Updated Intel Product Pipeline Uncovered?

[MacRumors]

DailyTech has updated its roadmap for Intel processors, giving a clue as to what can be seen in future Macs. At launch in August, Intel's Merom mobile CPU will come in ranging from 1.66 to 2.33 Ghz, and ranging in price from $209 to $637 which is comparable to Intel's current lineup's initial price points.

While initial Merom CPU's will use 667 Mhz Front Side Busses that exist today, a Q2 2007 refresh and new "socket P" rollout is slated to bump that speed to 800 Mhz.

In related news, Daily Tech also has uncovered plans for a single-core Conroe chip, named "Conroe-L." While interesting, it is doubtful that this chip will make its way into many, if any future Macs. Currently, the lowest-priced Mac Mini is the only Mac to use Intel's Core Solo processor.

 

[sunfast]

Hope it's true! A Merom will be in my first intel mac

 

[rimrocka07011]

Great! Now I'll have to sell my MBP in my sig by the start of school next year...

 

[BornAgainMac]

The Mhz myth is in full effect. It really is starting to lose it's meaning even on the Intel side. Performance per watt is the new thing now. Even AMD talks about it as if they watched the Stevenote.

 

[Core Trio]

I wonder how long Ill be able to wait, at the release of Merom my powerbook will be a little over a year old, it still runs great but every time i go to the apple store I come that much close to justifying a MBP purchase.

 

[qubex]

Multicore MacPro in August.

News at eleven.

 

[JFreak]

While initial Merom CPU's will use 667 Mhz Front Side Busses that exist today, a Q2 2007 refresh and new "socket P" rollout is slated to bump that speed to 800 Mhz.

This brings me back memories of Titanium Powerbooks that had 667/800 MHz processor speeds Plenty fast for a front side buss...

 

[AlBDamned]

This brings me back memories of Titanium Powerbooks that had 667/800 MHz processor speeds Plenty fast for a front side buss...

Yup and it makes the G4's 167MHz frontside bus, which was around for ages, look even slower than it did before.

 

[Soli Gratia]

So...if the Merom processor is here in August, does this guarantee that Mac will update the Macbook to Merom then too?

 

[Chaszmyr]

This brings me back memories of Titanium Powerbooks that had 667/800 MHz processor speeds Plenty fast for a front side buss...

Speak for yourself, I want a 3ghz frontside bus in 12 months

 

[Core Trio]

So...if the Merom processor is here in August, does this guarantee that Mac will update the Macbook to Merom then too?

The thing with apple is that there are no guarantees. Although it seems they are done with their old ways of separating the consumer and pro portable lines based on crippled clock speeds, their stance can change at any moment, without notice.we could technically see Yonah in Macbooks until its end.

 

[miketcool]

As long as the giant power hungry U571 is finally out of the picture, this map looks fine!

Update: Looks as if Intel in the UK helped sink this one in 1944.

 

[4God]

.....<snip>.....In related news, Daily Tech also has uncovered plans for a single-core Conroe chip, named "Conroe-L." While interesting, it is doubtful that this chip will make its way into many, if any future Macs. Currently, the lowest-priced Mac Mini is the only Mac to use Intel's Core Solo processor.

Maybe that's what is going in the rumored new eMacs.

 

[scottlinux]

I think they will keep core duos in the laptops/minis, and put the beefier chips in the iMac/[Power]mac. If these new intel chips use the same socket as the core solo/duos, you could just take a solo mini and pop in the newer chip. Or the same with your macbook.

 

[jaxstate]

These minor speed bump reminds me of the PPC days. They are just more frequent.

 

[Josias]

I know Merom and Yonah have impressive FSB's, but I hope the Conroe will do even better, since the old PM G5's had up to dual 1.25 GHz FSB's. I also hope the new PowerMacs will feature BSB (backsidebus), 4 S-ATA bays, and room for two optical drives. BTW, what are the clockspeeds of Conroe set to?

