What to expect desktop wise??

2

Comments

  • Reply 21 of 45
    mwswamimwswami Posts: 166member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by hmurchison



    4 drive bays makes the case too large if we're talking 3.5" drives here. What I'd suggest is 3 drive bays which allow for internal RAID 5 or 2+ Terabytes of JBOD.





    Agree with that. Plus, I would like to see support for eSATA (external SATA) and Apple release a consumer version of of the XRAID product with perhaps upto 5 slots.
  • Reply 22 of 45
    pofopofo Posts: 14member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by hmurchison

    4 drive bays makes the case too large if we're talking 3.5" drives here. What I'd suggest is 3 drive bays which allow for internal RAID 5 or 2+ Terabytes of JBOD.



    I'm looking at my generic whitebox PC at work here which has 4 drive bays and 7 slots and still is smaller in size than a powermac G5. So its not impossible, I have faith in the apple design team
  • Reply 23 of 45
    glossgloss Posts: 506member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by pofo

    I'm looking at my generic whitebox PC at work here which has 4 drive bays and 7 slots and still is smaller in size than a powermac G5. So its not impossible, I have faith in the apple design team



    I'm almost positive that the Apple design team has a little region in their collective brain that goes into seizures if they produce something too closely resembling a Standard PC. Hence all the monolithic industrial design for the current towers (cheesegrater aside).



    We'll see, I guess. I have a feeling that the need for a slab-sided design is going to outweigh any thoughts of real expandability.
  • Reply 24 of 45
    placeboplacebo Posts: 5,767member
    No, the Mac Pro should be just as upgradeable as a regular PC unless Apple makes intentional steps to disable that. And they haven't gone to any lengths to disable processor upgradeability in the iMac or MAC MINI for christ's sake. If you can swap out a Mac mini processor for an unreleased 64-bit Merom, and have it run with absolutely no reconfiguration of any kind (this has already been done), then I see no problems for upgradeability of the Mac Pro.



    Because we know that...



    -The processor is upgradeable on all current Intel Macs.

    -The graphics card has also been upgradeable in every professional iteration of the series.

    -The RAM and hard drive has always been.



    So, the only missing link is the motherboard, and that's really the only thing preventing people from building homebrew Macs, that little TCM chip soldered to the motherboard.
  • Reply 25 of 45
    glossgloss Posts: 506member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Placebo

    No, the Mac Pro should be just as upgradeable as a regular PC unless Apple makes intentional steps to disable that. And they haven't gone to any lengths to disable processor upgradeability in the iMac or MAC MINI for christ's sake. If you can swap out a Mac mini processor for an unreleased 64-bit Merom, and have it run with absolutely no reconfiguration of any kind (this has already been done), then I see no problems for upgradeability of the Mac Pro.



    Because we know that...



    -The processor is upgradeable on all current Intel Macs.

    -The graphics card has also been upgradeable in every professional iteration of the series.

    -The RAM and hard drive has always been.



    So, the only missing link is the motherboard, and that's really the only thing preventing people from building homebrew Macs, that little TCM chip soldered to the motherboard.




    I was referring mostly to the number of external expansion slots, but yes, you're absolutely right. The switch over to Intel processors means it'll be a whole different ballgame for this next set of machines.



    Still, we'll see if they allow more than one optical drive.
  • Reply 26 of 45
    pofopofo Posts: 14member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by gloss

    I was referring mostly to the number of external expansion slots, but yes, you're absolutely right. The switch over to Intel processors means it'll be a whole different ballgame for this next set of machines.



    Still, we'll see if they allow more than one optical drive.




    It'd be interesting to see what the user consensus is on the external/internal bays and PCI slot count. Are there any gfx, video, scientific or music pros here who, through their work, require or would like to see more than what the current PM G5 casing offers, and in what way? (Eg if you need/use RAIDed disks, multiple cards, tape drives etc)
  • Reply 27 of 45
    placeboplacebo Posts: 5,767member
    Have I mentioned that I hope to god that the downright thievery that Apple commits with their GPU sales finally comes to an end?
  • Reply 28 of 45
    pls dont write "PowerMac" when your writing about new intel desktop. The PowerMac is a Macintosh desktop that bring its "power" from the IBM POWER4 technology.



