[#12]
Re: CELL 64-bit RISC PowerPC revolution!
@TJindy,
post #2
"IBM's radical Cell processor, to debut in the Sony's Playstation 3, could reshape entertainment and spark the next high-tech boom."
The Cell processor has been modeled after supercomputers and their architecture. This allows the cell to run about ten times faster than Intel's most powerful Pentium. The Cell can also run life-like graphics, virtual-reality romps, wireless downloads, real-time video chat, interactive TV shows with multiple endings and much more that has yet to be discovered.
A great example of the Cell's capabilities in running real-time rendering was IBM's tech demo showing a fly over of Mount Rainer. The terrain rendering program allowed you to fly over the landscape at 1,300mph. The Cell processed millions of lines of topographical and photographic data per second to a paint photo realistic movie sequence at 30 frames per second. On a similar program, a Pentium would take more than two minutes to sketch a single frame.
It is said that the PS3 will be like owning your own supercomputer that you can play in your living room. The Playstation 3 can perform 2 trillion calculations per second, which described by Forbes.com is the same kind of power used in seismic exploration and nuclear-weapons design.
Early last year Sony shipped out Cell prototypes and software tools to get developers started on writing new games for the PS3. ""We're seeing stuff that goes dramatically beyond what we can do with the current generation [of games].. and what you will see over time is going to be even more amazing." says Andrew Goldman, chief executive of Pandemic Studios. He says it will take years to fully exploit Cell's capabilities.
So far as tech goes, PS3 seems to have the upper hand. When comparing next gen system specs you find that the PS3 (230 Gigaflops) nearly triples the performance of the Xbox360 (77 Gigaflops). The performance may not differ that much at the launch of the PS3, but in a couple of years once developers are able to utilize the full capabilities of the system, the PS3 is speculated to take leaps ahead of next gen consoles in terms of performance, graphics, and other technologies utilized by Cell.
http://www.ps3land.com/news/article221.php