Some quotes about PS3 CPU

[jvd]

A modern heatpipe-based cooler + large, low-RPM fan easily deals with 100W power dissipation. Check out the new iWill dual Opteron SFF system, it cools mobo, GFX card (up to GF 6800 Ultra), 3 harddrives + optical, 2x90W Opterons + PSU with 2 80mm fans. That's it.

So your sugesting that they are going to put in 50$(if not more) cooling system in a 300$ console ?

 

[Panajev2001a]

Why are they showing this stuff to people who dont grok fused multiply adds?

Or understand what the term tape-out signifies for that matter. Somehow, I think the probability of what you asked is about the same of *other claims* I've heard such as Sony's CTO giving out the specs during a conference to a random person in conversing... eg. near zero.

Vince, vince... YOU are a random person, in fact you did not even get to talk to Masa Chatani .

 

[passerby]

Anyway, I've exchanged a few posts with cpiasminc at PS3I and he's extremely knowledgable. IIRC, he's a PS2 dev who's in-between jobs (I guess this is where the SCEA interviews come in).

Nothing against you or nAo, just that we question this credibility. Deanno's post summed it up quite well. I guess we will just agree to disagree.

 

[Vince]

Vince, vince... YOU are a random person, in fact you did not even get to talk to Masa Chatani .

Um, yes I am and I hope to stay that way. Then again, I try to make what I say the focus and not make fallicious appeals to authority based on who I am...

That being said, Passerby is right, we'll just have to disagree on this one.

 

[V3]

Well, they can still achieve it!
What about a 512 GFlop/s CPU + a 512 GFlop/s GPU?

Not good enough.

 

[Guden Oden]

So your sugesting that they are going to put in 50$(if not more) cooling system in a 300$ console ?

That is what such a cooler may cost retail, produced in relatively small quantities. It's not reflective of what it would cost Sony when manufactured on a massive basis. Besides, $50+ strikes me as a somewhat high price.

 

[McFly]

And a 3 core G5 with a R520 or whatever will not be below 100 W either if clocked as high as expected. Next gen will need a next gen cooling system most likely.

Fredi

 

[Squeak]

It may seem weird that such simple technology (compared to the logic and RAM) - as most cooling systems are - should constitute such a large percentage of a consoles total cost. It could make good sense though, as the cost of a good cooling system can be outweighed by fact that you can get the same performance using smaller, less complex dies, and still get the same performance as without the cooling (because you can clock them higher).
As time goes by and processes shrink, you can eliminate the cooling system, still have high performance and benefit from the process shrinkage.

 

[Megadrive1988]

And a 3 core G5 with a R520 or whatever

the Xbox2 CPU cores might not be based on the G5 processor, which is PowerPC 970 (i believe) and which is a single core version of Power4.

Xbox 2 CPU cores should be based on Power5 somehow. either directly related, or a PowerPC derivative. the nextgen PowerPC processor will be based on Power5. the nextgen PowerPC could have either 1 core or be dual core. but the point is, Xbox2 CPU is probably not the PowerPC 970 that's in G5 Macs.

the Xbox 2 graphics processor is also most likely *not* the R520 aka Fudo. Xbox 2's graphics processor is some derivative of the R400/R500/R600 which all belong to the same family AFAIK. the R520 belongs to the R300/R420 family.

 

[Inane_Dork]

It looks like the "Celeron vs. PIII" and "GF3 or GF4" arguments will go on for another generation, albeit under new names. Boy am I happy about that. :?

 

[SiBoy]

128 APUs would fit nicely with reports from a long time ago (2+ years i think) that PS3's main processor would have upto 16 CPUs in it. (4-16 processors, remember?) That would be 16 PowerPC cores, or whatever cores they decide on. so then we would assume that each of the 16 CPU cores would be in charge of 8 APUs.

sounds crazy but who knows....

The word on the street is six power4 series PPC cores.

 

[one]

128 APUs would fit nicely with reports from a long time ago (2+ years i think) that PS3's main processor would have upto 16 CPUs in it. (4-16 processors, remember?) That would be 16 PowerPC cores, or whatever cores they decide on. so then we would assume that each of the 16 CPU cores would be in charge of 8 APUs.

sounds crazy but who knows....

The word on the street is six power4 series PPC cores.

Where's that street? I've never heard of it
When you talk about Cell's APU/PU, you can speculate its ISA as PPC-extended one, but thinking that they adapt Power4/5 technologies etc for Cell is ridiculous IMO as they are not intended to be embedded in the configuration such as Cell/BE.

 

[Guden Oden]

Xbox 2 CPU cores should be based on Power5 somehow. either directly related, or a PowerPC derivative.

What makes you think that?

Power5 does not match the early leaked specs given for XCPU2, it's also much too large and too costly. Sheeeesh!

the nextgen PowerPC processor will be based on Power5

No, that is wrong, the "next gen" PPC (from IBM) is based on the 970, which is a Power4 derivative.

the Xbox 2 graphics processor is also most likely *not* the R520 aka Fudo.

I'm pretty sure that "fudo" moniker is just a joke from ATi's side, I wouldn't use it if I were you. As for what chip it'll be, it will be something custom that's probably the only thing that's more or less certain at this point.

Speculating "it'll be THIS" or "it'll be THAT" is just pointless, because we don't KNOW, and those who DO know aren't talking.

 

[Gubbi]

Mhz isn't going to matter .

Right. Performance will be measured in GigaBollocks/second.

-Both for PS3 and XBNext, allowing an apples to apples (or bollocks to bollocks) comparison.

Cheers
Gubbi

 

[Deepak]

So with next gen consoles emitting so much heat, only Antarcticians will be able to play them.

 

[vb]

the Xbox2 CPU cores might not be based on the G5 processor, which is PowerPC 970 (i believe) and which is a single core version of Power4.

Xbox 2 CPU cores should be based on Power5 somehow. either directly related, or a PowerPC derivative. the nextgen PowerPC processor will be based on Power5. the nextgen PowerPC could have either 1 core or be dual core. but the point is, Xbox2 CPU is probably not the PowerPC 970 that's in G5 Macs.

Next gen G5 is a dual core PowerPC 970.

 

[London Geezer]

Right. Performance will be measured in GigaBollocks/second.

-Both for PS3 and XBNext, allowing an apples to apples (or bollocks to bollocks) comparison.

 

[jvd]

So your sugesting that they are going to put in 50$(if not more) cooling system in a 300$ console ?

That is what such a cooler may cost retail, produced in relatively small quantities. It's not reflective of what it would cost Sony when manufactured on a massive basis. Besides, $50+ strikes me as a somewhat high price.

Well i do not know the cooler that was suggested which sounds like a full case double heatsink design. But it would be more expensive to make than say the xp 120 which is going for 50$ for the pc .

Even if we we say it costs a 3rd of that to actually make that is still expensive for a 300$ console , esp when u multiply it by 70 million (current ps3 numbers )

 

[Farid]

Even if we we say it costs a 3rd of that to actually make that is still expensive for a 300$ console , esp when u multiply it by 70 million (current ps3 numbers )

Later models won't need the same cooler that the first ones. Just like the first DCs had a water cooling solution.

Also, coolers, as it already been stated, are very simple industrially speaking, it's a massive metallic part and a fan (for the Air cooling systems).
Sony will, surely, design its own model, so the cost will be minimal, only the price of raw material (aluminium/coppers) will matter.

MS will surely buy the ip for their cooler, so it'll be the same scenario that the above.

 

[MfA]

The production of the heatpipes is probably the most expensive parts.