    I hope to see a PowerMac with a new iteration of cell processor or just the new PowerPC 970GX.



    I read they did a great work on power use and dissipation. I hope to see the return of PCI-X slots, so we could start to use again all the PCI/PCI-x cards on the market.



    I hope to see a new PowerMac with better engineering...



    imho
  • Reply 29 of 45
    guarthoguartho Posts: 1,208member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by DonaemouS

    pls dont write "PowerMac" when your writing about new intel desktop.



    I'm sorry, but a sentence written like this that criticizes someone else's written word has to be in jest.



    edit: btw the term "PowerMac" predates the IBM Power4 by quite a few years.
  • Reply 30 of 45
    benzenebenzene Posts: 338member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Placebo

    Have I mentioned that I hope to god that the downright thievery that Apple commits with their GPU sales finally comes to an end?



    Oh heavens yes. Although is this really Apple's fault? Or is it just (mainly) ATI and their ability to hold apple users hostage?



    It really sucks that I can get a relatively powerful PC graphics card for sub-$100 at newegg, and yet pay out the nose for a much crappier macintosh version.
  • Reply 31 of 45
    k_munick_munic Posts: 357member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Digital Disasta

    What can we all expect for the up coming desktops this year with the new chips? Anyone have any predictions, thoughts, or any information? ...



    we still look for an überMac, which is able to handle encoding of h264 in realtime... h264 is THE codec for HDvideo content, still a shame, you need xx k$ hardware encoders for effective work...



    pro machines need to be upgradable for very specific personal needs.. so size depends on "shapes" of 3rd party hardware (e.g. grafic cards...)



    and yepp, the actual G5 is huuuuge in reallife.. a little smaller would be nice...
  • Reply 32 of 45
    placeboplacebo Posts: 5,767member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by benzene

    Oh heavens yes. Although is this really Apple's fault? Or is it just (mainly) ATI and their ability to hold apple users hostage?



    It really sucks that I can get a relatively powerful PC graphics card for sub-$100 at newegg, and yet pay out the nose for a much crappier macintosh version.




    Yeah, hopefully you'll be able to plunk in any card you want as long as it has Mac drivers. And if it doesn't, it should be able to run in VESA emulation mode, at least that's how it worked with OSX86 on generic PCs.
  • Reply 33 of 45
    dhagan4755dhagan4755 Posts: 2,152member
    What will be interesting to see is what the enclosure will look like. In recent years, the pro line has worked in tandem with the aluminum design scheme. Will Apple "tweak" the current Power Mac G5 case for Intel, like Apple tweaked all of their other designs for Intel, or will they come out with something totally different and new? The jury is still out. After all, they haven't done much with new innovative designs recently, sans perhaps the new MacBook (which is a minor departure).



    I think Apple has to come out with something new and different, just as different as the Power Mac G5 was when compared to the Power Mac G4. Like a lot of others here have said, the Power Mac G5 case is too big. And I think it's odd looking.



    Whatever Apple does, it will most likely set the trend of their product line for awhile to come. If they come to market with a new pro tower design that uses new and different design elements, I bet that the laptops and displays are aiming to match soon thereafter.
  • Reply 34 of 45
    marzetta7marzetta7 Posts: 1,323member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Digital Disasta

    What did oldsmobile do with there cooling system?



    So you guys think that a BTO HD-DVD is possible? I know that Microsoft released the other day that they are in fact going to have a external HD-DVD drive connected via USB, but I don't know if this is going to go over well because the games won't benifit from it at all, solely movies from what I have read so far. It's going to be a interesting battle between Microsoft and Sony with the Blu-Ray drive.




    No, if anything the drive will most likely be Blu-ray or just the same old SuperDrive. Apple is on Blu-ray's BDA Board of Directors, and if you remember Steve had Sony's president up on stage this past MacWorld Expo touting Blu-ray. Moreover, Steve stated how he was hopeful to be "burning Blu-ray discs" while talking up the year of HD if this provides any indication as to what direction Apple is going. Moreover, Apple has given a corporate release stating their backing behind Blu-ray.



