Compiled by Charles Moore
and edited by Dan Knight
- 2006.06.08
This Week's Macintel News
Intel has officially unveiled the next generation of Core
processors. Core 2 (officially Core™2) will be available in
notebook, desktop, and server ("extreme") versions. Speeds 1.83 GHz
to 2.83 GHz initially, and Intel anticipates passing the 3 GHz
mark by year-end.
Expect these to be at the core of future MacBook Pro models, the
widely anticipated Power Mac replacement, and next generation
Xserve computers.
Also, Intel's new chipsets that support Core 2 are dropping
support for the IDE/Parallel ATA bus in favor of Serial ATA (SATA).
This should spur the production of optical drives with SATA.
On the virtualization front, Parallels Desktop (formerly
Parallels Workstation) has reached release candidate status.
PowerBook, iBook, and other portable computing news is covered
in The 'Book Review. General
Apple and Mac desktop news is covered in The Mac News Review.
Core 2 News
Other News
Core 2 News
Intel Finalizes Core 2 Specifications
HardMac's Lionel reports:
"Intel has finalized the specifications of the forthcoming
desktop-dedicated Core 2 CPUs; that should quickly find its place in
the future iMacIntel revision, or even in a PowerMac-replacing
model (or MacDesk or Mac).
"All models will have a 1066 MHz quad-pumped FSB (266x4), except
the entry-level model clocked at 1.6 GHz with a 800 MHz FSB. Other
models includes: 1.6, 1.86 and 2.13 GHz clock CPUs all featuring
2 MB of shared L2 cache, while the higher end models, 2.4 and
2.66 GHz, will sport doubled L2 cache (4 MB)."
- Link: Core 2: Intel
Finalizes Specifications
Core 2 Paves Way for Mac Pro
Macworld UK's James Niccolai reports:
"Intel has launched a new chipset for desktop computers today,
which will work with forthcoming new processors that are likely to
feature in Apple's next-generation pro desktops.
"The P965 Express chipset, formerly code-named Broadwater, will
work with Intel's new Core 2 Duo desktop processor, also known as
Conroe, which is due to go on sale next month. The chipset has
started shipping in volume to PC makers already, Intel said....
"Conroe will be 40 per cent faster than Intel's best desktop
chip today, but consume 40 per cent less power, he said. The Merom
notebook chip will offer 20 per cent better performance and about
the same battery life. Woodcrest, the server chip, will offer an 80
per cent lift in performance but use 35 per cent less power,
according to Chandrasekher."
- Link:
Intel Unveils Mac Pro Speed Increases
Accelerated Intel Roadmaps Spur New Mac
Speculation
eWeek's Daniel Drew Turner reports:
"For the first time, talk about new Intel processors is raising
the pulses of editors at Mac-centric Web sites.
"This is a major change from the years when Apple Computer's
Macintosh computers were powered by PowerPC chips from Freescale
Semiconductor and IBM. In those days Mac sites downplayed advances
made by Intel-but no more."
- Link: Accelerated
Intel Roadmaps Spur New Mac Speculation
Intel Tips Core 2 Duo Launch Plans, Phases Out
IDE
ExtremeTech's Mark Hachman writes:
"Intel is expected to disclose on Tuesday its launch plans
surrounding its next-generation Core 2 microprocessors, as well as a
new low-voltage Core Duo chip that will be featured in
thin-and-light notebooks from Dell and HP.
"Of longer-term importance, however, will be the introduction of
the Intel P965 or "Broadwater" chipset, which marks the end of
older parallel ATA disk drives and IDE storage within the PC."
- Link: Intel
Tips Core 2 Duo Launch Plans, Phases Out IDE
Benchmarking Conroe: First Look at Core 2
Extreme
ExtremeTech's Loyd Case reports:
"Intel's new Core 2 CPUs are probably the most anticipated
processors yet to ship since AMD's first Athlon 64. In many ways,
Intel's new desktop CPUs, set to launch in July, are the most
important CPU products for the company since the original P6
processor in 1993. Intel has been promising lower power utilization
and greater performance.
