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The Quest for More Processing Power

Hack Jandy writes "AnandTech has a very thorough, but not overly technical, article detailing CPU scaling over the last decade or so. The author goes into specific details on how CPUs have overcome limitations of die size, instruction size and power to design the next generation of chips. Part I, published today, talks specifically about the limitations of multiple cores and multiple threads on processors."

6 of 104 comments (clear)

  1. There can only be one by 2.7182 · · Score: 4, Funny

    the quantum computer!! Until then we'll have to suck it up with these Si things.

  2. Pun by 2.7182 · · Score: 2, Funny

    From my point of view, chips lead to more bloat.

  3. Limitations... by MosesJones · · Score: 2, Funny


    Ummm, my home machine has a 400MHz processor running Suse. I'm thinking of upgrading, as I have every 6 months for 5 years, but I just keep waiting for the "next" best thing rather than upgrading now.

    There are mobile phones more powerful than my home PC, but it does the job.

    The wonder of these future boxes is that we will STILL be able to write code that makes them run slow. Roll on Longhorn I say!

    --
    An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
  4. Re:We don’t need more “power” by Leroy_Brown242 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Smart power, not more power? How unamerican!

    TERRORIST!

  5. just a thought by zenst · · Score: 3, Funny

    Now I only have a very limated understanding of the issues and electronics, given my lack of electronics experience. But couldn';t the leakage by utilised in a some form of intigrated peltier coolining to help pump the heat out of the chip and as such making it cooler help in a small way to reduce leakage. ANother, and call it wacky thought that struck me ws why not have another layer of large silicon that is powered by the leakage. It look to me that the leaked power from the 70mn process is nearly enough for the total power on the 90mn process and then the leakage from the 90 would do something just over the 180mn process. In a sence another form of heat pump :). Anyhow I'm sure I've either given you electronics guru's somthing to thing about or at the very least, laugh about. Enjoy :)

  6. Re:Quick answer by i+am+fishhead · · Score: 2, Funny

    Remember -- if you run DOS on a CPU with a large enough L2 cache, you can fit the entire address space minus extended or expanded memory (or whatever they called it) into L2 cache!