PowerMacs, iMacs and eMacs

[MacRumors]

With MacWorld Expo still underway, questions about future hardware upgrades are already making the rounds.

iMac and eMac upgrades are on the way... as previously rumored... though no confirmation on upcoming processor speeds... though unconfirmed rumors seem to be guessing at 1GHz speeds.

PowerMacs were last updated on August 13th, 2002. That upgrade brough us Dual 1.25GHz processors. Another upgrade is expected, and should top out at Dual 1.43 GHz.

The new Powerbooks already have Mac OS X 10.2.4 loaded (more photos), and should be coming down the pipe for the rest of us.

 

[Bifrost]

new iMacs

thanks for this info, arn.
I am waiting to buy a new iMac for home, and also waiting to buy a Dual-Processor PowerMac for work. I already have a G4 PowerBook (although its only 400 MHz), so although I thought the new PowerBooks were cool they were not what I was hoping for. Sounds like I wont have to wait too long to get what I really need. [Sigh of relief]

 

[OSeXy!]

Re: PowerMacs, iMacs and eMacs

Originally posted by Macrumors
...Another upgrade is expected, and should top out at Dual 1.43 GHz...

I wonder which G4 model this will implement, and at what bus speed?

 

[xype]

when?

New powermacs - when? Also I'd love to see a single 1.4 ghz powermac priced around 1200 $. But I guess that'll never happen.

 

[xype]

Re: Re: PowerMacs, iMacs and eMacs

Originally posted by OSeXy!


I wonder which G4 model this will implement, and at what bus speed?

I guess 1.43 ghz means 167 mhz bus.

 

[rugby]

I also wonder what cpu they're going to use because Motorola can only get the G4 up to 1.25ghz for now with no headroom.

 

[dongmin]

Originally posted by rugby
I also wonder what cpu they're going to use because Motorola can only get the G4 up to 1.25ghz for now with no headroom.

Are you sure about that? Some people have overclocked the 1.25 ghz to 1.33 without problems and to 1.5 with some degree of success. (link )


So it's feasible that the updates will keep the same processor, namely the 7455s. BUT, there've been rumors of the .13-micron 7457s debuting at 1.43 ghz in February.

 

[scem0]

I could definitely see the powermac upgrade happening. It isn't
right to have the ti17 and ti12 to have FW800 while the pMacs
have FW400...... So that is one thing that needs to be changed
in the update, and if it isn't changed then I will be ver suprised.
A dual 1.43 GHz pMac would be awesome especially with faster
DDR, and maybe apple could dual pump the bus. I don't know if
that is possible with the g4 chip, as it is with Wintel computer
chips. Maybe a raise in L3 cache?

Oh, and if they manage to dual pump the bus, or quad pump it, or
whatever, it will still work at 1.43 GHz right?

I wonder which G4 model this will implement

I gotta second this.

 

[flappo]

..i'd like an imac w/ a g4 and a 1mc cache ...is this feasible?

..failing that , superdrive mk2 and geforce mx/4 w/ 64 mb sgram ??

..any ideas if this might happen ?

 

[NicoMan]

Originally posted by scem0
It isn't right to have the ti17 and ti12 to have FW800

I think only the AlBook 17" (not Ti17 it is not made of Titanium...) has FW800. But you have a good point, it would make sense for Apple to make those technologies (along with Bluetooth, Airport Extreme...) available to at least the Powermac range.

Originally posted by scem0
I don't know if that is possible with the g4 chip
Maybe a raise in L3 cache?

From what I understand, the G4 processor(up till now at least) was incapable to make full use of DDR. Now I know that Motorola is supposed to update the G4 processor (by the way are we sure we are not going to get the 7457 in at least the Al17"?) but the memory controller allowing full use of DDR is not expected before the second update to the G4, which is not supposed to happen before H2 this year.

Originally posted by scem0
Maybe a raise in L3 cache?

