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New Motherboard Details?

PCI Express

When they said ports could they have been talking about the expansion slots???

3xPCIexpress

1xPCI express x16
1x8xAGP????

Don't know if AGP and PCI express can work on same same chipset, but just trowing up (although maybe stupid) suggestions.🙂
 
If Apple were to delievery a PCI Xpress capable motherboard by July that would be a fantastic coup. I would imagine that the best they would be albe to do is PCI X which isn't the same thing.

Personally I would be extremely tempted to buy a Mac if the new 970's came out next month. The reality is that Apple will have to deomonstrate substantial performance advantage relative to Linux on comparable PC hardware. Frankly Linux is more likely to be a competitive issue for Apple than MS. Lets face it a large majority ot the people out there are not going to leave the MS world, the people who do are just as likely to look at Linux as they are Apple.

Which brings up a final point I do hope that Apple has the X compatibility layer read for the next major OS release. Being able to run X-Windows along side Mac applications is one way to get people to take notice.
 
I read most of this thread and didn't see anyone else ask this: How many processors? The article didn't mention one of the most important items.
 
At least I'm not the only one. 😉

Originally posted by Kurt
I read most of this thread and didn't see anyone else ask this: How many processors? The article didn't mention one of the most important items.
Click to expand...
This article is useless, the info is useless.

It's like interviewing somebody who is currently driving one of the new C6 Corvette test mules and after they spend time poking around under the hood, inside, and at the alpha copy owner's manual the idiot ends up writing an exciting article about the wheels and tires and how they couldn't figure out what a couple of the buttons on the dashboard did. 🙄
 
Re: At least I'm not the only one. 😉

Originally posted by Sun Baked
This article is useless, the info is useless.

It's like interviewing somebody who is currently driving one of the new C6 Corvette test mules and after they spend time poking around under the hood, inside, and at the alpha copy owner's manual the idiot ends up writing an exciting article about the wheels and tires and how they couldn't figure out what a couple of the buttons on the dashboard did. 🙄
Click to expand...

In other words, not much different than a lot of other rumors posted by the less reputable rumor sites (is that redundant?).😛
 
I was going along with MacB until this latest one. It just seems like too much info coming out too quickly. And we're talking about a brand new processor and motherboard design. Don't get me wrong... I hope their info is accurate to some extent (I really don't want to see another rumor site crash and burn), but the "rumor paradox" is in play: Too much information makes you look just as bad as too little information. 😕
 
Originally posted by Masker

1) No ethernet == Airport only? Not likely, but possible. Bundle an Airport Extreme base station & card with every Power Mac, and you don't need no stinking ethernet connection... The reason this isn't plausible is that 54 Mbps < 1 Gb ethernet...
Click to expand...

This is quite possibly the most stupid thing I've ever heard. It's a PRO machine...we don't want no stinkin airport extreme. I'd love to see you run a server with airport extreme LoL.

Once you thought of how sometimes wirless signals aren't that great, and when you started writing "54 Mbps < 1 Gb" you should have stopped and started hitting delete.

Sorry to be mean, but Jesus!
 
MacOSRumors

http://www.macosrumors.com/

*New audio-out options including support for digital surround sound. Dolby 5.1 or 7.1 have been frequently discussed, but details have yet to be confirmed by any source willing to speak to us.
*New connectors added to Apple Pro Speaker jack (reasons unknown) - but may be related to a second-generation iPod dock that would allow a new generation of Apple Pro Speakers to be used directly with a docked iPod, and would add other new features.

The rest is on par with MacBidouille
 
Stop and think for a second...

Not to give undue credence to a rumor, but perhaps the reason why there is no block diagram, or chipset information, or even photographs of the rumored motherboard is that MacB decided not to push the limits with Apple legal. Maybe.

Personally, I'm hard pressed to remember the last time MacB fabricated a major rumor (or any rumor for that matter -- feel free to correct me). After all, it was MacB, if memory serves, that had the first photos of the MDD cases (and everyone claimed they were bad Photoshops) and what turned out to be the Xserve motherboard.

It would be pretty ballsy and rather pointless for a site to pull an MOSR or a SpyMac (or even the dreaded Xtrem) and start spewing out useless and outlandish rumors for the sake of hype, especially given MacB's fairly solid record.
 
