[Eug Wanker]

This was posted at Ars: http://www-901.ibm.com/servers/eserv...lreport_1.html

Translated from Chinese:

According to IBM indicated that, the Power5 time arteries will be situated between 1.6GHz to 2GHz, next year will promote 90nm system regulation according to the Power4+ pattern Power5+, when the arteries might arrive 3GHz. IBM estimated 1.6GHz Power5 may achieve 1.3GHz Power4 two time of potency. Moreover, IBM as the foundation constructs the larger-scale multi-processor system take Power5, PowerPC 975 also directly continues to use the Power5 core. But, was opposite with initially the Power4 strategy, Power5 as soon as will start by the lower step server primarily, in the future only then gradually to extend to the high step server. Behind this represents strategy transition, worth noting.

[OreoCookie]

I like the last sentence

[Mithras]

Man, Eug, you should figure out how to get paid for this. Seriously, I don't know anyone who reads more tech news than you.

[Eug Wanker]

Originally posted by Mithras:
Man, Eug, you should figure out how to get paid for this. Seriously, I don't know anyone who reads more tech news than you.

Heheh. I got this from Ars. Now those guys are really hard core.

Anyways, I liked this statement from that article:

"IBM estimated 1.6GHz Power5 may achieve 1.3GHz Power4 two time of potency."

So a POWER5 1.6 can be twice as fast as a POWER4 1.3. I guess it was IBM talking about SMT again, so it's a bit of hyperbole. Nonetheless it'd be really nice if some of that performance gain is inherited in the so-called PPC 975 at least in some apps.

[power142]

Originally posted by Eug Wanker:
Nonetheless it'd be really nice if some of that performance gain is inherited in the so-called PPC 975 at least in some apps.

I'd hope we'd go forward rather than back, too

[i_wolf]

It is altogether conceivable that the 3GHz PPC chips that Steve was promising are going to be based on the PPC 980 or PPC975 or whatever the Power 5 derivative is. I would imagine that if this was the case Apple would continue to market them as G5's nonetheless... maybe a G5+
I believe I read somewhere (i will try and dig a link) that the 975/980 is due to scale to 3GHz. This would fit in with Apple's promise of 3GHz PowerMac's this Summer.

[blackwind]

Originally posted by i_wolf:
It is altogether conceivable that the 3GHz PPC chips that Steve was promising are going to be based on the PPC 980 or PPC975 or whatever the Power 5 derivative is. I would imagine that if this was the case Apple would continue to market them as G5's nonetheless... maybe a G5+
I believe I read somewhere (i will try and dig a link) that the 975/980 is due to scale to 3GHz. This would fit in with Apple's promise of 3GHz PowerMac's this Summer.

This depends on whether IBM releases a PowerPC 975 this summer. Also, just because a processor can scale to 3-GHz does not (necessarily) mean that its initial release will be at 3 GHz.

Remember, the Prescott (Pentium 4E) was supposed to scale to over 4 GHz, but it was released initially at only 3.2-GHz. Of course, IBM is not Intel, but I doubt that the phrase "due to scale to" would vary greatly in the industry. If IBM planned to launch at 3-GHz, it would probably say so.

[Eug Wanker]

I posted this article because it seems to be the first (indirect) confirmation that IBM will be releasing a POWER5-lite chip, and which actually puts a name to it... and IBM goes as far as to put that article on its own site. ie. It's been rumoured for quite some time, but this makes it more than just rumour now.

However, I still think the WWDC update will bring "only" a 970FX derivative, at maybe 2.5-2.6 GHz at the top end. It could go 2.7-2.8 GHz from a power perspective, but that seems to be pushing it. A 3 GHz chip could be the PPC 975, but who knows when it will be released.