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stevol

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 20, 2008
40
0
It seems there is some confusion about exactly what sort of chips the new iMacs have in the sense that these appear to be unique to these iMacs and basically are not part of Intels standard lineup. There have been several reports that some if not all of these chips are overclocked versions of standard Penryn chips -- or am I misinterpreting the reports out there? Either way, should someone who is considering buying one of these have any worry that somehow these chips could be more prone to burnout, dying an early death? Heat production? Anything else to be concerned of? It seems there is no way that we will know in the next few weeks how well these chips last long term, etc., but if anyone has any more information on this and if anyone can comment on heat from these or any related info, I'd appreciate it. I am a little hesitant to buy one given these concerns. Any other examples of similar scenarios (overclocked custom chips landing in a mainstream model like this, Apple or otherwise)? Thanks.
 
It seems there is some confusion about exactly what sort of chips the new iMacs have in the sense that these appear to be unique to these iMacs and basically are not part of Intels standard lineup. There have been several reports that some if not all of these chips are overclocked versions of standard Penryn chips -- or am I misinterpreting the reports out there? Either way, should someone who is considering buying one of these have any worry that somehow these chips could be more prone to burnout, dying an early death? Heat production? Anything else to be concerned of? It seems there is no way that we will know in the next few weeks how well these chips last long term, etc., but if anyone has any more information on this and if anyone can comment on heat from these or any related info, I'd appreciate it. I am a little hesitant to buy one given these concerns. Any other examples of similar scenarios (overclocked custom chips landing in a mainstream model like this, Apple or otherwise)? Thanks.

Do you believe a company like Apple/Intel would drop a possible faulty chip on to the market simply to update it's current line? All they had to do is add the GPU and people would still be somehow happy. Hard to believe they would risk that much.

But above it all... Apple care is your best friend :)
 
Blind trust

Do you believe a company like Apple/Intel would drop a possible faulty chip on to the market simply to update it's current line? All they had to do is add the GPU and people would still be somehow happy. Hard to believe they would risk that much.

I don't think they would drop a faulty chip into the iMac intentionally, but most problems with Macs (and consumer technology in general) are not intentional, one should hope. Haven't there been numerous "bugs" and less than ideal quality control issues not only in Apple but in other big companies lately? Can we trust in them blindly?

I really am not as paranoid as you might think, just trying to make a wise decision as this is a big purchase, relatively speaking.
 
Do you believe a company like Apple/Intel would drop a possible faulty chip on to the market simply to update it's current line? All they had to do is add the GPU and people would still be somehow happy. Hard to believe they would risk that much.

I don't think they would drop a faulty chip into the iMac intentionally, but most problems with Macs (and consumer technology in general) are not intentional, one should hope. Haven't there been numerous "bugs" and less than ideal quality control issues not only in Apple but in other big companies lately? Can we trust in them blindly?

I really am not as paranoid as you might think, just trying to make a wise decision as this is a big purchase, relatively speaking.

Apple is widely criticized lately for it's displays and many other thing so I just believe they will watch themselves very good. They are on a nice climb and a bigger scale problem like that would bring them lots of unsatisfied customers and their momentum would certainly slow if not stop.
I just think they are extra careful now.
 
Apple is widely criticized lately for it's displays and many other thing so I just believe they will watch themselves very good. They are on a nice climb and a bigger scale problem like that would bring them lots of unsatisfied customers and their momentum would certainly slow if not stop.
I just think they are extra careful now.

Definitely. I don't think it was a mistake that they didn't fix the 20" panels to be 8-bit (even though I'd like it if they did), because it encourages those with deep pockets to buy a 24" imac, and others will still buy it because :apple: is hot right now; they want one, but not a mini, and they don't want a laptop. I guess the profits speak for themselves. :p
 
Overclocking new Core 2s isn't as risky as overclocking older processors, because they give off so little heat in the first place, they're easier to keep cool. If they are overclocked (I don't know, I've heard the rumours, but haven't kept up with the story), then I'm pretty sure apple will have designed the cooling system to compensate.
 
A lot of bollox has been talked about this issue and it seems to have been wildly blown out of all perspective. Anyone would think the fans would be running flat out with steam pouring off the CPU, but from what I've read from actual owners, they don't even break a sweat. I'll be finding out for myself shortly :)
 
It is a possibility that they are overclocked slightly

and if you're worrying about them burning out early, apple has to keep the iMacs running for 10 years or so (under law, can someone check?)

if you buy an iMac right now, you will be a very satisfied customer
 
This is too bloody stupid, and pardon my french.

If Intel is selling a product it has to back it up 100%, especially with a customer as Apple. These chips are NOT overclocked. They are speed binned by Intel to pass a certain rating, as all their chips are.

Intel do make custom orders if the order is big enough.
 
Reports from new owners already indicate there to be no problems BUT ;

If your that concerned buy the 2.8Ghz and upgrade your HD to 500G and put the nice Nvidia card in it and 4G of Ram - This setup costs the same as the 3.06Ghz with 2G or ram, and thus will probably run as fast due to the 4G ram upgrade (only about 7% performance differential pre-ram anyway) and you can then confidently relax in the knowledge that the previous Gen 2.8 has been running without heat or fan issues for a long time now...

Problem solved.:)
 
Would you consider these overclocked in a MacBook or MacBook Pro, yes.

Since they run hotter, drain more power, and are outside the thermal envelope for a laptop.

But for a desktop which can take more heat, don't worry about battery life, and have a higher thermal envelope -- they are just a different spec laptop chip running at desktop speeds.

So they aren't really overclocked for desktop use, just a different laptop capable part binned for desktop use.
 
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