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ondert

macrumors 6502a
Aug 11, 2017
692
997
Canada
Oh boy, skipping the 10nm and trying for the 7nm next looks like a disaster. Intel really messed up things. I was waiting for a redesign iMac with 10nm cpu and navi gpu. Maybe Apple should go with Ryzen cpu since they are really sincere with AMD already.
 
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Pro7913

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Sep 28, 2019
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Oh boy, skipping the 10nm and trying for the 7nm next looks like a disaster. Intel really messed up things. I was waiting for a redesign iMac with 10nm cpu and navi gpu. Maybe Apple should go with Ryzen cpu since they are really sincere with AMD already.

It will be late even Intel get 7nm cause AMD will make 5nm or 3nm on 2021.

But Ryzen wont gonna work on Mac. macOS is highly optimized for Intel CPU so they need to rebuild it completely. Also Thunderbolt 3 is the main reason why Apple is using Intel CPU cause TB3 is owned by Intel. This is why Ryzen 3rd gen still not able to use TB3.
 

AustinIllini

macrumors G5
Oct 20, 2011
12,699
10,566
Austin, TX
It will be late even Intel get 7nm cause AMD will make 5nm or 3nm on 2021.

But Ryzen wont gonna work on Mac. macOS is highly optimized for Intel CPU so they need to rebuild it completely. Also Thunderbolt 3 is the main reason why Apple is using Intel CPU cause TB3 is owned by Intel. This is why Ryzen 3rd gen still not able to use TB3.
I have a hard time believing Apple isn't running macOS on ARM or AMD somewhere in the big spaceship like they did when OS X primarily ran on PowerPC and Apple had x86 Macs hidden in 1 Infinite Loop.
 

robbieduncan

Moderator emeritus
Jul 24, 2002
25,611
893
Harrogate

Falhófnir

macrumors 603
Aug 19, 2017
6,146
7,001
It will be late even Intel get 7nm cause AMD will make 5nm or 3nm on 2021.

But Ryzen wont gonna work on Mac. macOS is highly optimized for Intel CPU so they need to rebuild it completely. Also Thunderbolt 3 is the main reason why Apple is using Intel CPU cause TB3 is owned by Intel. This is why Ryzen 3rd gen still not able to use TB3.
Thunderbolt is now completely independent of using Intel CPUs:

With USB 4 upcoming next year this is even less a factor. Intel executives themselves believe Apple will begin to transition away from their chips next year. Ultimately I can see Intel starting to produce their own ARM chips and maybe fabrication for other companies; and diversifying into other components like Optane memory and GPUs if they fall too much further behind. They will still make x86 CPUs for a long time yet of course, but it will diminish from being the core of the company to just one part of it - this would be good for the business long term as I can see consumer computing really trending away from x86 in coming years, even if there's still a market in enterprise and for gaming.
 

Pro7913

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Sep 28, 2019
345
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We dont even know if Intel allow Apple to buy TB3 or not.
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Thunderbolt is now completely independent of using Intel CPUs:

With USB 4 upcoming next year this is even less a factor. Intel executives themselves believe Apple will begin to transition away from their chips next year. Ultimately I can see Intel starting to produce their own ARM chips and maybe fabrication for other companies; and diversifying into other components like Optane memory and GPUs if they fall too much further behind. They will still make x86 CPUs for a long time yet of course, but it will diminish from being the core of the company to just one part of it - this would be good for the business long term as I can see consumer computing really trending away from x86 in coming years, even if there's still a market in enterprise and for gaming.

What if Intel makes TB4 with PCIe 4.0? Then it will be a different story. There is a reason why Intel made TB3 royalty-free.
 

Pro7913

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Sep 28, 2019
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Maybe the other reason is that mobile Ryzen cpus are not mature yet for 15” mbp.

