Y
Yareek
New member
Long story short, the Core 2 Duo (C2D) improves performance by 5 - 15% at the same power consumption and heat.
The architecture of the chip allows it to move information a lot faster and more efficiently, even at the same clock speeds. It also is a 64-bit chip and can run the new Leopard OSX 64-bit when it arrives (the Duo Core chip is crippled to run at 32-bit even if it was made to be 64-bit).
Unfortunately, the chip has a front-side bus speed of 800 MHz and the Mac boards run at only 567 MHz (I believe) so it limits the performance...in another generation the Macs should have 800 MHz boards and memory and that'll squeeze at least another 5% of efficiency.
But as others have commented, 64-bit programs aren't really here or efficient yet. And 5 to 15% isn't a massive life-or-death difference. I wouldn't avoid the Mac Mini because of the chip...just like the MacBook, the Mac Mini is more of a convenience computer instead of a powerhouse.
Mac Rumors
Looks like there are no rumors of a C2D Mac Mini anytime soon. The MacBook Pros just got upgraded to C2D and there are some rumors that the MacBooks will also be upgraded soon...I'm holding off on buying mine for a couple weeks because I don't have the cash yet but I'd also like to see if the new ones arrive.
The architecture of the chip allows it to move information a lot faster and more efficiently, even at the same clock speeds. It also is a 64-bit chip and can run the new Leopard OSX 64-bit when it arrives (the Duo Core chip is crippled to run at 32-bit even if it was made to be 64-bit).
Unfortunately, the chip has a front-side bus speed of 800 MHz and the Mac boards run at only 567 MHz (I believe) so it limits the performance...in another generation the Macs should have 800 MHz boards and memory and that'll squeeze at least another 5% of efficiency.
But as others have commented, 64-bit programs aren't really here or efficient yet. And 5 to 15% isn't a massive life-or-death difference. I wouldn't avoid the Mac Mini because of the chip...just like the MacBook, the Mac Mini is more of a convenience computer instead of a powerhouse.
Mac Rumors
Looks like there are no rumors of a C2D Mac Mini anytime soon. The MacBook Pros just got upgraded to C2D and there are some rumors that the MacBooks will also be upgraded soon...I'm holding off on buying mine for a couple weeks because I don't have the cash yet but I'd also like to see if the new ones arrive.
mucho appreciando!