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2008 iMac Revisions?
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I've been meaning to buy a new iMac for some time now, to replace my 17" iMac G5 which I've had since May 2005.
I am an artist and graphic designer, so the screen must be of the quality I'm used to. For this reason I am going for the 24" model, as it doesn't suffer from the disappointingly poor screen quality of the 20".
What I would like too avoid however, is getting one just before a revision. This has happened to me before, where I've missed out on £100-£200 worth of CPU upgrades, more memory, etc.
Since the last revision was mid-2007, can I expect there to be another revision soon? I can hold out until the end of spring for this.
Anyone have any info or a good hunch about this? Thanks.
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It's been a pretty long time since the last update, and MacRumors has the iMac listed as nearing an upgrade. I would bet there would be some kind of update this Spring. I'm planning on getting a new iMac in the next few months too, so I've been on the lookout.
Maybe someone else can give more exact info.
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Intel has released new chips suitable for the iMac; I'd expect an update in 2Q.
Beware that all iMacs now have glossy screens; some graphics people don't like the glossy coating because it adds contrast/saturation.
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Yeah, the glossy screen is the only thing I'm hesitant about.
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I love my glossy screen, I would never go back to the non-glossy. I guess it totally depends on where your computer resides.
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And there is always sandpaper
-t
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Thanks for the info guys.
I've got my fingers crossed for an update by April or May then.
As for the glossy screen, I've used my sister's MacBook a few times, and yes, it can be annoying at certain angles. I wouldn't want to have a window opposite my desk, that's for sure, but I'm sure I'll manage.
I'm surprised no-one's made some kind of anti-reflection film for the new screens. Or have they?
I just really need to make the switch to Intel, plus the extra screen real-estate will be very useful to me, and it'll also be my first taste of 10.5.
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I'll tell ya what, my 2.8ghz Extreme iMac is the bomb. I am so happy with this little beast that I couldn't imagine life without it. I wouldn't wait forever for the next gen chips... no matter what you do, a few months later the next gen will be out. The nice thing about Mac's is that they hold their resale value, so if you absolutely must upgrade, you can always unload your old system on eBay and get your new one.
I think my new system will last me 3 years or more.
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My guess is that we'll get an iMac update in late March and that it will mirror the MBP update that arrives about a month before, except possibly with ATi graphics instead of nVidia or vice versa.
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As for the glossy screen you will get used to it and not notice the glare anymore after a little while.
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Originally Posted by P
My guess is that we'll get an iMac update in late March and that it will mirror the MBP update that arrives about a month before, except possibly with ATi graphics instead of nVidia or vice versa.
Exactly what I'm expecting as well.
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What do you guys think the revisions will be?
- Processor?
- Graphic Cards?
- Maybe Blu-Ray support?
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Penryn/Cantiga for the processor/chipset and the mobile midrange card from either ATI HD3000 series or nVidia 9000M series.
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No Blu-ray in the next iMac (expected in March). There might just be a BTO option, but I wouldn't count on it.
The chipset will be Crestline (the same as right now). They'll use 45nm, 35mm^2 Penryn CPUs. Probably the T9500 (2.6 / 6MB / 800 MHz / 35 W) and the T9300 (2.5 / 6MB / 800 MHz / 35 W). Again I'd expect a BTO option for the Extreme Edition CPU: that would be a X9000 (2.8 / 6MB / 800 MHz / 44 W). This March update will be a 'refresh' rather than a big update.
Expect bigger changes in Fall when Apple will be able to get the Cantiga chipset from Intel together with the Montevina refresh Penryns (both expected June 3-7). That'll get us a 1067 MHz FSB, possibly DDR3-800, CPU clock speeds up to 3.06 GHz, a new Ethernet controller, support for DisplayPort (although I doubt Apple will make use of that at this stage), and the possibility of getting a quad-core BTO option: the QX9300 running at ~3 GHz, 12 MB L2, and a 45W TDP (Intel's first mobile quad-core).
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Last edited by Simon; Feb 19, 2008 at 03:24 PM.
