New iMac, Mac mini, MacBook etc.

fryke

fryke

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They updated the store much later today than they usually do, but the updates certainly are nice. I think I have to sell my 24" iMac now, because I want a quad 27" with 8 GB of RAM. Don't need it, but want it. :)

(Oh: And why isn't there already one or five threads about it??) ;)
 
The new mouse looks slick, too. Need a hand-on at my local Apple Store to determine if I want to dip into the savings account to the tune of $70. Quite tempting.

The Mac mini server is also a surprise -- nice! Dual-core Core 2 power, ample RAM, a terabyte of internal storage, and a Snow Leopard Server unlimited-client licence for $1000. That's perfect for small-to-mid size offices.

Also quietly updated: Airport Extreme (and other Airport products) with better antennas, giving boosts of speed up to 50% and range up to 25%.
 
fryke said:
They updated the store much later today than they usually do, but the updates certainly are nice. I think I have to sell my 24" iMac now, because I want a quad 27" with 8 GB of RAM. Don't need it, but want it. :)

(Oh: And why isn't there already one or five threads about it??) ;)
Click to expand...


I cannot find the price for the quad core 27".

Does it hold several HD ? I'd like it with a small SSD for the system and a large HD for the application and the data (and an external HD for music, video...).
 
Go to the online Apple Store and configure a high-end 27" iMac. On the configuration page, you will have the option of selecting a Core i5 or i7 processor, both of which are quad-core.

Edit: Actually, the highest-end iMac on the iMac store's front page is quad-core @ $1999 USD.

The iMac holds one and only one internal hard drive.
 
Yes, but for some reason that page doesn't load on the swiss store.

There are also core i5 and core i7 option. Is core i7 really stronger ?
 
I found that:

Name
  1. Core i7 (LGA 1366)
  2. Core i7 (LGA 1156)
  3. Core i5
  4. Core 2 Quad
Processor Interface
  1. LGA 1366
  2. LGA 1156
  3. LGA 1156
  4. LGA 775
Number of Cores
  1. 4
  2. 4
  3. 4
  4. 4
Turbo Boost
  1. Yes
  2. Yes
  3. Yes
  4. No
Hyper-Threading
  1. Yes
  2. Yes
  3. No
  4. No
L1 Cache
  1. 32KB/32KB per core
  2. 32KB/32KB per core
  3. 32KB/32KB per core
  4. 32KB/32KB per core
L2 Cache
  1. 256KB per core
  2. 256KB per core
  3. 256KB per core
  4. Up to 12MB shared
L3 Cache
  1. 8MB shared
  2. 8MB shared
  3. 8MB shared
  4. No
Memory Channels
  1. 3
  2. 2
  3. 2
  4. 2
Max. Memory Rate
  1. DDR3-1066
  2. DDR3-1333
  3. DDR3-1333
  4. DDR3-1600
Chipset
  1. X58
  2. P55
  3. P55
  4. X48
Price
  1. $284-$999
  2. $285-$555
  3. $199
  4. $163-$316

But how relevant is it for the user ?
 
That depends completely upon the user.

The Core i7 has HyperThreading, which makes it appear to the system as an 8-core processor. The Core i5 does not.

The Core i7 also has a higher clock speed than the i5.

Is this relevant to me? Yes, very.
Is this relevant to my grandmother? Probably not.
Is this relevant to a game designer? Maybe.
Is this relevant to a programmer? Definitely.
Is this relevant to a casual user? Not really.
Is this relevant to a power user? Pretty much.

When you buy a machine, I recommend taking into account what's relevant to you, not what's relevant to other users. Let them worry about whether they want HyperThreading or not... or whether they really care... or even know what the hell that is.

If you've done your research on the processors and still can't make heads or tails of it, then I would say that, more than likely, it's not all that relevant to you. If you understand the differences, and know about HyperThreading and higher clock speeds, then perhaps it is relevant.

Is it relevant to you? I have no earthly idea. Nobody but you can possibly know that.
 
HT was very important on Pentiums. It is what made Windows responsive on P4 machines. It is what made anti-viruses acceptable.

Now, what does it mean when we have 4 CPUs available ?
 
chevy said:
HT was very important on Pentiums. It is what made Windows responsive on P4 machines. It is what made anti-viruses acceptable.
Click to expand...
I kind of don't know what you're trying to say here. Yes, Pentium 4 processors had HyperThreading -- they also had extremely long pipelines (something on the order of 21 stages, while comparable G4 processors had around half that, or less), and the HyperThreading was almost required to make up for this problem -- some would even argue that it compounded the problem.

I don't know what you're trying to say when you say, "It is what made anti-viruses acceptable." Anti-virus protection and HyperThreading have nothing to do with each other at all.

Now, what does it mean when we have 4 CPUs available ?
Click to expand...
What do you mean, "what does it mean?" It means that the 4 cores will appear as 8 to the system. It means that you can theoretically have 8 concurrently executing threads. What else do you want it to mean? Can you elaborate on your question a tad?
 
Basically, I'd stay it's a very strong iMac line-up. _All_ of the "cheaper" machines run at 3.06 or 3.33 GHz and the core i5 and i7 processors surely make those machines well-built graphics powerhouses. (Although I'd still like an inexpensive Mac Pro rather than those more expensive iMacs to fill the gap between the iMac and the Mac Pro, but that simply won't happen, it seems.)

The beautiful thing about the core i7 (which I'll choose) is that it does adapt to power requirements so nicely. It can run at very high clock speed when powering down 3 of the 4 cores, so a single task can have the power it requires - or it can run at still-very-much-decent speed on all 4 cores. It's a nice processor, design-wise. At least it seems like that to me on paper. I'll love to put it through tests.

On the other end: The white MacBook suddenly looks sweet again. Those flakey topcases (breaking plastic around the keyboard) was getting old. Now it looks like a good machine again, and inexpensive enough, too.
 
I wish the new mouse would work with Windows. If you are running Boot Camp and got a new mouse, how are you supposed to use it??? :mad:

I wish it would work with Tiger as well. :(
 
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