Cell Microprocessor

Falcon[anti-yL] · February 08, 2005, 05:03 PM

Intel's days may be numbered as the folks at IBM, Sony and Toshiba reveal details of their new, more powerful, microprocessor chip.

Engineers from the three companies promise the powerful new chip will have the processing power of a supercomputer. In addition to computers, both business and personal, the new chip will be able to power gaming consoles and televisions.

The Cell is comprised of 234 million transistors. Intel�s latest Pentium 4 chips have only 125 million. This is expected to have tremendous implications in the gaming industry where the Cell is promised to "deliver vastly improved, real-time response for entertainment and rich media applications".

Damn, its almost twice as fast as the latest P4 processor. Can't wait to get me one of these

CrAz3D · February 08, 2005, 05:05 PM

I want HP's transistor-less processor chip! I think having no transistors would be faster...How do you fit 234million ANYTHING on to a little chip...that is some FREAKING small stuff there.

tA-Kane · February 08, 2005, 07:59 PM

Quote from: Falcon[anti-yL] on February 08, 2005, 05:03 PMDamn, its almost twice as fast as the latest P4 processor.

I don't know what speed the latest P4 is, but mine is 3.4GHz. I read that the Cell processor barely toppled 4GHz. How is 3.4GHz (or likely more) "almost half" of 4GHz?

Unless I misread the article? (Where was that article, anyways?? Hmmm...)

Zakath · February 08, 2005, 08:20 PM

Quote from: CrAz3D on February 08, 2005, 05:05 PM
I want HP's transistor-less processor chip! I think having no transistors would be faster...How do you fit 234million ANYTHING on to a little chip...that is some FREAKING small stuff there.

Riiiight...you realize that the transistor is THE essential component of all of today's microprocessors? Obviously HP's invention is supposed to change this, but for decades now, the driving force behind processor advancement has been the continued development of smaller transistors and ways of putting them closer and closer together without interference.

In the 70's, processors had thousands to tens of thousands of transistors. Now, they're into the hundred millions.

Incidentally, according to Intel's site, they have some P4's with 1.78 million transistors, so the information in the article seems to be wrong.

MyndFyre · February 08, 2005, 08:30 PM

It will likely also change with the dual-core processor.

tA-Kane · February 08, 2005, 08:35 PM

Quote from: Zakath on February 08, 2005, 08:20 PM
Quote from: CrAz3D on February 08, 2005, 05:05 PM
I want HP's transistor-less processor chip! I think having no transistors would be faster...How do you fit 234million ANYTHING on to a little chip...that is some FREAKING small stuff there.

Riiiight...you realize that the transistor is THE essential component of all of today's microprocessors? Obviously HP's invention is supposed to change this, but for decades now, the driving force behind processor advancement has been the continued development of smaller transistors and ways of putting them closer and closer together without interference.

In the 70's, processors had thousands to tens of thousands of transistors. Now, they're into the hundred millions.

Incidentally, according to Intel's site, they have some P4's with 1.78 million transistors, so the information in the article seems to be wrong.

The Pentium 4 isn't the only processor with transistors, you know. They could have been giving a different processor for an example.

quasi-modo · February 08, 2005, 09:03 PM

Quote from: MyndFyre on February 08, 2005, 08:30 PM
It will likely also change with the dual-core processor.

Which should be coming out rather soon. I read a while back that amd planned on releasing a dual cored opteron last fall... well they are late. So I think we are due soon. Remeber when intel canceled Tejas and Jayhawk? Well they dropped them because they were going to try to beat amd to the dual core since there is really no need for 64bit right now in the personal pc market. Intel wanted to get something out by this summer from what I read. I think they will also be late. But I think we will see dual cores hit the market before Longhorn does (which is not even going to have winfs anymore...).

Zakath · February 08, 2005, 09:19 PM

Quote from: tA-Kane on February 08, 2005, 08:35 PM
The Pentium 4 isn't the only processor with transistors, you know. They could have been giving a different processor for an example.

All microprocessors use transistors. I most certainly did not mean to give the impression that they were specific to Intel.

CrAz3D · February 08, 2005, 09:25 PM

WinFS sounds semi-cool, I guess, but what is really the point, isn't the basic storage system decent?

quasi-modo · February 13, 2005, 08:28 PM

Quote from: CrAz3D on February 08, 2005, 09:25 PM
WinFS sounds semi-cool, I guess, but what is really the point, isn't the basic storage system decent?

winfs is supposed to run much faster. It is basically going to be a big db right, sql server, and your data will be stored in tables. It looks good on paper yes, but if something gets corrupt you lost a table... poop, you just lost all of your music that you downloaded over the past 3 years, or something like that.