MacBook Pro with true SLI, 8GB RAM possible

The new MacBook Pro could be enabled to take advantage of current and upcoming GeForce 9400M performance features through a simple update, NVIDIA tells Gizmodo. At present, Apple's implementation of dual graphics processors is limited versus Windows counterparts as it runs only one chip at a time and requires users to log out and back in to switch between the two. A driver or firmware update, however, is said to possibly enable the power side of Hybrid SLI in Mac OS X and would switch automatically between the GeForce 9400M and 9600M GT as users revert to battery power or plug back in.
This could also be used for Hybrid SLI's GeForce Boost feature, NVIDIA notes. A more advanced version of pure SLI, which demands equal-spec chips, the technology would actively rely on the 9400M to provide additional performance on top of the 9600M GT's existing capabilities. Such a gain would partly overcome complaints from high-end users that Apple's emphasis on thin-and-light notebooks limits its choice of graphics hardware and its maximum 3D performance.

Santa Clara-based NVIDIA also observes that the 4GB cap on memory isn't a limitation of the hardware and that an update could open MacBooks and other 9400M-based systems to as much as 8GB of RAM.

The semiconductor designer doesn't say whether there are any plans for it or Apple to implement any of these changes in a firmware upgrade. Macs have typically gone without vendor-specific features, such as hardware acceleration of certain video types from AMD and NVIDIA; however, newer MacBooks are now believed by some to be decoding H.264 in hardware and are the first-ever Macs to use a mainboard from a GPU developer.


[electronista]

Also present in the construction is a new, multi-touch glass trackpad, 39 percent larger than earlier ones and designed so that the entire pad works as a button, rather than simply a motion surface. The use of glass extends to the LCD display, whose output options now include a mini-DisplayPort connection.

All connections have been shifted to one side, and these also include gigabit Ethernet, FireWire 800 and two USB ports. An ExpressCard slot remains present, and wireless receivers support Bluetooth and 802.11n Wi-Fi.

Internally the computer now has the option of an SSD drive, and comes by default with both 9400M and 9600M GT graphics chips by NVIDIA, which operate together in a hybrid SLI mode. The 9400M is integrated, and can be used as the sole source for rendering in order to run a Pro for five hours instead of the four possible with the 9600M GT.

While we've officially confirmed that the Nvidia chipset in the new MacBooks and MacBook Pros can theoretically support up to 8GB of RAM, Apple says the capacities for each top out at 4GB. Turns out, the actual number is right there in the middle—chip supplier Ramjet has tested and officially confirmed that the new MacBooks can support 6GB RAM via one 2GB module and one 4GB module. But why not eight?

According to the rep I spoke to, Ramjet's tests and previous experiences by others have shown that 8GB of RAM in a notebook throws OS X into fits, making it unstable for actual use. Ramjet claims though that 6GB is a screamer—utilizing a fresh new 4GB 1066 SO-DIMM paired with a 2GB; the performance gained by having an extra two gigs negates the performance loss that tends to follow from having an unmatched pair of differently sized modules. Sadly, that combo will set you back around $675 at Ramjet ($600 for the 4GB module alone). But it's possible.

So when's that update for true working 8GB support on these notebooks going to come,

gizmodo