iBooks, G3 etc.

fryke

fryke

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Okay. The PowerMacs move to the G5. I'm pretty sure that the PowerBooks will follow the same year (year of the notebook, right?), maybe at the very end of 2003. The iMacs and eMacs can either use faster G4s (1.4 GHz PPC 7457) later on or move to lower-end G5s, too.

And the iBooks? Moving them to G4s would be a bad move, I think. The G4s are too hot, anyway.

However: Rumour has it that IBM is pushing the G3. Adding AltiVec to them, even.

Personally, I'd like to see iBooks this Autumn running 1.2-1.4 GHz G3s (AltiVec or not), because the G5 finally gives Apple (and the iBooks) enough room to breathe...

What do you think?
 
What about the updated G4s from MOTO? Supposedly they will need less power but scale upwards easier! I think I read somewhere that those G4s can go up to 2 GHz while using (for real) faster internal components (like DDR RAM) all while requiring less power... I'll try to find the URLs and post them here later on...

Anyways, I guess that low end will go G4 and high end will go G5 early next year... I cannot see that happening earlier! But if I'm wrong it will be better for all of us :D

G3 with AltiVec from IBM could become IBM's G4 ;)
 
I'm rather skeptical on the PB's getting the G5, even if it is the year of the laptop ...

From The Register:
The 7457 is Motorola's follow-up to the current top-of-the-line G4, the 7455. It not only doubles the G4's on-die L2 cache to 512KB, but expands its external L3 cache support to 4MB (though only 2MB can be used as cache per se; the rest is available as "private memory"). The clock speed will max out at 1.3GHz, but the extra cache sizes should improve performance even on the 1GHz version compared to current G4-based PowerBooks. So too will its 200MHz frontside bus, which paves the way for 400MHz DDR SDRAM support.

The 7457 will be fabbed at 0.13 micron, and Motorola claims the chip consumes just 16.6W at 1.3GHz, compared to the 0.18 micron 7455's 15W at 1GHz. By contrast the G5 consumes 42W at 1.8GHz. All three chips have a core voltage of 1.3V.

With new, 15.4in PowerBooks said to go into production during the second half of the year, the 7457 remains the most likely candidate for that machine's processor, possibly in dual-CPU configurations, if some rumours are to be believed.
Click to expand...

The dual thinghy is a bit far fetched maybe, but consider the data. I really think the G5 will remain an exclusive for the PM's for a while. The G5 doesn't imply that all older processors are immediately obsolete and in dire need to be replaced...
 
The G4 won't reach more than 1.3 GHz officially this year. I'm not quite sure that Apple will think that's enough for 'the year of the portables'. I'm pretty sure though that _I_ won't think it's enough.
 
While I own one, I am not sold on the benefits of the G4 over the G3. It seems like far too few aps are optimized for the AltiVec, and if I remember correctly the G3 could be pushed much faster but is being held back so as not to achieve higher clock speeds than the G4.

Motorola basically sucks. The G4 had such promise, but the advancement of this chip has been painfully slow and I hold Motorola accountable for that. Although frankly they have little to gain from high clock speed CPUs, which is why IBM makes a better partner IMHO.
 
On a related, but slightly different, issue does anyone know if it is possible to up the speed of a G3 processor using a firmware patch or something like that? I have an 800mhz iBook and soon after it came out they upped the processor to 900mhz - surely its a simple tweek?!
 
using an old cpu on a new piece of hardware is stupid.

G3 cpu's on 2003 ibooks? g3's were released like 4 years ago. Put some g5's in them. you dont see wintel machines putting Pentium II's in there laptops, do ya?
 
I guess...another thing Apple needs to take into consideration is the sales appeal...like...you get a customer in the store looking at computers, he sees a new, shiny, fast G5 in the PowerMacs...and then comes across a G3...it doesn't sound very new. Well, obviously the G3 isn't new...but since iBooks have been the consumer-type laptop, i would guess apple wouldn't use the G5 in them.....G4's would work nifty, however...
 
what bothers me... is you see these Dell laptops, with 3.06P4's with HT... and then these ibooks... for just as much... just 10 steps lower in performence. UGH. I like the G5, and the high end G4's... but ugh.
 
