macs, it makes me laugh because they generally have to go to Boot Camp anyway, which just seems strange to me. Since you're using Boot Camp, you're basically using a PC anyway and when people complain about not being able to run certain games because their Mac isn't powerful enough, I just get confused as to why they expect a non-gaming machine to game to their full expectations. That's all, I'm not insulting any Mac gamers out there.

However, if you're such a big gamer, I don't understand why you wouldn't just get a console. Just my opinion.
 
jpmittins said:
Okay, to all Mac gamers out there:
It makes me laugh when people want better graphics options and gaming ability in a Mac because they are not made to be gaming machines. And for a lot of games, Boot Camp its necessary (which means buying a copy of Windows anyway). So when people say that they want better gaming options in their Macs, it makes me laugh because they generally have to go to Boot Camp anyway, which just seems strange to me. Since you're using Boot Camp, you're basically using a PC anyway and when people complain about not being able to run certain games because their Mac isn't powerful enough, I just get confused as to why they expect a non-gaming machine to game to their full expectations. That's all, I'm not insulting any Mac gamers out there.

However, if you're such a big gamer, I don't understand why you wouldn't just get a console. Just my opinion.
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Ok, I have an PS2, MacBook and iMac. I game on the PS2 (two games only and my favourites: Max Payne and Mercenaries). I play Age of Empires II and Halo Demo on the MacBook (which I do not use Windows for). The iMac is more of my video editing station. Macs can be used for gaming and I am surprised that people say to get an PC or game console for gaming? What if we already have an console and want to do some gaming on our Macs? Why don't we have the freedom choice to game on the Mac if want to and we do not want a PC? Why does society look down upon people who game on the Mac (to me it seems)? :confused:

As for the better video cards, sure, better is better but I am happy with I got.
 
kabunaru said:
Ok, I have an PS2, MacBook and iMac. I game on the PS2 (two games only and my favourites: Max Payne and Mercenaries). I play Age of Empires II and Halo Demo on the MacBook (which I do not use Windows for). The iMac is more of my video editing station. Macs can be used for gaming and I am surprised that people say to get an PC or game console for gaming? What if we already have an console and want to do some gaming on our Macs? Why don't we have the freedom choice to game on the Mac if want to and we do not want a PC? Why does society look down upon people who game on the Mac (to me it seems)? :confused:

As for the better video cards, sure, better is better but I am happy with I got.
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Well, not all games for PC are on Mac, so that is a reason to game on PC. I just like the idea of console gaming better, but that's just me. I don't even game that much though, so it's not a big concern to me. You can play on whatever you want, I just think when people complain about Macs not being able to play games as well as their gaming PC's, they're overlooking a major point: Macs were not made to be gaming machines and never will be simply because there are not enough games for the Mac. If you want to game at an intense level, get something that was meant to do that. Don't complain because your machine that wasn't made to game can't perform up to your expectations. Of course, you many disagree. Also, I may sound like a jerk right now, but I really don't mean any malice in my posts.
 
jpmittins said:
Well, not all games for PC are on Mac, so that is a reason to game on PC. I just like the idea of console gaming better, but that's just me. I don't even game that much though, so it's not a big concern to me. You can play on whatever you want, I just think when people complain about Macs not being able to play games as well as their gaming PC's, they're overlooking a major point: Macs were not made to be gaming machines and never will be simply because there are not enough games for the Mac. If you want to game at an intense level, get something that was meant to do that. Don't complain because your machine that wasn't made to game can't perform up to your expectations. Of course, you many disagree. Also, I may sound like a jerk right now, but I really don't mean any malice in my posts.
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And there will still be many people who will disagree with you.
Are you also saying that Mac people should not game on their Macs because they have a Mac and Macs are not designed for gaming? Sorry if I misinterpreted your post.
 
kabunaru said:
And there will still be many people who will disagree with you.
Are you also saying that Mac people should not game on their Macs because they have a Mac and Macs are not designed for gaming? Sorry if I misinterpreted your post.
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I'm okay with people disagreeing with me; everyone is entitled to their own opinion. And no, I'm not saying Mac users shouldn't game on their Macs, I'm saying that they shouldn't complain when their Mac can't perform as well as a gaming machine as they want it to.
 
jpmittins said:
I'm okay with people disagreeing with me; everyone is entitled to their own opinion. And no, I'm not saying Mac users shouldn't game on their Macs, I'm saying that they shouldn't complain when their Mac can't perform as well as a gaming machine as they want it to.
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What Mac(s) do you have and do you play computer games on your Mac?
 
iMac Purchase Advice

I apologize if this has already been asked/answered in this thread (I scanned rather quickly), but I have been planning on purchasing an iMac in the next few weeks because typically this is the time of year Jobs announces new/updated products. (Of course after the 9/15 education promo deadline.)

