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Dual Processor Powerbook

post #1 of 33
2/24/04 at 6:15pm
Thread Starter 
I am reading all this talks about how nice it would be to have a G5 powerbook. But how about a dual G4 powerbook. The speed would be almost as fast as a single 1.6 G5 and the chip is already there. What is the possibility that for the next upgrade of powerbooks, before we get a G5 powerbook, apple releases a dual G4 powerbook. I mean apple will have the title for the first dual processor laptop before they have the title for the first 64bit laptop.
Let me know what you guys think. I for one think that it will be a big seller.

Brian
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post #2 of 33
2/24/04 at 6:20pm
Quote:
Originally posted by brianelmi
I mean apple will have the title for the first dual processor laptop before they have the title for the first 64bit laptop.
Brian


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post #3 of 33
2/24/04 at 6:23pm
Thread Starter 
May I ask who has done it? I really would like to know.
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post #4 of 33
2/24/04 at 6:28pm
Quote:
Originally posted by brianelmi
May I ask who has done it? I really would like to know.

E-machines

and a link

http://www.tech-report.com/onearticle.x/6125

it is the first that poped up on google. Not sure if others have, I can only assume.
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post #5 of 33
2/24/04 at 6:43pm
They can't release the first 64-bit notebook (I think Sun beat the field by years anyway with a SPARC notebook) but they just might be able to release the first 64-bit laptop.
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post #6 of 33
2/24/04 at 6:58pm
For the movie Twister Silicon Graphics actually built their Indy into a laptop case. One was on ebay a long time ago. Only a dozen were made... something like that. I don't know when Sun built theirs, but SGI definitely had one back in the mid-90s.
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post #7 of 33
2/24/04 at 10:37pm
Quote:
Originally posted by brianelmi
I am reading all this talks about how nice it would be to have a G5 powerbook. But how about a dual G4 powerbook. The speed would be almost as fast as a single 1.6 G5 and the chip is already there. What is the possibility that for the next upgrade of powerbooks, before we get a G5 powerbook, apple releases a dual G4 powerbook. I mean apple will have the title for the first dual processor laptop before they have the title for the first 64bit laptop.
Let me know what you guys think. I for one think that it will be a big seller.

Brian

Can I get 2GB of RAM and express shipment with that Dual G4 PB?
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post #8 of 33
2/24/04 at 10:42pm
Dual G4 PB. Oh yea. Can these threads get any more ridiculous?
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post #9 of 33
2/25/04 at 12:35am
Quote:
Originally posted by onlooker
Dual G4 PB. Oh yea. Can these threads get any more ridiculous?

Ok... How about a Dual G4, (erm) DUAL SCREEN PowerBook. Eh?
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post #10 of 33
2/25/04 at 1:13am
Quote:
Originally posted by oldmacfan

it is the first that poped up on google. Not sure if others have, I can only assume.

There are also the VoodooPC systems.

Also, 64-bit UltraSPARC notebooks, with ECC SDRAM.

One more UltraSPARC from Tadpole, with up to 160 GB hard drive space (2 drives) and 4 GB memory. These are very specialized notebooks, running Solaris 9.
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post #11 of 33
2/25/04 at 1:27am
Quote:
Originally posted by brianelmi
What is the possibility that for the next upgrade of powerbooks, before we get a G5 powerbook, apple releases a dual G4 powerbook.

Zero. Unless we take into consideration the dual core G4s of the other thread.

Only problem: this is Motorola.
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post #12 of 33
2/25/04 at 1:30am
Quote:
Originally posted by onlooker
Dual G4 PB. Oh yea. Can these threads get any more ridiculous?

If you consider the fact that the movie cold mountain used Apple's software only editing solution, super charged portables are not a bad thing. They could be sold as a made-to-order product.
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post #13 of 33
2/25/04 at 7:30am
It just seems like a dual processor portable would be a last resort. The issues of cooling, and space keep coming to mind, and for what? Apple isn't in dire straights for available portable processors.
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post #14 of 33
2/25/04 at 8:41am
I thought a dual-G4 PowerBook using the ultra low-power 1 GHz 7447 was an interesting if not particularly likely possibility late last year. At that time, the prospects for a G5 PowerBook were unknown, and it might have been an interesting way to goose up the 17" in the interim.