Reason: typo duh)
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Originally Posted by Simon
They'll use 45nm, 35m^2 Penryn CPUs
That's a pretty big CPU, eh. (35 mm)^2 or 1225 mm^2 sounds more reasonable.
I could see Apple going either way... either being late to the Penryn/Crestline bus or early on the Penryn/Cantiga bus.
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Originally Posted by Simon
No Blu-ray in the next iMac (expected in March). There might just be a BTO option, but I wouldn't count on it.
The chipset will be Crestline (the same as right now). They'll use 45nm, 35mm^2 Penryn CPUs. Probably the T9500 (2.6 / 6MB / 800 MHz / 35 W) and the T9300 (2.5 / 6MB / 800 MHz / 35 W). Again I'd expect a BTO option for the Extreme Edition CPU: that would be a X9000 (2.8 / 6MB / 800 MHz / 44 W). This March update will be a 'refresh' rather than a big update.
Expect bigger changes in Fall when Apple will be able to get the Cantiga chipset from Intel together with the Montevina refresh Penryns (both expected June 3-7). That'll get us a 1067 MHz FSB, possibly DDR3-800, CPU clock speeds up to 3.06 GHz, a new Ethernet controller, support for DisplayPort (although I doubt Apple will make use of that at this stage), and the possibility of getting a quad-core BTO option: the QX9300 running at ~3 GHz, 12 MB L2, and a 45W TDP (Intel's first mobile quad-core).
This isn't good news for me. I've been waiting for an update to buy a new mac, and I'm still on an upgraded Sawtooth... I'd like my new Mac to stick for a while, I don't want it to be horrifically out-of-date after a upgrade cycle. (I know all upgrades move the Macs down a step, but really...
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Originally Posted by Simon
No Blu-ray in the next iMac (expected in March). There might just be a BTO option, but I wouldn't count on it.
The chipset will be Crestline (the same as right now). They'll use 45nm, 35mm^2 Penryn CPUs. Probably the T9500 (2.6 / 6MB / 800 MHz / 35 W) and the T9300 (2.5 / 6MB / 800 MHz / 35 W). Again I'd expect a BTO option for the Extreme Edition CPU: that would be a X9000 (2.8 / 6MB / 800 MHz / 44 W). This March update will be a 'refresh' rather than a big update.
Expect bigger changes in Fall when Apple will be able to get the Cantiga chipset from Intel together with the Montevina refresh Penryns (both expected June 3-7). That'll get us a 1067 MHz FSB, possibly DDR3-800, CPU clock speeds up to 3.06 GHz, a new Ethernet controller, support for DisplayPort (although I doubt Apple will make use of that at this stage), and the possibility of getting a quad-core BTO option: the QX9300 running at ~3 GHz, 12 MB L2, and a 45W TDP (Intel's first mobile quad-core).
How about graphics? Is there any chance that there will be a bump for both iMac and MBP?
I realize we are about 7 days from the end of the average iMac cycle and am holding out. RAM and processor speed are both fine for me as is, but I would hate to miss out on something significant because I couldn't wait a few weeks.
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Definitely there is going to be graphics card update, because that's the main thing everyone is complaining about. But for sure there will be a speed bump too, although chip sets are fine the way they are right now.
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Will this be an update for the 128 or the 256? Are we going to see a 512?
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Originally Posted by SirCastor
This isn't good news for me. I've been waiting for an update to buy a new mac, and I'm still on an upgraded Sawtooth... I'd like my new Mac to stick for a while, I don't want it to be horrifically out-of-date after a upgrade cycle. (I know all upgrades move the Macs down a step, but really...
Even though the second update I mentioned will have more impact it will not make any of the previous iMacs obsolete. It will be a while before apps require Cantiga and won't work with Crestline (if that happens at all).
This is the problem with the waiting game: there will always be the next update around the corner. With Intel's "tick tock" CPU update cycle and the interleaved Centrino chipset updates, there will be something new to wait for at least once or twice a year.
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Originally Posted by JonLF
How about graphics? Is there any chance that there will be a bump for both iMac and MBP?
