Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Intel Corporation (INTC) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Scumbria who wrote (72291)	1/27/1999 3:39:00 PM
From: vegetarian	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 186894

>> The same principles that produced high clock speeds on the 21164 can be applied to x86. Deep pipelines, extra clocks to access the L1, etc. There is nothing magical about designing a high MHz x86 microprocessor. It just requires an architect who can shake his addiction to SPEC. Apparently the Willamette? design team has such an architect.<< I don't disagree that DEC could have produced a high speed X86 arch; they have/had a very talented team. However, it is not as easy as you make it out to be. The main problems are: using a CISC arch and keeping downward compatibility as against using a cleaner RISC Alpha based arch, and making the design such that it can be mass produced for consumers; it is not obvious at least what you say could be easily done. Actually Dirk Meyer left DEC from Alpha design team to lead K7 effort at AMD, and that arch is as close an answer to your question about what DEC could have possibly done with the X86 arch. Which Willamette architect are you talking about now?

To: Scumbria who wrote (72291)	1/27/1999 6:08:00 PM
From: Dave Budde	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 186894

Scumbria, re: "There is enough x86 design talent out there to support a dozen different design teams at about half a dozen companies" Agreed. But there is only one company that has the management talent to get the products done on time, manufactured at a reasonable cost, produced in high enough volume to fill the demand and do all the above in a predictable, recurring and profitable fashion. That company is Intel. Takes more than some good engineers to make a successful product.