IBM's New CPU Hits 4.7GHz without Breaking a Sweat -

[dafloppyone]

While Intel and AMD continue to duke it out on the CPU front, the guys at IBM have unveiled a new dual-core processor that can hit 4.7GHz without sucking up so much power. To be more exact, the Power6 has just two cores, but both of them run at a blistering 4.7GHz - 2.5 times faster than the speediest Power5+ processor. The Power6 also has double the bandwidth and over four times as much cache as the Power5+. Because the Power6 is based on 65nm silicon-on-insulator process technology, IBM boasts the new chip "doubles the speed of the previous generation POWER5 while using nearly the same amount of electricity to run and cool it." To accommodate its new hotness, IBM has also introduced a new server: the System p 570. According to IBM, this machine "claims the No.1 spots in the four most widely used performance benchmarks for Unix servers - SPECint2006, SPECfp2006, SPECjbb2005 and TPC-C"-a first for a single system. Perhaps someone at Apple right now is smacking their forehead as they yell out "doh!"

 

[Justintime]

Yeh but your source is IBM, need independent reviews for the real picture lol.

 

[FirebarUK]

Perhaps someone at Apple right now is smacking their forehead as they yell out "doh!"

I very much doubt it, using an Intel architecture brings so many benefits over powerPC. Such as being able to easily run Windows & Decent Virtualisation programs. To name a few no doubt

 

[Delvis]

Theres a bit more on it here as well:

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/2007/05/21/ibm_releases_power6_processor/

 

[FirebarUK]

Good for HPC stuff

 

[Delvis]

Good for HPC stuff

If only the company i work for had some business rite now

 

[*Chris]

Haha.

 

[FreeStream]

Good for HPC stuff

Doubt it, it aint x86

 

[FirebarUK]

Neither is the Itanium 2 (IA64), although thats used a lot in HPC systems ?