I expect both to get a bump, but this will not be anything major. If you look at what ATI and Nvidia are offering right now there's really not much to upgrade to - unless of course you assume Apple will all of sudden start paying more for iMac or MBP GPUs.
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Does anyone have any thoughts as to whether the revisions will handle more RAM?
I could do with more than 4GB but perhaps that eats into the pro market too much
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It's a long shot, but if they introduce a matte screen option, I would buy one immediately.
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Originally Posted by ixus_123
Does anyone have any thoughts as to whether the revisions will handle more RAM?
If the next iMac comes with Crestline you ca be certain it will have the same 4GB RAM limit. Eventually the iMac will switch over to Cantiga (won't happen before June though) and then we might see this change. Currently I also doubt Apple wants to push the iMac any closer toward the MP. Increasing the max RAM would do just that.
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Originally Posted by Simon
Even though the second update I mentioned will have more impact it will not make any of the previous iMacs obsolete. It will be a while before apps require Cantiga and won't work with Crestline (if that happens at all).
This is the problem with the waiting game: there will always be the next update around the corner. With Intel's "tick tock" CPU update cycle and the interleaved Centrino chipset updates, there will be something new to wait for at least once or twice a year.
It's not that "around the corner" thing that I'm so concerned about. It's missing the big update by buying into the small update. Kind of like buying a top-of-the-line G5 right before the Mac Pros were released. While I realize this is not nearly that kind of update, an increase to the bus I think would be noticeable as well as faster RAM etc. Chips come and go, but Motherboard redesigns are fewer inbetween.
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Originally Posted by SirCastor
It's not that "around the corner" thing that I'm so concerned about. It's missing the big update by buying into the small update. Kind of like buying a top-of-the-line G5 right before the Mac Pros were released. While I realize this is not nearly that kind of update, an increase to the bus I think would be noticeable as well as faster RAM etc. Chips come and go, but Motherboard redesigns are fewer inbetween.
In that case I think you've pretty much answered it for yourself. When the iMac gets an update in roughly a month or so and you see it comes with Penryn/Crestline you'll know that was the 'minor' upgrade. You can then ask yourself if you're willing to wait another roughly half year till you get the 'major' update with Penryn refresh/Cantiga.
Of course as always there's no guarantee for when Apple will actually implement the new chipset and in the end if you're unlucky, you could be waiting quite a while longer. But again, that's just part of the waiting game.
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Dude, there are people that have NEVER pulled the trigger because some new revision is right around the corner.
Do you have the money now ? Then go get it NOW.
-t
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I don't have the money right now... just a deal. My wife said that if I could pull together half the cash, we'd pay the rest. So I'm struggling to sell stuff to get it all together.
If I'm ready, I'll probably buy ASAP. I just don't want to be the guy who bought a G5 6 months before the MacPros came out. Then again, it was still a nice machine.
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So MBP came out offering a 512mb card. This is fairly indicative that the revised iMac should have a 512mb as at least a BTO, right? I am not gun shy, but waiting to go from 256 to 512 makes sense, doesn't it?
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Originally Posted by JonLF
So MBP came out offering a 512mb card. This is fairly indicative that the revised iMac should have a 512mb as at least a BTO, right? I am not gun shy, but waiting to go from 256 to 512 makes sense, doesn't it?
Except for the 512MB VRAM being mostly pointless given the GPU performance...
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The 2.8Ghz iMac is now $50 cheaper.
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Originally Posted by mduell
Except for the 512MB VRAM being mostly pointless given the GPU performance...
Excuse my ignorance, but why would this be pointless?
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Originally Posted by MortonH
Excuse my ignorance, but why would this be pointless?
Because the iMac's graphics problem is not the missing 512 MB VRAM option. It's mainly the HD 2600 PRO and/or its drivers.
Swapping the iMac's GPU to let's say an 8800 would do far more for the average gamer than adding extra VRAM to the 2600.
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Right. I didn't realize we were assuming that the basic card would remain the same. What are the chances of the iMac using nVidia cards next time?
