Power5 chip in the gamecube 2 ?

[jvd]

Been reading up on this chip . It seems like this would be a great chip and will most likely be found in the next gen nitendo console.

Although the Power5 is based on the Power4+ chip currently on the market, Tendler said adding multithreading required IBM to insert a number of features. For example, the number of "rename registers"--used by the processor to hold data during operation-- has been expanded from 80 to 120, to avoid conflict between different chip subcomponents over resources. The chip was also designed so that a computer's operating system can prioritize tasks between threads.

Because of the new functions, the Power5 is about 24 percent larger than the Power4+ and contains more transistors--which adds energy-consumption and manufacturing costs. Brookwood pointed out that multithreading will boost gross power consumption. But Tendler asserted that the trade-off is worth it, because chip performance goes up about 40 percent.

Seems like it fit in very nicely for a console.

 

[DeadmeatGA]

...

Nope. IBM dropped Nintendo after signing with SCEI to develop CELL. Nintendo is back at NEC for CPU supplies, if N5 ever gets out of door. But N5 is already delayed beyond 2006 according to Japanese news sources..

 

[zsouthboy]

Re: ...

Nope. IBM dropped Nintendo after signing with SCEI develop CELL. Nintendo is back to NEC for CPU supplies, if N5 ever gets out of door. But N5 is already delayed beyond 2006 according to Japanese news sources..

Link?

I was under the impression that they could and were going to do both CELL and whatever nintendo wants.....

 

[bas1975]

"Nope. IBM dropped Nintendo after signing with SCEI develop CELL. "

Care to let everybody else in the world know where you got this little tidbit from?

 

[Fox5]

Well, nintendo is creating a new processor with NEC, but that could mean practically anything.

BTW, since when was Nintendo ever with NEC for the cpu or the gpu? NES I think was motorola, snes probably the same, n64 was sgi, and gamecube was ibm. It was sega who was with NEC.

 

[DeadmeatGA]

...

since when was Nintendo ever with NEC for the cpu or the gpu

N64 actually...

Virtual Boy : CPU : NEC V800 series(Don't recall the exact part)
Nintendo64 : CPU : NEC VR4300 GPU : Fabbed by NEC
GC : GPU Fabbed by NEC

 

[Tagrineth]

Well, nintendo is creating a new processor with NEC, but that could mean practically anything.

BTW, since when was Nintendo ever with NEC for the cpu or the gpu? NES I think was motorola, snes probably the same, n64 was sgi, and gamecube was ibm. It was sega who was with NEC.

NES and SNES use 6502 and 65816, respectively... produced by GTE, now Verizon. The PPU's of both were developed by Ricoh.

And N64's CPU was MIPS r4300i... graphics by SGI.

If I'm not mistaken, however, Flipper is being fabbed by NEC.

 

[PC-Engine]

Virtual Boy used an NEC V810 or V820.
The N64 used NEC's version of a MIPS core hence the VR designation. Toshiba also has a MIPS license like NEC and makes their own MIPS cores. IF the CPU for the N5 is being desgined by NEC, then it wil probably be a highly parrallel design. Probably a MIPS core with like 64 SIMD units or 16 VUs.

 

[Cyborg]

Or NEC's cray project.. but thats a bit far fetched for a home console

NEC's parallel image processor we talked about a long time ago here, the 128 8bit cores with a 16bit controller @ 100mhz that had like 4 or 5 times the processing power of a P4 3Ghz, that would be a great option for nintendo to look at. Low power consumption, it was on 0.18, 30'ish M transistors, 1.8V.

512 cores @ 500mhz would give a neat 1TeraOps, with 1024KB of image ram (based on the specs NEC gave for the ammount of memory on each cores). On 90nm i think NEC could offer this to nintendo without an astronomical cost of production.

And since the processor isnt too transistor heavy, why not add more ram per 8bit cores, go from 2KB to 8KB, giving 4MB worth of IRam.


I think whatever NEC can offer, its probably nintendo's best option if they ever want to get as close as they can get to CELL without insane ammounts of R&D, Intel nor AMD will offer nintendo these kind of performances, and we can forget about IBM offering a CELL license to nintendo.. or can we?

 

[London Geezer]

wasnt ATI going to do something for nintendo??? but now ATI is on Xbox2... and IBM on ps3.... head hurts....
how about nvidia? now that microsoft is going to ATI, is nvidia just gonna stay out of the console market? been thinking about this for a while actually...

 

[cybamerc]

Deadmeat is a moron and I doubt Power5 will be used in a console. Maybe a modified 970 or 980 with some Power5 tech in it (say SMT) and perhaps multiple AltiVec units.

 

[Qroach]

Deadmeat is a moron

Cybermerc, perhaps you should have your posts edited or something as you simply can't comment on anything without insulting anyone.

 

[London Geezer]

well he is...
i mean... i know no one should insult anyone, but come on, i mean, look at his made up FAQ on Cell... ridiculous...
still we shouldn't say he's a moron.

 

[cybamerc]

Qroach:

Deadmeat's posts are an insult to common intelligence. At least my comment has some truth to it unlike the FUD he spews.

 

[London Geezer]

Qroach:

Deadmeat's posts are an insult to common intelligence. At least my comment has some truth to it unlike the FUD he spews.

we know that. but under the rules u cannot say he's a moron. just like u cant say Chap should just leave his head where it belongs: up his ass.

see, cant do that here... u'll have to make do with sarcasem which will very rarely be picked up by fellow members, or just leave it.

 

[cybamerc]

Well, I didn't say he's a moron... I wrote it

 

[London Geezer]

Well, I didn't say he's a moron... I wrote it

oh. i might have to edit my posts. see, u CAN say it. even very loudly if that helps. but u CANNOT write it

 

[jvd]

No you can't and if yuo try it again you will be banned. Now i have to lock this thread since for what 5 posts it had nothing to do with its subject. Way to go guys