The Logic Off Topic list

At 11:26 PM 25/07/02 -0700, you wrote:
>
>>While it is _possible_ that Macs could get a_big_ speed bump in the future
>>why would you think it likely? Sounds like wishful thinking to me. Speed
>>bumps from x86 manufacturers out past 3.2GHz are on the roadmaps now.
>>
>
>Why would I not think it likely? It's happened several times in the past,
>why would I just assume it wouldn't again? Like I said though, speed of
>processing isn't an issue for me. My 400Mhz computer won't be outdated for
>a couple of years yet and with my setup I will still be able to do more DSP
>than the fastest x86 host processor available. I'm not really into the
>speed wars, it's really just a testosterone pissing match in my opinion.
>But that's just me, I wouldn't want to sway anyone's opinion one way or
>another, just saying that the x86 arguments don't affect everyone. I am
>more content making music than worrying who's got a bigger gigahurtz ;-))
>*giggle/snort*

Snort indeed. Here is what you posted originally.

>I agree the mac processors are way behind on the speed issue. But I think
>that will change soon and there will probably be much faster stuff around
>the corner. I'm sure they are well aware they need to stay competitive.
>Remember when Macs were literally faster than intel and AMD chips (as far
>as Mhz went)? I was pretty dissapointed to hear there was no mention of new
>machines at Macworld. 

You said that you think that Mac's being behind in speed will change soon.
This would involve a doubling or tripling of speed and soon because the
competition -- the thing that Macs are "behind" in your own words -- is
rapidly progressing. This seemed unlikely to me. Macs will undoubtedly get
faster but it seems unlikely that they will catch up unless they move to
another processor.  (I argued in my post that the historical trend is one
of X86 catching and overtaking RISC due to vastly greater R&D budgets.)

Apple has already moved to another platfrom a decade ago when it moved the
Mac to the PowerPC from the dying 680x0 platform. Their execution on this
move was flawless BTW -- the port to the new processor was miraculously
well managed. Apple could easily get cheap fast processing by going with
the Nvidia NForce2/Hammer solution that is the stuff of rumours at present.
That seems a more likely source of fast (competitive) future Macs than
PowerPC G series.

Your purchase of a TDM system suggests that you wanted a lot of processing
power and were prepared to pay for it in a proprietory package. Probably it
was a smart move at the time. People are still snapping up UAD and
Powercore cards because they want more processing power than current host
based systems can deliver on their own. Everybody wants more and more
processing power so they can take advantage of better and better software
based audio processing and virtual samplers/instruments.  Obtaining
professional results -- relatively speaking -- depends on keeping up with
the Joneses to some degree.  Remember what the first software reverbs for
host based systems sounded like?

Regards,
Murray