The Rough Story Of Intel Sandy Bridge Graphics For Mac OS X

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  • cmurphy
    replied
    don't think so

    Originally posted by deanjo View Post
    The new machines that were just released are EFI 2.0. (and various models use different EFI versions BTW, depends on the model of mac).

    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1237
    This is incorrect information. The kb article you cite does not correlated to the EFI or UEFI spec version but rather an Apple versioning scheme. The MacbookPro model is 5,2 and the BootROM version is MBP52.008E.B05. It's not EFI 2.0, there never was an EFI 2.0. There is an Intel EFI 1.10 which is what Apple has been basing all machines through March 2011. The next specs are rolled in under UEFI 2.x.

    At the moment the only way I know to find the version of EFI/UEFI on Apple hardware is to install rEFIt, bless its EFI folder from command line and restart which will bring up the rEFIt menu. One of its options is an info button which will display information about the machine's EFI/UEFI version. At the moment the only part of UEFI I'm aware that Apple is using is GOP for video, but the primary basis for their firmware is Intel EFI 1.10. And Windows 7 doesn't support it and I have yet to get any Linux distro to boot into a GUI because, as the developers have suggested, they aren't able to extract necessary information from Apple's EFI about the video hardware. They are able to do this with the CSM (the emulated BIOS) but then this is a BIOS based booting, which requires the hybrid MBR hack.

    If the most recent hardware from Apple just released does support UEFI 2.x that would be great news indeed. I would then like to believe they will eventually issue UEFI 2.x based firmware for other recently sold hardware.

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  • deanjo
    replied
    Originally posted by Luke_Wolf View Post
    I'm talking of such things as the lithography that goes on the board

    Lithography layout is generally supplied by the the person requiring the manufacturing and supplied to the third party manufacturer. It is very rare for a company like foxconn to do the lithography for anyone else but their own line. Apple supplies their own lithography, as does Asus, and pretty much any other contractee.

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  • Luke_Wolf
    replied
    Originally posted by deanjo View Post
    Manufacturing of the individual parts is done by the electrical component manufacturers. Do you think that Asus makes caps, IC's, connectors, etc as well? No, those are all from third parties from the likes of motorola, TI, etc. Even the motherboard fabrication is third party.
    I'm talking of such things as the lithography that goes on the board

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  • deanjo
    replied
    Originally posted by Luke_Wolf View Post
    yes I got that, but are they also making the individual parts or just assembling?
    Manufacturing of the individual parts is done by the electrical component manufacturers. Do you think that Asus makes caps, IC's, connectors, etc as well? No, those are all from third parties from the likes of motorola, TI, etc. Even the motherboard fabrication is third party.

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  • Luke_Wolf
    replied
    Originally posted by deanjo View Post
    The motherboards were being assembled by Foxconn. As well as the finished product assembly.
    yes I got that, but are they also making the individual parts or just assembling?

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  • deanjo
    replied
    Originally posted by Luke_Wolf View Post
    Okay even so this doesn't refute them making all of the parts to be then assembled by foxconn, which is a point you've talked around instead of addressing.
    The motherboards were being assembled by Foxconn. As well as the finished product assembly.

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  • Luke_Wolf
    replied
    Okay even so this doesn't refute them making all of the parts to be then assembled by foxconn, which is a point you've talked around instead of addressing.

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  • deanjo
    replied
    Originally posted by Luke_Wolf View Post
    Found something... http://www.hawaiithreads.com/showthread.php?t=18020 This confirms the consumer electronics wording, while this doesn't necessarily deny them using Foxconn to assemble their boards It does point to the theory I have suggested.
    I've been to foxconns plant about 6 years ago and I can tell you with great certainty that there were Asus / MSI and Apple products all being slapped together by foxconn having seen it first hand. (Including the logic boards labeled as MSI being used in the Zune).

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  • deanjo
    replied
    Originally posted by Luke_Wolf View Post

    Given this information I think it would be reasonable to guess that what's being spoken of in regards to Foxconn and ASUS are things like the mobile phones, network devices, etc. I personally find it rather unlikely that a company known for it's Motherboards having said factories would contract out to another company for said parts, on top of which if they are contracting out to Foxconn it's not going to be like Apple or Microsoft, what they're going to be doing is assembly rather than full up manufacturing like Apple or Microsoft would have to do. It may in fact be as well that ASUS makes all of it's own parts but leaves it up to Foxconn for assembly, I haven't found the requisite information though to say anything for certain.

    That said though I'll stick with Gigabyte who I've generally migrated to since the fall of Abit, I like that the focus of their designs is around durability.
    I can tell you are not that familiar with the assembly process. Yes Asus and MSI manufacture their own parts as well as utilize third party plants. HP is another OEM for example that uses Asus motherboards but they are built and assembled by Foxxcon. Many times it is cheaper for manufacturers to farm out third party assembly then utilize their own resources (especially for "enterprise" grade products). Even though outfits like Foxconn assemble the boards for outside companies, it is the customer that generally supplies the design and part specifications. Foxconn is especially huge in manufacturing 3rd party finished good items like laptops and their motherboards. Chances are if you have a MSI or Asus laptop they not only were assembled by Foxconn but the motherboards for them were also assembled there. Foxconn is HUGE in this area. Other notable companies that utilize Foxconn are Acer, ASRock, Intel, Cisco, HP, Dell, Nintendo, Nokia, MS, and Sony.

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  • Luke_Wolf
    replied
    Found something... http://www.hawaiithreads.com/showthread.php?t=18020 This confirms the consumer electronics wording, while this doesn't necessarily deny them using Foxconn to assemble their boards It does point to the theory I have suggested.

    Leave a comment:

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