On 09 Aug 2006, at 4:45 AM, Tyler Turner wrote:
Excuse me? Where do you suggest one should go to find
Finale benchmarks?
You can get 2D graphics card benchmarks at any graphics card review
site, of which there are many.
Do you have the option to pair video cards?
Yes -- you can install up to four video cards,
driving eight
independent monitors.
That's not my question. Do you have the option, as you
do now on PC's, to have multiple graphic cards driving
a single display? I haven't seen anywhere that Apple
offers this option.
Oh -- you mean SLI (scan-line interface). No, the Mac Pro doesn't
support that.
Surely this is changing now that Intel is pushing
the Core Duo line,
hard, to PC manufacturers?
It certainly doesn't seem to be changing very quickly.
There are some games made these days which make use of
multiple processors. But by in large Windows
applications don't do this.
Don't you think this will change? I mean, the new Intel processor
line (Woodcrest, Menom, Conroe) are all dual-core. It would be
foolish for Windows developpers not to begin writing apps that take
advantage of both cores. (In fact, I read that most Photoshop filters
are already multi-threaded, even on Windows... )
Now they're not using the single
version of the top processor.
No. The Core Duo is a dual-core processor. The iMacs
will no doubt be
upgraded to the Core 2 Duo in due time.
That's the question. I've seen no mention so far that
they intend to update the Mini and the iMacs. If they
intend to do that soon, then that's a good thing.
All the rumor sites have (at least) the iMacs and MacBook Pros
getting Core 2 Duo chips within the next two months.
But your argument about them being a small company and not
having had time just doesn't make sense to me.
Companies that are much smaller than Apple and that
have a greater number of products have already
switched over.
On the other hand, lots of PC manufacturers still haven't gotten
around to introducing the (original) Core Duos!
Look, as I've said, Apple never introduce sweeping, across-the-board
changes to the entire product line. Instead, they concentrate on
updating one or two products at a time. Obviously, their recent focus
has been in getting the Mac Pros (and the Intel Xserve) out the door.
Now, they will turn their attention to updating the iMacs and the
MacBook Pro.
It remains to be seen whether Apple updates to the
Conroes for the iMacs.
Trust me, it's really not an open question. Apple doesn't comment on
unreleased products, but it's a very safe bet we'll see Core 2 Duos
in the consumer Macs relatively soon.
How easy will it be to get the
video card of choice for an iMac?
It will be impossible. The iMac's video card is not upgradeable. If
you need an upgradeable video card, you should spring for a baseline
Mac Pro. The current model iMac uses a 128 MB Radeon X1600 -- I would
expect the next-gen model to use something better.
The issue here for me is that Apple isn't even giving
the choice of a single core 2 duo xeon or conroe
processor with its high, configurable systems. For the
programs I want to run, I definitely would rather have
a top of the line video card rather than a second core
2 duo processor. What's more, I'd especially like the
option of NOT having to pay for the extra processor -
just cut $500 (or more) off the price. But still give
me a computer with a fast bus and an accessible case
with open expansion slots and no built in monitor that
I wouldn't use anyway.
Well, if it's any comfort, you aren't the only one to complain that
Apple doesn't offer a midrange tower -- see this Ars Technica thread:
<http://tinyurl.com/qfh4v>
Apple, however, obviously feel that that's a market they have no
interest in participating in, and I can see their point of view.
Consumers don't care about expandability (except memory) and are
generally perfectly happy with the iMac. Pros want the absolute
latest and greatest. What you want is a "lite" pro machine, that
costs about the same as an iMac, but forgoes the monitor in favor of
better bang-for-the-buck. With the exception of the ill-fated Cube,
Apple hasn't sold this kind of product in years, and there's probably
a reason for that... it's not profitable.
Of course, they may yet change their minds on this -- after all, they
changed their minds on the budget PC front when they introduced the
mini.
Cheers,
- Darcy
-----
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://secretsociety.typepad.com
Brooklyn, NY
_______________________________________________
Finale mailing list
[email protected]
http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
