Welcome to my new column, Carpe Tracheam!, Latin for, “Seize the throat.”
This philosophy represents what Apple must do if it wants to win the war against the Wintel machine. Carpe Tracheam stands for an end to the old “compromise until we have nothing worthwhile because we don’t want to upset anyone” paradigm that existed at Apple for so long. The purpose of this column is to talk about things that are happening or should be happening in the Macintosh community. Every product or policy that gets a “CarpeTracheam” approval means that it is totally committed towards making Macintosh the #1 platform. After all, why shouldn’t we be greedy? Once everyone starts using Macintosh, they’ll wonder how they ever lived without it!
Beige is Futile. You will be Yosemilated*!
This was the window title of a MacOS Rumors http://www.macosrumors.com report published December 2nd that gave great details about the upcoming PowerMacintosh G3 Pro line, code-named Yosemite. And after pondering over the specifications that they listed, I definitely agreed with their assertion. You will be Yosemilated! Resistance is futile.
As with any information that isn’t officially announced by Apple, this may not be the final shipping feature set. However, I seriously doubt that Apple will change any of them because the specs listed make one sweet machine.
Specifications:*
Video can be added to port on ATI card.
Now, being the techno-geek that I am, seeing a list of specs like that makes me drool. However, most people who use Macintoshes use them simply because they have no desire to learn all of this technical stuff. That is what is great about Macintosh. Unfortunately, such a list can cause some confusion. So, to help you out, I’ll explain what each of these mean and how it will affect the user.
What is MHz?
MegaHertz (MHz) is the speed at which a processor operates. Mega, which is the SI (System International) notation for millions, and Hertz is the physics notation for cycles per second, combine to tell you just how fast that PowerPC chip in there runs. As such, a 300MHz G3 chip executes 300,000,000 clock cycles per second. A PowerMac 6100/66 has a processor that runs at 66MHz. Thus, the G3 chip is much faster. But wait! Processor speed isn’t the only thing that makes a computer fast.
What is backside cache?
Backside cache is a type of memory that is wired right onto the processor. It stores frequently used information, and can relay that information to the processor much faster than any other kind of cache. The larger the cache, the more frequently used items the cache can hold. Thus, even when the other parts of the computer can’t keep up with the processor, the backside cache can move stored data to the processor faster than the rest of the computer could if it had to retrieve it from RAM or the hard disk.
What is ZIF? Why do we care?
ZIF stands for Zero Insertion Force. It is the kind of card that Apple used in its current line of G3 PowerMacs. Since they use the same cards, future G3 processors will be available for today’s G3s. This means current G3s will be very upgradable.
100MHz System Bus:What?!?
The system bus is what transfers information between computer components. The speed of that bus determines how fast it can be transferred. Current system busses are anywhere from 66MHz to 83MHz. However, in many older Macs, the system busses run from 33MHz to 50MHz. If the System Bus is faster, that means that the different parts of the computer can communicate faster. Also, it means the processor will not have to wait as much to get information. A 300MHz G3 Yosemite machine’s processor runs three times as fast as its system bus. That’s why the backside cache helps speed it up:the backside cache keeps the processor from waiting 2/3’s of its cycle time.
All that SDRAM stuff:
Think upgradability. Think speed. SDRAM is a type of memory that is fast. And 8ns (eight nano-seconds) is REALLY fast. And 1-2GB (one to two gigabytes) is A LOT OF RAM. Only high-end professionals really need that kind of RAM.
iMac ROM setup:
Most Macs have a standard MacOS ROM. This is a component that has information hard-coded into the chip. The contents of this chip is the MacOS Toolbox, which form the basis of the entire Mac OS operating system. However, as RAM got faster, Apple’s ROMs didn’t. Not only
that, they limited what neat things Apple could do with its hardware. So, Apple’s getting rid of 75% of the hardware ROM and making it software. This means that 75% of the ROM can now be updated. It also means that it will run a lot faster. Unfortunately, this adds a little bit to the memory requirements of the System Software.
BootROM.
Simply put, this means that other companies can slap faster processors into the machines without having to worry about having custom Apple chips to make it work.
PCI Slots.
It will have three PCI slots. Three of the slots will be 64-bit, which means the data path will be twice as wide. All of them will operate in 64-bit mode, but only the three open ones will also work in 32-bit mode. The fourth slot runs at 66MHz, which means that it pushes data
through twice as fast as normal PCI slots.
Graphics Card.
An ATI Rage 128GL with 16MB of SGRAM is about the fastest 2D/3D graphics card on the Mac market. Also, it has support for OpenGL, which is a graphics language popular on all the big graphics servers made by Silicon Graphics. What that means is that it will SCREAM.
The machine will optionally come DVD-ready, meaning you can watch Twister in all of this graphical glory.
FireWire:
Fast, all digital, and flexible. What do you want to connect to? How about a digital camcorder? Dump video straight to the hard drive. Full motion video out of the box. This is the ultimate video production machine.
USB:
Completely compatible with all iMac and PC USB peripherals. (Macintosh drivers required.) Much faster than Macintosh serial or keyboard input. Add lots of items. Plug them in, unplug them. No restarting required.
IrDA:
The rumor on this is that IrDA is what the upcoming consumer portables will use to synchronize data with your desktop Mac. At 4Mbps, it’s about 73 times faster than a 56k modem.
Fan?
With faster processors, you need a faster fan. Processors give off a lot of heat. However, if you have a fan that is rated for a 400MHz machine and your processor is only 300MHz, your fan may be running faster and thus be noiser than is needed. So, an automatic variable-speed fan keeps the processor running cool while keeping fan noise to a minimum.
Conclusion:
With the first generation G3 line, the processors have been much more powerful and flexible than the rest of the computer. This leads to a big bottleneck in performance. However, with the PowerMacintosh G3 Pro line due to be announced January 4th, Apple will raise the G3’s performance capabilites by leaps and bounds. Remember, speed is not all MHz.
When we heard about the specs of the iMac, we were impressed. Especially for the price. However, what people really fell in love with was its looks. The design is just so awesome. Well, the iMac case design is just the beginning. The translucent midnight blue cases of the PowerMacintosh G3 Pro line will blow you away. This will be the gotta-have machine for the big boys of content creation.
As it currently stands, the PowerMacintosh G3 Pro line gets my “Carpe Tracheam” approval. And when Apple announces these bad boys at Macworld Expo on January 4th, I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple’s stock jumps ten points. At long last, Apple will have a serious high-end system that will make the Wintel crowd play catch-up.
Mark Anthony Collins
themacman@macsrule.com
Websites mentioned:
http://www.macosrumors.com
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