[Ti] Updated 15" books?

[Obrecht, Jerry A]

>>
>
>4) The new 15" will most likely have internal bluetooth, airport 
>extreme, FW800 and a glowing keyboard. These are nice, but for most 
>people, probably not urgent.
>

You did not mention DDR RAM.  This should be significant for the 
performance, but on the other hand makes the RAM a little more 
expensive.
<<-------------

Well, not so fast there...partner...whaw hah.

With the current Moto G4 processors used in the Powerbooks, I believe that the only double data rate the machine can utilize is between the Graphics chip and the main buss, and between the L3 cache and the G4 processor.  This level of info is hard to verify as Apple does not generally specify which specific processor version is in use in any given machine.  The data sheet on the 17" Big Al states that it does have DDR RAM, but actually says nothing about the processor communicating with main RAM at a DDR rate (repetitive, sorry) of 333 MHz.  Now, the new 15" will likely, I think, get a main buss boost to 167 MHz, from the current 133 MHz on the TiBook, like the 12" and 17" have.  This will give it some performance boost.

The mere presence of DDR RAM does not make an "old" processor faster.  The processor must also be designed to work at a DDR rate (there I go again).  Moto has, or had, a 7xxx version of the G4 in design that would work with main RAM at DDR.  We may see it in the new 15", but if so it would trump the 17"er.  Then again, there is the rampant, well maybe mini-rampant, rumor from MacWhispers saying that the 15"er will sport a new processor...the IBM 970...not holding my breath.

Jerry