News for Friday, 14 September 2007

One of our readers, Joe B., sent us his comments after comparing the previous iMac 24" nVidia GF and the new iMac 24" Alu:

We just compared these side-by-side:
1. The new iMac is significantly LESS bright at maximum setting than the older model, contrary to what I have seen written on the Web.
2. The ATI GPU in the new iMac is about 1/2 to 1/3 as fast as the NVIDIA GPU in the old iMac for volume rendering (tested with a 3D data set in OsiriX).
3. The glare from the new screen is a distraction for professionals in the medical and graphics industries. I sure looks handsome, though, and will likely attract PC converts.
4. The 2.8GHz processor speeds routine computing tasks by about 20%, as expected. We like this, but it does not make up for the shortcomings.
5. Overall, I am quite disappointed in the new iMac for my intended use---medical imaging.

We decided to publish this news as it illustrates how the success of the iMac among Pro users can be a problem with Apple when Cupertino decides to use low-end components (such as LCD panel) in its customer-oriented hardware. Here, iMacs are being used in a Pro environment (medical imaging, MRI) including defined procedures, and not simply evaluated based the glare of the flashy display or he aluminum design. This information associated with the previous report about the low quality 20" LCD panel in the new iMac 20" make us suspecting that Apple is either having problems with some series or supply for components, or simply forgot that before being a nice device to watch, a computer is primary a working tool for most users.
We will keep following the story as it is still unknown if the new ATI drivers included in today's Mac Software Update 1.1 could significantly improve 3D rendering and GPU performance.

Apple released an Mac Software Update 1.1 dedicated to the new iMac Aluminum:

This update provides important bug fixes and is recommended for 20-inch and 24-inch iMac models with 2.0, 2.4, or 2.8GHz processors.

This update includes new ATI drivers, let us now if you notices any real improvements.

According to a reader from XLR8yourMac, ATI will relaunch production of the Radeon 9800, the most powerful AGP graphic card dedicated to PMG4 (AGP2x and 4x). The most powerful card currently available for such computers is the Radeon 9600 Pro.
However, it seems that ATI will not deliver a model identical to the original Radeon 9800, as it will only feature 128MB VRAM instead of 256MB. The price of this card remains unknown, but ATI will have to keep it low otherwise even though it is dedicated to a niche market, it will not find customers.
To extend such decision it would be nice if ATI could also relaunch the production of the fastest graphic card for PMG5 AGP: Radeon X800XT.

The DVD forum recently validated 2 new formats. The first one known as HD Rec will allow burning HD-DVD content on a DVD-R/-RW/RAM. This will allow customers to burn HD video generated from HD digital camcorder on standard DVD media which could be read in HD-DVD standalone player.
The second format is the Chinese HD video format, known as CH-DVD, almost identical to the HD-DVD. This will allow CH-DVD player manufacturers to easily add support to HD-DVD by buying a license and updating the firmware of their models. The DVD Forum is supporting the HD-DVD format vs. the Blu-Ray, and one can easily imagine that such move is a way to try to win the battle. By allowing compatibility of CH-DVD and HD-DVD, it expects Chinese manufacturers to release cheap HD-DVD standalone players that will compete to BD models, not on the specification or performance levels, but on the more basic layer: the price.

Samsung announced that it will launch mass production of 800MHz DDR2 chips based on 60nm engraving process by the end of the year.
Such chips feature 512MB capacity, and will strongly reduce the cost of 4GB DDR2 RAM modules

This thinner engraving process is also an advantage for Samsung as it will allow the company to save on production cost. Indeed, one will be able to generate 40% more chips from the same silicon wafer. This increase of the yield will come right on time to allow DDR2 manufacturers to remain profitable during a period where Vista-driven memory over production has not been fully digested by the market.

AS we all know, the main danger for our computer CPUs is the heat, and to increase clock frequency it is mandatory to improve cooling system. If the temperature goes beyond the limit, recent CPUs will automatically stop and the computer freeze. Intel Core 2 Duo Merom is designed to work at up to 100°C, with allowed burst below 125°C.
With different goals in mind, and especially highest reliability, the NASA designed a processor able to work at 500°C during 1700h in the row. They used new types of silicones to reduce the size and weights of sophisticated cooling systems.
If such systems find their place in rockets, missiles or airplanes, it will most likely not be used in our computer in a near future. However, it could be adopted for other purpose where electronic devices are being exposed to difficult or challenging environments (cars, trains, etc.).