[Curiosity]

I have no idea if this question belongs here, because I have no idea what is meant by combo Intel. I have a MacBook Pro, so I put it here.

I was checking out the Apple update download page and came across 4 updates for Mac OS X 10.4.7. They were for Combo Intel, Intel, Combo PPC, and PPC. What is meant by Combo Intel and Combo PPC, and why are the update files so much larger for the combo CPUs?

Would the MacBook Pro be a Combo Intel or just an Intel?

[Big Mac]

Combo is Apple's term for an updater that is capable of updating software that is older than the previous update. For example, if you're running 10.4.5 and want to upgrade to 10.4.7, you need the combo updater. But if you're running 10.4.6 and want to upgrade to 10.4.7 you just need the regular update. The combo updaters are larger because they contain all the files necessary to upgrade any compatible version, instead of just including the files that were updated after the last update. Of course, you pick the update for your processor.

Some people claim combo updaters are more reliable than the regular updaters, but I don't know if that has been verified empirically.