Intel Mac Towers Speculation

Frodo · Post by **Frodo** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 9:30 pm

[Note: "speculation" emphasized]

http://appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1886

Rumors on Intel Towers are rampant, but the article does set some interesting benchmarks for where they might be.

2Ghz, 2.33 Ghz, and 2.66Ghz are rumored to be the first trilogy of processor speeds to come. Rumors also cite that a 3Ghz machine may be further postponed.

--Does this seem like processor backtracking with the fastest meeting or falling short of the current 2.7
--Are the improvements with PCIx, general bus speeds, and other peripheral enhancements *that* much better that the clock speed is immaterial?

The other major point of the article deals with the casing, meaning that the Intels will use the same basic case of the G5 with the exception of an additional optical drive slot. PCIx slots remain the same, which may not send DAW users into a victory dance, but better stability might temper criticisms.

The extra optical slot may come in handy for those using certain SATA updates which use the optical bus (at the risk of voiding the warranty). If given a choice, I'd ask for an extra PCIx slot, then wait either for a new and improved Super Drive (multi-layer blu-ray compatible) or opt for an external optical drive should one be needed.

--Does anyone feel an immediate necessity for two optical drives?

Other features unchanged:

1. 2 FW400 ports
2. 1 FW800 port
3. 2 USB 2.0 ports
4. 2 USB 1.1 ports
5. Two HD bays, one occupied
6. Price points $1799, $2499, and $3299
7. 3 opend PCIx slots

Although these rumors are far from earth-shattering, it will be important to have users' reports of how their DAWs and plugins are working on the new towers.

emulatorloo · Post by **emulatorloo** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 6:41 pm

self-delete- duplicate post

emulatorloo · Post by **emulatorloo** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 6:42 pm

Another speculative piece here:

http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/ ... macs.ars/1

Frodo, as to speed, remember that reviewers are saying the macbook pro is about as speedy as a G5 Dual 2.0. (that logic review in Macworld) So I would expect these processors to pack even more punch.

Frodo · Post by **Frodo** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 7:12 pm

emulatorloo wrote:Another speculative piece here:

http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/ ... macs.ars/1

Frodo, as to speed, remember that reviewers are saying the macbook pro is about as speedy as a G5 Dual 2.0. (that logic review in Macworld) So I would expect these processors to pack even more punch.

Goooooooooood article. Thanks for the link. I love the phrase "reading the entrails of the sacrifical dogcow"!!!

Ain't it the truth?

Yes-- CPU speed is one issue. Not being pessimistic, but inquisitive--- I wonder if such improvements mean that what I run on my current G5 will "only" run better on a comparable Intel tower-- or-- will these Intels offer some benefits to higher instance and voice counts, curbing somehwat the urgency of needing two or more Macs in a network to run a a few more VI's?

Beyond that, my biggest concern is how "wet behind the ears" the native software will be. MOTU is quite good for releasing things which aren't 100% up to speed-- M5 is a prime example. Certain dysfunctions in DP5 remain. I wonder if Syncrosoft will ever get it right, too-- as I'm pondering just why their software is so iffy after numerous updates and complaints on the best PPCs.

Moreover, timing for me is a big issue. The lag of waiting for all the software I needed to go to OSX kept me in OS9 for over two years using unsupported apps and dealing with the glitches without much tech support. It remains to be seen how long it will take to iron out bugs, if any.

I'm keeping positive, though.

Timeline · Post by **Timeline** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 7:28 pm

Quad MAC this year:

http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1904

Frodo · Post by **Frodo** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 10:12 pm

Timeline wrote:Quad MAC this year:

http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1904

I nearly soiled myself, T. Don't dooooooooo dat!!

The chips, code-named Kentsfield (desktop) and Clovertown (server), were announced by Intel execs at dates earlier this year and are candidates to appear in future revisions of Apple's Mac product lines.

