MacBook Retina: Skylake looking good

[Eug]

http://www.fanlesstech.com/2015/07/exclusive-skylake-boost.html

10-20% CPU performance increase
40% GPU performance increase
30% longer battery life
Bluetooth 4.1
HEVC H.265 decode/encode

Here's hoping for two USB C ports, or even one USB C and one regular USB 3.

 

[Artdeco]

I <3 my rMB, looking forward to the refresh and an upgrade.

 

[Eug]

You are going to upgrade your Retina MacBook that soon? Why?

 

[Eug]

As I mentioned in the Skylake thread in the CPU forum, this is going to be a massive upgrade for me if I do decide to get the Skylake MacBook Retina. It's probably over twice as fast as my 2.26 GHz Core 2 Duo.

And I also almost forgot, this new MacBook Retina will likely get Thunderbolt 3.

https://thunderbolttechnology.net/blog/thunderbolt-3-usb-c-does-it-all

Full 4K Video Experience

Connect two 4K 60 Hz displays with astonishing resolution, contrast, and color depth to see your photos, videos, applications, and text with amazing detail.

Best Single-Cable Docking

Now, one compact port provides Thunderbolt 3 data transfer, support for two 4K 60 Hz displays, and quick notebook charging up to 100W with a single cable. It&#8217;s the most advanced and versatile USB-C docking solution available.

External Graphics

Gamers can now connect plug &#8216;n&#8217; play external graphics to a notebook to enjoy the latest games at recommended or higher settings.

Thunderbolt&#8482; Networking

Provides a peer-to-peer connection at 10 GbE speeds to quickly transfer files between computers, perform PC migrations, or set up small workgroups with shared storage.

Solutions and products built to Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt 2 specifications will work with Thunderbolt 3 via an adapter.

Initial products with Thunderbolt 3 are expected to begin shipping before the end of this year, and ramp in 2016.

Technology Features

Thunderbolt&#8482;, USB, DisplayPort, and power on USB-C
USB-C connector and cables (small, reversible)
40 Gbps Thunderbolt&#8482; 3 &#8211; double the speed of Thunderbolt 2
Bi-directional, dual-protocol (PCI Express and DisplayPort)
4 lanes of PCI Express Gen 3
8 lanes of DisplayPort 1.2 (HBR2 and MST)
Supports two 4K displays (4096 x 2160 30bpp @ 60 Hz)
USB 3.1 (10 Gbps) &#8211; compatible with existing USB devices and cables
DisplayPort 1.2 &#8211; compatible with existing DisplayPort displays, devices, and cables
Connect DVI, HDMI, and VGA displays via adapters
Power (based on USB power delivery)
Up to 100W system charging
15W to bus-powered devices
Thunderbolt&#8482; Networking
10Gb Ethernet connection between computers
Daisy chaining (up to six devices)
Lowest latency for PCI Express audio recording

 

[Printer Bandit]

i know this is a tech forum, but seriously, who cares?

this isn't 2000 when specs. mattered.

 

[rugby]

Well, it matters because progress matters. Currently the retina macbook can't drive a 4k display at 60hz. That matters because 30hz SUCKS to work on. That much of a performance hike would be huge in the ultra portable markets.

 

[Eug]

i know this is a tech forum, but seriously, who cares?

this isn't 2000 when specs. mattered.

It matters a lot.

Thunderbolt 3 is nice as rugby mentioned, and it's not just about 4K displays. We're talking all sorts of things including stuff like 10GigE networking just to name one.

HEVC H.265 is also a big deal IMO. Right now even the iPhone 6 and iPad Air 2 support it in hardware but none of the Macs do. Once Skylake drops, FaceTime will be able to use H.265 on Macs too. Furthermore, eventually there will be hardware H.265 decode support in video apps, which will mean that H.265 playback will use a LOT less battery power. I currently have two Core 2 Duo Macs sitting side by side. I'm typing on a 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo without hardware H.264 support. Next to me is a 2.26 GHz Core 2 Duo with hardware H.264 support. Guess which one is more pleasant to watch movies with, and which one has (much) longer battery life with H.264 video? H.264 is still dominant, but H.265 is making a lot of headway already because the file sizes and bandwidth necessary are a lot lower. Going forward it's a good idea to have H.265 hardware decode in your mobile devices, esp. if you're like me and keep your laptops a long time. In fact, this is one of the main reasons I avoided buying the Broadwell MacBook Retina.

BTW, back in the day, people had a similar argument as you regarding hardware H.264 support. They kept saying it just doesn't matter, esp. since the CPU can decode it anyway. Well, within 2 years most people had changed their tune.

 

[Rakehellion]

http://www.fanlesstech.com/2015/07/exclusive-skylake-boost.html

10-20% CPU performance increase
40% GPU performance increase
30% longer battery life
Bluetooth 4.1
HEVC H.265 decode/encode

Here's hoping for two USB C ports, or even one USB C and one regular USB 3.

This is the 12", not the 13" and 15"?

 

[Eug]

Yeah for Core M in the 12". The numbers are somewhat different for other SKUs.

 

[secretanchitman]

Skylake will be amazing. I am heavily considering an upgrade to one over my Haswell 15" RMBP!

 

[Rakehellion]

Yeah, I might get this for Thunderbolt 3. Maybe.

I'd rather have that Geforce 950M but keep dreaming.

 

[HaukSwe]

So when we get a 21" retina iMac it's likely to be Skylake? And possible to use in target display mode?

The external GPU thing is quite interesting.

 

[Eug]

Yeah good point. No support yet for Target Display Mode in Retina iMacs, as the current Thunderbolt ports don't support it.

https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT204592

 

[Artdeco]

You are going to upgrade your Retina MacBook that soon? Why?