A G3 + Altivec = A G4

paulie: All you have to do is open up your computer and reset a few jumpers, and you'll have a faster computer. You have to make sure you set the right jumpers, of course, because if you do it incorrectly you will burn out your machine (which will happen if you set the speed to high, as well). I remember when my computer was still modern (a 233 Mhz G3), I read an article in (I believe) Mac Addict about how to reset your jumpers to make the computer faster. I could reset this old workhorse to as much as 850 Mhz, but it would be the Apple Syndrome if I did.

The G3 is not as old as it sounds. The G4 is basically a G3 with a revamped architecture and Altivec, so the performance difference per Mhz is not significant. However, from a consumer standpoint, rather than a technical standpoint, the G3 is ancient and needs to be retired.

And the G3 is almost 6 years old.
 
Well, we _know_ that IBM is actively developing the G3. And these newer processors, while they're totally compatible with any older G3s, are _not_ the same processors. They're smaller, much faster and run cooler than earlier PowerPC G3 processors, both from Motorola and IBM.

IBM adding AltiVec engine(s) to the G3 does not entirely make it a G4, but why not call it a iBook G4, anyway...
 
Why not use IBM's version of the 'G3' (isn't it referred to as Gobi these days?) and rename it? Just because it is called a G3 doesn't mean it performs like a motorola G3, does it? It's a somewhat different chip, and deserves a better name. Call it something like the G5, G5 Light or something. It deserves the name change.
And yes I don't think apple is gonna push too hard to get G5's into it's othert product lines, and that sucks. But with almost every mac based graphics studio waiting for a new PowerMac, and Quark 6 just coming out, There are a lot of people waiting to buy G5's. Why not force them to buy expensive G5's?
 
Originally posted by RC23
using an old cpu on a new piece of hardware is stupid.

G3 cpu's on 2003 ibooks? g3's were released like 4 years ago. Put some g5's in them. you dont see wintel machines putting Pentium II's in there laptops, do ya?
Click to expand...
Here you go. Here are your G5 Powerbook and iBook. I hope you don't mind but they had to be made a little bit larger and with a little more cooling in them.
 

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gwynarion: Nice Photoshopping!
RC23: keep your pants on, I'm sure Dell didn't start putting Pentium IVs in laptops before the desktop version was even shipping. For that matter, we didn't get a G4 Powerbook until several years after the G4 desktop. All in good time! :)
 
Dlloyd, I do believe that Jobs said that "This is the year of the laptop." Which would make me think that apple would produce a PB G5 this year (at least by november or january)
 
Considering that the desktop G5 needs 9 fans and 4 thermal zones, Apple would need to do some serious work for the G5 to fit into a thin and light enclosure.
 
Sorry I'm a bit confused on who made the earlier G3s was it IBM, I only thought motorolla made the G4s. Is my 800mhz G3 ibooks processor made by IBM? Because the way I look at it is that my 800mhz iBook is just as fast if not faster then my 700mhz eMac that I use to own, both with 640ram. Basicly just because its a G3, G4, or G5 doesnt mean you need the most powerfull, rather you need to buy what suits your needs. My freind bashed me for not buying the far more expenisve G4 powerbook at the time I got the ibook. I explained my budget, what I needed in a computer and how the Powerbook is out of my range and would only do what the ibook can do at a higherprice. Now hes all over the G5s and hes already got a dual 800mhz G4 Powermac, I mean cmon you got a great Powermac why the hell blow all your cash on the G5 if you dont make huge motion pictures or compose music? So basicly all I am looking for is some type of timeline of the chips and who made them or some tyoe of background reference on the subject at hand. And does anyone know if the rumor of panther running better on G3s then other versions of OS X is true or not? Thanks
 
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