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What are the possible new iMac processors?
- Thread starter cosrocket
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They could go with the i5's which are made for mainstream users. in fact I guarantee that is what they do, put the i5's in there because they are cheaper but still offer stellar performance.
I doubt they will go with i5's so soon. More likely fast C2D, maybe a C2 Quad at a reasonable clock speed.
Core 2 Duos or Quads, maybe Arrandale if we are lucky.
Prodigee: No desktop components but Arrandale has two Core i5 models too
Prodigee: No desktop components but Arrandale has two Core i5 models too
There is nothing left in the C2D, its been maxed at 3.06ghz for the last 2 years. If they keep the 3.06, its going to be in the mid model with a C2Q or mobile i7 on the high end. More likely they will have a 2.93 C2D in the mid to save on not paying extra for an "extreme" version.
It would suck if they use the i5. Its quick, its too much of a compromise to be worth buying.
It would suck if they use the i5. Its quick, its too much of a compromise to be worth buying.
3.06GHz isn't extreme.... Intel makes special C2Ds for iMac so I wouldn't be surprised if we see ~3.3GHz C2D in next iMac. I can't see Apple using both, Penryns and Clarksfield because they have different socket which means two motherboard, extra cost and problems, plus a bigger problem because Penryns need Northbridge chip while Clarksfield doesn't. Simply they are too different. Core i5s are OK (I mean Arrandale, not Lynnfield) because they are not too power hungry and okay priced but still offers great performance.
It would be stupid if they would go now with C2D if new Clarksdale and Arrandale processors are just around the corner. Both with lower power consumption than C2D and faster + integrated gpu. If the price will be somewhere around the PC Core i5 they won't be even more expensive than C2D. If 10.6.2 will be released before iMac upgrade then we'll already know. The new processors need support in os kernel and if they're going to be used in new iMacs released in few weeks then 10.6.2 needs to support them.
btw, what's wrong with i5 Lynnfield? apart from that it's not a mobile processor so it has higher power consumption and heat. Not for iMac but generally as a processor they're ok
btw, what's wrong with i5 Lynnfield? apart from that it's not a mobile processor so it has higher power consumption and heat. Not for iMac but generally as a processor they're ok
Nope, you're wrong there. Benchmarks show that there is very little difference between i5 and i7 with the same clock speeds. The only real difference is that i7 has HT enabled, so it is a little faster but only in some applications and only a little. Celerons had a lot less cache than Pentiums. i5 and i7 have the same amount of cache. i7 has ht, i5 hasn't. i7 needs more power. That's it. If you've got good multithreaded apps than i7 will be few % faster, but not much. It will also be hotter. Some Xeons and the new i7 are also Lynnfield core.
Celerons were meant for the budget segment. i5's are mainstream/performance segment. The upcoming i3 will be budget.
Celerons were meant for the budget segment. i5's are mainstream/performance segment. The upcoming i3 will be budget.
That's true and if we talk about upcoming Arrandale, difference between i5 and i7 is that i7 has 4MB of cache while i5 has 3MB, nothing more. Both have Hyper-threading on.
There is no way in hell Apple can put a C2D in all the iMacs. Quad core is becoming the standard now.
If they keep 4 models of the iMac, the 2 lower ones will have C2D processors the 2 higher end ones will have a Core i5
I'm happy if I get the following specifications for $1499:
24"
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.93 or 3.06 GHz
4GB memory
640GB hard drive
NVIDIA GeForce GT 130
That would anyway be a huge leap from my current computer, which is an ASUS notebook from 2006 with Core Duo 1.83Ghz.
24"
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.93 or 3.06 GHz
4GB memory
640GB hard drive
NVIDIA GeForce GT 130
That would anyway be a huge leap from my current computer, which is an ASUS notebook from 2006 with Core Duo 1.83Ghz.
When the new ones come out, that config will be 1299. You wont have to wait much longer. At most I would say 1 month.
New configs of both the iMac and mini will be available before Thanksgiving.
though it would be nice, i would expect a GT120 at that price point knowing Apple.