Intels in the PowerMacs? When?

[seanmicken]

I was just wondering if anyone has heard when the PowerMac G5s will have the new Intel chips?

I'm considering buying a Mac, but I'm thinking that it may be better to wait for the Intel chips so that im not using "the old PPC chip" when they do...

 

[EricNau]

August, when Conroe (or maybe Woodcrest) is released... I think.

Past Thread

 

[Chundles]

August WWDC most likely. Along with a MacBook Pro refresh and the release of the new versions of the Pro apps and an extended and advanced preview of 10.5

They're my predictions anyway.

 

[seanmicken]

Ok, thanks. Are there going to be any more PPC releases in the meantime?

Is the Intel worth waiting for?

Also, does anyone know what the system requirements are to be for the new OSX Leapord? Surely the current dualcore 2GHz PowerMac G5s will be well over enough?

EDIT: Oh... one other question... are there any Apple resellers that sell Apple equipment for cheaper than Apple itself that I could be comfortable buying from?

 

[Chundles]

Ok, thanks.

Does anyone know what the system requirements are to be for the new OSX Leapord? Surely the current dual 2GHz PowerMac G5s will be well over enough?

EDIT: Oh... one other question... are there any Apple resellers that sell Apple equipment for cheaper than Apple itself that I could be comfortable buying from?

Nobody really knows but I suspect it will drop G3 support and be only G4, G5 and Intel with the really good stuff for G5 and Intel. It will most likely need more RAM again (256 was bearable for 10.3, 512 for 10.4, I think probably 768 to 1GB for 10.5) I'll max out the RAM in this little baby and bung in 10.5 and it will have to do until probably 2008 or so on when I have enough money to get me a sparkling new one.

 

[thomasp]

I've only skimmed through that other thread (linked to earlier), so sorry if this question has already been asked/answered:

Will the Intel versions of the PowerMacs still be called PowerMacs, or will they be Mac Pro's, or something equally lacking in "Punch"?

 

[Chundles]

I've only skimmed through that other thread (linked to earlier), so sorry if this question has already been asked/answered:

Will the Intel versions of the PowerMacs still be called PowerMacs, or will they be Mac Pro's, or something equally lacking in "Punch"?

Nobody knows. Probably ProMac or something.

 

[howesey]

I have the answer, when it's ready!


Apple will not release a pro machine until software has been made universal and all the bugs ironed out of them. Releasing one before christmas would be a silly move by Apple, people rely on these machine to be stable and software to run native, which Intel based Macs are not now.


Always a good saying: If you need a new machine now, buy the best one that you can afford.

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

Apple will have a new machine out before christmas for sure, I mean how long can you sell the dual 2.0 g5? I just have to wonder if they are going to release the developers model for the public or release a brand spanking all new Mac. It would be nice to see a new design. Apples last all new machine was MacMini and thats over a year old so its time for something new this summer.

 

[hvfsl]

August WWDC most likely. Along with a MacBook Pro refresh and the release of the new versions of the Pro apps and an extended and advanced preview of 10.5

They're my predictions anyway.

August is too early for a MacBook Pro refresh. October is more likely.

When the original PowerBook G4 came out in January 2001, Apple released an updated version in October, the same year.

 

[FocusAndEarnIt]

Nobody knows. Probably ProMac or something.

Yeah. Or MacPro.

 

[zerolight]

I bought a refurb'd Dual 2.7Ghz PowerMac G5 from Apple just last week. Having checked out the benchmarks, I noticed it was almost as fast as the Quad in most cases, but with £700 off, it seemed a bit of a bargain. I figure it's going to take till at least the middle of 2007 before the dust settles on the whole Intel thing and all the good stuff is running in UB. Even then, for my needs the dual 2.7 is probably plenty fast. I'm not worrying about an Intel powered Mac for while. Maybe I'll upgrade at the end of 2007.

Just sharing, as I was in your boat last week.

:edit: Mine came with a Mighty Mouse and 1GB of ram, so I scored.

I added another 2GB of ram, and as a PC convert I've had no issues with it at all.

 

[Chundles]

August is too early for a MacBook Pro refresh. October is more likely.

When the original PowerBook G4 came out in January 2001, Apple released an updated version in October, the same year.

I was thinking more along the lines of an addition of a 17" model above the 15" with a corresponding price drop on the 15" model.

Merom may be out by then and Apple can't afford to lag behind on new processors now that people can get the same chip in any machine. When Intel release a new processor, Apple will put it in their machines. That's the way it's going to have to go from now on. So, we could se a Merom chip in the MBPs by then.

 

[iSee]

Ok, thanks. Are there going to be any more PPC releases in the meantime?

I doubt it. Apple seems to be all about the Intel transition

Is the Intel worth waiting for?

Actually, I think that's debateable. Today, a Core Duo machine is slower, clock-for-clock, core-for-core, than a G5 system (Universal apps, processor intensive things--I have a Dual G5 2.0 PowerMac vs. a Core Duo iMac 1.83 here at work; the G5's ~30% faster). The Conroe processors that will almost surely end up in the Intel version of the PowerMac will probably match or beat a G5, it you believe Intel's early benchmarks, and be available


Also, does anyone know what the system requirements are to be for the new OSX Leapord? Surely the current dualcore 2GHz PowerMac G5s will be well over enough?

EDIT: Oh... one other question... are there any Apple resellers that sell Apple equipment for cheaper than Apple itself that I could be comfortable buying from?[/QUOTE]

 

[iSee]

Ok, thanks. Are there going to be any more PPC releases in the meantime?

I doubt it. Apple seems to be all about the Intel transition

Is the Intel worth waiting for?

Actually, I think that's debateable. Today, a Core Duo machine is slower, clock-for-clock, core-for-core, than a G5 system (Universal apps, processor intensive things--I have a Dual G5 2.0 PowerMac vs. a Core Duo iMac 1.83 here at work; the G5's ~30% faster). The Conroe processors that will almost surely end up in the Intel version of the PowerMac will probably match or beat a G5, (if you believe Intel's early benchmarks), and be available at higher clock speeds. So, unless Intel whiffs on Conroe, an Intel PowerMac will be a bit faster than a G5. I've read than Conroe can't be used in a quad core configuration (2 processors x 2 cores) for some reason, so until Woodcrest is available, I suppose the quad core G5 will still be the fastest mac around for multi-core optimized applications.

So, is it worth waiting for? Not if you need a PowerMac before September. Your G5 will continue to be a kick-ass (and supported) machine for years.

Also, does anyone know what the system requirements are to be for the new OSX Leapord? Surely the current dualcore 2GHz PowerMac G5s will be well over enough?

You are surely right. Just don't be shy about cramming it full of RAM (don't buy your RAM from Apple if you want to be able to afford it.)

EDIT: Oh... one other question... are there any Apple resellers that sell Apple equipment for cheaper than Apple itself that I could be comfortable buying from?

Check Amazon. I noticed they have (or recently had) a $150 rebate for MBPs and/or iMacs--I didn't look to see if that extended to other models. Also, look in to a student discount, if applicable, or reburb stuff directly from Apple. CDW is another possibility--they also frequently have "b-stock" stuff availble at discount. FYI, at work we buy a lot of b-stock stuff from CDW, and it always looks brand-new to me.