eight SPU cell chip for PS3?

[bbot]

http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/playstation-3/ps3-powerhouse-hits-cellular-snag-033780.php

 

[Titanio]

They say that a 4-SPU setup has been widely rumoured, but I would think 8-SPUs has been much more widely speculated?

 

[jvd]

I've heard the 4spu deal before , though i never belived it , I've allways believed in a lower clocked 8spu deal .

4spus maybe depending on when tehy need to launch the system ? If the xenon is under whelming they would go with a 4spu ?

 

[London Geezer]

Well if they use 4SPU Cells, they could have a 2Core x 4SPU (total 8 SPUs and 2 cores) configuration, instead of the rumoured 1Core x 8SPUs.
Not sure which would be better.

 

[JF_Aidan_Pryde]

Well if they use 4SPU Cells, they could have a 2Core x 4SPU (total 8 SPUs and 2 cores) configuration, instead of the rumoured 1Core x 8SPUs.
Not sure which would be better.

I've always wondered, what would be the use of 2 PPEs? They are meant to handle the OS. They are already multi-threaded. What good would two PPEs do? Would caches be kept coherent across them? :?

 

[London Geezer]

Well if they use 4SPU Cells, they could have a 2Core x 4SPU (total 8 SPUs and 2 cores) configuration, instead of the rumoured 1Core x 8SPUs.
Not sure which would be better.

I've always wondered, what would be the use of 2 PPEs? They are meant to handle the OS. They are already multi-threaded. What good would two PPEs do? Would caches be kept coherent across them? :?

My questions too

 

[marconelly!]

Sadly, IBM, which is manufacturing the chips for Sony

Hmm, is this really true? I clearly remember the announcement that Sony is going to be fabbing these chips in their own (Nagasaki?) plant.

 

[one]

Sadly, IBM, which is manufacturing the chips for Sony

Hmm, is this really true? I clearly remember the announcement that Sony is going to be fabbing these chips in their own (Nagasaki?) plant.

From the top page http://www.kotaku.com/ it looks like this blog is fed on rumors pulled out of his own ass...

 

[cthellis42]

Rumors? On the internet?!!

 

[London Geezer]

Rumors? On the internet?!!

That is just LIES.

 

[Megadrive1988]

If PS3 Cell CPU has only 4 SPEs (not 4 PEs, but more like half a PE ! ) and pushes only around 128 GFLOPs, I don't see a 4-SPE Cell CPU in PS3 being much better than Xenon's reported 3-core CPU.

128 GFLOPs vs 80~100 GFLOPs


even a 6 SPE-Cell wouldn't be that great.


and I was just getting over the disappointment of realizing that PS3 wasn't likely to have more than 1 PE with 1 PPE and 8 SPEs.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

If PS3's Cells are a 1+4 configuration, it'd have to be a 2x (1+4) setup at least or they've totally lost the point of all their investment. Why spend that many billions and years if what you com up with at the end is no more capable than a tri-core PPC, especially if you then have this fancy CPU take up half the graphics work with a half-baked GPU?

I can't see it happening. It'll be the end of the PlayStation dream if the PS3 ends up so impotent after all these promises.

 

[Megadrive1988]

If PS3's Cells are a 1+4 configuration, it'd have to be a 2x (1+4) setup at least or they've totally lost the point of all their investment. Why spend that many billions and years if what you com up with at the end is no more capable than a tri-core PPC, especially if you then have this fancy CPU take up half the graphics work with a half-baked GPU?

I can't see it happening. It'll be the end of the PlayStation dream if the PS3 ends up so impotent after all these promises.

pretty much agreed. that said, I don't think Sony will let the industry down with a weak PS3.

 

[hugo]

How about having 4PPEs with 16 SPEs?The current Cell is @ 90nm but if they go 65nm the ideal 4 PPE setup may be possible.

 

[MrSingh]

even a 6 SPE-Cell wouldn't be that great.

 

[j^aws]

even a 6 SPE-Cell wouldn't be that great.

So what are you saying now...it's a 1:6 config now? ...Didn't you recently say something like '1:8, believe it'? ... Are you meant to be some insider?

 

[version]

ibm made a EIB bus with 4 rings for 8 SPE (source-destination *4)
if sony change the SPE count then must to do another bus

why made ibm a cell with 8 spe if sony not use it ? impossible

 

[ZoinKs!]

why made ibm a cell with 8 spe if sony not use it ? impossible

IBM has plans for Cell that has nothing to do with Sony and the PS3.

 

[j^aws]

ibm made a EIB bus with 4 rings for 8 SPE (source-destination *4)
if sony change the SPE count then must to do another bus

why made ibm a cell with 8 spe if sony not use it ? impossible

The CELL processor has flexible nos. of SPE's. I suppose it would have a flexible EIB ring bus. This would suggest that the smallest CELL processor would be a 1:2, i.e. 1 PPE and 2 SPEs with an EIB ring bus.

 

[Paul]

Just wait for it....