That could improve performance a bit but that would definitely look like a stop-gap measure until the arrival of the IBM PPC970. Also L3 cache doesn't come cheap...

My 2 cents

NicoMan

 

[gaomay]

New G4

Probably will be 7457 - its in the right timeframe for it, according to the famous Motorola .pdf which was leaked a while back.
Should have 512K L2 cache also. When the Pentium 4 was upgraded in the same way it made quite a difference to performance. If the 7457 can also fully utilise DDR then the two combined should have a marked effect.

 

[minimansion]

we know you mean

...... august 13, 2002

 

[Swinny]

I'm hanging on for a bumped iMac...as mentioned elsewhere, a launch on January 25th (the iLife release date) would make a lot of sense, with new PowerMacs to follow 2-4 weeks later?

Here's hoping anyway...my PC is on it's last legs and my iBook, as sweet as it is, isn't much of a main machine.

 

[scem0]

Originally posted by NicoMan

I think only the AlBook 17" (not Ti17 it is not made of Titanium...) has FW800. But you have a good point, it would make sense for Apple to make those technologies (along with Bluetooth, Airport Extreme...) available to at least the Powermac range.

My 2 cents

NicoMan

whatever...... . I'll just call them the PB12 and PB17 from now on.... for those people who love technicalities.

 

[OSeXy!]

If this is true, then a couple of things make the present release of the A12 and A17 curious in relation to the rest of the product line.

If FW800 does appear soon in new desktops - which it clearly will - then the A12 is left on its own in the 'Power' category without it. It could even be like the Wallstreet PBG3 which had no USB being sold as the original iMac was released. If FW800 appears on eMacs and iMacs, the A12 is going to look long in the tooth before it's a month old!

If the 7457 is just around the corner, then the Ti15 should get it in its next revision (or metamorphosis if it is reborn in Aluminium). In that instance, it will far out-perform the A17 in memory bandwidth, CPU speed and battery life - again making a 'new' product look less buyable.

As Apple is unlikely to revise either the A17 or A12 for half a year at least, 'The Year of the Laptop' might have to wait until MWNY to really get going! I think the new products are great, but the timing of their release might begin to look odd as the months go by. I wonder if this was the only hardware Apple had in a half-way ready stage and felt it had to show something... Or if they delayed their release, originally scheduled for the previous TiBook bump? Speculation Speculation Speculation.

 

[bbarnhart]

Firewire 800

I suspect that upgraded eMacs and iBooks will not have a Firewire 800 port, just a Firewire 400 port. The upgraded iMac may have a Firewire 800 port.

Upgraded PowerMacs would have a Firewire 800 port.

So, I'm thinking, the 12" Powerbook won't be totally left behind.

 

[Frobozz]

Re: when?

Originally posted by xype
New powermacs - when? Also I'd love to see a single 1.4 ghz powermac priced around 1200 $. But I guess that'll never happen.

Sure it will-- at the end of 2003 perhaps.

A single 1.4 desktop at $1200 doesn't really make sense. I would say Apple wouldn't go below $1599 for it's pro line and that is fine. You have all the expandability AND all the speed.

 

[rugby]

1.25 to 1.33 is not a big overclock, and I should have clarified my statement by saying "little or no headroom". SUre there will be some chips out there that just have the luck of the draw, but 95% of what's out there won't do 1.5

Originally posted by dongmin


Are you sure about that? Some people have overclocked the 1.25 ghz to 1.33 without problems and to 1.5 with some degree of success. (link )


So it's feasible that the updates will keep the same processor, namely the 7455s. BUT, there've been rumors of the .13-micron 7457s debuting at 1.43 ghz in February.