My dilemma: I need a new home computer. As a photographer working on my newest series of images, I was devastated, but willing buy the 24" iMac regardless of the glossy screen. Ideally, I'd have enough images put together for entering the higher ed job search, which I'd like to have packets to send out for November/December deadlines. Meaning, I'd prefer not to wait until January. BUT would the updates be significant enough to have waited? Would buyers have the choice between regular and glossy screens? (Glossy is a nightmare for color calibration and output, regardless of RIP.) :confused:

Does anyone have any real suggestions or helpful information as to my situation? I have been checking this site for years (especially the Buying Guide when suggesting systems for students ready to purchase). This is the first time in a long time that new products, updated products and release dates have lingered in such speculation for such a long duration. I know a lot of it is due to wild rumors and Apple's sporadic updates, releases and retractions.

Help..?

Other Info: As an asst prof, my university updates my "office" computer every three years. This school year I should be receiving a MacBook Pro, which I absolutely cannot use for personal means (unless it is personal research, information for presentations, publishing, etc.) due to the literal "witch hunt" in campus computing going on right now in a multitude of universities. Should I access anything university-related that I would have to login for (e.g. email, blackboard, advising, etc.) from a personal home computer, it can be confiscated along with an office computer for any perceived violation. (A colleague dealt with this after an anonymous email from the university website – of course the investigators found no ethical or other violations, but still...)
 
Hmm.... I just thought of something I should have mentioned earlier...

... if the iPod touch has a black/white back cover like the iPhone 3G, we will no longer be able to use the back as a mirror! :eek::eek::eek:
I love doing that!:p
 
artistwithajob said:
I apologize if this has already been asked/answered in this thread (I scanned rather quickly), but I have been planning on purchasing an iMac in the next few weeks because typically this is the time of year Jobs announces new/updated products. (Of course after the 9/15 education promo deadline.)

My dilemma: I need a new home computer. As a photographer working on my newest series of images, I was devastated, but willing buy the 24" iMac regardless of the glossy screen. Ideally, I'd have enough images put together for entering the higher ed job search, which I'd like to have packets to send out for November/December deadlines. Meaning, I'd prefer not to wait until January. BUT would the updates be significant enough to have waited? Would buyers have the choice between regular and glossy screens? (Glossy is a nightmare for color calibration and output, regardless of RIP.) :confused:

Does anyone have any real suggestions or helpful information as to my situation? I have been checking this site for years (especially the Buying Guide when suggesting systems for students ready to purchase). This is the first time in a long time that new products, updated products and release dates have lingered in such speculation for such a long duration. I know a lot of it is due to wild rumors and Apple's sporadic updates, releases and retractions.

Help..?
Click to expand...
I will say wait it wait out and see what happens. If an iMac is not released, you could always buy an refurbished iMac for less money. I still see these new iMacs having Glossy screens but if you want Matte, here is an option:
http://www.photodon.com/lcdprotect-sheet.htm

As for your other information, I am not sure how I could help you there.
 
Maybe if Apple gave their Macs better graphics cards, and made their Macs better suited for even the most general game playing, we'd see more and more games that are Mac-compatible.
 
So, "iPods, Notebooks, and ... iMacs before the Holidays?"
- When's the U.S. holiday period start that's being mentioned?
 
t0mat0 said:
So, "iPods, Notebooks, and ... iMacs before the Holidays?"
- When's the U.S. holiday period start that's being mentioned?
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Most probably Thanksgiving/Christmas. That's what Jobs kept saying when the iPods were updated last year. He was saying that Apple had lots of great new stuff for the holidays (i.e. Christmas).
 
iMacmatician said:
Agreed. New products seem to come out mainly at MWSF anyway.

Probably January 2009 or so.

Theoretically, assuming perfect scaling:

In single-threaded and two-threaded tasks, the 2.53 GHz quad-core is 83% as fast as the 3.07 GHz dual-core.
In multi-threaded tasks, the 2.53 GHz quad-core is 65% faster than the 3.07 GHz dual-core.
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Thats a pretty significant difference.
DumbQ...if i'm running XP in bootcamp (32bit), will that take advantage of the QuadCore even if i'm using software that can handle multi-thread? One of my main apps would not believe. So, it might be ok if i buy a current Imac then...
 
macjiro said:
Thats a pretty significant difference.
DumbQ...if i'm running XP in bootcamp (32bit), will that take advantage of the QuadCore even if i'm using software that can handle multi-thread? One of my main apps would not believe. So, it might be ok if i buy a current Imac then...
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Note that the description assumed "perfect scaling" - that's just comparing the clock ratios.

In real world work, disk accesses and memory access times will put the quad and the dual much closer in performance (for example, they'll probably rip a CD with a single or dual threaded app in about the same time, since CD drive and disk access times will be significant - and the same on both systems).

XP handles quad cores just fine. Even if a single app can't use all cores, the system will be able to run multiple apps to use the cores - and in general feel more responsive when something is working in the background.
 
Cool. I will wait and go with QuadCore then. I really hope a new Imac by end of year is QuadCore. Won't there be an issue with heat within the slim Imac frame?
 
Don't read

I wish the Macbook Pro come out soon because i am waiting to buy it. But i don't think it will come out this soon i might have to wait for a bit. Ahhh i guess i used my Tecra M3 till the end of the year i guess
 
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