"We've described the Core 2 architecture back in March. The Core 2
microarchitecture gives us some clues as to why performance might
be better. Conroe is a four-wide architecture, so can issue four
instructions per clock, as opposed to the three-wide used in
NetBurst and Athlon 64 architectures. The Core 2 will also contain a
full 128-bit wide SSE (Streaming SIMD (single instruction, multiple
data) Extensions) engine that can execute one SIMD instruction per
clock. The Extreme and higher-end mainstream desktop CPUs will
offer 4 MB of shared L2 cache. Finally, the use of micro-ops
and macro-ops fusion, which can combine certain types of
instructions as they come into the pipeline, enhances
performance.
"But the architecture has a much shorter pipeline than the
current Pentium D's - 14 versus 31 stages. That suggests that
overall clock frequencies will be lower. Can the new features
overcome the clock rate disparities? We'll take a look at that in a
moment. However, let's take a look at what Intel plans to ship this
year."
- Link: Benchmarking
Conroe: First Look at Core 2 Extreme
Intel Core 2 Duo Performance Preview
The Register's Lars-Göran Nilsson reports:
"Last week, Intel gathered the European press in Munich for a
sneak peek at its the Core 2 Duo chip - a.k.a. 'Conroe'. Reg
Hardware was there. We were limited to running a set of
preinstalled benchmarks on the systems provided so this isn't a
conclusive performance review of what Core 2 Duo is capable
of...
"Nonetheless, the numbers are very impressive, but let's start
with a look at what's on offer and why you should consider moving
to the Core 2 Duo platform. Intel is touting Core 2 Duo as a
power-efficient processor that also offers better performance than
the Pentium 4 and Pentium D chips.
"Intel was keen to highlight some of the new functions of the
Core 2 Duo processors. First of all there will be versions with
either 2 or 4 MB of shared cache - or Intel Advanced Smart
Cache, if you're into marketing wording. The two cores have to
"fight" between themselves for cache allocation, and Intel claimed
this technique delivered the best performance in their
simulations.
"One of the most important features is what Intel refers to as
Wide Dynamic Execution, which allows for more data to be processed
per clock cycle compared to previous generation of products. The
Core 2 Duo processors can processes four full instructions per clock
cycle, compared to the NetBurst architecture's three....
"Smart Memory Access has been designed to lower memory latency
and improve data access...."
- Link:
Intel Core 2 Duo Performance Preview
Intel Forks 'Merom' Mobile CPU
The Register's Tony Smith reports:
"Intel's 'Merom' dual-core mobile chip will ship in two forms,
one with 2 MB of L2 cache, the other with 4 MB. Unlike
'Conroe', however, the smaller-cache parts will get their own model
number sequence, it has emerged.
"Merom will ship in August under the Core 2 Duo brand. According
to a DailyTech report, the 2 MB version will ship as the 1.83
GHz T5600. Three 4 MB parts are set to ship next quarter: the
2 GHz T7200, the 2.16 GHz T7400 and the 2.33 GHz T7600. All
four processors support a 667 MHz frontside bus."
- Link:
Intel Forks 'Merom' Mobile CPU
Apple Pushing Intel in New Directions
IDG News Service's Sumner Lemon reports:
"One year after Apple Computer announced plans to use Intel
processors in its computers, Apple is pushing the world's largest
chip maker into new directions, a top executive said Monday.
"'They push us to think about things that we may not always
think about,' said Anand Chandrasekher, senior vice president and
general manager of Intel's sales and marketing group....
"Apple's view of how the computer market will evolve has
influenced Intel's product roadmap, Chandrasekher said. That impact
will be felt over the long term, rather than showing up soon, he
said.
"Chandrasekher declined to give specific examples of how Apple
had influenced the roadmap."
- Link:
Apple Pushing Intel in New Directions
Intel Rolls Out P965/ICH8 Chipset
The Register's Tony Smith reports:
"Computex 2006 Intel has officially launched its first
'Broadwater' chipset, the P965 Express, pitched at the upcoming
Core 2 Duo dual-core processor - a.k.a. 'Conroe' operating on a 1066
MHz frontside bus.
