Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

General discussion

Are the new macs 32bit

Jan 13, 2006 2:49AM PST

I read from one of the tech blogs that the new chips inside the iMac and MacBooks are 32 not 64 bit like the G5. Is this a step backwards or did they realize that no-one is putting $2000 worth of ram into a into a $1600 home PC

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Yes, 32bit
Jan 13, 2006 3:50AM PST

The $1699 iMac G5, 64bit, cannot hold $2000 worth of RAM. It comes close but only if you buy your RAM from Apple which is just asking for expense. This applies to all computer sellers.
I'm not sure if this move back to 32bit is a "step backwards" given that the new machines are twice as fast as the G5 equipped ones despite having a lower processor speed. I'm sure 64bit will be delivered by Intel in the future and that Apple will continue to move OS X and it's applications to being fully 64bit capable.

P

- Collapse -
Forgot to mention
Jan 13, 2006 10:32PM PST

I know of 3 people who max'd out the RAM in their new G5 iMac.
Needless to say, they did not buy it from Apple but rather from a Memory retailer.
I did a little research this morning and found that a 2GB Memory Module could be had for as little as $380 with a lifetime warranty.

So you probably can't use that as an reason for going from IBM to Intel

P

- Collapse -
Thanks for the info
Jan 14, 2006 4:09PM PST

The speed boost is a big leap in just one generation. I hope that the PowerMac is 64bit

- Collapse -
PowerMac
Jan 14, 2006 10:36PM PST

Agreed. It would be nice to see the PM range go with a future Intel 64bit processor.

P