Apple announces their dual-core PowerMac

[keith]

Amazing, but true.

http://www.apple.com/powermac/

 

[Tony Hill]

Amazing, but true.

http://www.apple.com/powermac/

What's perhaps even more amazing is that a PowerMac with a single
dual-core chip really just isn't much cheaper than a similarly
configured PowerMac with 2 single-core chips in it.

 

[keith]

What's perhaps even more amazing is that a PowerMac with a single
dual-core chip really just isn't much cheaper than a similarly
configured PowerMac with 2 single-core chips in it.

I'm not sure why you would expect the box to be priced all that much
differently. Though, I'm not sure why there is a choice either.
OTOH, there *is* a difference in the chipsets.

 

[Tony Hill]

I'm not sure why you would expect the box to be priced all that much
differently. Though, I'm not sure why there is a choice either.
OTOH, there *is* a difference in the chipsets.

Well, in the PC world a system with a single dual-core chip tends to
be quite a bit cheaper than one with a pair of single-core chips. I
would have expected Apple to at least make an effort at lowering their
costs, but they really haven't at all.

For example, if you compare a Dell Precision 380 with a single
dual-core Pentium D chip to a Precision 470 with a pair of single-core
Xeon chips you get a savings of almost $400.

Precision 380 with 1 dual-core Pentium D 840 (3.2GHz): $2,251
Precision 470 with 2 single-core Xeon 3.2GHz: $2,642

Now obviously there's more too it than just that. However the basic
fact is that it SHOULD be a lot easier/cheaper to build a system with
a single dual-core chip than an otherwise similar system with a pair
of single-core chips.

With Apple's pricing though their system with a single dual-core chip
is basically the same as an equal clock speed pair of single-core
chips. Sure they've made some improvements from the old system to the
new one, but they're fairly few and far between.

 

[keith]

Well, in the PC world a system with a single dual-core chip tends to
be quite a bit cheaper than one with a pair of single-core chips. I
would have expected Apple to at least make an effort at lowering their
costs, but they really haven't at all.

The PC world is a very different world. The PC world plops the procssor
on the motherboard at the last possible minute. They're expensive and the
maker has no clue what the end-user wants. Apple has a different model
(their processors aren't silly PGAs).

For example, if you compare a Dell Precision 380 with a single
dual-core Pentium D chip to a Precision 470 with a pair of single-core
Xeon chips you get a savings of almost $400.

Irrelevant. Different market completely. ...and no, I don't pretend to
understand the above numbers, other than the fact that the boards are
quite different. A dual-core PPC970 neeeds the same chipset as two
singles. There isn't any difference in the overhead at all. The only
difference is in the cost of the chips, and the inventory split between
single-chip duals and quads.

Precision 380 with 1 dual-core Pentium D 840 (3.2GHz): $2,251
Precision 470 with 2 single-core Xeon 3.2GHz: $2,642
Yawn.

Now obviously there's more too it than just that. However the basic
fact is that it SHOULD be a lot easier/cheaper to build a system with
a single dual-core chip than an otherwise similar system with a pair
of single-core chips.

Why? The motherboard is the *same*. The chipset is the *same*. There
_may_ (dunno) be a desire reserve dual-cores for thos systems requiring
them (qyads).

With Apple's pricing though their system with a single dual-core chip is
basically the same as an equal clock speed pair of single-core chips.
Sure they've made some improvements from the old system to the new one,
but they're fairly few and far between.

I have no interest in defending APPL's pricing, but there are a lot
of differences between the chipsets. You may not have seen 'em all yet
though. PCIe, anyone?