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Not likely. Apple will probably not want to put only Nvidia GPUs in all iMacs and MBPs. They usually try to balance their demand somewhat between ATI and Nvidia.
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They might update to the 3xxx generation of cards, however. Since Apple tends to be focused on non-gaming features and cool running parts, it makes sense to introduce a newer generation of cards. This is why I think we'll see a 3650 or similar GPU. We might keep hoping for a 3850, but I'm not betting on it - there isn't even a mobile version available of it yet.
Note that a 3650 (desktop) barely outpaces a 2600 XT, though.
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Indeed. There's quite some stagnation in the GPU area. The 3650 is hardly an improvement over the 2600 (especially if you're not interested in DirectX or DisplayPort). Likewise for the Nvidia GPUs: the 9300M GS is a relabeled 8400M and the 9500M GS is a relabeled 8600M GT.
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Originally Posted by Simon
Likewise for the Nvidia GPUs: the 9300M GS is a relabeled 8400M and the 9500M GS is a relabeled 8600M GT.
Is it really just relabeling or is it just the same architecture with implementation tweaks? The 8800s were G8x parts until the 8800GT (G92), and the 9600GT is G94 part with the same overall architecture of stream processors/shaders, but implementation tweaks.
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Last edited by mduell; Feb 28, 2008 at 02:55 PM.
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Originally Posted by mduell
Is it really just relabeling or is it just the same architecture with implementation tweaks? The 8800s were G8x parts until the 8800GT (G92), and the 9600GT is G94 part with the same overall architecture of stream processors/shaders, but implementation tweaks.
Apparently on the specific models mentioned it is really just plain relabeling. Unfortunately.
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Source? That sounds faintly dishonest.
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Yes, lots of examples, but only from ATi I think - not aware of nVidia pulling this trick before.
I wonder why ATi won't release a 3850 in a mobile variant - it's low power enough, and it would be a perfect chip for the iMac with the latest price drops.
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Originally Posted by turtle777
Dude, there are people that have NEVER pulled the trigger because some new revision is right around the corner.
Do you have the money now ? Then go get it NOW.
You've kinda got a point but if the new one comes out on Tuesday I don't think the "some new revision is right around the corner"... it'll be many months away and I'll gladly upgrade. Some of us like to only buy new computers when the computer is new. Obviously if new ones came out only once every couple years or if they came out ever month this wouldn't be practical, but they seem to come out often enough that you can often wait until they upgrade them and you don't feel screwed right away. What if that guy took your advice and bought one this weekend and they came out with the new one on Tuesday? Wouldn't you feel bad.... he sure would!
Originally Posted by adamwaring
Now that sounds like more useful information! Thanks! I think I will!
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Originally Posted by Simon
Not likely. Apple will probably not want to put only Nvidia GPUs in all iMacs and MBPs. They usually try to balance their demand somewhat between ATI and Nvidia.
But if the ATI cards are cr@p, why stick with them?
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I've just decided last week to upgrade from my Mac mini with 22" LCD to a 24" iMac. So hopefully an updated model will be out in the next 2 to 4 weeks so in which case I'll buy the new one from Amazon.com hoping they still have the $100 mail in rebate offer as well. I'm sure we'll see 2 GB RAM stock and the processor bumped to 2.5 GHz with 6 MB L2 cache and that's probably it.
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I'm in the same position as BoingoBoingo
Looking to upgrade, but my buying process is hampered by the Glossy Screen.
Matte Screen
plus some implementation of multi-touch and I'm going to be first in line.
BlueRay I'm not too bothered about - seems that there are a lot of gaming applications plus video which I'd rather watch on the 42" plasma not a computer screen (especially not a glossy one) - so I'd rather get an XBox with a BR drive.
Looking forward to Tuesday now!
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You can't have multi-touch and a matte screen. The screen will have to have glass over it to have multi-touch capabilities.
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It wouldn't have to be on the screen to have multitouch. The MacbookPro's isn't. And there is such thing as matte glass anyway. I don't see Apple moving away from glossy though.
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