Well, on topic, it's cool all of them 'cept 1.67 and 1.83 GHz have 4 MB L2 caches That is going to own with a 17" MBP with 2.33 GHz Merom, 4 GB RAM, 160 GB 7.200 rpm. drive and a 1920x1200 screen (+Leopard ).

 

[bigandy]

another new socket

good too see intel following tradition there, another month, another socket design

[/sarcasm]

The Mhz myth is in full effect. It really is starting to lose it's meaning even on the Intel side. Performance per watt is the new thing now. Even AMD talks about it as if they watched the Stevenote.

but performance per watt is the big new thing because of the Stevenote, is it not?

 

[Core Trio]

I know Merom and Yonah have impressive FSB's, but I hope the Conroe will do even better, since the old PM G5's had up to 1.25 GHz FSB's. I also hope the new PowerMacs will feature BSB (backsidebus), 4 S-ATA bays, and room for two optical drives. BTW, what are the clockspeeds of Conroe set to?

We dont know if Conroe will even be used in the Powermacs at this point...In fact many (including myself) think that the coming "Mac Pro" will house a woodcrest or two.

 

[RichP]

but performance per watt is the big new thing because of the Stevenote, is it not?

Yeah, AMD has their new performance-per-watt ad campaign going around too.

The power consumption of the chip is a rather small part of the overall power consumption of these machines..we need some real energy reduction in other areas to really give battery life a boost.

 

[HiRez]

Performance per watt is great and it seems that Intel is doing a decent job with that, but with larger, brighter screens, more CPU cores, faster hard drives (you are a noob if you don't put a 7200 rpm drive in your PowerBook, doncha' know), and particularly faster, more power-hungry GPUs, one area that Apple and the industry as a whole needs to make some breakthroughs on is battery technology. There really haven't been an major changes that I'm aware of in about 5 years or so. Yes, they manage to squeeze another watt here or there, but essentially, they are the same bulky, heavy, short-life batteries we've had for a long time. Where is the battery revolution?

 

[Macer]

Conroe is just the P4 replacement, you couldn't stick that in a power mac and call it a power mac. Most PC users who buy a new PC in the next year or 2 will have a conroe cpu in their pc, as this will be the standard desktop cpu.

 

[Multimedia]

Conroe itself is set for launch on July 23rd

Here's more on the subject from this article yesterday plus all these other articles since earlier this year. Point is MacBook can't go above 2GHz while MacBook Pro will go to 2.33 GHz as soon as Apple can get them - even if they're just Yonah's in July short term.

Designated Conroe July 23 Launch Date perfect timing for the August 7th SteveNote at SF WWDC two week later.

Of course the Woodcrest Quad will still be the "star" of the SteveNote Presentation. But I think Conroe will have a role in the Quad's little Core 2 Duo brothers.

Also of note is the addition of a 1.66GHz Core 2 Duo processor set to sell for $209 retail. Looks like the $599 Combo Mac mini's friend to me. Hope to see the $799 Superdrive Mac mini get the 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo.

 

[DTphonehome]

So...if the Merom processor is here in August, does this guarantee that Mac will update the Macbook to Merom then too?

First off, "Mac" doesn't make computers - Apple does. And I think it's reasonable that they would keep the Yonah in the Macbook and save the faster/cooler chip for the MBP. Right now the MBP isn't a compelling value in the face of the MB, so this could be a way to seperate the lines.

 

[Josias]

We dont know if Conroe will even be used in the Powermacs at this point...In fact many (including myself) think that the coming "Mac Pro" will house a woodcrest or two.

Extreme! I still hope for BSB, 4 SATA bays and two drives, but what are the woodcrests clocked at? 2.5 GHz to 3.2 is my guess? (A Quad 3.2 GHz WoodCrest with dual 1.6 GHz FSB and 8 MB L2 Cache )

 

[4God]

...<snip>...Designated Conroe July 23 Launch Date perfect timing for the August 7th SteveNote at SF WWDC two week later.

So, what your saying is the August announcement/release of Woodcrest means nothing for the Intel PowerMacs (MacPro)?