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IBM to Release 64-Bit, 1.8GHz Processor in 2003

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the zippiness dept.

Professor_Quail writes "A Forbes article supposed to be released tomorrow gives some details about the new PowerPC processor that IBM and Apple have been working together on; the chip is slated to be introduced at the end of next year. The introduction of this chip should put to rest any speculation that Apple is moving to an Intel platform."

4 of 592 comments (clear)

  1. news by sstory · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I frequently see articles like this on tech sites. Articles about 64-bit chips, 64-bit linux, 64-bit Windows. None of the articles explains how 64-bit equipment will benefit the user. Perhaps techies assume it's obvious; to them it might be. To the rest of us it isn't. And I don't think I'm speaking from a particularly uninformed position. So can someone please point me to info explaining not the availability of 64-bit processing, but the advantages, capabilities, tradeoffs, etc?

  2. Re:Everyone will still see it as slow by vlad_petric · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Cause they don't really actually run at 2.8GHz.

    Actually they do. What you're missing is the other component of the speed equation, namely the IPC (instructions per cycle). Intel design favors clockspeed to IPC, for obvious marketing reasons, while AMDs designs are more balanced. That's why they get similar performance with considerably slower (in terms of clockspeed) CPUs

    The Raven

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    The Raven

  3. Anyone planning on telling the developers? by hayden · · Score: 5, Interesting
    If Apple is planning on moving to a 64-bit architecture then they'll need to start educating their developers real soon now. If everything is coded properly then there's no problem. In the real world pointers get assumed to be int size or int is assumed to be 32-bits. Also word alignment becomes an issue.

    This is not something they should just spring on their developers.

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  4. Re:Everyone will still see it as slow by LinuxHam · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If IBM makes some whack-ass server software that actually takes advantage of the 64 bit architecture

    They/we already do. It's called zSeries. Like the z800. That's one whack-ass server. Imagine doing self-service web hosting that takes users from first click to a fixed IP dedicated host up and running in 5 to 10 minutes with no additional hardware. Now imagine that kind of service for up to 10,000 or more fully independent hosts in a 19" rack. If I had a some bucks and gumption to start a business, that's exactly what I would do. A z800, the fattest pipes I could buy, and some disk.

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    Intelligent Life on Earth