Slashdot Mirror
News on Pentium IV
MotaK writes "Ace's Hardware and ARS-Technica has reported on PC Worlds article on the Willamette Processor, dubbed the P4. This proc. will apparently be only a 200Mhz frontside bus, and launch sometime in 2000. "
← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)
I couldn't disagree more with what they write:
"Itanium won't be relevant for PCs until 2003 at the earliest, more likely 2005,"
Especially because their main argument is:
"Software has yet to be written or recompiled to accommodate a 64-bit processor. "
So, they really think that Microsoft will be able to hold back computer progress once again? Last time, there were no alternatives. You would run 16-bit dos, like it or not, but now we have choice and freedom.
If Microsoft doesn't move fast on this one, they'll be losing market shares on the server end of things in no time, and increasingly rapidly on the desktop too.
If they move fast, however, they will have to abandon their huge installed base and start at the same level as anyone else. It would be dangerous position for a company that has never excelled at quality and innovation.
I think 64-bit architectures may very well turn into Bill Gates' Waterloo; and it will all be over before we know it.
I'm always in a bit of shock after I talk with people that are relative newbies (ie, less knowledgable than us folk :) about computers. They'll tell me something like "I got the 12.2 gig RAMs with a 15" drive and 256 of cache. Of course, it's a Pentium III. They're the fastest, you know."
Explaining that the speed increase between a P2 and a P3 is negligible doesn't seem to help any. They just know that they've got to have that "III," they have to have that "MMX" on there.
I wonder how much longer it will continue like this? Remember the rabid VCR market in the late 80s and early 90s? Maybe it was just my young geek mind, but it seemed to me that there was always some new feature, some great reason to upgrade to the next great generation of VCRs.
Where has that gone? In part, DVDs have increased the upgrade crazy, to be certain. But, if we go back a couple of years, you'll notice a laid-back attitude about these simple devices. "Does it record? Good enough." Again, this might just be my perception.
This same pattern has been repeated with radios, telephones, TVs (to some extent), coffeemakers, refrigerators, and just about any other overpriced gadget that you can think of. They become a commodity.
Is the processor industry going to drive itself into commodity status? I assume so. No doub t that you and I will keep right on upgrading and getting the biggest backside cache and fastest motherboard speed that we can. But as computers are reduced to appliance status, consumers won't care about whether it's a P3 or a P4. They'll just want to know if it's "on the e-mail."
Well, gosh guys, no wonder intel chips are slower than AMD chips. They run Roman Numerals for crying out loud. It probably takes a few more clock cycles to add XX, IV, M and then divide by V than to use that pesky binary stuff.
Personally, I am waiting for the Pentium XXVII, which should be a real screamer.
Try the engine metaphore.
:)
:)
I always tell people that the MHz is more like RPM's and not horsepower...
P-III = V6
Athlon = V8
G4 = V12
Alpha = nitrous burning funny car engine!
My saturns rpm-ometer goes up to 9,000 RPMs... My friends mustang goes to i think 7. Mine needs 3700 RPM's to get to 85, while the mustang needs 1900.
It's a fitting match!
Sorry if i went a little off topic though