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MAC and AMD processor

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ToiletDuck

Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2002
Does anyone here have any info on Apple using an AMD processor? I've seen some pics of welded shut boxes apple demonstrated showing OS X running on a future AMD processor. Anyone have any specs on this thing or idea on when it will be coming out?
Duck
 
Hmmm.... Could be interesting, I believe Macintosh has always been a subscriber to the Motorola flavor of processors... Then again, you never know...

Any links to the pics?
 
I can't find the pic yet. The person that showed me isn't on-line. As soon as I find him I will ask him. I've been looking and have found a few articles on the topic. Talking about hammer running OS X. However i thought it was a whole new chip.
 
Be great if this turns out to be another wiz working his magic on Photoshop :)

Anyone remember the 'prototype' 3000+ that came out about a year ago??
 
no this was at a show. THey didn't show the chip. They welded two boxes shut and showed a generic OS X desktop being ran and working. But no stats on it or the chips. This was a few months back. I was just wondering if anyone had heard anything new on it. EVERONE search around a little.
 
ToiletDuck said:
no this was at a show. THey didn't show the chip. They welded two boxes shut and showed a generic OS X desktop being ran and working. But no stats on it or the chips. This was a few months back. I was just wondering if anyone had heard anything new on it. EVERONE search around a little.
Well if you didn't see it, it could be 2 things: XP desktops can be made to look a lot like OSX, or they lied and they moved the hardware into another case. :(
 
ive been searching and this is what the inquirer had to say http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=2416

ouch can we say that the guy who wrote that is even the least bit of favoritism.... its obvious he doesn't like intel or microsoft.... Personally i think his arguments are weak... or at least they seem weak due to the way he states them... anyone else get that vibe?
 
you guys remember Darwin, from a few years back? There is still an x86 version of the Mac OS floating around out there, I wouldn't be surprised if Apple has a functioning OSX build running on x86 hardware.

I can almost guarantee that it's not a special new chip. We'd hear about it if AMD decided to start making PPC processors. I think the welding was more to protect the data.

I doubt we'll ever see it released, tho. An x86 Mac OS means the end to Apple's hardware monopoly, and their profit margins.
 
Since the invention of USB & Firewire, the Mac's and PC's have been coming closer together.

There's even windows emulation software for a Mac now. And probably vice-versa, though I've never seen it.
 
First of all AMD wouldn't be talking too much about it. No reason to come up looking like a fool if it didn't work. I would be suprised if Apple did use a standard hammer chip. Their whole reason for surviving was because of their ability to work with graphic applications which now they have lost that edge. So in reality. They have to be looking for a new chip. AMD is turning to IBM to possibly help produce the Operton. IBM also helped produce the G4 processor. Possible link? I think that Apple would want to keep their 128 bit abilities. If anything I would think AMD would make a 128 bit version of Operton. Might not be as hard as making a whole new chip since Operton seems pretty flexable. What apple needs though would be 256bit ram, 256bit processor, and a faster FSB. The ram and the FSB are duable now. However the processor needs to be worked on. If AMD does pump something out. You will see some awesome new revelation in computer workstations.

But in my opinion macs suck because of a one button mouse :)
 
There is no evidence to back up any of these rumours. They are just that: rumours. Apple may have OS X working on all kinds of stuff, but there was never anything at a show, at least nothing from Apple or AMD. Apple doesn't announce anything like that until the day it's out - if they did they'd kill current sales as people wait for the new stuff to come out.
 
They did admit at this show that the pictures were taken from that the two machines were running off AMD designed processors. I wouldn't call it that much of a rumor. Just a plan that is that far off.
 
ToiletDuck said:
They did admit at this show that the pictures were taken from that the two machines were running off AMD designed processors. I wouldn't call it that much of a rumor. Just a plan that is that far off.

Apple & AMD have talked, but it appears more to do with HyperTransport than anything else.

Mac OS X running on x86 is possible, the base Unix "Darwin" runs on it now, but anything above it that has to do with the GUI, hardware interface, etc has not been compiled and released to the public. There was a project within Apple way back when OS 7 was running on a Pentium, but it never got released, it was a fall back for the migration from 680x0 to PowerPC, much the same way any OS X x86 would be now.

The sealed box rumor was started on macedition.com/nmr by a quasi-reliable source, but said sealed boxes were allegedly delivered to key developers and that is it. Current speculation is that the IBM Power4 chip was in there.

Displayed to the public at a show? With sealed boxes? Where?!?!
 
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