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New iMacs Ethernet (NIC) Jumbo Frames?

urbanmacUser

urbanmacUser

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 9, 2008
292
266
The October 2009 iMacs Ethernet controller did not support Jumbo Frames :mad:

Anyone know if the Ethernet controller in the new mid 2010 iMac has been upgraded?

Thanks
 
I thought all recent Macs did support Jumbo Frames? I have many iMacs ranging from White core duo machines all the way to the 2009 27 inch model running jumbo frames on our college network. Even our core duo mac minis support it. The only iMacs we've still got that don't support it are the G5 iMacs.
 
The 2009 i5/i7 iMacs don't support Jumbo Frames, only the C2D models do due to different Ethernet controllers so it would be interesting to know if any of the new models support them.
 
pudrums said:
The 2009 i5/i7 iMacs don't support Jumbo Frames, only the C2D models do due to different Ethernet controllers so it would be interesting to know if any of the new models support them.
Click to expand...

Oh that is ridiculous. So the lower models support it but the upper models don't? And a feature which is available in a 2006 base model Mac MINI is not available in a top of the range 2010 iMac? What are Apple playing at?!

This could cause us a major problem. Our college relies on Jumbo Frames and we've just ordered 20 new base model i3 iMacs. It didn't even occur to me that Apple would be as stupid as to drop such a basic feature from their network cards.

In that case, i'm now as eager to find out the answer to this as the OP is.
 
pudrums said:
The 2009 i5/i7 iMacs don't support Jumbo Frames, only the C2D models do due to different Ethernet controllers so it would be interesting to know if any of the new models support them.
Click to expand...

Just pull up the hardware config in About this Mac to see if it is using the same Ethernet chip.
 
@Mr-Stabby: 21 or 27 inches? If 27 please check Jumbo Frames Support and post your findings if possible. Hopefully a user of the new i7 shows up here soon to give us answers.
 
pudrums said:
@Mr-Stabby: 21 or 27 inches? If 27 please check Jumbo Frames Support and post your findings if possible. Hopefully a user of the new i7 shows up here soon to give us answers.
Click to expand...

We've ordered the base model 21.5 inch i3. Though if they still do lack jumbo frames support, i am going to have to send them back. That is a deal breaker for us. Utterly stupid. The new Mac Minis support it, but that's probably because they are still Core2Duo. The (late 2009) 27 inch iMac models we have which are Core2Duo support it.

I'm sure someone else will come back with an answer before i do, but if our machines turn up before anyone elses, i'll be sure to let you know.
 
I asked Rob at barefeats to test this very issue...

I asked Rob at barefeats to test this very issue... Also Walter on the creativecow.net

Seriously this would be a HUGE letdown - Jumbo makes up for lack of USB3 / esata...

Fingers crossed.
 
The network card chip on the new Mac Mini which does support jumbo frames also handles the SDXC reader which is interesting. As the new iMac now has an SDXC slot, i wonder if they've used the same chip. Of course i know sod all about how Macs are built, so i may be completely wrong, but if they do we may be lucky. It at least puts a slight downer on the theory that the only reason the Mac Mini has jumbo frame support is because it's still Core2Duo. It uses a different chip to the other Core2Duo machines.
 
Walter = Walter Biscardi? I heard about the problem from him he solved it by getting the 3,33GHz C2D in 2009, but I'd rather like to get the i7 one.
 
I don't think it supports Jumbo Frames.

Just look at the specs on the Apple page - it doesn't say it supports it.

And before you say "Why would they put it there?" Well, they have for the Mac Mini and Mac Pro.
 
Yeah Walter mentioned that too, but I won't give up hope until someone has verified it:D
 
Just bumping this, am really wanting to know if anyone knows the definitive answer to this?

All i know is i downloaded the 10.6.4 update that was for the 2010 iMacs only, and noticed that it does have drivers for the Intel 82574L Ethernet Controller embedded in it. Odd considering that's the Ethernet controller used on the Mac Pro. I'd understand if it had drivers for other Ethernet chips too, but it doesn't. The normal 10.6.4 update has that same set of drivers, but also has others too. So i can't help but think it's deliberate that the drivers for only that controller were included in the iMac 2010 only update. Might be wrong though. That controller of course does support Jumbo Frames.

Also, people have noted that the tech specs on the Apple website don't mention that the ethernet port supports jumbo frames on the new iMacs, yet the tech specs on the Mac Mini and the Mac Pro do. Oddly enough the tech spec pages for all the iMacs going back to 2006 neglect to mention the fact that the ethernet port supports Jumbo Frames, yet they did.

Any new iMac owners fancy going to the Apple System Profiler and telling us what Ethernet card is in the new model ? :D
 
I'm hoping to see some Apple Reseller next week, but can't promise. Any 2010 iMac owner in here would be much appreciated!
 
Damned, I don't think the big i7 will support them then. I guess I'll have to stick with the "old" C2D 27" one.
 
Has anyone had the opportunity to find the answer to this question yet? The ability to do Jumbo Frames, if possible, along with OWC's eSATA solution turns the iMac into quite the little edit station.
 
Probably won't make it to a reseller this week sorry, but since even the i3 model doesn't support Jumbo Frames there's very small hope the i7 will.
 
No jumbo frame support on my i7.

All the iMacs offered now are i3, i5 and i7 models. So no jumbo frames across the entire line now?
 
The 2010 3.2 GHz 21.5 inch iMac does not support jumbo frames.

It does support a custom MTU length, but the upper limit is 1,500 -- the same as the default.
 
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