Thursday January 10, 2008
- GF 8800 GT NOT Backward Compatible in Previous Mac Pro - Lionel - 22:24:17
The information was first published by our friends from Barefeats, and is finally official thanks to a TechNote released on Apple website.
The new graphic cards released with the new Mac Pro models are NOT backward compatible with the previous Mac Pro, despite the fact that PCI Express 2.0 IS backward compatible with its previous version. The problem would be linked to the Mac Pro firmware (new one being EFI64, while the previous one was EFI32).
Apple should not in the future forget that most users or owners of a Mac Pro usually invest in such high-end desktop while thinking to be able to upgrade the graphic card, as this is most likely the easiest component to be changed and one of the most quickly outdated. Some users, even decided to go for a Mac Pro instead of a an iMac for having the choice to change the GPU...
Maybe, the only way will be to force Apple to release a backward compatible card, or why not a compatible firmware update.
[translation by Linathael]
- New graphic Cards from AMD/ATI - Lionel - 12:14:25
AMD/ATI announced a new generation of GPU dedicated to notebooks; exit the Radeon HD 2600, and say hello to the Radeon HD 3x00 series.
Among new features, all models include:
- 55-nm engraving
- PCI Express 2.0 support
- Hardware-based high-definition video decoding up to 1080p
- New optimized power management
The GeForce HD 3400 features 181 million transistor, associated to 40 shaders on a 64-bits interface; while the high-end model, the Radeon HD 3600 sports 378 millions transistors and 120 shaders on a 128-bits interface. If Apple keeps selecting GPUs from AMD/ATI for its notebooks, we should see those new GPUs in the future revision of MacBook Pro, and most likely with the first Penryn-based models.
[translation by Linathael]
- A Cheaper Quadro FX from NVidia - Lionel - 12:14:00
With the new Mac Pro, Apple offers the Quadro FX 5600 as the high-end graphic card, an option costing 2700€ on the EU Apple Store. When looking at NVidia catalog for Quadro FX, one can easily notice that Apple decided to go only with the most expensive model. Indeed, NVidia just introduced the Quadro FX 3700, sporting "only" 512MB of VRAM, and based on the same GPU than the GF 8800 GT, it costs "only" US$1700
When purchasing such high-end graphic card, users will mostly invest in optimized drivers coming with the Quadro than in the hardware, as it might be on paper as powerful as the fastest consumer-dedicated model. In other words, those Pro-oriented drivers make the difference and justify the price of such cards, so Apple should definitely invest in developing optimized drivers for the GPUs associated with its hardware; as it would boost significantly performance, not only for entry levels, but also for users of the Quadro FX-enabled Mac Pro, considering that Apple has so far only used generic drivers for its GPUs...
[translation by Linathael]
- An Intel Chips Designed for the Apple TV 2? - Lionel - 12:13:36
While yesterday we were postulating that a future Apple TV 2 might benefit from current discussion between Apple and Hollywood movie Studios, an announcement made by Intel might support this hypothesis. After unveiling its new Penryn CPUs, Intel provided information related to its forthcoming solutions for System-on-Chip (SoC). They plan to release in H2 2008 the Canmore, an x86 processor-based SoC supporting audio 7.1, hardware-decoding for high-definition video up to 1080p and advanced DRM management.
In summary, all functions required to build a new and more powerful Apple TV which could then become independent of any computer to get access directly to movie catalogs available on the iTunes Store.
[translation by Linathael]