"As expected, the P965 supports dual-channel 800 MHz DDR 2 SDRAM
with bandwidth-optimising Fast Memory Access (FMA) technology,
which can reorder memory access commands to ensure the bus is used
as efficiently as possible."
- Link: Intel
Rolls Out P965/ICH8 Chipset
Other News
The Mac Versus a PC: Has the Difference
Vanished?
Gene Steinberg, the Mac Night Owl, writes:
"In writing about the problems Microsoft is facing in finishing
up Windows Vista, some of you have mistaken this for a Mac zealots
versus PC zealots issue. But that's not true. Vista's troubled
development process is well known, and when people recognized as
Windows experts find serious issues with stability, performance and
the user interface, it's reasonable to predict that there's trouble
ahead."
- Link:
The Mac Versus a PC: Has the Difference Vanished?
A Step-by-Step Guide to a Pitfall-Free
Installation of Windows XP on a Mac
MacCompanion's Ted Bade reports:
"Running Boot Camp is an effort to make it a bit easier to run
Apple's Boot Camp assistant application to install Windows XP on
your Intel based Mac. While Running Boot Camp is a fun document to
read, it essentially reiterates the content of Apple's own
document, though it acts to support the reader in a friendlier
manner.
"This booklet is a 37 page PDF you can buy from O'Reilly.com.
Conceptually, these mini books can be a great idea, getting
information from experienced people to the consumer very quickly.
If you are willing to print it, you can have it with you as you
perform the process."
- Link:
Running Boot Camp - A Step-by-Step Guide to a Pitfall-Free
Installation of Windows XP on a Mac
Release Candidate of Parallels Desktop
for Mac
PR: The newly renamed Parallels Desktop for Mac (formerly
Parallels Workstation) is not simply a "dual-boot" solution;
rather, is an easy to use virtual machine which allows users to run
Windows and other OSes in virtual containers directly on Mac
OS X desktop. Use Windows applications without losing the
functionality of your Mac - no rebooting required.
What's New in Parallels Desktop for Mac RC?
- New look and feel
- Improved performance and stability
- Better and broader USB support
- Improved Shared Folder tool
- Better networking in virtual machines
- Better sound support
- Improved full screen mode
- Resolved Suspend/Resume issues
- Uninstaller introduced
- National keyboards mapping issues have been fixed
- Red "Power Off" button now always acts like Power Off
- Blue "Pause" button now always acts like Suspend
- The "Pause" button was moved to the VM menu
Parallels Desktop 2.2.1842.7 for Mac OS X offers users a number
of important features, including:
Broad OS Support:
Use any version of Windows (3.1, 3.11, 95, 98, Me, 2000, NT, XP,
2003), any Linux distribution, FreeBSD, Solaris, OS/2, eComStation,
or MS-DOS in secure virtual machines running alongside Mac OS
X.
Great Performance:
Driven by full support for dual-core processors and Intel
Virtualization Technology (included in almost every new
Intel-powered Mac), virtual machines created using Parallels
Workstation 2.1 Beta6 offer near-native performance and rock-solid
stability.
Unmatched Ease of Use:
Download the program and install it with a single click. Build a
virtual machine in seconds using helpful wizards. Configure virtual
machines using a simple web-inspired interface.
Works on any Intel-powered Mac:
Any Intel Powered Macintosh running OS X 10.4.4 or higher is
compatible with Parallels Workstation 2.1.
NB: Please update Parallels Tools for guest Windows
NT/2000/XP/2003 installed in previous betas! To do so boot guest OS
and click on menu VM->Install Parallels Tools.
New in version 2.2.1842.7:
- New look and feel
- Improved performance and stability
- Better and broader USB support
- Improved Shared Folder tool
- Better networking in virtual machines
- Better sound support
- Improved full screen mode
- Resolved Suspend/Resume issues
- Uninstaller introduced
Preorder Parallels Desktop for Mac Now for $39.99 and save $10
off the regular retail price
Participate in this important Beta program! Get your copy of
Parallels Workstation 2.1 Beta6 for Mac OS X now.
Share your thoughts, suggestions, and technical issues with the
Parallels Development Team via online support form.
- Link: Parallels
Desktop for Mac
