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big_D
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:25 pm
Posts: 10691
Location: Bramsche
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I'm getting really confused with the new MacBook Pro line... They've upgraded the processors, but then they have downgraded the video on the 15" MBP.  They've crippled the SATA controller, dropping back to SATA 1, so throughput reduced (not really a problem as the drives can't overload it anyway), but that also means optimisation of access through NCQ won't be available. They've given the 13" MBP FireWire 800, but they removed digital audio in and the audio out is now analogue out, digital out or analogue in... That means that you can't use a headset for chatting - you can either use the inbuilt microphone and headphones, or an external microphone and the inbuilt speakers - or use a bluetooth headset. I'm really starting to consider a MBP as a replacement laptop - it is getting frustrating being at my girlfriend's and not having my e-mail etc. to hand. But the current generation seems really strange...
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"Do you know what this is? Hmm? No, I can see you do not. You have that vacant look in your eyes, which says hold my head to your ear, you will hear the sea!" - Londo Molari
Executive Producer No Agenda Show 246
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| Tue Jun 23, 2009 7:30 am |
 
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gavomatic57
Doesn't have much of a life
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:30 pm
Posts: 1757
Location: Cardiff, Wales
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There was an article in the Register today - they've begrudgingly released a new firmware update to allow SATA 2 speeds, although the drives fitted are SATA1. What this means is that you can install an SSD when they reach reasonable prices and not be penalised. http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2009/06/23/apple_macbook_3gbits/
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G.
Last edited by gavomatic57 on Tue Jun 23, 2009 2:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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| Tue Jun 23, 2009 11:02 am |
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big_D
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:25 pm
Posts: 10691
Location: Bramsche
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That's good news. But why are they using SATA 1 drives? They are slower and don't support NCQ...
_________________
"Do you know what this is? Hmm? No, I can see you do not. You have that vacant look in your eyes, which says hold my head to your ear, you will hear the sea!" - Londo Molari
Executive Producer No Agenda Show 246
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| Tue Jun 23, 2009 12:21 pm |
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saspro
Site Admin
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 5:53 pm
Posts: 8603
Location: location, location
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I bet they got a load of sata1 drives cheap from a supplier as no-one else in the world wants them.
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| Tue Jun 23, 2009 12:36 pm |
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Linux_User
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Tue May 05, 2009 3:29 pm
Posts: 7173
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Does that explain the low-end gfx cards as well? *runs*
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| Tue Jun 23, 2009 12:52 pm |
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HeatherKay
Moderator
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 6:13 pm
Posts: 7262
Location: Here, but not all there.
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I hear this a lot, but low-end by what standards? For example, I've don't think I've ever managed to overtax my MBP or iMac's low-end graphics card. If it's adequate for the job, why install something that will eat more energy for little benefit? _________________My Flickr | Snaptophobic BloggageHeather Kay: modelling details that matter. "Let my windows be open to receive new ideas but let me also be strong enough not to be blown away by them." - Mahatma Gandhi.
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| Tue Jun 23, 2009 12:55 pm |
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Linux_User
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Tue May 05, 2009 3:29 pm
Posts: 7173
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I don't know, some crazy people might like the idea of playing games on their £1,000+ PC, especially since they can now run software released by the Evil Empire. *shrugs*
Last edited by Linux_User on Tue Jun 23, 2009 1:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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| Tue Jun 23, 2009 1:27 pm |
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big_D
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:25 pm
Posts: 10691
Location: Bramsche
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That was the biggest contradication at the WWDC. They announce that Snow Leopaprd will be able to make use of the unused graphics power for "normal" calculations, then in the next breath announce that they have removed the graphics chipset from the MBPs (13" and the lower spec 15") and all of the other machines (iMac, Mac Pro) will either have no separate graphics chip or the cheapest, bottom of the range graphics chip that they could find... Surely if openCL is such a wonderful thing, Apple should be making it a mass market product, not reducing the number of machines that can good use of it... OpenCL seems to suggest that they should be looking at the 260GTX or better, not the 120 or the 9400/9600...
_________________
"Do you know what this is? Hmm? No, I can see you do not. You have that vacant look in your eyes, which says hold my head to your ear, you will hear the sea!" - Londo Molari
Executive Producer No Agenda Show 246
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| Tue Jun 23, 2009 1:35 pm |
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gavomatic57
Doesn't have much of a life
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:30 pm
Posts: 1757
Location: Cardiff, Wales
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The 9400m can technically be used for OpenCL, but it won't be as fast as the top end cards...better than nothing I guess.
The biggest contradiction is with Grand Central - better optimisation of cores...great, but it's probably a lot easier to balance two cores than 4 or 8, but how many mac users have a mac pro?
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G.
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| Tue Jun 23, 2009 2:32 pm |
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gavomatic57
Doesn't have much of a life
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:30 pm
Posts: 1757
Location: Cardiff, Wales
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This is true, but they only spin at 5400rpm anyway, so I can't imagine it making a huge difference. Looking at the Novatech website, a lot of the 2.5" hard drives they sell are still SATA1. It is SSD's where SATA1 will cause the problem and I'm glad the regression was only a firmware thing. Makes me a bit less dubious about buying one, although I'm watching twitter carefully for the comments - a lot of "my macbook is dead" popping up...
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G.
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| Tue Jun 23, 2009 2:46 pm |
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big_D
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:25 pm
Posts: 10691
Location: Bramsche
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I know the 9400m can be used for openCL, but, considering ALL the old MBPs had a dedicated graphics chip, capable of so much more under openCL, it seems a crazy move to then castrate them, when openCL is ready for release...
_________________
"Do you know what this is? Hmm? No, I can see you do not. You have that vacant look in your eyes, which says hold my head to your ear, you will hear the sea!" - Londo Molari
Executive Producer No Agenda Show 246
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| Tue Jun 23, 2009 2:50 pm |
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paulzolo
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 6:27 pm
Posts: 12251
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| Tue Jun 23, 2009 7:50 pm |
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gavomatic57
Doesn't have much of a life
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:30 pm
Posts: 1757
Location: Cardiff, Wales
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I didn't know you were ginger!?! 
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| Tue Jun 23, 2009 8:43 pm |
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rubicon
Occasionally has a life
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 7:58 am
Posts: 188
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Don't forget, Snow Leopard is a re-write (more or less) of the whole OS and will form the basis of Apple's software for years to come. I don't think they were looking at "now" with this project, they were looking years ahead and taking future hardware into consideration.
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| Wed Jun 24, 2009 4:13 am |
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HeatherKay
Moderator
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 6:13 pm
Posts: 7262
Location: Here, but not all there.
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Quote me potentially ginger, because I'm definitely planning a Mac Pro this year. Strangely, in order to future proof it, I'm looking at the biggest, baddest mother of a gfx card Apple will supply. If I can afford it.  _________________My Flickr | Snaptophobic BloggageHeather Kay: modelling details that matter. "Let my windows be open to receive new ideas but let me also be strong enough not to be blown away by them." - Mahatma Gandhi.
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| Wed Jun 24, 2009 5:19 am |
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