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Kentsfield, Cloverton Quad-Core CPUs Arriving Early?

If Kentsfield is used then 4 core is the end of the line

If the Mac Pro is designed around the Bensley platform (which works with Dempsey, Woodcrest, and Clovertown) Mac Pro can be 4 cores now and 8 cores in the very near future using the same design.

Same is true with the platform for Pentium D, Conroe, and Kentsfield. If Mac Pro decides to use this then 4 core is the end of the line before doing a complete redesign with whatever Intel comes up with next.

I am eagerly looking forward to hearing some details on CSI and what's after 4 cores at the Intel Developer Conference in Sept. You don't have to attend the conference, the keynotes will all be available online.
 
Well I have been following a thread over at Macnn for the last several days that have claims of OS X with Conroe using Photoshop (Rosetta) is faster then a native windows. I can not understand what is going on with these test, , but could OS X for intel have been built upon those extra instructions that Core Duo 2 have over processors before it?

Here is the thread


http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.php?t=302585

Here is the test

http://www.retouchartists.com/pages/speedtest.html???

Here are the results the individual got on the same machine with two different OS'S.

Under OS X 2 minutes and 24 seconds.
Under Windows 3 Minutes and 37 seconds

With a 20-inch Intel Imac with 1.5GB of ram it takes 4 minutes and 9 seconds.

If the poster is being truthful then I am in shock and can not comprehend why these scores are the way they are.

I know that Rosetta uses SSE instuctions to help its functions. Here is an Article on how SSE is improved for Conroe.

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1935731,00.asp
 
mwswami said:
So you don't expect the Mac Pro at WWDC?? Or only a dual core version using Conroe?
Click to expand...

It is hard to predict what will happen. Apple has two reasonable choices:

Choice 1: Develop two different motherboards. By doing that, they can give customers the choice between single Conroe (dual core) and dual Woodcrest (quad core) very soon and replace the whole G5 line after WWDC, and have an option at single Kentsfield (quad core) and dual Clovertown (eight core) soon. Pros: Obvious. Cons: More cost developing two motherboards, Woodcrest is more expensive. And dual Clovertown will be really expensive.

Choice 2: Go with one Conroe motherboard only. By WWDC, the low end Mac Pros are replaced with machines at an excellent price, the quad G5 has to stay. Quad core Kentsfield can be used in a few months, and at that time the quad G5 dies. Pros: Less cost, less work. Cons: G5s live longer, maximum performance is lower.

Both are in my opinion reasonable choices. So what I definitely expect is Conroe Mac Pros, Merom in MacBook Pro, some Core2 variant in iMac. What I think is fifty-fifty: Merom in MacBook and MacMini, Merom or Conroe in iMac, Woodcrest MacPro now or Kentsfield later.
 
gnasher729 said:
It is hard to predict what will happen. Apple has two reasonable choices:

Choice 1: Develop two different motherboards. By doing that, they can give customers the choice between single Conroe (dual core) and dual Woodcrest (quad core) very soon and replace the whole G5 line after WWDC, and have an option at single Kentsfield (quad core) and dual Clovertown (eight core) soon. Pros: Obvious. Cons: More cost developing two motherboards, Woodcrest is more expensive. And dual Clovertown will be really expensive.
Click to expand...
This is keeping in line with all prior PowerMac systems. Two motherboards - one for single-processor systems and one for dual-processor systems.

And there's no special reason why the single-chip boards have to be Conroe. They could just as easily use a single Woodcrest. This would be cheaper to design, since both boards would use the same chipsets.

As for the price of the processor modules, you really can't assume anything. Apple does not pay retail prices for their chips. They don't even pay the published wholesale prices. They have negotiated contracts, just like those used by Dell, HP and other large manufacturers. You don't know what the difference in price will be - it may be far far less than the difference in retail prices.
gnasher729 said:
Choice 2: Go with one Conroe motherboard only. By WWDC, the low end Mac Pros are replaced with machines at an excellent price, the quad G5 has to stay. Quad core Kentsfield can be used in a few months, and at that time the quad G5 dies. Pros: Less cost, less work. Cons: G5s live longer, maximum performance is lower.
Click to expand...
I can't see this happening. The G5 is not going to be sticking around.

And I don't think you can assume that Conroe and Kentsfield chips will be pin-compatible with each other. Apple may very well have to design a few different motherboards for this solution anyway. And if they're doing that, then there's no advantage over your first option.
 
So You Think the 8 core Yorkfield will not fit in the Bensley platform?

mwswami said:
If the Mac Pro is designed around the Bensley platform (which works with Dempsey, Woodcrest, and Clovertown) Mac Pro can be 4 cores now and 8 cores in the very near future using the same design.

Same is true with the platform for Pentium D, Conroe, and Kentsfield. If Mac Pro decides to use this then 4 core is the end of the line before doing a complete redesign with whatever Intel comes up with next.

I am eagerly looking forward to hearing some details on CSI and what's after 4 cores at the Intel Developer Conference in Sept. You don't have to attend the conference, the keynotes will all be available online.
Click to expand...
So you think the 8 core Yorkfield will not fit in the Pentium D, Conroe, and Kentsfield type platform? (I don't know what it is called.)

See that title at the top of your browser? I wonder how many more days before someone in control of this website corrects the misspelling of Clovertown from the Cloverton they put up to begin with. Seems like a very big oversight to have lasted so long.

Check the Road Map for proof Clovertown is the correct spelling.
 
