Quadcore iMacs

[TrapOx]

Remember the old PPC vs Intel ads? Its the exact same situation with a CPU vs GPU. The CPU is designed to be the main processor so it has instructions for doing so, the GPU is made for graphical processing so its instruction set is much more limited and focused.

Notice that for having 8x the cores, the GPU isn't even 1/4 bigger.

 

[JeepGuy]

Not even close to the same thing. GPUs, unlike CPUs, are not general purpose processors so the number of cores is not at all comparable.

For most people quad cores wouldn't give any real performance improvements since most programs can't use all cores properly and also don't need to do so. Thus there is little need for Apple to include them on the iMacs. People who truly need quad core power are the target audience for the Mac Pro.

You're forgetting the game crowd, they would like a quad core, also even if the application can't use all the cores, the OS will distribute applications to other cores, I can see dedicating 2 core to VM Fusion, and have 2 core for OSX tasks.

 

[Ambrose Chapel]

For most people quad cores wouldn't give any real performance improvements since most programs can't use all cores properly and also don't need to do so. Thus there is little need for Apple to include them on the iMacs. People who truly need quad core power are the target audience for the Mac Pro.

This is where Grand Central comes in though. Right now it's just vaporware but if it really does optimize multiple cores like Apple says it will, having a quad-core processor in a consumer Mac may be smart.

 

[iMacmatician]

If you're talking about the S series quad-cores, they actually top out at 2.83 GHz with a juicy 12 MB L2 (up from 6 MB) and 1333 MHz FSB (up from 1066 MHz). They just have a 10W TDP increase.

I think he was talking abut the mobile quad-cores.

I would really like to see the S series quad-cores. Not much drop in GHz compared to mobile dual-cores and twice the cores. If Apple wanted to use these quads while maintaining GHz, they might have asked Intel for a custom 3.0 GHz part.

For most people quad cores wouldn't give any real performance improvements since most programs can't use all cores properly and also don't need to do so. Thus there is little need for Apple to include them on the iMacs.

I see your point, but why didn't Apple have even an option for a quad-core?

 

[jmpage2]

I see your point, but why didn't Apple have even an option for a quad-core?

I agree. Apple will look foolish without a mainstream quad core option this year, since nearly all Wintel offerings over $500 have quad core chips.

This makes them look especially bad with the launch of SL in the fall that will play up Apple being able to squeeze the most out of Intels new quad core architecture.