PPCNux (German) as well as Pegasos-Forum (German) report about new information about Genesi’s new G5 based mainboard. The mainboard which will feature the PowerPC 970MP CPU will have the new microBTX format (26.4×26.7cm/10.4″x10.5″). As system controller IBM’s 945 northbridge was chosen which is the corresponding version of the current PowerMac’s system controller. ATI will provide the graphics chipset for the new mainboard. It is currently not known which product name the mainboard will have. In addition, Mupper 1.0 has been released.
I wonder how much is it going to cost, and if it will really be affordable.
I don’t mean to sound like a whiner, but why can’t they find some graphics chipset that has some 3d power on the ppc platform? why waste time on some ATI or NVidia crap if we can get better acceleration on another chipset?
Because it’s a waste of time and recources to support some chipset/card that 1) nobody haves 2) costs loads, resulting step 1.
Like what? An S3 Virge? Intel Extreme Graphics?
Find me a GPU that is faster than G70/R520.
And once again my totally logical reply to a dumbass parent poster gets modded down. Seriously kids, what’s with the Linux wankfest?
Someone point out how my original comment deserved a -5.
Where would one go to get a PPC 970MP to use with this board?
Genesi sells the cpu with the motherboard.
unlike most x86 motherboards.
nels
why can’t they find some graphics chipset that has some 3d power on the ppc platform?
I might be misunderstanding your statement to be about the general PPC/mac market and not just this board, but FYI the latest PowerMacs now support the Geforce 7800 and Quadro 4500. It’s been a long time coming for PowerMacs to have decent 3D card options, but it’s great to see support for them now.
Those cards only have 3D support under MacOS on PPC; this board is most likely to be used with Linux. ATi 3D support on Linux/PPC goes up to the Radeon 9200 or so, and not particularly fast; that is what the poster was refering to.
Still onboard graphics from ATI doesn’t mean you can’t put in an Nvidia-card if you prefer to. Also MorphOS have got ATI drivers for long so maybe they got decent drivers for them since they don’t are open-source(?) in MorphOS anyway.
Are you sure? I know for x86 Linux the support STARTS with the 9200, not ends with it.
OPEN SOURCE support for ATI ends with the 9200. Closed source ATI drivers then pick up from there. That’s what he meant. The open source part is critical since a small OS like MorphOS won’t get closed source driver support from ATI.
This has always been a big problem for alternat OSes. No GPU manufacturer today releases programming specs on the latest GPUs. With ATI, the last GPU alternat OS folks can support is the 9200. With VIA/S3, it is UniChrome. I forget what the last open GPU from nVidia is.
The opensource drivers are so much slower anyway, if I was working on MorphOS the best solution would be to be driver compatible with linux.
The Bill Buck and Raquel Velasco Blog site says that they are planning to sell this board at a reasonable price.
http://bbrv.blogspot.com/2005/10/still-in-neighborhood.html
Sure you can find also a pretty PPC G5 based postcard dedicated to the community there…
http://static.flickr.com/25/55725248_f34827dcc9_o.jpg
Again: On the site seem they are looking for the better support for graphics, aiming at ATI.
I don’t know if they are planning to add on the motherboard a graphic chip on-board…
Mainboard is microATX form factor (don’t forget this fact).
An onboard chip solution will avoid the use of a card connected to BUS that RISES up from the motherboard.
This feature seems good for server usage of the new platform…
Also this fact will allow more opportunities to cool entire motherboard.
(The users who want a complete PCI-Express solution, then they will buy graphic cards of their choice and enhance cooling system by themselves)
MORE! The PPC G5 used in this motherboard are sure the new PPC 970MP of incoming next generation to be released soon.
These new CPUs solve most of the heat dissipation problems of first series of PPC G5.
And is interesting to point at the fact that IBM licenced to Genesi the use of the 945 northbridge, which equipped POWER series of Macintosh and that “BigBlue” firm developed times ago to accomplish Apple requests.
Regarding the ATI factor; if they include a 128MB ATI Radeon x600 on an PCIe bus, it would basically put off the requirement to overhaul the chipsetup for up to two years.
This computer right now, iMac g5, has a 64MB video card; considering that I don’t intend to run ultra-RPG, it isn’t as though I’d need the extra power that the new iMacs will bring; same will go for this board; considering that the number of games out there is zero, the main drawing factor to the board will be for hardware geeks, operating system porters, those who are interested in selling white box servers using this board/processor como and those who seek the “I’m different from the rest’ factor.
Personally, what IBM need to do is start offering incentives to get software and operating systems ported to PPC; rewards, incentives etc. it would grow the PPC ecosystem and thus make it a viable 64bit competitor to Intel and AMD.
Edited 2005-10-30 22:46
And I’d love to see Solaris being offered on it; admittingly there is a port already, but it would be nice to see more support putt behind it; it would definately give the PPC platform that profile it needs as a viable alternative, not only as a basis for a workstation but also as a server.