Re: MacOSRumors

Originally posted by mathiasr
http://www.macosrumors.com/

[snip]

The rest is on par with MacBidouille
Click to expand...

Personally, I am shocked at how far out on a limb MOSR is going by claiming that the new PowerMacs will have "airport extreme, gigabit ethernet and a 56k modem." Absolutely ludicrous. Now they're just making things up.
 
Update!

MacBidouille have an update on the unknown connectors..

Google translation:
***
[ Rumour ] connectors of the 970, continuation

We had infos on part of the mysterious external connectors of the mother chart PPC 970.
One of them (and probably 2) is a connector Fiber channel to connect for example Xserve RAID.
***

Anyone feel like explaining more precisely what one of these is?
 
Originally posted by NavyIntel007
I work for a telecom company and more and more people are doing direct fiber because of the speed and quality of the connections.
Click to expand...

Is that business or residential? If it's residential, where do I sign up, and how much does it cost? 🙂

In any case, I think we are far from free from ethernet, to be replacing it on the mobo with something else.
 
Originally posted by SuzanneA
Btw, still on the audio theme, IF the 970s are going to use HyperTransport in any way, and Apple decided to go with nVidia for the chipset (since they have HT experience from the nForce 3) it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect the nForce's 'realtime dolby digital encoding' on multi-channel audio.

However, its probably unlikely that Apple would choose nVidia for the chipset. Though that doesn't rule out Apple have approached Dolby Labs for an AC3 encoding license for their own chipset.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't be surprised if Apple have used the nForce2 MCP-T hypertransport southbridge in the new macs, or a variant thereof (suddenly recalls that nVidia will be integrating a gigabit ethernet controller in their chipsets later this year, and this would be a requirement of Apple's). On the other hand, maybe Apple have simply licensed the same DSP core that nVidia did for their audio solution.

However I expect the northbridge to be Apple designed still.
 
Connection possibly fibre channel (RAID)

There are other information leaks growing: Two of the indicated five mysterious ports are fibre channel connectors like the ones used with xServe and xRaid . The other three are definitely related to video I/O.

G.
 
Re: Update!

Originally posted by astray
[ Rumour ] connectors of the 970, continuation

We had infos on part of the mysterious external connectors of the mother chart PPC 970.
One of them (and probably 2) is a connector Fiber channel to connect for example Xserve RAID.
***
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, this really does sound like a pile of codswallop now. Why would Apple integrate FiberChannel on the motherboard, when perhaps only 1% of users will want to use it? It isn't the cheapest of options either, IIRC.

So either this is an xServe motherboard (but then, why the audio connectors?), or MacB is very mistaken, or MacB is being fed the wrong information deliberately.

The external ports I would expect to see on the motherboard of a modern 2003 computer system:

1) Gigabit ethernet or two
2) 5.1 channel audio output (3 mini-jacks, and a TOSLINK out)
3) Audio in (stereo mini-jack and TOSLINK in)
4) Firewire (800 and 400 for an Apple system)
5) USB2
6) USB1 keyboard / mouse connector (as USB2 slows down to USB1 speeds when a USB1 device is attached) unless new Apple kb/m are USB2 devices.

Video will be on a separate card. FiberChannel / SCSI / etc would be on separate cards.
 
Re: Re: Update!

Originally posted by Hattig
The external ports I would expect to see on the motherboard of a modern 2003 computer system:

1) Gigabit ethernet or two
2) 5.1 channel audio output (3 mini-jacks, and a TOSLINK out)
3) Audio in (stereo mini-jack and TOSLINK in)
4) Firewire (800 and 400 for an Apple system)
5) USB2
6) USB1 keyboard / mouse connector (as USB2 slows down to USB1 speeds when a USB1 device is attached) unless new Apple kb/m are USB2 devices.

Video will be on a separate card. FiberChannel / SCSI / etc would be on separate cards.
Click to expand...

Yep, I agree. Fairly common sense stuff. I'll be quite surprised if the ports are any different from the list above.

Re USB... I'm not sure if your statement about backwards compatibility is correct. As previously mentioned in this thread, my understanding is that attaching USB 1.1 devices to a USB 2 host controller does not slow down any USB 2 devices in the same chain. I'm not sure how it can possibly work that way, but that is my impression. See http://www.buslink.com/ver2/usb24porthub.htm

Q: Can I use the USB 1.1 devices with others in USB 2.0 devices?