I use mine a lot, in a day off from work, I typically make more than enough to pay for a new laptop trading stock options, like having new stuff.

 

[Essence_of_War]

Yeah good point. No support yet for Target Display Mode in Retina iMacs, as the current Thunderbolt ports don't support it.

https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT204592

How strange!

I know that current TB can't support 5k, but I would have figured that they'd still allow the rimac to show up as a 2560x1440 Target Display rather than remove the functionality entirely.

 

[mmntech]

Skylake is going to be a pretty nice upgrade. Should help ease the performance and battery life issues of the MacBook Retina. I can also see it replacing Atom in higher end tablets like the Surface.

Built in H.265 and VP9 encoding in Macs will be a pretty huge deal given how big a player the iTunes video store is. This could be what 4K needs to push it towards the mainstream.

The external GPU thing is quite interesting.

They've been mucking about with external GPUs for years but it's never really caught on. It's an interesting idea but I just don't see there being much demand for it. Especially on laptops like this. The CPU is too slow for gaming, so that limits it to just OpenCL applications. At that point, you might as well just spend a little more and get a Macbook Pro.

Thunderbolt 3 will offer a lot of flexibility though. I just hope Apple is smart enough to add a second USB Type-C port. I kind of get their thinking behind the single port, but storage is not the only thing USB is used for and not all peripherals support Bluetooth or WiFi. Especially once you get into pro grade gear.

 

[Eug]

Even for storage, the second USB C port would be a welcome addition, considering the port is also used for charging.

 

[mmntech]

Even for storage, the second USB C port would be a welcome addition, considering the port is also used for charging.

Apple's big dream is turning their platform into a service. They're trying to push people into using iCloud for additional storage needs. Which is fine if you're just sharing small files but no good for larger ones.

Back when I was editing video, all my files were 25mb/s DVCPRO. Double that for HD content. Kept all my scratch files on an external drive. Made it easy to transport files between my laptop and the editing suite. Cloud storage is too clunky and slow for that kind of work. Obviously with high powered applications like FCP, you need to be plugged into the AC. Forcing the use of a dongle just ups the inconvenience factor.

There's also the matter of Apple's chintzy iCloud storage tiers. Google Drive is a much better service at a much lower price.

 

[phero]

I'm wondering if the 13in rMPB will get 64mb edram. Might be pretty significant.

 

[FearoftheNight]

i know this is a tech forum, but seriously, who cares?

this isn't 2000 when specs. mattered.

I think in most cases it doesn't. However, I think it does matter for ULV applications such as retina MB or ultra/chrome books.

 

[Rakehellion]

Apple's big dream is turning their platform into a service. They're trying to push people into using iCloud for additional storage needs. Which is fine if you're just sharing small files but no good for larger ones.

Back when I was editing video, all my files were 25mb/s DVCPRO. Double that for HD content. Kept all my scratch files on an external drive. Made it easy to transport files between my laptop and the editing suite. Cloud storage is too clunky and slow for that kind of work. Obviously with high powered applications like FCP, you need to be plugged into the AC. Forcing the use of a dongle just ups the inconvenience factor.

There's also the matter of Apple's chintzy iCloud storage tiers. Google Drive is a much better service at a much lower price.

Editing video. MacBook Air. Pick one.

But aside from that, you've got gigabit Wifi for local storage and Bluetooth for dongles.

 

[mmntech]

Editing video. MacBook Air. Pick one.

But aside from that, you've got gigabit Wifi for local storage and Bluetooth for dongles.

Back in the day, I was using a vanilla Core 2 Duo MacBook for editing. We were just working with SD content at the time so it was more than adequate. Air is a better option of course but I was just using that as an example of why you'd need more than one port.

 

[Rakehellion]

Back in the day, I was using a vanilla Core 2 Duo MacBook for editing. We were just working with SD content at the time so it was more than adequate. Air is a better option of course but I was just using that as an example of why you'd need more than one port.

If you're going wireless I'm sure you could get away with a Time Capsule or some NAS.

 

[Artdeco]

I think the rMB is one of the things they dangled in front of Anand to recruit him.

"Do you want to keep reviewing things we build or have input on building the next thing?"

 

[Eug]

Core M / Skylake-Y details leaked:

http://www.cpu-world.com//news_2015/2015082701_Details_of_6th_generation_Core_M_processors.html

Core m7 6Y75 is looking very good.

---

Regardless of the family, all upcoming Core m microprocessors have 2 CPU cores, 4 MB of shared L3 cache, Audio DSP, and HD 515 graphics, clocked at 300 MHz. The differences between Core m models are primarily in CPU and GPU clock speeds, and whether vPRo technology is supported or not. The Core m3 6Y30 is clocked at 900 MHz, boostable up to 2.2 GHz for one core. Its maximum GPU frequency is 850 MHz. Core m5 6Y54 and 6Y57 operate at 1.1 GHz, and their maximum Turbo Boost frequency is 2.4 GHz for both cores, or 2.7 GHz and 2.8 GHz for one core. Core m5 GPU has a maximum dynamic frequency of 900 MHz. Core i7 [sic] 6Y75 runs at 1.2 GHz, and up to 3.1 GHz. Core m7 GPU is clocked at up to 1 GHz. The CPUs support VT-x and VT-d virtualization, and AES instructions. The Core m5 6Y57 and Core m7 6Y75 also support vPro and Trusted Execution technologies. All chips have up to 2 SATA 6Gb/s ports, 10 lanes of PCI-Express interface, 6 USB2/USB3 ports and eMMC 5.0 interface. They support USB OTG and Rapid Storage Technology 14. The Core m microprocessors work with DDR3L-1600 and LPDDR3-1866 memory, and they are rated at 4.5 Watt TDP and 3 Watt SDP. They can also run at higher 7 Watt TDP if needed.