core duo vs merom

zoranb

Registered
Ive heard many dissapointed with the 17i macbook pro. Reason is that Merom will be here in August and these coreduo releases are only filling up some gaps untill merom comes out!
Is it worth waiting for Merom? Is that cpu so mutch better than core duo cpus and in what way?
 
As far as I know, there's nothing wrong with Yonah, the current Core Duo CPU. ACtually, it's quite a performer. My wife has a Core Duo laptop (Dell E1705) and it's very snappy. Of course, that's running Windows but it does so quite well. I haven't had any first-hand experience with the MacBook Pro but I'm sure it's still worth purchasing.

As for Merom, it's the successor to Yonah in terms of performance and power consumption and I believe it might even introduce 64-bit processing, but I'm not quite sure.
 
Seems that Merom will be pin-compatible with Core Duo. That fact is useless on the MacBook, which does not have a socketed processor. The rumor goes that Merom should simply drop into the iMac, or the Mac mini. The 64-bit Merom will provide support for a lot of installed memory. You should see a 17-inch MacBook Pro with a Merom supporting 2GB RAM chips, or even more memory slots. How about a laptop that can have 8 GB RAM installed!
The present 17-inch is ready to go, and performs very well. Should Apple wait to release that 17-inch, just because the next generation of processor is not available yet? The Core Duo is a great performer. The Merom will take that to another level. If you want to wait for that, then wait. Apple is going with what is available now...
 
Apple should simply offer what intel offers. Right now that means MBPs with Yonah processors. When Merom comes available, it should offer Merom-based MBPs (and other computers, of course, but this thread's about the MBP 17", specifically...). Even when Merom will finally arrive in an MBP,

a) the current Yonah-based MBP will still be a very good notebook computer and

b) there's _yet another future processor_ going to be around the corner.

Only because IBM and Motorola always took years for releasing faster processors doesn't mean that Apple should now adopt some strange pattern of negligence. If people are disappointed now in the MBP 17", that's just stupid. Can't put it any other way. You won't find a faster notebook computer on the market - and you certainly won't find one running Mac OS X faster. If those people want to wait for Merom-based laptops, they should. Heck: Why not? They have every right to wait...
 
Last I heard, Merom is slated to make its debut this summer. For more info, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Core and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Core_Microarchitecture

I think it's very silly to blame Apple. So what if they're "filling out releases"? What would you have them do? Stop producing computers until Merom comes out? Obviously not. Stick with G4s until then? Only slightly less absurd. There is no compelling reason for Apple not to use the Core Duo; it's the best on the market. When Merom comes out, I imagine they will use it, just like the rest of the industry. In the meantime, they are limited by the laws of time and space.

Now, if you think the Merom will be better enough to justify waiting, then fine. But that's always a factor when buying computers; something better is always just 'round the bend.
 
Mikuro said:
Last I heard, Merom is slated to make its debut this summer. For more info, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Core and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Core_Microarchitecture

I think it's very silly to blame Apple. So what if they're "filling out releases"?

Ok so let them fill out releases but... dont release after 2-3months products (eg. intel iMac, MBP 17") that degrade your prior purchase. I thought you understood my post on the subject! Regarding MBP15" its price was too high not so say the inadequate specs (FW800)... oh but im aiming of topic now, more to say on the appropriate thread (Mikuro u know what im talking about)!
 
I definitely see your point about the iMac (from the other thread), but I don't see how the MBP is the same.

Can you elaborate on your problem with 17" MBP a bit? Are you annoyed that it obsoleted the 15" model, or that it will be obsoleted by the inevitable Merom model to come in a few months?

If your problem is the second, then I don't agree at all. Like I said, Apple's using the best they have when they have it. Also, it's not like with the iMac switch, because we have a reasonable idea when the next model will come out. If you want it, wait for it. My only problem with the iMac release was that they really sprung it on us when nobody could have reasonably expected it.

I don't really see how it relates to the 15", though. The 15" is still around and not obsolete. They're two completely different models. The 15" does seem a bit overpriced now, though, I have to admit.


Just for the record, you're talking to someone who bought a Power Mac 9600/300 a week before the G3s started spanking it every which way at half the price. :( So I do feel your pain.
 