With the G5 PB close at hand, though (by which I mean within 6 months IMO), it would make little sense to go down that road just for one revision. At this time I would say probability = 0.

The ones that really crack me up are the ones that predict dual G5 PowerBooks. Let's start with getting one in there...
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post #15 of 33
2/25/04 at 10:57pm
if you need 2 processors in your computer, you probablly shouldn't be looking at powerbooks...unless you need a spare lapheater (otherwise known as the dual g4 powerbook).
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post #16 of 33
2/25/04 at 11:15pm
Quote:
Originally posted by jade
if you need 2 processors in your computer, you probablly shouldn't be looking at powerbooks...unless you need a spare lapheater (otherwise known as the dual g4 powerbook).

Yep, the singles are quite hot enough on my lap, thanks. Can't imagine how bad a dual would be.
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post #17 of 33
2/26/04 at 9:12am
Quote:
Originally posted by talksense101
If you consider the fact that the movie cold mountain used Apple's software only editing solution, super charged portables are not a bad thing. They could be sold as a made-to-order product.

Oh right. A company with %3 market share is going to start making made to order products. Mork calling Orsen.. Come in Orsen.
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post #18 of 33
2/26/04 at 9:37am
Quote:
Originally posted by onlooker
Oh right. A company with %3 market share is going to start making made to order products. Mork calling Orsen.. Come in Orsen.

What does BTO stand for?

meh
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post #19 of 33
2/26/04 at 9:49am
Quote:
Originally posted by Harald
What does BTO stand for?


BTO, has nothing to do with it because Apple would have to make another portable chassis. Which if they develop a new chassis they will have another line of laptops to be configured BTO. Get it?
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post #20 of 33
2/26/04 at 11:11am
Just wait for the G5 PowerBook.
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post #21 of 33
2/26/04 at 12:00pm
Damn.....dual proc PB's?

I'd never need to heat my house again, even in Connecticut......

You're never cold if you have a rev A TiBook 400!
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post #22 of 33
2/26/04 at 6:42pm
A DP PowerBook would be a fire hazard.
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post #23 of 33
2/26/04 at 7:58pm
Quote:
Originally posted by onlooker
Oh right. A company with %3 market share is going to start making made to order products. Mork calling Orsen.. Come in Orsen.

Market share is irrelevant. Market *size* is. Around 1990, Apple made a special version of their IIci that used parity RAM for government contracts. They had less customers then than they do now.

However, I agree that it is a bit far-fetched.
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post #24 of 33
2/27/04 at 1:30pm
Quote:
Originally posted by PB
Zero. Unless we take into consideration the dual core G4s of the other thread.

Only problem: this is Motorola.

What about a dual core IBM G3 with Altivec? There were rumors of IBM making a G3 with Altivec (basically a G4) and IBM makes dual core chips...sooooo... put 2 and 2 together and you get... a dual core G3 with altivec (dual altivec?)?
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post #25 of 33
2/27/04 at 2:39pm
Quote:
Originally posted by onlooker
Dual G4 PB. Oh yea. Can these threads get any more ridiculous?

Quad G4 powerbook.
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post #26 of 33
2/27/04 at 4:06pm
Just take a dual G4 XServe, duck tape a 17" Studio display to the end. Duck tape a keyboard to it and get a really long extension cord. Re-in-act the old MTV commercials.
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post #27 of 33
2/27/04 at 4:27pm
Quote:
Originally posted by Leonard
What about a dual core IBM G3 with Altivec? There were rumors of IBM making a G3 with Altivec (basically a G4) and IBM makes dual core chips...sooooo... put 2 and 2 together and you get... a dual core G3 with altivec (dual altivec?)?

Apple has effectively removed the G3 processor from its lineup. I don't believe that you will see them going back to it.
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post #28 of 33
2/28/04 at 1:39am
Quote:
Originally posted by Leonard
What about a dual core IBM G3 with Altivec? There were rumors of IBM making a G3 with Altivec (basically a G4) and IBM makes dual core chips...sooooo... put 2 and 2 together and you get... a dual core G3 with altivec (dual altivec?)?

