IBM, Sony, Toshiba Unveil Nine-Core Cell Processor

[Lord_of_the_Dense]

Researchers from IBM, Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (SCEI), and Toshiba today unveiled the long-awaited Cell microprocessor, revealing a multicore, multithreaded gaming engine described as "a supercomputer on a chip."

The three companies disclosed some of the first technical details about the four-year project at the International Solid State Circuits Conference in San Francisco. Cell is expected to be the chip used in Sony's PlayStation 3 gaming console, and its performance should reach ten times the capability of current PC processors, the companies said.

The prototype chip discussed Monday is comprised of one 64-bit PowerPC processor core and eight separate processing cores that the companies call "synergistic processing elements," or SPEs. The cores can support multiple operating systems and programming models through the use of virtualization technologies, said Jim Kahle, director of technology at the Design Center for Cell Technology, and an IBM fellow.

Read entire story here (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1093&e=3&u=/pcworld/20050207/tc_pcworld/119602).

[kidmidnight]

Sorry windows users! Thanks to this being a RISC power pc based processor Apple will get it! You guys should have moved to RISC processors long ago. Now you're stuck with your 486 based garbage. Since this is going to be mass produced for the Playstation the prices and availibility should also be very good for Apple! I knew the IBM partnership would rock!

[ratbag]

mac's suck ass

[shawners]

The cell processor will be in the PS3 when it comes out =)

[MPXX]

Sorry windows users! Thanks to this being a RISC power pc based processor Apple will get it! You guys should have moved to RISC processors long ago. Now you're stuck with your 486 based garbage. Since this is going to be mass produced for the Playstation the prices and availibility should also be very good for Apple! I knew the IBM partnership would rock!

Yes, mainstream processors are X86 (CISC) based and now are the majority of computer processors around the world. Although RISC, being a "reduced instruction" processor requires more emphasis on the software to control the processor. And yes, Windows has fallen behind Macs in that part, although Windows NT 4 did support RISC processing as well Windows CE also supported small RISC processors. So Windows isn't out of the picture yet, and I doubt Bill will let this slip.
Although now you have to look at the time it will take to convert computers to this "cell" processor, and that can be a while. Don't expect a Mac upgrade there kid, Apple will prob make a whole new Computer priced around $5000 that will have this processor in about 4 yrs...that is if the whole computer market is interested in RISC processing...and now with the brink of 64-Bit CISC processors that are already on the market, it's becoming slim.

[Christoph]

*lool
winx Xp/2000 etc have no problems with RISC processors.do anyone realy think they will only let appel users get this advantages?????*loool

[infringer]

Holy crap I know a guy that works for a printing factory and they printed up some inside data sheets for some playstation system that was like a media center he talked with one of the lead guys from sony and he said that sony may have future plans to buy out or work with either AMD or Intel (I forget which one) to produce these chips that would smash the current chip speeds.. I didnt know if it was some story just to spread around that the guy from sony wanted to do or what the case was amazingly enough it seems like SONY is mounting up to go in that direction...

Until now I thought it was just a bunch of malarky but it appears that things are shapping up in that direction.

Now that the cats out of the bag though I am curious to watch what sony does in the near future and see if this story actually comes true.

-infringer-

[kidmidnight]

Sorry guys, Apple and all it's software already run on PowerPC processors. Windows and all it's wonderful spyware will have to be recompiled to be able to run on PowerPC. So no, there is no way Windows will switch over. They have too large a market share in business to do that. Apple just has to slap the new chip in and they are good to go. Hopefully this will be the thing that puts Apple and Linux over the top.

[kidmidnight]

*lool
winx Xp/2000 etc have no problems with RISC processors.do anyone realy think they will only let appel users get this advantages?????*loool

Go back to AOL.

[Psilaxs]

http://www.blachford.info/computer/Cells/Cell0.html

all is explained, and you apple fanboys may be crushed when you read this.

[Lord_of_the_Dense]

That's what I'm talking about!

[shawners]

Sorry windows users! Thanks to this being a RISC power pc based processor Apple will get it! You guys should have moved to RISC processors long ago. Now you're stuck with your 486 based garbage. Since this is going to be mass produced for the Playstation the prices and availibility should also be very good for Apple! I knew the IBM partnership would rock!


soorrry other apple users.. your gonna have to really over pay for an apple pc. They have good products, just lowsy prices and third party support. Think about this.. IBM makes processors and PC's.. they can develop the pc and microsoft can easily have the new operating system up and running, They don't build pc's. They just supply the software.

[kidmidnight]

You are stupid. IBM no longer makes pc's. They sold off that division. They only will be selling high end power5 based systems with linux and variations of Unix. Apple prices are also exactly the same if not cheaper than equivilant Windows computers. Sorry the only thing that IBM will be providing Microsoft is G5 (THE SAME CHIP APPLE USES) processors for the upcoming Xbox.

[Lord_of_the_Dense]

Watch the comments kidmidnight.

[kidmidnight]

Oh nose! An AOL talking admin on an equally AOL board is talking. Guess I'll go back to SA where the posters have over an 85 IQ.

[infringer]

Welcome to ZP dont let the door hit you in the ass...

Btw my IQ is 139 did a test...

:P

-infringer-

[kidmidnight]

What a witty reply from someone so intelligent. The internet outside of SA is a wasteland of retardation.

[wonderboy2005]

What a witty reply from someone so intelligent. The internet outside of SA is a wasteland of retardation.
If thats the case, then why on earth do you bother coming here? As far as I'm concerned, you can take your crappy attitude and go back to this "SA." It won't bother me a bit.

[black_magiic]

Apple's are great and all but if you actually wont to do something like have fun on your computer with games and such it will be running on a windows pc, not a mac

[SanDiegoKid]

Sorry windows users! Thanks to this being a RISC power pc based processor Apple will get it! You guys should have moved to RISC processors long ago. Now you're stuck with your 486 based garbage. Since this is going to be mass produced for the Playstation the prices and availibility should also be very good for Apple! I knew the IBM partnership would rock!

We will be photoshopping at break neck speeds, for sure.
Not to mention the swift playing of .mp3 files.
It's really going to ROCK MY PANTS!




Meh.

[Lord_of_the_Dense]

Yeah..."Southern Alabama" is a quality place..

btw..happy belated 27th birthday...

On second thought, maybe I will stick with "Something Awful"...

[kidmidnight]

Yeah..."Southern Alabama" is a quality place..

btw..happy belated 27th birthday...

On second thought, maybe I will stick with "Something Awful"...

Internet Detective ahoy!

[FrozenShadow23]

Windows and all it's spyware? And viruses I assume you're implying?

Only reason mac doesn't have a problem with these is that no one wants to ruin something that's already as bad as a mac. If some skript kiddie is looking to do some damage, he isn't going to bomb the proverbial "garbage heap."

[kidmidnight]

Windows and all it's spyware? And viruses I assume you're implying?

Only reason mac doesn't have a problem with these is that no one wants to ruin something that's already as bad as a mac. If some skript kiddie is looking to do some damage, he isn't going to bomb the proverbial "garbage heap."


Good try! You are almost there!

[infringer]

Quite the cunning linguist yourself.

-infringer-

[legendsofaranna]

All I worry is Microsoft Xbox360 9Ghz processor beating this thing but E3 2005 is coming. Anybody going?