Question:
Will A8JM be "drop-in" compatible with Core Duo 2?
I heard that Napa based laptops from Asus would be, and just for the sake of clarification the A8JM is a Napa based laptop, and will be able to host a Merom right?
Answer:
Re: Will A8JM be "drop-in" compatible with Core Duo 2?
yes. you can replace the yonah with the merom on the a8jm.
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Re: Will A8JM be "drop-in" compatible with Core Duo 2?
That is correct. The initial release of Merom will be on the Napa platform. People have used the Napa Merom in current Duo notebooks. Merom will move over to Santa Rosa in 2007.
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Re: Will A8JM be "drop-in" compatible with Core Duo 2?
So does that mean we'll have a A8Jm with core duo 2 soon? that's sux for those whole bought it already.
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Re: Will A8JM be "drop-in" compatible with Core Duo 2?
I wouldnt say soon. Even though the processors are released, it will still take several months for the manufacturers to start selling core 2 duo systems. I would expect that it will be at least novemeber if at all this year before merom processors are seen in asus systems.
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Re: Will A8JM be "drop-in" compatible with Core Duo 2?
so the CPU won't be soldered; it's easily replaceable to the core2duo by the end user?
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Re: Will A8JM be "drop-in" compatible with Core Duo 2?
That is correct, they are not soldered. Simply rotate the lock screw and pull it out. Replace it with the new processor and rotate the lock screw back.
Merom might require a BIOS update, so since any modification voids the ASUS Ensemble warranty, they may not put the BIOS update (if needed) out right away.
Answer:
Re: Will A8JM be "drop-in" compatible with Core Duo 2?
I wouldnt say soon. Even though the processors are released, it will still take several months for the manufacturers to start selling core 2 duo systems. I would expect that it will be at least novemeber if at all this year before merom processors are seen in asus systems.
I'm not so sure about this. All indications are that Napa notebooks are merom ready. People have put them in Napa based notebooks without even updating the bios. On a new platform/chipset/socket yes it would take several months but this is not the same scenario. The manufacturer will be able to just put the Core Duo 2 CPU into existing Napa notebooks. I expect that notebooks will be available with core duo 2 very close to the time the CPU is available. I suspect that Asus and other manufactures have had the core duo 2 engineering samples for quite some time.
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Re: Will A8JM be "drop-in" compatible with Core Duo 2?
While that is some good speculation FlipTwisteR we won't know for sure until they are released. Please notice I said that "Merom might require a BIOS update..." emphasize 'might' (see a professional opinion at http://www.anandtech.com/tradeshows/showdoc.aspx?i=2715)
As for when the Core 2 Duo Merom processor will actually be in the channel shipping...well, in this business the manufacturers have not made a reputation for meeting their projected release dates.
Answer:
Re: Will A8JM be "drop-in" compatible with Core Duo 2?
While that is some good speculation FlipTwisteR we won't know for sure until they are released. Please notice I said that "Merom might require a BIOS update..." emphasize 'might' (see a professional opinion at http://www.anandtech.com/tradeshows/showdoc.aspx?i=2715)
As for when the Core 2 Duo Merom processor will actually be in the channel shipping...well, in this business the manufacturers have not made a reputation for meeting their projected release dates.
Point taken. It could be a bios update...
Later in that article it does say "During a separate briefing, Intel's Mooly Eden showed a benchmark pitting a Dell Core Duo system against the same system with a Merom processor (Eden literally swapped out the Core Duo CPU and stuck in a Merom processor, partly to showcase its backwards comptability). The benchmark was a custom Quake 4 timedemo, with the Core Duo system scoring 106.6 fps while the Merom system scored 134 fps: advantage Merom by just over 25%. We don't know any of the specifics of the settings on the systems, other than they were claimed to be identical."