Linked by Thom Holwerda on Fri 27th Nov 2009 22:10 UTC
IBM "IBM likes to go on and on about the transaction processing power and I/O bandwidth of its System z mainframes, but now there is a new and much bigger kid on the block. Its name is the Power Systems IH supercomputing node, based on the company's forthcoming Power7 processors and a new homegrown switching system that blends optical and copper interconnects. The Power7 IH node was on display at the SC09 supercomputer trade show last week in Portland, Oregon, and El Reg was on hand to get the scoop from the techies who designed the iron. This server node is the heart of the 20 petaflop 'Blue Waters' supercomputer being installed at the University of Illinois."
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RE[4]: Comment by strim
by BluenoseJake on Sun 29th Nov 2009 13:43 UTC in reply to "RE[3]: Comment by strim"
BluenoseJake
Member since:
2005-08-11

All the really important features of current CPUs, AMD had first. Multi-core? AMD had it before Intel. On chip memory controller? AMD had it before Intel. AMD had Hypertransport years before Intel had CSI (and that's just on Nehalems). They even broke 1Ghz first, back in the day.

AMD may be behind right now, but for most of this decade, Intel has been following AMD.

Reply Parent Score: 4

RE[5]: Comment by strim
by cerbie on Sun 29th Nov 2009 16:39 in reply to "RE[4]: Comment by strim"
cerbie Member since:
2006-01-02

You have to spend $150+ on an Intel CPU for a general case improvement. Even in an area where power is expensive (idle is much better w/ i5), they aren't looking shabby at all. S3 helps alleviate the idle power problem, too.

It's much more than Intel and AMD have vested interests in x86, to the point that nothing else has been able to keep a good foothold. ARM could prove to be proper competition; but with Apple, and not IBM, truly backing it, PPC was dead, regardless of any technical merit chips built using it may have or have had.

Edited 2009-11-29 16:56 UTC

Reply Parent Score: 2

RE[6]: Comment by strim
by BluenoseJake on Sun 29th Nov 2009 17:24 in reply to "RE[5]: Comment by strim"
BluenoseJake Member since:
2005-08-11

Most consumers have a vested interest in x86, in that most of their apps run on x86. They just don't know it.

Reply Parent Score: 2