Howdy all, time for my Monday posting of EE-Times news of interest to PC types...
Advances in integration continue, just as they always have:
Level 2 cache goes on-chip
The recent debut of Intel's 333-MHz Celeron processor may seem a minor advance in Intel's product line, but it marks a critical inflection point in the evolution of microprocessors. In the past, most PC microprocessors were used with an off-chip Level 2 cache; in the future, most will have all their cache-both first- and second-level-on the same chip with the CPU. Within 18 months, off-chip cache will be the exception rather than the rule in personal computers.
techweb.com
The above article illustrates very well how it is that having everything on a chip makes a more effective (in terms of performance) system than one assembled from two chips. This is as I have claimed. Note also that the change appears first in the lowest end chips. This is as I have claimed. Note that the change is inevitable in the higher end chips, as I have claimed. You are seeing an integration revolution reducing the parts count on the mother board. This revolution will continue over the next five years, and the end product is going to be built like today's pocket calculator. Cheap and commoditized.
A subtle thing to note about all this is that as old external chips are brought into the processor, there are not nearly as many new external chips being added to the motherboard. Therefore, the parts count is being reduced. This has consequences with regard to which manufacturers have advantages.
Something for you server gurus to comment on, I stick to the low end stuff:
Intel's Merced schedule was seen as a 'risk' for Tandem system -- Server rift widens as Compaq chooses Alpha
Cupertino, Calif. - The rift between Intel Corp. and high-end computer makers seemed to widen last week as the Tandem division of Compaq Computer Corp. said it will use the next-generation Alpha processor in its future fault-tolerant NonStop Himalaya systems. The move suggests that Tandem gives the EV7 version of Alpha an edge in performance and time-to-market over Intel's Merced processor.
techweb.com
-- Carl |
