Merom and regular MacBooks

[Einrel Koral]

Okay, I'll preface this by saying that I don't want a MacBook Pro. It's too expensive for me, and I really don't need all of that power.

I'm on the verge of buying a white 2.0 MacBook. However, I realize Merom will be released relatively soon; the question is, what will it be in? The MBP is assumed, but what about the regular MB? Will that see the jump to 64-bit too? If so, I'll definitely wait a couple of months for Merom's release; if not, then there's no real harm in buying a MacBook now.

 

[rimrocka07011]

Okay, I'll preface this by saying that I don't want a MacBook Pro. It's too expensive for me, and I really don't need all of that power.

I'm on the verge of buying a white 2.0 MacBook. However, I realize Merom will be released relatively soon; the question is, what will it be in? The MBP is assumed, but what about the regular MB? Will that see the jump to 64-bit too? If so, I'll definitely wait a couple of months for Merom's release; if not, then there's no real harm in buying a MacBook now.

When Merom comes out later this year, it will most certainly be placed in the MBP first, and then trickle down to the MacBook (maybe 1-3 months after the MBP). I don't think they would be updated side-by-side, but I could be wrong. Unless you are a going to school in the fall (college/graduate school, pre-school, whatever), I would buy your MacBook NOW. It's the perfect time to buy it. Don't wait for new technology to come out! You'll wait forever!

 

[Pressure]

The question is if you really need Merom

 

[Einrel Koral]

When Merom comes out later this year, it will most certainly be placed in the MBP first, and then trickle down to the MacBook (maybe 1-3 months after the MBP). I don't think they would be updated side-by-side, but I could be wrong. Unless you are a going to school in the fall (college/graduate school, pre-school, whatever), I would buy your MacBook NOW. It's the perfect time to buy it. Don't wait for new technology to come out! You'll wait forever!

I am actually going back for my third year of college in the fall. I have an iMac G5 right now and I love it, but I really miss the portability of a laptop. I realize that waiting for new technology is a bad idea, because you end up getting into a never-ending cycle, but in this case, there is a finite date: whenever Merom is put into MacBooks. I'd rather not buy a MacBook now and find that I could've paid the same amount for a more powerful computer had I simply waited a couple of months.

Then again, there's also the fact that I'm somehow getting into a "new computer every summer" habit, so if Merom is put into MacBooks between now and next summer, chances are I'd probably just... buy a new MacBook then. Don't ask me how I afford that--it works out differently every time, but somehow it always works out.

 

[rimrocka07011]

I am actually going back for my third year of college in the fall. I have an iMac G5 right now and I love it, but I really miss the portability of a laptop. I realize that waiting for new technology is a bad idea, because you end up getting into a never-ending cycle, but in this case, there is a finite date: whenever Merom is put into MacBooks. I'd rather not buy a MacBook now and find that I could've paid the same amount for a more powerful computer had I simply waited a couple of months.

Then again, there's also the fact that I'm somehow getting into a "new computer every summer" habit, so if Merom is put into MacBooks between now and next summer, chances are I'd probably just... buy a new MacBook then. Don't ask me how I afford that--it works out differently every time, but somehow it always works out.

In that case, seeing that you currently have a fully capable computer on your hands, it wouldn't hurt to wait until late summer/early fall to see what goodies Apple and Intel come out with... I bet that there will probably be an update to the MBP line with Merom towards the end of the Student Union Promotion, but you never know these days. If you REALLY want/need portability NOW, you could always check eBay for a used iBook G4...

 

[FragTek]

The question is if you really need Merom

Exactly! Are the majority of the applications you use going to be 64 bit driven and thrive on the processor? I would imagine that the answer would be no considering you said you didn't even need the extra power that the MBP has to offer.

You won't notice a single bit of difference between the Yonah and the Merom unless you're going to be primarily using programs that are designed for 64 bit use.

 

[Xander562]

what are some examples of programs that utilize 64-Bit?

 

[FragTek]

I'm not all that familiar with Mac software that runs on a 64 bit architecture so I'll leave that bit to someone more knowledgable than myself

I'm just a recent addition to the Mac club. I've been rocking PC's for decades now and this is the first chance I've had to have some serious 1 on 1 time with a Mac. All of my previous experiences have been with my friends computers or at school a long long time ago.

All I know is that as soon as I saw the 17" MBP with glossy screen go up for sale I knew I had to have one. And voila, I have one and it completely rox!

 

[macsrockmysocks]

what are some examples of programs that utilize 64-Bit?

I think one program is Xcode(someone correct me if I am wrong). BAsically, it utilizes scientific and mathematical programs right now(again, someone correct me if I am wrong).

 

[MB Buyer?]

Exactly! Are the majority of the applications you use going to be 64 bit driven and thrive on the processor? I would imagine that the answer would be no considering you said you didn't even need the extra power that the MBP has to offer.

You won't notice a single bit of difference between the Yonah and the Merom unless you're going to be primarily using programs that are designed for 64 bit use.

isnt one of the main advantages of merom increased battery life?

i couldnt care less about more CPU power (though a dedicated GPU is a different matter ), but if i can get another 30 min on a charge in the real world - i definately want it.