-x- said:
Well I have been following a thread over at Macnn for the last several days that have claims of OS X with Conroe using Photoshop (Rosetta) is faster then a native windows. I can not understand what is going on with these test, , but could OS X for intel have been built upon those extra instructions that Core Duo 2 have over processors before it?
Click to expand...

There was one webpage which made these claims, but it had a "System Profiler" screenshot that was a clear fake.
 
shamino said:
I don't know. Almost-two-years seems like enough time :p

("coming in the spring" would mean spring-2007, since we're in summer 2006 right now. "next spring" means the one after that - spring-2008.)
Click to expand...

Man A - "Surely "next spring" is 2007, regardless of the fact that "this spring" is over now."

Man B - "You might be right, but don't calll me "Shirley""
 
Glassbathroom said:
I am not sure if this is true. I don't trust Think Secret that much.

I have become one of those people who is always waiting for the next update before I purchase. There is always something exciting coming up. Not this time though. I am ordering a Mac Pro on 7th August, just don't tell me what I am missing later.:)
Click to expand...

I don't blame ya. Personally, I'm done with desktops. Merom (C2D) 'books will be replacing my PB G4 and dual G4 1ghz. Should be more than enough power for me until the next rev. of Intel procs. My one worry is the speed of Adobe CS2 under Rosetta on the C2D 'books. I can live with it if it's anywhere near my current 1.25ghz G4 PB's speed until the release of CS3/Universal.

B
 
Multimedia said:
Now we're talking. Dual Clovertown. SteveNote January 9, 2007 introduces Mac Pro OctoCore 2. :eek: :cool:

Progressing from two 32-bit cores a year ago to eight 64-bit cores today. Aren't all you early adopters glad you didn't wait? jk :D
Click to expand...

Mmmmmmmmm....octocore.
 
Are You Sure AMD Whatever Will Be Better Than Dual Clovertown?

Joe The Dragon said:
Amd will kick intel a** with 4 or more cpus. The FSB will be come a big bottleneck with quad-core and a Quad Socket Woodcrest will suck next to a Quad Socket amd system.
Click to expand...
Last time I looked Mac OS X doesn't run on AMD processors. :rolleyes: :eek: :confused: You think the slower FSB will keep 8 cores from running fast?
 
Macnoviz said:
It's the future, you know, soon the clock speed will be irrelevant and we'll be expressing processor speed in number of cores octocore, hexacore, tricontradicore, hexacontetracore, hecticosoctocore, and such and such
Click to expand...

haha, soon enough we'll be going "remember the days we used to only have 1 core?"
 
Intresting tidbit in that thinksecret article : Intel is preparing a 4 socket mobo for Q4.

Soo,with the clovertowns in Q1 07(?),that would add up to a hefty 16 cores then.



Then it would be just to wait for the os and applications to catch up on mp support...
 
4 Woodcrest Sockets Doesn't Mean 16 Cores - Means 8

Macinposh said:
Intresting tidbit in that thinksecret article : Intel is preparing a 4 socket mobo for Q4.

Soo,with the clovertowns in Q1 07(?),that would add up to a hefty 16 cores then.

Then it would be just to wait for the os and applications to catch up on mp support...
Click to expand...
I think it means 8 Cores not 16. I think each Clovertown will use two of those sockets. Or four Woodies would equal 8 cores.

My cautious opinion. :) I wish you were right, but i doubt it.
 
I have been waiting till I have enough cash to finally make the switch over to Apple and I should have enough come around Aug. 7th. My dilemma is that I just don't want to buy a regular computer but rather a bamf (ahhh dane cook) 8 core computer. I know I dont need it, I know I shouldnt be wasting my money on it, but I think ill figure out a way to justify me buying such a crazy computer. But the real question im still thinking about is if apple is really going to be releasing a machine like this hopefully by christmas...cause I dunno how much longer I can deal with windows...
 
shamino said:
("coming in the spring" would mean spring-2007, since we're in summer 2006 right now. "next spring" means the one after that - spring-2008.)
Click to expand...

"next spring" is the next spring. it is summer 2006 right now so "next spring" would be spring 2007. spring 2008 would be "in twenty months."
 
8 Cores Won't Be Until After MacWorld SF 2007 - Not This Year

ampd said:
I have been waiting till I have enough cash to finally make the switch over to Apple and I should have enough come around Aug. 7th. My dilemma is that I just don't want to buy a regular computer but rather a bamf (ahhh dane cook) 8 core computer. I know I dont need it, I know I shouldnt be wasting my money on it, but I think ill figure out a way to justify me buying such a crazy computer. But the real question im still thinking about is if apple is really going to be releasing a machine like this hopefully by christmas...cause I dunno how much longer I can deal with windows...
Click to expand...
8 cores won't be until after MacWorld SF 2007. It'll first be done with two Clovertowns, later with one Harpertown in the Woodcrest family. A pair of Harpertowns will be used to deliver 16 cores in one Mac or PC. In the Conroe family 8 cores will first be delivered with one Yorkfield.

Here's the Road Map. Scroll down to see the processor names & known specs in each series.
 
Multimedia said:
I think it means 8 Cores not 16. I think each Clovertown will use two of those sockets. Or four Woodies would equal 8 cores.

My cautious opinion. :) I wish you were right, but i doubt it.
Click to expand...




That is what i was thinking about too.

But.

As AMD is apparently preparing a 4 socket desktop mobo (Q1 07?) to compete with intel, i have strong suspicion that intel is looking at that option too.


I dont know how economically viable that option is, or how difficult it is to implement tech wise (the more wise can educate me on this one...) but it could be one approach to keep the game up and running.


As you have multiple socket mobos on the server side,how difficult would it be to bring them to the desktop side? Anyone?
 
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