Motorola is back

13

Comments

  • Reply 41 of 61
    pbpb Posts: 4,255member
    It looks like indeed Motorola is back:



    Freescale Semiconductor reveals PowerPC® core roadmap and scalable system-on-chip platforms



    High-Performance PowerPC Processors

    Roadmap




    I posted the same links in the other thread too. Now, unless something goes really wrong this year, I think it is a safe bet that the next Powerbook iteration will have those improved G4s.
  • Reply 42 of 61
    durandaldurandal Posts: 277member


    Sorry, but this roadmap doesn't indicate ANYTHING about Motorola (or Freescale) being back. It doesn't give any time frame when to expect all the stuff they announced today...
  • Reply 43 of 61
    leonardleonard Posts: 528member
    Well that info sounds good, it sounds like they have a future for the G4, and it looks like they will eventually have a "G5". But as everyone else pointed out, when? And isn't it a little late.



    If they get their act together they might just keep their chips in the low-end Macs - eMac and iBook. Possibly the iMac, but I doubt it. I don't see them competing with IBM, though, I don't think they can catch up to IBM, unless IBM has further problems.
  • Reply 44 of 61
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Leonard

    Well that info sounds good, it sounds like they have a future for the G4, and it looks like they will eventually have a "G5". But as everyone else pointed out, when? And isn't it a little late.



    If they get their act together they might just keep their chips in the low-end Macs - eMac and iBook. Possibly the iMac, but I doubt it. I don't see them competing with IBM, though, I don't think they can catch up to IBM, unless IBM has further problems.




    I don't think they need to compete with IBM. FreeScale is creating cool running chips for laptops. I think a dual core 2GHZ chip in the Powerbook with Rapid I/O is a better option for the laptop than a G5. I see them as the company that powers the laptops and IBM the company that powers the desktops.
  • Reply 45 of 61
    emig647emig647 Posts: 2,455member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Mr. MacPhisto

    I don't think they need to compete with IBM. FreeScale is creating cool running chips for laptops. I think a dual core 2GHZ chip in the Powerbook with Rapid I/O is a better option for the laptop than a G5. I see them as the company that powers the laptops and IBM the company that powers the desktops.



    If you're talking about the 970 I'll agree with you. You have to remember they are sticking 97x into the xbox 2. The 970fx runs at an incredible low power compared to most other desktop chips. The 970fx could be a GREAT laptop chip... if the northbridge would work in a laptop that is.
  • Reply 46 of 61
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    Everything you're hearing/reading about IBM 97x chips to date, whether we're talking about their supposedly outstanding frugality, agressive development schedule, inclusion in sub $300 consoles, etc etc...



    this is all clearly speculation at best, and blatant bullshit at worst.



    Untill you have a production sample, you've no evidence that any of it will happen. Worst of all, NEVER, NEVER, EVER quote the web sources in reference to game consoles. NOT as a source of future hardware, they go well beyond the stupidity of the everyday rumor web into a whole new realm of fan-boy fantasy.



    For now, G5's are fast, and G4's are cool, and there's no evidence that it will change any time soon.
  • Reply 47 of 61
    algolalgol Posts: 833member
    If freescale/motorola come out with a new G4 with a DDR bus, 90nm process, and 1MB L2 cache it's going to cream the celerons. I would order a PowerBook with a chip like this in a second.
  • Reply 48 of 61
    emig647emig647 Posts: 2,455member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Matsu

    Everything you're hearing/reading about IBM 97x chips to date, whether we're talking about their supposedly outstanding frugality, agressive development schedule, inclusion in sub $300 consoles, etc etc...



    this is all clearly speculation at best, and blatant bullshit at worst.



    Untill you have a production sample, you've no evidence that any of it will happen. Worst of all, NEVER, NEVER, EVER quote the web sources in reference to game consoles. NOT as a source of future hardware, they go well beyond the stupidity of the everyday rumor web into a whole new realm of fan-boy fantasy.



    For now, G5's are fast, and G4's are cool, and there's no evidence that it will change any time soon.




    You're probably right about the game console rumors... BUT!!



    One of the main purposes of the 970fx was to run cooler and use LESS power. Even apple has admitted they will eventually put a g5 in a powerbook. They just claim its far away.
  • Reply 49 of 61
    pbpb Posts: 4,255member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Algol

    If freescale/motorola come out with a new G4 with a DDR bus, 90nm process, and 1MB L2 cache it's going to cream the celerons.



    Celerons? Do you mean centrinos?
  • Reply 50 of 61
    pbpb Posts: 4,255member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by emig647

    Even apple has admitted they will eventually put a g5 in a powerbook. They just claim its far away.



    Which indicates that this wouldn't be the G5 we know today.
  • Reply 51 of 61
    bartobarto Posts: 2,246member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by PB

    Celerons? Do you mean centrinos?



    Moreso the Celerons. The G4 is crippled by the bus, the Celeron by the small cache. Get rid of the bus bottleneck, Celeron = creamed.



    Think eMacs, and the market they compete in.