Yes. USB 2.0 is forward and backward compatible with USB 1.1. All USB 1.1 devices can be used interchangeably with USB 2.0 devices without affecting performance of either.
Click to expand...
 
Originally posted by soggywulf
Have you tested this double-blind? I find it unlikely that you hear differences in DACs, outside the psychoacoustic effect.
Click to expand...

No actually i havent. It is significant enough that such testing wouldn't really be neccessary. You can come listen if you want 🙂

Admittedly it might not be the DAC, could be the amplification circuit, or some other noise from the board/case itself.
 
Originally posted by andyduncan
Admittedly it might not be the DAC, could be the amplification circuit, or some other noise from the board/case itself.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that could be. Noise, probably...but perhaps amp clipping also. Oh well, who knows. 🙂
 
USB 1 devices do *not* slow USB 2 devices

Originally posted by Hattig
5) USB2
6) USB1 keyboard / mouse connector (as USB2 slows down to USB1 speeds when a USB1 device is attached) unless new Apple kb/m are USB2 devices.
Click to expand...

As soggywulf pointed out, it's almost independent. (I say "almost", because an active USB 1.1 device takes 12Mbps of the 480 Mbps USB 2 bus, leaving only 468 Mbps for the USB 2 device 😉 )

The situation (and technical explanation) is similar to a network switch with 10/100/1000 support and a GigE uplink.

Adding a 100Mbps network device does not slow the switch and the uplink to 100Mbps - GigE devices and the uplink remain at GigE. The switch buffers and speed-matches the packets, even sending the data from the 100Mbps device up the uplink at GigE speeds.

A USB 2.0 hub does the same, its uplink is USB 2.0, and USB 1.1 data is buffered and uplinked at USB 2.0 speeds.
 
Originally posted by Dave_B
As I recall, the stories about the 970's had them landed in Taiwan.
Click to expand...

MPU daughtercards are mfg'd from Taiwan. Cork Ireland and Elk Grove plants put the pieces together for towers and servers (as does another plant in a different part of asia)

landing in taiwan, though, could really add fuel to the 970 on powerBook rumors...
 
Re: Re: Update!

Originally posted by Hattig
Unfortunately, this really does sound like a pile of codswallop now. Why would Apple integrate FiberChannel on the motherboard, when perhaps only 1% of users will want to use it? It isn't the cheapest of options either, IIRC.
Click to expand...

From what it sounds like to me, and this is just a guess, this thing is a test motherboard for some new chipset. What better way to test a chipset than to put one or two of every single supported port onto a motherboard and test them all out?

I can't imagine a new pro Mac shipping with a 400 firewire port, and some of the new ports and slots seem somewhat unlikely at this point. But if you want to make sure all your drivers, chipsets, connectors, etc., work with each other, this is exactly what you'd build-- a limited-run motherboard with the works.

If this is such a motherboard, and it's all that exists right now, I wouldn't put money on seeing a 970 machine in June. Going from this kind of test to a release product is not a 1-month thing. I would believe that select developers could get their hands on them, but that the actual machines would ship in late fall. (Again, just an off-the-cuff guess from an engineering type.)
 
does make engineering sense

Originally posted by Booga
From what it sounds like to me, and this is just a guess, this thing is a test motherboard for some new chipset. What better way to test a chipset than to put one or two of every single supported port onto a motherboard and test them all out?
Click to expand...

A couple of problems with this approach....

1. It's expensive - you need to set up all kinds of custom glue logic and build a special board layout (some printed circuit boards are 20 layers thick) to connect the components.

2. It doesn't test the final board - after testing the mondo-motherboard, you then build a completely different board for production. It doesn't work, though, because a mistake happened while redesigning the board.


It's one thing if the board will go into production, perhaps with some components optional (Fibre Channel only when the board is in an XServe), but to make a special "kitchen sink" board for testing would be odd. Too much money, and you don't test what you plan to sell.

BTW, I find Fibre Channel quite unlikely for the PowerMac Extreme - too expensive, and a direct competitor to 1394b for storage. Makes sense for XServe....

My hunch on the mystery "3+2" connectors is Component Video + Audio Out. A great way to connect your HDTV or HD-Ready TV to the computer!
 
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