Okay, so technically, 2006 still has some *future* remaining, but if Apple indeed announces and releases a Quad Intel this year it will be a most amazing leap forward for them when updates have come in such small steps in recent years.

It seems that Intel is turning up the heat right away, but Apple may indeed take its time.

Timeline · Post by **Timeline** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 2:23 am

Wanna bet?

Frodo · Post by **Frodo** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 2:29 am

Timeline wrote:Wanna bet?

I'd rather save my money for more software!! I've been wrong before!

emulatorloo · Post by **emulatorloo** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 8:00 am

Frodo wrote:Moreover, timing for me is a big issue. The lag of waiting for all the software I needed to go to OSX kept me in OS9 for over two years using unsupported apps and dealing with the glitches without much tech support. It remains to be seen how long it will take to iron out bugs, if any.

I really don't think it is going to be as bad as the switch from 9 to X. I went to the first few Apple developer conferences after Apple acquired NeXT, and the dev tools to do intel software have always been there since day one. (even though intel stuff went away for a while) So Apple has always been ready for this. . .and subtly preparing developers for this day by building dev tools that were always ready.

But at any rate, I share your concern and cautiousness. The new intel desktops will be great for people who live in Final Cut Studio and Logic Pro. It is going to just be FANTASTIC.

For the rest of us, waiting on Adobe and all the little VI developers to get their stuff done (and done right) will be a little unpleasant.

That's why I'm thinking that the intel pro desktop announcement will be a signal to me to finally demote my quicksilver and get a dual G5 as they come flooding onto ebay.

Maybe that's dumb. But that's the plan right now for me. I will love hearing all of you talking about how great the new intels are!

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Frodo · Post by **Frodo** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 12:44 pm

emulatorloo wrote:
Frodo wrote:Moreover, timing for me is a big issue. The lag of waiting for all the software I needed to go to OSX kept me in OS9 for over two years using unsupported apps and dealing with the glitches without much tech support. It remains to be seen how long it will take to iron out bugs, if any.
I really don't think it is going to be as bad as the switch from 9 to X. I went to the first few Apple developer conferences after Apple acquired NeXT, and the dev tools to do intel software have always been there since day one. (even though intel stuff went away for a while) So Apple has always been ready for this. . .and subtly preparing developers for this day by building dev tools that were always ready.

But at any rate, I share your concern and cautiousness. The new intel desktops will be great for people who live in Final Cut Studio and Logic Pro. It is going to just be FANTASTIC.

For the rest of us, waiting on Adobe and all the little VI developers to get their stuff done (and done right) will be a little unpleasant.

That's why I'm thinking that the intel pro desktop announcement will be a signal to me to finally demote my quicksilver and get a dual G5 as they come flooding onto ebay.

Maybe that's dumb. But that's the plan right now for me. I will love hearing all of you talking about how great the new intels are!

----------------

No doubt, Logic will won't suffer much lag if any at all, and Apple's "second-party" software will certainly get some serious in-house testing for the sake of compatibility.

I don't think I'll have quite the problems this time with waiting that I had last time, but I will say that DP and Finale were among the last bits of software I use to make it to OSX, and neither were terribly stable for some time.

Making it to the new format is one thing. Having it work stably once it gets there is what I'm keeping my eye on. The previous track record for DP and Finale haven't been stellar in this regard, especially with new versions.

Bobbyl · Post by **Bobbyl** » Sat Jul 29, 2006 2:18 pm

Anybody care to speculate on shipping dates?

emulatorloo · Post by **emulatorloo** » Sat Jul 29, 2006 3:29 pm

Bobbyl wrote:Anybody care to speculate on shipping dates?

rumors are an announcement at Apple World Wide Developer Conference, Aug 7 - 11. But rumors are rumors, and sometimes aren't true.

Frodo · Post by **Frodo** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 12:16 pm

If they do announce these units at the Conference in a few days, typical ship dates are late Aug and Jan. I would hope that the second wave of Intel Towers would be shipping by Jan 07, but so much is yet shrouded in mystery.