The MHz myth is dying, Intel is dropping the P4 "Netburst" architecture in favor of chips derived from the slower clock speed Pentium M CPUs. The Pentium M CPUs are primarily derived from the Pentium /// line, which was the Intel CPU that did the most work per clock cycle. The primary advantage of that is dramatically reduced power requirements and heat generation. For example, the Pentium M at 2.2GHz out performs a 3.4GHz P4 for most tasks, but uses a maximum of 27W vs. 110W (see links for details). Intel has stated that the next generation dual-core mobile CPU will have similar performance (per core) at about 25W.
That's one of big reasons for Apple's switch. IBM hasn't been able to produce a G5 suitable for a PowerBook, Intel is already shipping high performance single core Pentium M CPUs for laptops and should have the dual-core CPUs by first quarter of 2006. The G5 is a great CPU, and in many respects it's vector unit (AltiVec) is superior to Intel's SSE2/SSE3, but they're reasonably close. Intel has a superior FPU and huge power advantages (vs. G5) for laptop machines. The Pentium M isn't as power efficient as the G4, but it's close enough and the Pentium M will almost always outperform a G4. The other big reason is probably cost. Certainly Intel's demonstrated ability to continue to push their technology and their domination of the market for general purpose desktop/laptop/server CPUs is a factor. I'm sure Apple is tired of waiting on IBM and Motorola/FreeScale. Personally, I've never been a fan of the x86 architecture, but from the 386 on it's not bad. Imagine a dual-core 2.x GHz PowerBook within 12-15 months. Since Mac OS X is multi-threaded and multi-tasks well, it should be a great machine. http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/20050525/index.html http://processorfinder.intel.com/scripts/details.asp?sSpec=SL7SL&ProcFam=942 &PkgType=ALL&SysBusSpd=ALL&CorSpd=ALL http://processorfinder.intel.com/scripts/details.asp?sSpec=SL7GD&ProcFam=102 6&PkgType=ALL&SysBusSpd=ALL&CorSpd=ALL > From: Antonio Rodríguez <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Reply-To: Apple2list <[email protected]> > Date: Fri, 28 Oct 2005 00:04:52 +0200 > To: Apple2list <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: Apple's poor marketing of CPU speeds > > Byron Q. Desnoyers Winmill escribió: > >> IIRC, the 6502 could execute many instructions in one or two clock >> cycles, while the 80x86 required several clock cycles. But my >> memory is vague. >> >> > Something simmilar. In the Apple II (and all other 68xx and 65xx-based > computers) the processor clock matched exactly the bus clock. That means > that a bus cycle (a memory read/write or an I/O access) lasts *exactly* > one processor clock cycle. Instead, in computers based in 8080, Z-80, > 8086 and related processors, the processor clock ussually was three or > four times faster (Z80 computers used to run at 3 or 4 Mhz in the early > 80s), but bus cycles takes four processor clock cycles each. So a > simmilar machine instruction could take four or five cycles on the 6502, > but fifteen or twenty on a Z80. > > This means that an Apple II with an 1 Mhz 6502 is roughly as fast as a > CP/M machine based on a 4 Mhz Z80, or just a little slower than the > original, 4.77 Mhz IBM PC (mainly because the 8088's capacity to operate > on 16 bit intergers in less processor cycles). That a 2.8 Mhz IIgs is > actually faster than a 10 Mhz 80286 PC. Or that an 8 Mhz accelerated > IIgs can compete without problem with a 33 Mhz '386 PC (if you don't > mind not having hardware memory protection, that is). > > If you sum to this that almost all early PC and CP/M software did all of > their I/O via the DOS and the BIOS, and that the PC BIOS was less than > optimal, you will be able to understand how amazed was I at the slowness > of an original PC (after issuing a DIR command, you could almost see how > lines were written in the screen) after years of working with my Apple > //c (and some faster PC clones). > > Apple did really poor marketing of processor speeds, and still does > that, because the processors used by their products had allways been > able to do more per clock cycle than Intel equivalents (6502 vs. 8088, > 65826 vs. 80286, 68030 vs. 80386, PowerPC 601 vs. Pentium, PowerPC G5 > vs. Pentium 4, etc.). Other companies (i.e., AMD) have had the same > problem, but have solved it more creatively. For example, my Sempron > 2400+ actually runs at 1.67 Ghz... and performs better than a 2.4 Ghz > Pentium 4 (the "2400+" name comes from that). Many PC users near me say > things in the line of "Macs are really slow, there is no model faster > than 2.0 Ghz, but there are 4.0 Ghz P4 computers". They don't understand > that a 2.0 Ghz G5 is actually faster than a 4.0 Ghz P4, and that is > Apple's blame - and nobody else's. Maybe that is one of the reasons in > the switch to Intel processors anounced for the next year (Pentium 4 is > a killer in raw clock speed), but I think this is another matter for > another thread :o) . > > Greetings, > > Antonio Rodríguez (Grijan) > <ftp://grijan.cjb.net:21000/> > > > -- > Apple2list is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... > > / Buy books, CDs, videos, and more from Amazon.com \ > / <http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/lowendmac> \ > > Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> > > Apple2list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/apple2.html> > --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; > Send list messages to: <mailto:[email protected]> > To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/apple2list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> > > iPod Accessories for Less > at 1-800-iPOD.COM > Fast Delivery, Low Price, Good Deal > www.1800ipod.com -- Apple2list is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... / Buy books, CDs, videos, and more from Amazon.com \ / <http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/lowendmac> \ Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> Apple2list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/apple2.html> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[email protected]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/apple2list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> iPod Accessories for Less at 1-800-iPOD.COM Fast Delivery, Low Price, Good Deal www.1800ipod.com
