News for Tuesday, 6 December 2005

DigiTimes Systems seems to be also convinced as other sources and rumors that Apple will release the first MacIntel during the next Macworld 2006 Event in January (taking place in San Francisco on January 9th to 13rd). According to the same article, MacIntel should arrive in Taiwan on June 6th 2006. Why 6 months delay?? Would Apple demo prototypes in January and start shipping them in June?
As usual one should take this type of information with a grain of salt, since a bit later in the article, they mentioned that :

Apple’s Mac OS X Tiger version 10.4.1, an x86 operating system for the Intel-powered Macintosh, is already available for installation from Apple’s website

However, Mac OS X version x86 is NOT available for download for non-developers users yet.

Since our previous news, we know that nVidia is working on optimizing its drivers for multi-CPU computers (multithreaded drivers).
ATI of course wants to keep up and Anandtech has tested similar drivers dedicated to ATI graphic cards.
Results are encouraging, and will probably support the development of such multithreaded drivers in parallel to the increasing numbers of multicore-based computers.
But one will probably need more time to get optimized drivers managing more than 2 cores.
The main feature of such drivers is to improve performances of compatible models without requiring to change the graphic cards which are now costing often the same price as the CPU.

Nvidia seems to be surfing on its current leading stream, and there is a rumor of 4 new GPUs to arrived on the market in early 2006. The G72 and 73 will be reserved for the entry-level market. The G71, almost identical to the current G70 that sports the GF7800, but it will run at a substantial higher clock-sped (around 750MHz). And to conclude, the G80 planned for end Q1 should become the new flagship of the company.
All those GPUs will be engraved using 90nm process.
Without any doubt, an anonymous source will soon inform us that ATI is also planning to release new GPUs in early 2006 in order to keep up wit hits rival.

We remind you that the RefurbStore is opened everyday until January 4th, 2006.
Today, the store is full of iMacs 20" (-20%), iBooks 12" & 14" (-20%), Powerbooks 12", 15" & 17" (from -20% to -27%), PowerMac G5 Dual (-27%) and Xserves (-20%)
Be careful, the price/configuration ratio is not always interesting, comparing to new products. Make your comparison before clicking on the Buy button!
The RefurbStore

The first G5 Quad equipped with Geforce 7800 GT graphic cards have begun to be delivered here in France, and mine was one of them! In the coming days, I will let you know my feelings on this computer as I discover and customize it little by little. But here are are my first impressions:
- As always with TNT, the cardboard box didn't come undamaged and over an inch of a bottom corner was actually crushed. I accordingly asked the delivery man to wait until I'd unpack, and there stood the Quad, wrapped in a cosy polystyrene cocoon. Apple seems to be aware of those delivery hazards.
- Then (and I won't tell you more today because I'm on the rush) the noise issue: well... it is noisier than a Dual 2.5, but less than a Quicksilver. Most of it comes from the Geforce fan. It's not too bad, although the pith is quite high. I'll get rid of that when I change the heatsink/fan couple. Another buzzing comes the casing fans. However, although their minimum spinning speed is higher than that of a Dual 2.5, the Quad is designed so these fans don't need to spin like crazy as soon as you touch the mouse... The gentle vibrations of the casing caused by those noises can be lessened if you put a soft layer in-between the computer and the ground.
To sum it up, pretty good first feelings, but daily use will tell.

A reader sent us photos of a disassembly of an iMac G5. According to him, the most difficult part is removing the LCD and the shielding without cutting the tape which holds it in place.







It is a far cry from the simplicity of the preceding models.