Behold, the power - CELL PCI Express card

[dskneo]

http://www.mc.com/cell/pr/news_deta...31_0900_105320_121687pr.cfm&www.dailytech.com

Mercury MultiCore Plus™ Software
Linux®: Linux with BE-SPU extensions
Windows® XP or Linux
In host operation, operates with customer-supplied Windows XP or Linux operating system.
- SAL (Scientific Algorithm Library): Available
- PAS™ (Parallel Acceleration System): Available
- TATL™ (Trace Analysis Tool and Library): Available
- MCF (MultiCore Framework): Available

Specifications

Cell BE Processor
PPE core: IBM® 64-bit Power Architecture™
L1 cache size: 32 KB instruction; 32 KB data
L2 cache size: 512 KB
SPEs: 8
Local store: 256 KB
Registers: 128 x 128 bits wide
EIB: 179 GB/s sustained aggregate bandwidth
Processor internal clock speed: 2.8 GHz
Processor-to-memory bandwidth: 22.4 GB/s

Memory
Memory: 1 GB XDR DRAM, 2 channels each, 512 MB
ECC support: single-bit correct; double-bit detect
Flash: 2x16 MB
DDR2: 4 GB

Mercury MultiCore Plus™ Software
Linux®: Linux with BE-SPU extensions
Windows® XP or Linux
In host operation, operates with customer-supplied Windows XP or Linux operating system.
SAL (Scientific Algorithm Library): Available
PAS™ (Parallel Acceleration System): Available
TATL™ (Trace Analysis Tool and Library): Available
MCF (MultiCore Framework): Available

Size
Length: 312 mm (12.283 in)
Width: 40.64 mm (1.6 in)
Height: 111.15 mm (4.376 in)
The board dimensions are compatible with the PCI Express x16 Graphics 150W-ATX Specification 1.0.

Environmental
Ambient temperature: 0°C to 35°C
Humidity: 5-95% non-condensing
Altitude
3000 ft at 35°C
7000 ft at 32°C

Power
Cell Accelerator Board with 4 GB DDR2: 210W
Power is provided through the use of two 75W standard connector cables in addition to the 75W power provided through the PCI Express edge connector.

Qualified Chassis/Environments
HP xw9300 workstation
Mercury is developing a multicomputer chassis that will accept multiple Cell Accelerator Boards connected by a PCI Express fabric.

Compliance
Safety: UL 60950-1 and IEC 60950-1
EMC: EN 55022, EN 61000, EN 55024:1998
European Directive 2002/95/EC (RoHS Directive)

7 thousand dollars gives you CELL 2.8 plus 1gb XDR plus 4gb DDR2

do i hear folding?

 

[IgnorancePersonified]

Is this thing going to make my internet go faster?

 

[_xxx_]

http://www.mc.com/cell/pr/news_deta...31_0900_105320_121687pr.cfm&www.dailytech.com

7 thousand dollars gives you CELL 2.8 plus 1gb XDR plus 4gb DDR2

do i hear folding?

Very sweet!!! Though those ambient temperatures seem a bit limited (0-35°C).

 

[inefficient]

This is going to be a dream come true for many people. But why does it have 2 pools of memory? 1GB XDR and 4GB DDR2?

Interesting timing as Mercury was recently bought out by HP.

I bet it's going to be very expensive. But I want one bad!

Edit: $7,999!! God damn!

 

[bobthebub]

Interesting timing as Mercury was recently bought out by HP.

That was a different company - Mercury Interactive

http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2006/060725a.html

 

[StefanS]

I can hear the slogan..

For only 8 grand you can emulate PS3 on your PC!

 

[Thelacky]

I can hear the slogan..

For only 8 grand you can emulate PS3 on your PC!

Not true You're still missing the BR-Drive, PS3 controller and emulation software. I almost forgot the legal costs when Sony take you to court.

I wonder if Sony will get away with calling the PS3 a PC to avoid import tax this time. They tried and failed with PS2.

 

[poopypoo]

i think this may be the weirdest thing i've ever seen. Did it list potential applications!? ';

Oh, ok i read the press release -- it's for graphic workstations eh... well, I'll be curious to see if anyone comes up with a more interesting use for it -- folding sounds pretty rich! XD

 

[Tim Murray]

It sounds TOTALLY AWESOME. If there were ever some ridiculous PC component I wanted for absolutely no reason, this is it. Mainly because I like saying "vector coprocessor" a lot.

 

[Arwin]

I wonder if Sony will get away with calling the PS3 a PC to avoid import tax this time. They tried and failed with PS2.

I feel compelled to remind you that tax benefit was slashed in 2004, so that's not why they do it. I feel they have two major goals

1. Show the Cell is useful in a desktop computer (after all, it was originally developed for the Mac as well)
2. Stimulate independent development, hoping that a large techno-geek fanbase will result in new Killzones and such.

 

[DudeMiester]

This is just what I've been waiting for! Now to get the university to cough up some cash!

 

[Frank]

It sounds TOTALLY AWESOME. If there were ever some ridiculous PC component I wanted for absolutely no reason, this is it. Mainly because I like saying "vector coprocessor" a lot.

Hear, hear!

 

[_xxx_]

It sounds TOTALLY AWESOME. If there were ever some ridiculous PC component I wanted for absolutely no reason, this is it. Mainly because I like saying "vector coprocessor" a lot.

LOL, true. The low-level programmer in me has been giving me itches since I saw the press release here

 

[_xxx_]

I feel compelled to remind you that tax benefit was slashed in 2004, so that's not why they do it. I feel they have two major goals

1. Show the Cell is useful in a desktop computer (after all, it was originally developed for the Mac as well)
2. Stimulate independent development, hoping that a large techno-geek fanbase will result in new Killzones and such.

I tjink that 1. will rather be "show that cell can be used for anything and everything". You'll see it everywhere in Sony products, from cellphones to TV-sets in some reduced or blown-up form respectively. And they'll all have some commonalities to let them communicate and work together in some form. "World-encompassing network" if you wish

That's the plan, at least. If that should somehow really work, we'll be one big step closer to the possibility of a Singularity.