I voted smokescreen. Apple will be demoing some impressive hardware tomorrow, but it'll be a Power 5 based dual core chip with VMX. We'll be blown away and then an announcement that there will be some sort of Intell based bridge chip that'll host a PCI Express and X implimentation, USB-2, Intel's Gb ethernet, etc. Now Apple doesn't have to worry about these secondary features, and the can focus on the memory controller only.
As a long time user I have allways asked why us Mac users have the Best Software in the world on the worst hardware speedwise in the world. Mac users deserve the best Software on the Best Hardware. Mot/IBM PPCs are not the best hardware folks. This could be a wonderful thing getting the Mac OS on some real CPU's instead of the PPc crap we have endured for years. I know, I know, 1 AMD = 2 PPC and thats the root of the problem. Bring on a AMD Mac In fact just give me Marklar for my AMD machine and I would be happy.
IBM has failed to deliver even 3GHz to Apple, yet promised to deliver a 3 core 3.2GHz part to Microsoft and a multi-core Cell part at 3.2GHz for Sony.
T, FTFY.
Quote:
Steve obviously sees no effort on IBM's part to get the 970 running faster, and my guess is that IBM failed to produce usable numbers of the 970MP.
No effort is too much, really. I bet you cannot provide any concrete evidence that IBM has ultimately failed, refused or neglected to get the 970 running faster. From what we all know this is still a work in progress. Oh, and by the way, do you seriously believe that extra 300MHz would save the world?
Whilst I'm no expert on the relative merits and architecture of the new multicore Cell and Xenon CPUs from IBM I have two thoughts that would support my 'Something Big from IBM' vote:[list=1][*]These chips are very much fast enough for games.[*]It must be easier to migrate to these than Intel's home brew?[/list=1]How about some asymetric computing?
I don't think IBM will manage to pull a flanker and get a dual core or SMT chip out. Some minor improvement maybe but G5 PPC970 variant will stay the focus for genereal processing.
My guess is that the something big is a specialist processor, a Cell style CPU for highly parallel tasks. I reckon cell could chew CoreImage and CoreDate tasks?
Don't ask me how much it would cost - less than switching to Intel?
If Intel are doing anything how about an H.264 decoder?
All those that voted for #1, Apple using existing Intel chips, should pat themselves on the back and take pride in using logical reasoning to see through the FUD.
I mean, theorizing that Apple was going to use an Xscale chip for a new device was one thing, but the idea that Intel was going to make PowerPC compatible chips was just downright silly.
As I mentioned in a similar thread, I think Intel will use Apple to release the "latest and greatest." That is, Intel wants to have an outlet to phase-in Itanium-esque technologies into their flaghip product, but the PC industry is too competitive for anyone to try something a bit off the beaten path.
It's very good for Apple, because when the benchmarks come out it will be to the tune of, "we have the same chips as everyone else, plus this badass SIMD/MIMD capability that will take 2 years to get adopted into the PC world."
As for homebuilt macs, it's a distinct possibilty, DRM aside. But given that people have gotten Linux to run on various game consoles, it's clear that the difference between Mac and PC is going to have to be something special. That is, I am fairly certain that "hacker" kits will be available to turn a homebuilt PC into a mac. What would ultimately deter people from doing this would be to have macs built with hardware that's much better than what's avaiable to the PC homebuilder.
Comments
Originally posted by Outsider
I voted smokescreen. Apple will be demoing some impressive hardware tomorrow, but it'll be a Power 5 based dual core chip with VMX. We'll be blown away and then an announcement that there will be some sort of Intell based bridge chip that'll host a PCI Express and X implimentation, USB-2, Intel's Gb ethernet, etc. Now Apple doesn't have to worry about these secondary features, and the can focus on the memory controller only.
I like it.
Originally posted by kiwi-in-dc
IBM has failed to deliver even 3GHz to Apple, yet promised to deliver a 3 core 3.2GHz part to Microsoft and a multi-core Cell part at 3.2GHz for Sony.
T, FTFY.
Steve obviously sees no effort on IBM's part to get the 970 running faster, and my guess is that IBM failed to produce usable numbers of the 970MP.
No effort is too much, really. I bet you cannot provide any concrete evidence that IBM has ultimately failed, refused or neglected to get the 970 running faster. From what we all know this is still a work in progress. Oh, and by the way, do you seriously believe that extra 300MHz would save the world?
Originally posted by Blackcat
Regarding the 3.2GHz console CPUs, they are a different design, different pipeline length, different instructions per cycle etc etc
I'm not so sure.
Have a look at the following pdf
http://gamepipe.isi.edu/MS-Game-Deve...70Syllabus.pdf
Scroll to page 4
"Week 7? PowerPC 64-bit architecture
- PPC 970 MP introduction
- PPC 64-bit architectural features
Reading: TBD
Lab: Hardware threading on PPC 970MP"
It seems that the PPC970MP is in fact a single core SMT capable (Power5 based?) PPC970
I don't think IBM will manage to pull a flanker and get a dual core or SMT chip out. Some minor improvement maybe but G5 PPC970 variant will stay the focus for genereal processing.
My guess is that the something big is a specialist processor, a Cell style CPU for highly parallel tasks. I reckon cell could chew CoreImage and CoreDate tasks?
Don't ask me how much it would cost - less than switching to Intel?
If Intel are doing anything how about an H.264 decoder?
A kind of Xgrid on your desktop?
Only a few WWDC hours to go now...
Originally posted by WebFlits
I'm not so sure.
Have a look at the following pdf
http://gamepipe.isi.edu/MS-Game-Deve...70Syllabus.pdf
Scroll to page 4
"Week 7? PowerPC 64-bit architecture
- PPC 970 MP introduction
- PPC 64-bit architectural features
Reading: TBD
Lab: Hardware threading on PPC 970MP"
It seems that the PPC970MP is in fact a single core SMT capable (Power5 based?) PPC970
They may well be, but the X360 dev machine is a PMG5 running NT. Other sources say the final CPU is not a 970.
I mean, theorizing that Apple was going to use an Xscale chip for a new device was one thing, but the idea that Intel was going to make PowerPC compatible chips was just downright silly.
It's very good for Apple, because when the benchmarks come out it will be to the tune of, "we have the same chips as everyone else, plus this badass SIMD/MIMD capability that will take 2 years to get adopted into the PC world."
As for homebuilt macs, it's a distinct possibilty, DRM aside. But given that people have gotten Linux to run on various game consoles, it's clear that the difference between Mac and PC is going to have to be something special. That is, I am fairly certain that "hacker" kits will be available to turn a homebuilt PC into a mac. What would ultimately deter people from doing this would be to have macs built with hardware that's much better than what's avaiable to the PC homebuilder.