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    iMacs

    Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by unnamed01, Mar 3, 2007.

  1. unnamed01

    unnamed01 Notebook Deity

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    I've looking at buying a iMac but when I go to the apple store Canada it seems they only use intel moblie CPUs (ie T7200,T7400, etc..) and I was wondering why didb't they use the desktop line instead (ie, e6600, e6700, etc..)? This doesnt make much sense to me seeing how the desktop versions are so much more powerful. Can anyone explain?


    regards,
     
    unnamed01, Mar 3, 2007
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  2. usapatriot

    usapatriot Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Probably due to the small and compact space on which the iMac and iMac mini are built on. However the Mac Pro in the full desktop tower casing does use a Xeon CPU except thats probably way bigger and not the reason your looking to buy a iMac.
     
    usapatriot, Mar 3, 2007
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  3. Starlight

    Starlight Notebook Evangelist

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    The form factor. In order to make it that slim they chose laptop parts so it wouldn't produce as much heat in order to keep noise from fans down (Apple always aims at producing quiet machines, which sometimes means accepting a higher operating temperature than other computer makers might).

    The power difference is there, but it's not like it makes a massive difference to the intended audience for the most part - the iMac is for consumers, regular computer users who often have more computer power than they will ever need already.
     
    Starlight, Mar 3, 2007
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  4. UltraCow

    UltraCow Notebook Consultant

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    Honestly, there isn't that big (if there is one) of a difference between a laptop Core 2 Duo and a desktop Core 2 *if* they are both at the same clockspeed. The architectures on both are extremely similar (if not the same), with the main difference being that the notebook parts usually have a higher operating temperature and lower voltage requirements.

    Now, one difference that is definitely there is that you can't overclock a notebook CPU while in a notebook (or iMac) simply because the motherboard won't allow it (exception is the Dell XPS 1710 with the 7600 G CPU). Desktop CPU's are generally thought to be able to overclock beacuse they have a larger variety of motherboards available for use.
     
    UltraCow, Mar 3, 2007
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  5. queshy

    queshy Notebook Deity NBR Reviewer

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    Yeah there isnt a big difference. If youre checking out the iMac (a desktop), check out macrumors.com, youll find more user expereinces (including my own) down there. Not to mean any harm to NBR, but the crowd here is probably more notebook oriented than the dedicated iMac forum here, if you understand what i mean.

    And yeah, I think it's 100% due to heat and form factor.
     
    queshy, Mar 5, 2007
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