What is this Santa-Rosa, and should it curb my Memron bliss?

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
I'm intent on buying a MBP for September and I've been eagerly watching the juicy tidbits of memron speculation roll out for a few days now surrounding WWDC. My question, seeing as I'm not anywhere near as caught up on the joys of Intel 'advancement' as I was on freescale boredom, is as to what differences Santa Rosa will posess.

Smaller nm ratio? Just higher clockspeeds?

Also, how soon can it be expected and is it worth holding out longer still to purchase instead of memron?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 16
    mwswamimwswami Posts: 166member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by blackwave


    I'm intent on buying a MBP for September and I've been eagerly watching the juicy tidbits of memron speculation roll out for a few days now surrounding WWDC. My question, seeing as I'm not anywhere near as caught up on the joys of Intel 'advancement' as I was on freescale boredom, is as to what differences Santa Rosa will posess.

    Smaller nm ratio? Just higher clockspeeds?

    Also, how soon can it be expected and is it worth holding out longer still to purchase instead of memron?



    Santa Rosa = Merom processor + Crestine chip set + Kedron wireless



    Merom, so still 65nm. Crestline will have next generation (integrated) graphics and Robson Caching technology for faster bootup and application startup; Kedron will have 802.11n. The FSB is suppose to go to 800MHz so if Merom keeps the same multipliers, the clock speed will go higher. The availability is sometime Q2 (I believe April)'07.
  • Reply 2 of 16
    Hmm. Do you imagine the difference is worth holding out for? By April I'll be all but done a year of University.
  • Reply 3 of 16
    mwswamimwswami Posts: 166member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by blackwave


    Hmm. Do you imagine the difference is worth holding out for? By April I'll be all but done a year of University.



    That's your call. I have a 15" MBP and am very happy (other than the heat issue) with it. I reckon, it will last me at least a couple of years.
  • Reply 4 of 16
    telomartelomar Posts: 1,804member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by blackwave


    Hmm. Do you imagine the difference is worth holding out for? By April I'll be all but done a year of University.



    As always buy it when you need it. There is always something new and interesting coming in electronics. You just have to bite the bullet and buy when you need to. The only thing that can't really be added after market is the faster FSB, additional power saving features (Santa Rosa should actually draw less power despite the changes) and the in built graphics. 802.11n still isn't ready to catch on and can be added later once the specs are finalised and Robson caching can be added by upgrading to an appropriate hard drive too.
  • Reply 5 of 16
    placeboplacebo Posts: 5,767member
    So basically Santa Rosa = Centrino 2?
  • Reply 6 of 16
    zandroszandros Posts: 537member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Placebo


    So basically Santa Rosa = Centrino 2?



    No. Actually, I believe we are on the third revision of the Centrino platform already, we've had Carmel and Sonoma, we're at Napa, Merom will just be a refresh of Napa, and then the 800 MHz FSB, Kedron and Crestline with Santa Rosa.
  • Reply 7 of 16
    mwswamimwswami Posts: 166member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Placebo


    So basically Santa Rosa = Centrino 2?



    Napa is called Centrino Duo, so logically Santa Rosa may formally be called Centrino 2 Duo.
  • Reply 8 of 16
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Zandros


    No. Actually, I believe we are on the third revision of the Centrino platform already, we've had Carmel and Sonoma, we're at Napa, Merom will just be a refresh of Napa, and then the 800 MHz FSB, Kedron and Crestline with Santa Rosa.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mwswami


    Napa is called Centrino Duo, so logically Santa Rosa may formally be called Centrino 2 Duo.



    You two are right.

    From an internal codename perspective:

    - Carmel -> Centrino1

    - Sonoma -> Centrino2

    - Napa (with Yonah) -> Centrino3

    - Napa64 (with Merom) -> Centrino3, still

    - Santa Rosa (with Merom) -> Centrino4

    But from a public point of view, there is just "Centrino", "Centrino Duo" and perhaps "Centrino 2 Duo"
  • Reply 9 of 16
    placeboplacebo Posts: 5,767member
    Eh, laptops.
  • Reply 10 of 16
    slugheadslughead Posts: 1,169member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Placebo


    Eh, laptops.



    Indeed. If I were a stockholder, I'd care. As a person who hates working away from home, I don't.
  • Reply 11 of 16
    ajpriceajprice Posts: 320member
    If its integrated graphics wouldnt it be more likely for a MacBook than a MacBook Pro?
  • Reply 12 of 16
    zandroszandros Posts: 537member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ajprice


    If its integrated graphics wouldnt it be more likely for a MacBook than a MacBook Pro?



    The integrated graphics is an optional extras of the Centrino standard. There will be at least a PM 965 Express chipset without IG, and a GM 965 Express chipset with IG.
  • Reply 13 of 16
    netdognetdog Posts: 244member
    Santa Rosa will be great. No doubt.



    Honestly though, I am quite happy with my two Yonah Duo Cores. It is going to take a long time for 64bit apps to become commonplace, at least for my needs, and as the apps are developed, the architecture will be designed to meet their needs (and vice versa). Hence, in a few years, when my Yonahs are going to start seeming slow, 64bit computing should be hitting its sweet spot. Right now we are in an unusually vigorous period of growth, and I will be happy to harvest it when it is ready and needed.



    So yeah, Santa Rosa is going to way out perform the 64bit systems about to come out, with faster bus, etc., but if you get a Yonah or Merom now, I also think it will serve you really well for a long time to come.
  • Reply 14 of 16
    bjnybjny Posts: 191member
    Does Merom need Santa Rosa to address 4GB of memory?
  • Reply 15 of 16
    1337_5l4xx0r1337_5l4xx0r Posts: 1,558member
    IIRC, even Yonah can address 4GB of memory.



    Also, I've seen benchmarks of Merom with 667mhz and 800mhz frontside busses, and it makes like 5% difference... Hence, I'm grabbing the first Merom MBP.
  • Reply 16 of 16
    mwswamimwswami Posts: 166member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by 1337_5L4Xx0R


    Also, I've seen benchmarks of Merom with 667mhz and 800mhz frontside busses, and it makes like 5% difference... Hence, I'm grabbing the first Merom MBP.



    Yes, but the highest Merom (2.33GHz) is a 14x multiplier, so if they keep the same multiplier on the 800MHz FSB, the high end Merom will come out at 2.8GHz. You will definitely see a noticeable difference then.
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