 

[coopdig]

From what I've read in the various news releases you can find linked all over these forums, Merom chips will draw about the same power as Yonahs do now, but with a 20% boost in performance. In contrast, the Conroe and Woodcrest chips will use significantly less power.

... that is, as far as I recall!

 

[treblah]

MacBooks coming out this year are not going to support more than 4GB of RAM therefore you should not care if the Merom has "64bit" capability!

isnt one of the main advantages of merom increased battery life?

No. Merom will have roughly the same battery life as the CoreDuo but 20% better performance.

In contrast, the Conroe and Woodcrest chips will use significantly less power.

No. The Conroe and Woodcrest are desktop/server chips, they use a lot more power than the Merom.

 

[MB Buyer?]

No. Merom will have roughly the same battery life as the CoreDuo but 20% better performance.

that's at the same clock speed isn't it, so if they were clocked lower ...

 

[Josias]

Get a MB now. I predict the MBP (also 17") will be upgraded to Merom in August/September. MB will have Merom around November. Don't wait, when your MB is too out of date, get a MB with the next-gen chip (after merom).

 

[DeVizardofOZ]

besides MEROM...

Don't forget the 800Mhz frontside bus in early(?) 2007... That in combination with the 64bit MEROM will boost speed at same or better battery-life.

Let's just hope APPLE will get their act togther and deliver real quality on 95% of their hardware, versus 83% now.

Looking forward to 2007.

 

[Eidorian]

Yonah clocks up to 2.33 GHz. I still expect to see it in the MacBook for some time. Possibly even the MacBook Pro.

 

[pstolpeet4]

question...

i'm new to mac, going to college in the fall, and wondering whether or not i should wait on the next generation of MBP's or just get one now. what are the advantages of the merom chip? i'll be using my computer for mainly routine college stuff and a lot of video and photo editing. thanks.

 

[Eidorian]

i'm new to mac, going to college in the fall, and wondering whether or not i should wait on the next generation of MBP's or just get one now. what are the advantages of the merom chip? i'll be using my computer for mainly routine college stuff and a lot of video and photo editing. thanks.

Merom supports 64-bit addressing and has 20% superior performance at the same clock speed when compared to the 32-bit Yonah chips out there. At least Intel says so.

 

[pstolpeet4]

i see... what would you do in my shoes? wait for the meroms in august or just go for it now?

 

[THX1139]

Most people don't need Merom unless they need the power. If all you do is browsing the web, word processing and email then the currently shipping computers are all fine. Folks that will benefit from Merom are power users. Think... graphics, video, 3d and maybe some games now and then. I also wouldn't hold off purchase in hopes of getting better battery life. Just buy a second battery for backup if that's important. Or turn off one of the processors when you're on battery.

I wish I was in the position to buy now, but I need the most powerful laptop I can get and that justifies waiting for Merom.

 

[treblah]

Merom supports 64-bit addressing and has 20% superior performance at the same clock speed when compared to the 32-bit Yonah chips out there. At least Intel says so.

The 64bit vs. 32bit is not a selling point on a notebook!

Or turn off one of the processors when you're on battery.

That actually deceases battery life. Apple has these things very finely tuned in regards to battery life. Unfortunately, that's probably what's causing the 'whine' that is continuously discussed.

 

[Eidorian]

The 64bit vs. 32bit is not a selling point on a notebook!

Someone tell me the benefit of only 64-bit when you can only address less then 4 GB of RAM.

 

[Pressure]

Don't forget the 800Mhz frontside bus in early(?) 2007... That in combination with the 64bit MEROM will boost speed at same or better battery-life.

Let's just hope APPLE will get their act togther and deliver real quality on 95% of their hardware, versus 83% now.

Looking forward to 2007.

Increasing the Front Side Bus has a negative impact on batterylife. The Merom is set made for a 35W Thermal Design Power.

Unless Intel makes the chipset that goes with Merom to use less power than the current NAPA platform, it will have a lower batterylife.

Merom (Core 2 Duo) is performing a good 15-20% on average better than the Yonah (current Core Duo) and the AMD Athlon64 X2 processor. It's a very nice chip (Conroe/Merom/Woodcrest).

 

[milo]

MacBooks coming out this year are not going to support more than 4GB of RAM therefore you should not care if the Merom has "64bit" capability!

No. Merom will have roughly the same battery life as the CoreDuo but 20% better performance.

So isn't the 20% better performance a reason to want Merom?

I would wait just because you haven't had the G5 that long.

 

[coopdig]

No. The Conroe and Woodcrest are desktop/server chips, they use a lot more power than the Merom.

Right.

Just as I was talking about the Merom using roughly the same power as the Yonah, I was trying to indicate that, in contrast, the Conroe and Woodcrest will draw significantly less power than the chips that *they* will come to replace.

Doing a direct comparison of the power consumption of mobile vs. desktop/sesrver chips would be pretty silly, wouldn't it? I just wanted to explain how the original poster might have become confused about Merom power consumption in the first place.

Sorry if that wasn't clear.