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Intel Core Duo "is" 64-bit compatible.

M

mingisback

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 21, 2003
111
0
United States
I pulled this info off Gizmodo.com

It seems that the Intel Core Duo processors that are all the rage these days may be a little more powerful than Intel would have you know. Thanks to a little detective work, it’s been discovered that the processors, deep down inside, are actually 64-bit compatible. Yes, that Core Duo you have right now is a 64-bit chip. Intel openly admits that its Sossaman chips are 64-bit, but does not mention this fact about its consumer-targetted Yonah chips, despite the fact that the two are one in the same. What consumer (or geek) would not want to play around with a 64-bit Linux distribution, or Windows 64-bit for that matter? Intel may just have some explaining to do.

http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/intel/intel-hiding-features-from-users-153822.php
 
Benjamindaines said:
Does this mean that the MacBook Pros and new iMacs are running 64-bit under Tiger?
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I would say no, its probably in 32-bit mode. But if the report is true, then some person could enable 64-bit mode, and put a 64-bit OS on it.
 

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No, even if the chips are 64 bit (and I'm skeptical) Tiger is not. (correction: I doubt Tiger for x86 is 64-bit, but the G5 Macs are running a 64-bit OS)

Jesus said:
That would explain this:
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Not sure what you mean by this...a 32-bit system can adress 2GB RAM....
 
grapes911 said:
Not to sound like a complete moron, but what does that explain?
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i think he meant stuffing in 2 modules of 2GB DDR-667 RAM to have a total of 4GB RAM made possible with a 64-bit brain.....

or i could be wrong.... :eek: :eek:

otherwise why would even Apple highlight them on their Online Store.....
 
Eithanius said:
i think he meant stuffing in 2 modules of 2GB DDR-667 RAM to have a total of 4GB RAM made possible with a 64-bit brain.....

or i could be wrong.... :eek: :eek:

otherwise why would even Apple highlight them on their Online Store.....
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Excepting that the 2 Gb item is a kit of 2 x 1 Gb SODIMMs....
 
Eithanius said:
i think he meant stuffing in 2 modules of 2GB DDR-667 RAM to have a total of 4GB RAM made possible with a 64-bit brain.....

or i could be wrong.... :eek: :eek:

otherwise why would even Apple highlight them on their Online Store.....
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4GB is within the 32-bit limit. If its 5 GB or 6 GB then yes (IOW 4GB+), otherwise, I don't believe so.
 
BornAgainMac said:
Tiger link about 64bits.
http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/64bit/

Notice this page does not exist.
http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/32bit/

So it must be a 64bit operating system.
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Tiger is 32bit and 64bit, depending on the underlying architecture. It's quite simple to prove to yourself that this is true in any number of ways. The first way, is by remembering that Tiger will run on old G3s which most assuredly are not 64bit processors. If that doesn't do it for you, read the 64bit features page you linked to and read down to the part where they talk about fat binaries that support 32bit and 64bit.

Tiger has a multiple personality disorder. :)
 
Benjamindaines said:
...umm is that not what I said?
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Pretty much. :)

I was just thinking in terms of PPC v.s. Intel - ATM Tiger PPC is both 64 and 32 bit, depending on which PPC CPU you have...but the Intel version may be only 32 bit as yet (i'm still skeptical that the Core Duo as sold in the MPB/Imac is really 64 bit).

I assume that Leopard (Intel and PPC) will be 64 bit for the new Intel Power Macs.
 
Lord Blackadder said:
I assume that Leopard (Intel and PPC) will be 64 bit for the new Intel Power Macs.
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Apple would never do something like that. They are not going to outdate there Hardware in less than a year by making the new OS only work on the latest and greatest. And they may not even have 64 bit chips that are intel by then. Intel has been pretty slow on the 64 bit thing now. Apple would make so many loyal customers mad if they outdated there new hardware shortly after they get it. If these chips are 64 bit then the new OS would have to do something that would activate it (FLASH the ROM chip). Who knows what they are planning on doing. They also must think about all the G4 Powerbooks that they are still selling. They cannot outdate them as well since they are 32 bit. So they must think of all this. Therefore they will not outdate everything like that.

They will make it compatable with both.
 
32-Bit processors can address more than 2GB's. They just can't give a single program an address space of more than 2GB's.

Also just because they are 64bit internally doesn't mean you can actually access this mode. More than likely it was laser cut and thus physically turned off.
 
Well, this is just like with the first Prescott CPUs. All Prescotts have x86-64 extensions built in, but the first ones had it deactivated. I don't see how this is anything to get excited over, though, since there's no way for the end user to activate it.
 
SpaceMagic said:
So to round this up. Is the Intel Core Duo a 64bit chip like the G5?! Simple.
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Actually, not all G5's are 64 bit. The ones in the iMacs are all 32 bit, while the ones in the PowerMacs are 64 bit.
 
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