 

[dongmin]

my guess on specs:

PHATTEST
dual 1.4 ghz
ppc 7457
167 mhz bus
512k L2 cache
4 mb L3 cache
fw800
bluetooth
airport X
radeon 9700
512 mb ram
superdrive 2x
$3199


PHATTER
dual 1.25 ghz (ppc 7457)
167 mhz bus
256k L2 cache
2 mb L3 cache
fw800
bluetooth
airport X ready
radeon 9700
256 mb ram
superdrive 2x
$2399

PHAT
dual 1.1 ghz (ppc 7455)
167 mhz bus
256k L2
1 mb L3
fw400
bluetooth
airport ready
radeon 9000
256 mb ram
superdrive 1x
$1499

 

[NicoMan]

G4 7457

Are we absolutely sure that the 2 new powerBooks (or at least the 17") are not using the 7457 ??

I can't find the information on Apple's website.

Nicoman

 

[AssassinOfGates]

New powermacs? its still hard for me to believe that after buying my dual 867 3 days after the release, and paying $1785 for it being a student, it already is going to be obsolete in a few weeks / months. If only they had the lifespan of a car....

 

[Postal]

1.43 GHz sounds a bit odd when you check the math: you'd only get to that number if the FSB was clocked at 168 MHz, which isn't entirely unfeasible but is also not 167 MHz either.

I'd heard a couple months back or so that the first 2003 PowerMacs might have a 200 MHz FSB on at least one of the higher-end models, which (if true) would make 1.5 GHz more likely for the top-end system.

Either way, I hope that these are the 'legendary' 0.13-micron G4s with the doubled L2 cache! G4s are very dependent on access to memory, so going to 512K could feel like a breath of fresh air. A proper DDR bus would be nice, but I'm a bit skeptical regarding that. Motorola is disturbingly well-known for dragging its heels.

 

[PGant]

Re: Barnhart's assessment

Re: bbarnhart's post
>>"I suspect that upgraded eMacs and iBooks will not have a Firewire 800 port, just a Firewire 400 port. The upgraded iMac may have a Firewire 800 port."

I think you may be right. Apple's line-up seems to be positoning the iBook and eMac as value editon products to compete with low-priced PCs.

I'm planning on buying a new iMac this year, and the thing I will be looking for will be hardware improvements that match many of the features on the new Powerbooks.

Here's my list of must-haves:
Firewire 800;
17 inch screen;
AirPort Extreme Ready;
Bluetooth built-in;
at least 512 megs of RAM;
100 GB hard drive;
NVIDIA GeForce4 MX.

Notice what's not on the list. For me (and this is just my view), processor speed is not a big deal. Any G4 right now would be plenty fast for my needs.

 

[ffakr]

Re: when?

Originally posted by xype
New powermacs - when? Also I'd love to see a single 1.4 ghz powermac priced around 1200 $. But I guess that'll never happen.

I doubt you'll see this option.
Apple does have a history of offering the last low-end model to education for steep discount though. If they continue this year long+ trend, The dual 867MHz should be available to educational buyers for somewhere around $1200 US.

You just need to find a family friend/member who is in college. Educational discounts extend to students and they are allowed one desktop AND one laptop purchase per year while enrolled.

On another note, I had a 22" LCD on order before the new year [not for me ] . Apple changed the ship time to 3-4 weeks. I wonder if a parts shipment is backordered, or if they are planning some sort of change. I'd be REAL pissed if they told me that the 22" was discontinued in 3 weeks (especially since I ordered it 2 weeks ago and it is NOW listed as 3-4 weeks).
The ship time was around 3-4 days when I ordered it in December.

 

[IndyGopher]

Originally posted by AssassinOfGates
New powermacs? its still hard for me to believe that after buying my dual 867 3 days after the release, and paying $1785 for it being a student, it already is going to be obsolete in a few weeks / months. If only they had the lifespan of a car....

August to February is hardly a few weeks.. or even a few months. As for the computer being obsolete, there are two ways to look at it... A) your machine is never obsolete as long as it runs the software you need Or, B) you can be technosnob and say that any machine is obsolete by the time you open the box.

Either way, the dual 867 was never the top of the line, so you avoided the premium associated with that, and you got it for the student price, so I can't imagine what you're complaining about.