Actually, AMD does not have any mobile CPU to compete with Intel H series such as 8 cores with 5ghz boost.
 

jonblatho

macrumors 68030
Jan 20, 2014
2,529
6,239
Oklahoma
We dont even know if Intel allow Apple to buy TB3 or not.
Intel contributed the Thunderbolt specification to the USB Promoter Group with the USB4 specification being based on Thunderbolt 3. Not sure they’ll have much of a choice at this point.
 

itguy06

macrumors 6502a
Mar 8, 2006
849
1,139
Maybe the other reason is that mobile Ryzen cpus are not mature yet for 15” mbp.
Seems to be good enough for MS's Surface. The Ryzen mobile chips are quite compelling.
[automerge]1571449793[/automerge]
But Ryzen wont gonna work on Mac. macOS is highly optimized for Intel CPU so they need to rebuild it completely. Also Thunderbolt 3 is the main reason why Apple is using Intel CPU cause TB3 is owned by Intel. This is why Ryzen 3rd gen still not able to use TB3.

Wrong.

X86-64 is AMD's baby. There are Hackintoshes running Ryzen just fine. There's not much optimization needed or done.

TB is new available for all. And Apple also contributed lots to TB and probably owns a lot of that IP.

AMD has worked with plenty of vendors for custom CPUs - Microsoft (xBox and Surface), Sony (PS4 Pro). NO reason they couldn't work with Apple.

Time for Apple to ditch the Intel garbage already.
 

Pro7913

Cancelled
Original poster
Sep 28, 2019
345
102
Intel contributed the Thunderbolt specification to the USB Promoter Group with the USB4 specification being based on Thunderbolt 3. Not sure they’ll have much of a choice at this point.

USB 4.0 wont be available until 2021. Also, Intel still controls TB3 technology even it's royalty-free. At this point, Only Asrock's motherboard has one TB3 while others dont and it's not enough of data that Intel allowed AMD to have TB3. The biggest point is that Intel 10nm mobile CPU has integrated TB3. Why would they put TB3 controller in CPU instead of the motherboard since they made royalty-free for TB3?

 

theluggage

macrumors 604
Jul 29, 2011
7,982
8,404
What if Intel makes TB4 with PCIe 4.0? Then it will be a different story. There is a reason why Intel made TB3 royalty-free.

...and the most likely reason is that TB3 simply wasn't working as a way of locking people in to Intel hardware. Intel's problem with TB is that USB 3 is good enough for most storage and other peripherals - and the top-end users still need proper PCIe slots with 8 or 16 lanes (....and which will probably still have 8 or 16 faster lanes when PCIe 4/5 take off). Clue: Apple have just dropped their TB-only Mac Pro cylinder for a more traditional tower design with a ridiculous number of PCIe slots...

Meanwhile, there's a reason why the brand spanking new Mac Pro's slots are still only PCIe 3, and it starts with an "I"... AMD have already launched PCIe4 slot support. Intel haven't. So I wouldn't hold your breath for PCIe-4-over-Thunderbolt.

USB 4.0 wont be available until 2021.

...which is also the realistic timescale for AMD or ARM Macs. (Any hypothetical move to ARM would probably start with either a 12" MacBook replacement or something that was effectively an iPad Pro running MacOS, and wouldn't necessarily need Thunderbolt on day 1 - Personally, I suspect Apple have decided to go down the iPadOS route rather than MacOS on ARM).

At this point, Only Asrock's motherboard has one TB3 while others dont and it's not enough of data that Intel allowed AMD to have TB3.

It is absolutely proof that you can have TB3 in an AMD system. There are plenty of Intel-based PC motherboards without TB3, too - TB1/2 got nowhere on PC, TB3 has got a bit further (partly because the Intel TB3 chips were also a good way of implementing USB-C and USB 3.1g2) but its hardly ubiquitous. Its only Apple who have gone head-over-heels for Thunderbolt - practically forcing people to use it by skimping on ports, internal storage and (until the new Pro comes out) no PCIe slots even on desktops.

The biggest point is that Intel 10nm mobile CPU has integrated TB3. Why would they put TB3 controller in CPU instead of the motherboard since they made royalty-free for TB3?

Er... because its a mobile CPU and the idea is to integrate everything on one chip...? Intel CPUs also have built-in USB 3.
 

ondert

macrumors 6502a
Aug 11, 2017
692
997
Canada
Intel recently said that;
"We continue to make great progress on 10nm, and our current roadmap of 10nm products includes desktop."
 
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