    Yes, the wonderfully cheap (in terms of hardware quality) Microsoft external HD DVD drive that will cost $199 and only be capable of 720P. Not really up to snuff when you will have Blu-ray drives (both ROM and RE and not just ROM when you look at HD DVD) capable of 1080P output. I just don't see Apple putting in HD DVD drives with that type of inferior hardware into their systems.



    And please, lets not forget that Blu-ray is not just Sony, but also Dell, HP, Pioneer, Samsung, Philips, TDK, and the other 170+ Blu-ray members of the BDA. It would be foolish to think Apple would go in a direction that is polar opposite of the majority of consumer electronic as well as IT companies. Not to mention not go in the direction of a format that is supported by 7 out of the 8 major studios (Fox, Paramount, Disney/Pixar, Warner Bros., Sony Pictures, MGM, and Lionsgate) seeing how Apple is pretty close to the Hollywood scene.



    So, to tie this into this thread, I think a Blu-ray drive would be sweet. However, with the cost of this new technology, I think Apple will most likely include it sometime in 2007. However, there is always a the Blu-ray BTO option, which would be quite nice. I'm really pulling for some 64-bit intel chips in there as well.
  • Reply 35 of 45
    xoolxool Posts: 2,460member
    Previous revisions have had the displays get updated after the towers. For example, the lucite ADC cinema displays were sold for a year alongside the G5 towers before the aluminum models were announced.



    That said, I doubt this will happen this time 'round. If Apple wants to include iSight or, more importantly, and IR receiver and magnetic remote holder they'll want that to launch alongside the new towers.



    This makes me hesitant to purchase a larger display knowing that new ones are probably right around the corner.



    The big question is, will the new displays go glossy or have it as an option?
  • Reply 36 of 45
    rolandgrolandg Posts: 632member
    I wonder what some of you want 6 or more PCI-e slots for?



    Except for maybe four of these are PEG slots and the new Mac Pros/PowerMacs will be (quad-)SLI capable... I wonder why noone has mentioned it yet.



    Another feature I have always been hoping for eversince the release of the Xserves is the use of its HD-modules in the PowerMacs. Easy upgrading.



    Concerning the optical drive, Blu-Ray drives will definitely be included as manufacturers will be delivering them by the time the PowerMac successors come out and Sony will even be shipping a Blu-Ray laptop in June/July.



    But I hope that there hybrid drives will be out sooner rather than later.



    And I really hope for HDMI/HDCP-DVI outputs, although I read that most "HD-ready" displays are unable to display content in HD resolutions from computer sources. That leads me to hope that Apple will take on this problem by updating their display lineup with larger wallmountable ones.
  • Reply 37 of 45
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member
    I'll pay extra if they keep the case design but refine it to make the handles smooth/rounded so folks won't whine about getting their hands cut, but if they cut the materials down to a piece of crap PC with a thin case I'll pass on even buying one.



    The same goes for the XServe.
  • Reply 38 of 45
    thttht Posts: 5,420member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by RolandG

    Another feature I have always been hoping for eversince the release of the Xserves is the use of its HD-modules in the PowerMacs. Easy upgrading.



    Thumbs up to that idea. With the current G5 case, they could probably put 5 of them in it, assuming Apple doesn't want to make the cooling system part of the artistic flair of the case.
  • Reply 39 of 45
    drboardrboar Posts: 477member
    11 years ago the PM 7500 had 2 HDs, 3 PCI slots, 8 memory slots and one optical bay. All in a compact desktop case that was very easy to get into That is roughly on par with what fits inside the enourmous cheese graters.



    My suggestion is such a compact case as the 7500 in either desktop or small tower. This would be the low end pro and a "prosumer" and gamers computer. Then the big towers with much more features for the high end pros.
  • Reply 40 of 45
    @homenow@homenow Posts: 998member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by gregmightdothat

    I hope it weighs less and that the handlebars don't slice into your hands when picking it up.



    Those are Anti-theft features not "handles", sharpen them up a bit more and if a Theif tries to carry it away he leaves his fingers behind for easy identification..
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