Mikuro said:
I definitely see your point about the iMac (from the other thread), but I don't see how the MBP is the same.

Can you elaborate on your problem with 17" MBP a bit? Are you annoyed that it obsoleted the 15" model, or that it will be obsoleted by the inevitable Merom model to come in a few months?

If your problem is the second, then I don't agree at all. Like I said, Apple's using the best they have when they have it. Also, it's not like with the iMac switch, because we have a reasonable idea when the next model will come out. If you want it, wait for it. My only problem with the iMac release was that they really sprung it on us when nobody could have reasonably expected it.

I don't really see how it relates to the 15", though. The 15" is still around and not obsolete. They're two completely different models. The 15" does seem a bit overpriced now, though, I have to admit.


Just for the record, you're talking to someone who bought a Power Mac 9600/300 a week before the G3s started spanking it every which way at half the price. :( So I do feel your pain.

U are right the merom thing is not the same cause we see it coming unlike the iMac thing, but the 15" to the 17" is about the same, regarding specs and mainly about the FW800 and the price. Despite im not a moderator,plz lets not get offtopic with it now in here, come talk if u wish to the other thread ive started and u successfully participated!
 
The MacBook Pro 15" with a 2.0GHz Core Duo processor makes me cry it's so fast.

With enough RAM, the MacBook Pro 17" 2.16GHz is capable of Final Cut Studio.


Just because Merom is better doesn't make Yonah crap. If Yonah is capable of whatever it is you want from a laptop NOW, it doesn't matter one iota if something comes out in a week's time that accomplishes it faster; your Yonah laptop will still serve its purpose.


I'm on a 1GHz 15" Aluminum PowerBook G4 with only 512MB of RAM and it's my primary computer. I regularly run Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign at the same time as well as Safari, Mail, NetNewsWire...

The point is; people always whine when they spend a lot of money on what they think is the best and then all of a sudden they have yesterday's technology. The point is; you have to buy a computer based on what you need it to do NOW. If you never buy something if there's something else around the corner, you'll never buy another computer again.


The Yonah's are incredible.
 
The question is when will Apple propose a low-end Intel MacBook ?

Probably as soon as Merom is available for the MacBook Pro, the Yonah will power the slightly thicker MacBook.
 
"the fastest laptop in the world ever is inadequate, and too expensive"

quite. apple's first ever laptop cost $6,500. a fully loaded Powerbook G3 cost over $7,000. you're telling me that the fastest laptop (hell, it's faster than most desktops, (including mine) and that's saying something) is too expensive at under £2000....

"hello, i'm an apple fanboy. i want everything. i want it 10x better than any pc and i want it for half the price. it must also have FW800 and dual gigabit ethernet or i'll cry"
 
So I guess we can safely assume that the assumption that many were disappointed with the 17" MacBook Pro was wrong? Well, then. :) Let's look forward to new hardware. And I agree: It's that mystical 13" widescreen MacBook that 80% of Apple notebook buyers are looking for. :)
 
1. almost half say that MBP 17" is negative, thats a lot http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2006/04/20060424085129.shtml

2. as far as comparisons with the past MrBurns, you shouldnt count on if one is faster but how fast it does things with the apps provided, G3 macs back then with Pshop 5 fast, on the contrary PshopCS or CS2 is way slower (on intel macs) than back then, so i dont see why a G3 laptop is slower, hehe, so dont make sutch comparisons

3. im a guy that doesnt really need a mac right now

4. carefull guys we are off topic

5. thanx for your time
 
zoranb said:
1. almost half say that MBP 17" is negative, thats a lot http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2006/04/20060424085129.shtml

Catching up with your math, I see... :)
272 negatives out of 852 total = 32.5% (less than 1/3)

Even then, these are only listed responses to this particular story. What you take out of that is your own theory, if you consider this to be a valid survey. There's nothing there to prevent a single poster from supplying 272 negatives.
 
oh, so some geeks on their 1ghz celerons decide that the new mac books are crap. that's hardly real world experience. apple are offering the best chip currently available. what more do you want?

it's not overpriced, it's quite reasonably priced.
 
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