sthayashi wrote:To do a price comparison between this particular iMac and a conventional PC is kind of silly. Core Duo is a very unique processor that has no real desktop PC equivalent
Intel has released a chipset specifically to support Core Duo on the desktop, so it is not such a strange comparison to make.
http://www.intel.com/products/chipsets/945gt/index.htm
With Intel releasing the Viiv platform, it is likely that more motherboards supporting Core Duo will appear than happened with Pentium M. Core Duo would be excellent for a SFF Viiv machine.
Apple’s unusual form factor is another story though and not many PC companies seem to want to go down that road. Aopen seem likely candidates though as they aren’t afraid to amble down similar roads to Apple. In some ways Apple’s form factors seem more innovative than anything else that they do. No disrespect to OSX, which sounds like a good OS from what I’ve read and experienced.
forgieboy wrote: .... as I said, there's many differences, it wasn't meant to be accurate etc All those prices were in Australian, for a start, since I was responding to a post by another Australian mentioning Australian prices. I shouldn't have to justify and disclaim every god damn statement that I make just because I'm on a forum that's predominantly PC users.
Oops, I missed the fact that you were quoting Aussie dollars, sorry about that, as that certainly changes things.
I don’t think anyone is asking you to justify anything; I for one was merely pointing out that your comparison seemed off; comparing a 20” iMac to a PC with a 24” screen makes you look possibly biased or stupid in my eyes. And when you say that it wasn’t intended to be accurate, I just have to wonder, what the point was!
forgieboy wrote:The thermal envelope on a Yonah (Core Duo) is 30W. What's the predicted thermal env on a Merom? If the iMac becomes a Merom, I'd like to wait before I get one. If it becomes a Conroe, I'd rather get the last Yonah model, since it'll be cooler and quieter.
Merom and Yonah will have very similar power requirements and are reportedly pin compatible. It would make sense for Apple to continue using Core Duo in SFF Macs, particularly if they get a good price from Intel.
mrzed wrote:I'm not sure I would have rejected the article myself though. Regardless of the relative merits of the platform, apple does provide a capable PC in a small package that is effectively silent in an average room. This is more than most PC makers (laptops not included) have done.
It will be interesting to see if the increasing focus on heat/platform issues by OEM's and chip makers, combined with the popularity of SFF and the lack of reasons for faster computers for non-gamers will start to level the field. Right now, Apple is pretty much walking away with this one, not because their OS is superior (IMO) but because they are the only ones doing it. Will this change as mobile and desktop platforms for PC's start to converge?
I would like to see a full SPCR review on the new iMacs, as the recent article was purely subjective and I didn’t come away from that with any confident conclusion as to how much noise they produce.
I agree with your statement and it does seem strange that no one is aiming for that market. I imagine that there must be a market for people who would pay a premium for a pre-built very SFF PC running Windows! Maybe the rush to low power chips, Viiv and increasing interest in HTPCs will jump start this trend at last.