    Barto
  • Reply 52 of 61
    pbpb Posts: 4,255member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Barto

    Moreso the Celerons. The G4 is crippled by the bus, the Celeron by the small cache. Get rid of the bus bottleneck, Celeron = creamed.



    Think eMacs, and the market they compete in.



    Barto




    Perhaps I don't understand what "creamed" means in this context (english is not my native language), but I had the impression that today's G4s already beat badly the Celerons. Look for example the CPU test discussed in this thread; there is a Celeron in there, look at the total time it gave.
  • Reply 53 of 61
    drboardrboar Posts: 477member
    A low power IBM 970 spells bad news for the G4 also in the embedded sector so Motorola Freescale has to show a positive roadmap to keep its customers.



    Then again a minor miracle might happen and Moto/FS will be able to acually manufacture and not only design a good CPU. That will not hurt apple.
  • Reply 54 of 61
    smirclesmircle Posts: 1,035member
    One should not forget that Crolles is a very modern fab, comparable to Fishkill. It is planned to go the whole 90nm -> 45nm (or even 35) transition and was built some time ago. I don't know if they are building the 7447A there or in the older fabs, but they should be able to establish their 90nm process by fall, maybe earlier.



    Once Freescale has a running 90nm process, they can use some of the chip space they gain for larger on-chip caches, faster bus interface and maybe a revved SMD unit. This combined with a deeper pipeline will make the G4 much faster, both in Ghz and performance.



    The Book e CPUs were drafted long ago, implementing them should be very doable without a huge lot of funding.



    I still stand by the thread title: Moto (in the shape of Freescale) is back, and the 7447A was only the lowest hanging fruit.
  • Reply 55 of 61
    henriokhenriok Posts: 537member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Smircle

    The Book e CPUs were drafted long ago, implementing them should be very doable without a huge lot of funding.



    Book E have been implemented for a long time in Moto's 85xx-series and IBM's 400-family.
  • Reply 56 of 61
    Although it hasn't been mentioned in this thread so far, I was wondering if the new Freescale roadmap has something to do with Mr Macphito's 'revelation' that Apple has dropped the 750VX from its future products (apparently a substantial time ago).



    One thing I haven't seen on the forums here (granted I've only been looking over the past 8 months) is what the extent of the collaboration is between Apple, IBM and Motorola over PowerPC chip design. Is it possible that there has been substantial technology transfers between these companies?



    Although Moto canned the G5, the G5 that IBM arrived at last year was remarkably similar to that of the rumoured Moto chip on its 2001/2 roadmap. Did Moto sell its design to IBM? In 2003/4, Could it be possible that IBM, seeing that Apple preferred Moto's/Freescale 74xx laptop chips over its 750 series, concentrated on the 970 series and gave Moto access to its 750 series chip technology (eg. with the larger L2 cache to be seen in the 750GX version)?



    Just a thought
  • Reply 57 of 61
    jcgjcg Posts: 777member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by a j stev

    ... One thing I haven't seen on the forums here (granted I've only been looking over the past 8 months) is what the extent of the collaboration is between Apple, IBM and Motorola over PowerPC chip design. Is it possible that there has been substantial technology transfers between these companies? ...



    I believe that the bulk of the collaboration between Motorolla and IBM happened up through the G3 development, There was a difference in opinion on where to go with the G4 between Moto and IBM, they both put proposals foreward to Apple for the desktop version of the chip (Apple being the only major customer for these ships at the time) and Apple chose to go with the Motorolla chip design. IBM subsequently decided that the design was not the direction that they wanted to go in so they did not take part in it's deveopment, instead concentrating on the Power archetecture.
  • Reply 58 of 61
    leonardleonard Posts: 528member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by a j stev



    Although Moto canned the G5, the G5 that IBM arrived at last year was remarkably similar to that of the rumoured Moto chip on its 2001/2 roadmap. Did Moto sell its design to IBM?




    IBM based the G5, the PowerPC 970 on the POWER 4 chip (with a couple of modifications liked reduced cache, and the addition of a SIMD unit) so the answer to your question is, NO Moto did not sell it's design to IBM.
  • Reply 59 of 61
    powerdocpowerdoc Posts: 8,123member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Leonard

    IBM based the G5, the PowerPC 970 on the POWER 4 chip (with a couple of modifications liked reduced cache, and the addition of a SIMD unit) so the answer to your question is, NO Moto did not sell it's design to IBM.



    You are entirely right.

    However Mot try to sell his fab expertise to IBM, but this is an another story
  • Reply 60 of 61
    rickagrickag Posts: 1,626member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Matsu

    ..... inclusion in sub $300 consoles, etc etc...



    ..... Worst of all, NEVER, NEVER, EVER quote the web sources in reference to game consoles. NOT as a source of future hardware, they go well beyond the stupidity of the everyday rumor ......




    It?s all in the game ? opportunities abound in electronic play



    Quote:

    An IBM Power chip will be the heart of Microsoft?s next Xbox model.



    That's the best I can do. It doesn't say IBM PPC 970, Power 4, Power 5 or whatever. Just says "An IBM Power chip". What can be inferred is that it will use the Power/PowerPC ISA possibly with additional instructions added to optimize the game console.
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