Question about TPM technology

[Cyman]

Hi everybody,

 

I was thinking about TPM and I guess there are a few things that have to be cleared up for me, since I have a lack of knowledge concerning the whole TPM thing.

 

So, what I was asking myself was the following:

e.g. If I bought a new Mac mini (Core Solo or Duo, doesn't matter what), then what happens if I take the CPU and put it in one of these new (i945G) Yonah x86 boards? Would this allow me to run Mac OS X (x86) without any tricks (besides EFI workaround)? Actually the question is, is the TPM thing integrated on the CPU or is it the Mac boards where the TPM chip is put on?

 

From what I understood Apple/Intel said they use the same CPUs for the new Apple Macs. Then if this is true this wouldn't change anything, but if the TPM chip is on the CPU wouldn't this imply that putting the CPU on a regular PC would allow to run Mac OS X without any patches (again, besides EFI workaround)?

 

I am sorry if I missed prior discussions about this, but I didn't find a similar question via the search function.

 

I would be glad if anyone could clear things up for me. Thx in advance guys!

[aqualeviathan]

TPM chip is on the motherboard. The Core Duos/Solos in the Mac are normal, non-custom processors.

[Cyman]

OK, thanks for confirming my thoughts. Too bad, TPM is on the board. Well, maybe we'll see a better patch solution in the near future to run OS X as close to the "original" as possible. (Well, at least one could dream, right?)