MBP now or wait for 64-bit?

[generik]

Me too.

Me three..

It is not so much the 64 bit that I'm waiting for really, but 4MB cache on those processors??? God.. that'd make a huge difference in performance I suppose.

 

[hulugu]

WTF?

I'll just ignore those last 2 posts, lol...

Sorry, I wasn't actually being helpful. Your mistake just struck me as funny and then I stretched it out and threw in a quote from Spinal Tap because it made sense in my own little world.

The primary advantage of 64-bit computing is large memory addressing, so unless your going to be doing very intensive computing—and maybe better served by a PowerMac—a MBP would be a very good machine with 'just' a 32-bit chip.

 

[1dterbeest]

2Gig is more than enough - and after all, is there really guarantee that we will see the boundary push up to 4Gig with the introduction of true 64 bit processors?

Yes.

But still, 2GB is probably enough, even with virtualization.
Wait for the 17" if you want, but don't hold your breath
just for 64bit processing.

 

[faintember]

FWIW i have been wondering the same thing myself. As an electronic music composer i rack the hell out of my G4 1ghz Ti PB. During any given concert my PB is running at 70-90% CPU for an hour or more at a time. It gets pushed even harder when i am building the electronic instruments/interfaces, etc.

I thought 64bit would be the way to go, and hence wait, but who knows if the software that we use will actually benefit from 64bit processing? How long will that transition take? Many developers are still working to release universal binaries, i doubt many are planning for 64bit apps right now. So maybe 64bit apps show up in Q4 2007, or maybe even Q1 2008.

The point is who knows. The MBP is faster that what i own now, by leaps and bounds. I will probably purchase one soon and keep my Ti PB around until all of my apps are universal binaries. I will be enjoying more processing power than i have had in years while others are waiting for 64bit, and then 64bit applications. After 64bit becomes "standard" then i might consider switching over.

 

[matticus008]

Second, since when does a CPU being soldered into the mobo mean it's not upgradeable? I'm not an 80yr old grandma who needs her grandkids just to open word or turn on the machine, lol.

Since...always, hotshot. Soldered processors aren't "packaged"--in other words, you can't use a retail processor that is packaged on a substrate for use with ZIF sockets. So unless you have an inside source at Intel who can intercept one for you, you can't buy them. Even getting to the processor would be extremely difficult, since the notebook cooling systems aren't meant for disassembly and getting them back together is difficult, even for trained technicians. The risk of damaging the components is extremely high. This isn't a breadboard for a home electronics project.

 

[w8ing4intelmacs]

I'll just ignore those last 2 posts, lol...

Probably better to ignore the thread.

A 64-bit processor has existed for years. It's called a G5. Any G4 owners (which is most Powerbook and iBook users) want to say that they've missed out on any hardware or software developments over the years that the G5 existed?

With thousands, maybe millions, of 32-bit desktops and laptops in current use (including all Intel computers), it is highly unlikely that 64-bit processors will change anything in the next 3-5 years. I don't suspect I'll own my MBP that long (I usually sell my laptops within two years).

 

[92GTA]

Since...always, hotshot. Soldered processors aren't "packaged"--in other words, you can't use a retail processor that is packaged on a substrate for use with ZIF sockets. So unless you have an inside source at Intel who can intercept one for you, you can't buy them. Even getting to the processor would be extremely difficult, since the notebook cooling systems aren't meant for disassembly and getting them back together is difficult, even for trained technicians. The risk of damaging the components is extremely high. This isn't a breadboard for a home electronics project.

It's called ordering a "replacement" chip for a repair. I work @ an Apple certified repair center/reseller.

 

[odedia]

Personally, I'd really like to have an OLED 20" laptop that can be closed TWICE, meaning it it four-sliced. and thus has a very small form factor when closed, but very big when open. OLED can allow this because it can be flexed.

Oded S.