What does Genisis plan on shipping with the board operating system wise? They used to ship morphos, however they broke contract with the morphos team(and quit paying for development claiming checks are in the mail). So will they be shipping PPC Linux cds? I dunno how moral it is to purchase hardware from such a company that turns it’s back on developers and then sets up websites claiming they own all rights to the work of developers that are only licensing their work…
“Turns the back on developers and owns the rights to the work done!?”
Sorry,never saw them do that. They do not even ship MorphOS with the platform any more.
Where have you been?!
http://www.genesippc.com/morphos_statement.php
Why would MorphZone exist if you are correct?
http://www.morphzone.org/modules/bounty/thanks.php (you missed who is the main/the Sponsor?)
Are you an OS4 troll? Are you Mike Bouma?
Genesi is hard working and have donated MANYmachines to the open source movement. Who are you?
They look like they are still supporting MorphOS still as they can to me (scroll down): http://www.virtualgrandprix2.com/
m/
They wrote some more good blogs too:
http://bbrv.blogspot.com/2005/10/ipod-next.html
http://bbrv.blogspot.com/2005/10/newtons-third-law.html
And for MorphOS:
http://bbrv.blogspot.com/2005/04/mighty-mighty-morphos.html
There are many more. _-*’*-._-*’*-._konnichiwa ,,,,,,,,,,,(^-^)////
I would to correct something related to this news. This information indeed mentions the IBM’s 945 northbridge as being used in those new mainborad, and notes that this is the corresponding version of the current PowerMac’s system controlle. Thats a mistake, apple does not use an IBM northbridge, Apple use their own designed controller system, U3. Apple use also its own designed I/O controler, KeyLargo.
Seems to be the same chip. Run this through Babelfish
http://www.ppcnux.de/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=3737
No its not the same as the current powermac. If you look a little bit more, IBM call this northbridge CPC925. If you look at the doc of IBM, this ASIC matches previous system controller that apple used before they introduced PowerPC970MP based machines, which was called U3(H). For the new systemes we still do not know how apple call its new controller system, but we know that it supports PCIExpress, DDR2, and dual cores powerpc. The CPC925 supports PCI/PCI-X, DDR, and works only with the Powerpc970 FX.
So definitly, the system controler used by Genesis is not the corresponding version of the current PowerMac’s system controller.
>No its not the same as the current powermac. If you
>look a little bit more, IBM call this northbridge
>CPC925.
Read the article again please. Genesi will not use
the 925 but the 945 and the 945 has exactly the same
features as the PowerMac northbrdige.
My order is pedning. 🙂
From the postcard on their blogsite BB&RV hint that PPG5 on the notherboad could be single or double version.. And both CPU’s will be double core???
The new dual-PPC chip from PA Semi,
now an affordable board with that will REALLY attract…
Genesi and PA Semi are both members of http://www.power.org so it would not surprise me to see Genesi and PA working together in mid-2006 when the first PA chips are ready. After all genesi works with all the other PPC vendors already – Freescale, IBM and AMCC. I would only worry if I was Freescale because PA looks like they have Freescale’s customer base in mind. If PA can do what they claim Freescale’s lock on telecom and other embedded markets is seriously threatened. It makes sense for PA to work with Genesi too as PA needs to build communities around their reference designs and Genesi has successfully done this in a big way already.
m/
That iPod rant reminds me of a Steve Jobs quote I just read today: “…but you’ve got to be sure it’s not a technology in search of a problem.”
Then again it never really seemed like BBRV had much of an idea of where markets were actually going. Set top boxes? PDA portals? SmartCards? Nu-uh. Try again. And again. And again.
That’s why Jobs is a billionaire at 50 while BBRV will still be making snide comments and trying to out-Jobs Steve Jobs ten years from now – that is if he can still find the venture capital. Sooner or later too many bridges will be burnt.
At least it’s a case of “the more the merrier” when it comes to the ppc platform.
What snide remarks? Are we talking about the same blog…
http://bbrv.blogspot.com/2005/10/ipod-next.html
I read that they compliment Apple and Steve Jobs specifically (they certainly did in the prvious iPod blog). I think you are missing the point. The SIM in a mobile is the same chip as a smart card and they are suggesting the as broadband networks become more common and available – anywhere – that the mobile industry in in trouble. That is if Apple can make the jump to an internet supported video “skype” phone who needs a mobille. I think they are being very complimentary of Apple. Also, if I am not mistaken Genesi is self-funded (according to their website). I bet they neither want or need VC funding.
Are you Denmark? Did you see this one?
http://bbrv.blogspot.com/2005/10/chicken-in-every-pot-and-car-in-ev…
m/
I think you are right: http://bbrv.blogspot.com/2005/11/wake-up-call_01.html They clearly agree with Apple’s approach and also congratulate them.
If they match great hardware with great firmware and great documentation, I’m all over it.