Q&A: the superchip
Holden Frith answers some of the questions raised by the launch of the Chip
How soon will it be before I can buy a product that uses the Cell?
Its first scheduled appearance will be in the Sony PlayStation 3 games console, which should go on sale in early 2006. A prototype is expected to feature at the E3 computer fair in Los Angeles this May.
What difference will it make to the equipment?
The Cell chip is faster than existing microchips because it can work on several tasks at once. Computers with Cell chips can also share processing power so that if one computer is not working at full speed, another connected to it by a network or the internet can make use of its spare computing capacity.
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What difference will Cell users notice?
In games consoles, faster microchips will allow game designers to employ higher quality sound and smoother, more realistic graphics. There is already suggestions that greater use of graphics from Hollywood movies may be possible.
In PCs, the main use will be multimedia applications as Cell chips will be better able to process the vast amount of information delivered by ever-faster broadband internet connections.
According to IBM, today's microchips were created with word processors and spreadsheets in mind and therefore struggle to cope with tasks such as downloading music and displaying video. The Cell chip has been designed to address this shortcoming.
What difference might the Cell make to the price of it make to the price PCs and games consoles?
It will make them more expensive, at least in the early stages of production. Financial analysts have suggested that the high cost of the PlayStation 3, which they predict will have to be priced at between $500 and $750 when it is launched in the United States, will deter potential buyers. As always with computers, though, the price is likely to fall quite rapidly with time.
What is meant by "clock speed" and "flash memory"?
The clock speed of a microchip is a measure of how quickly it can perform calculations and therefore how powerful it is. The 4 Gigahertz Cell chip will be able to perform four billion calculations per second.
Flash memory refers to the ability of a chip to store information so that it doesn't have to send it to another part of the computer for safe keeping. The more information it can store, the faster it will complete its work. Flash memory is familiar to many people who own digital cameras, which use Compact Flash cards to store photographs.
Will the Cell make my existing home PC or games console obsolete, or can I upgrade them?
The PlayStation 3 is likely to replace the PS2 just as that replaced the initial PlayStation in 2000, but there will probably be a crossover period when new game releases will continue for the older model.
Upgrading existing PCs is unlikely to be possible as the new processor requires completely different software. However, since many people do not push their PCs to the limits, the mass desertion of traditional microchips is unlikely in the immediate future.