Same problem as with Motos dual-G4s:
- the G3+SMD is vaporware. We have heard about it roughly a year now and nothing, but nothing has surfaced. The "Gobi" 750Gx was 3 month late to the market, the 750vx (single-core) is still missing. Apple can't use a chip that is not available, let alone a dual version.

- the bus is too slow for a fast dual-core chip. The 750 even uses a revised 60x-bus protocol. In contrast to G4 and G5 busses, this is a synchronous bus, meaning if the CPU wants to read data, the bus is blocked until the data has arrived. This is bad in a single-core setup (think about data coming from the HD), but worse in dual-core. So, the 750 needs a new bus interface before it can go dual.

Additional problems (not present with the Moto G4):
- the 750 has crappy spec values, meaning it is underpowered. In contrast to common mythology, the G4 is way faster per clock cycle (and this is not counting AltiVec).

- the 750 has no SMP support, this would be needed for a dual-core chip.

In summary: a dual-core G3+Altivec means a completely new chip - why go this route for a product life of a year at best?
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post #29 of 33
2/29/04 at 7:06pm
I think Apple should indeed make a dual processor PowerBook. But, instead of two G4's, Apple should use dual x86 chips. If priced low enough, Windows users would buy them like hotcakes, and when they put them on their laps, they would fry their balls, causing them to be unable to reproduce.
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post #30 of 33
2/29/04 at 7:14pm
Quote:
Originally posted by CharlesS
I think Apple should indeed make a dual processor PowerBook. But, instead of two G4's, Apple should use dual x86 chips. If priced low enough, Windows users would buy them like hotcakes, and when they put them on their laps, they would fry their balls, causing them to be unable to reproduce.

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post #31 of 33
2/29/04 at 8:18pm
Quote:
Originally posted by brianelmi
I am reading all this talks about how nice it would be to have a G5 powerbook. But how about a dual G4 powerbook. The speed would be almost as fast as a single 1.6 G5 and the chip is already there. What is the possibility that for the next upgrade of powerbooks, before we get a G5 powerbook, apple releases a dual G4 powerbook. I mean apple will have the title for the first dual processor laptop before they have the title for the first 64bit laptop.
Let me know what you guys think. I for one think that it will be a big seller.

Brian

My initial reaction to this questionis why?, when the fact that dual core G5's are coming in about a 12-18mths. Meaning we should get G5 PB's shortly and dual core 97x's in about 18mths time.

But alot of people (espec. video) want desktop replacements - PB 17" size laptops and FAST!, the 970FX is rated at 24.5W @ 2G - so I would think this would be a welcome possibility in the 17" PB.

The 12/15" models would remain single CPU until the dual cores are available.

Just my 2 cents
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post #32 of 33
3/4/04 at 1:51am
Quote:
Originally posted by LoCash
For the movie Twister Silicon Graphics actually built their Indy into a laptop case. One was on ebay a long time ago. Only a dozen were made... something like that. I don't know when Sun built theirs, but SGI definitely had one back in the mid-90s.

No, those were fakes. There were 14 built in all - 7 "functional" and 7 shells with nothing in them. The functional ones were merely LCDs in custom made shells with looong cables running out of the back to the actual Indy boxes. The reason for this pointless exercise was that SGI had the product placement contract for the computer equipment but didn't actually produce a laptop. The contract, however, stipulated that nothing but SGIs could be used.

Almost all of the graphics was produced on a *drrrrrrumrollllll* PowerMac.

I think Sun holds the honours for the first 64 bit laptop. Sorry.
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post #33 of 33
3/4/04 at 3:40pm
BTO = BUILD TO ORDER.

--

If IBM were to get the proc down to 65nm, and do dual core from the "Power" series, think they could have this version of a dual processor working really well. It will probably be cool enough to be "dualble." (get it...ya shut up)

In my opinion, this is the best way to go dual. Speed between units is greater than separate chips, as well as space that is taken up is smaller too. A pretty good design.

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