When I read the Xbox 360 official, marketeering garbage it makes their CPU
seem like a supercomputer. I know it's based on the PowerPC architecture,
but which generation of the PowerPC architecture? How does it compare to the
latest Intel/AMD CPU's?
Does each 360 core have all the features of 6th generation (or is it 7th
generation) CPU's (for example, branch prediction, out-of-order execution,
speculative execution)? Does the 360 have a 64-bit data path or 128-bit? I
have looked for this kind of information, but found nothing but Microsoft
hype/marketeering.
When I read the Xbox 360 official, marketeering garbage it makes their CPU seem like a supercomputer. I know it's based on the PowerPC architecture, but which generation of the PowerPC architecture? How does it compare to the latest Intel/AMD CPU's? Does each 360 core have all the features of 6th generation (or is it 7th generation) CPU's (for example, branch prediction, out-of-order execution, speculative execution)? Does the 360 have a 64-bit data path or 128-bit? I have looked for this kind of information, but found nothing but Microsoft hype/marketeering.
Why do you want to know? What would you do with the information if you
had it? Why does it matter to you? Just buy your 400 dollar bundle and
kill some zombies.
--
Del Cecchi
"This post is my own and doesn’t necessarily represent IBM’s positions,
strategies or opinions.”
On Thu, 21 Sep 2006 15:25:38 -0500, Del Cecchi <cecchinospam@us.ibm.com>
wrote:
Quote:
pigdos wrote:
Quote:
When I read the Xbox 360 official, marketeering garbage it makes their CPU seem like a supercomputer. I know it's based on the PowerPC architecture, but which generation of the PowerPC architecture? How does it compare to the latest Intel/AMD CPU's? Does each 360 core have all the features of 6th generation (or is it 7th generation) CPU's (for example, branch prediction, out-of-order execution, speculative execution)? Does the 360 have a 64-bit data path or 128-bit? I have looked for this kind of information, but found nothing but Microsoft hype/marketeering.
Why do you want to know? What would you do with the information if youhad it? Why does it matter to you? Just buy your 400 dollar bundle andkill some zombies.
When I read the Xbox 360 official, marketeering garbage it makes their CPU seem like a supercomputer. I know it's based on the PowerPC architecture, but which generation of the PowerPC architecture? How does it compare to the latest Intel/AMD CPU's?
From what I've read about it in the past, it's a version of the core
that they used inside the last generation of PPC Macintoshes, the G5.
It has 3 of those cores, but probably a smaller cache than the G5 did.
Those are just what I read in the past, and no I don't have any links
for it.
Yousuf, I've also heard that the Xbox360 CPU lacks branch prediction and
speculative execution. Is this true? It's obvious Microsoft is deliberately
keeping everyone in the dark about the exact specs on this processor.
Probably because they don't want anyone to know how feeble it really is.
I beleive I saw benchmarks last year (SpecINT, SpecFP) of various Athlon 64
systems that beat out the G5's.
--
Doug
"YKhan" <yjkhan@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1158876987.454832.77950@m7g2000cwm.googlegrou ps.com...
Quote:
pigdos wrote:
Quote:
When I read the Xbox 360 official, marketeering garbage it makes their CPU seem like a supercomputer. I know it's based on the PowerPC architecture, but which generation of the PowerPC architecture? How does it compare to the latest Intel/AMD CPU's?From what I've read about it in the past, it's a version of the core
that they used inside the last generation of PPC Macintoshes, the G5. It has 3 of those cores, but probably a smaller cache than the G5 did. Those are just what I read in the past, and no I don't have any links for it. Yousuf Khan
"YKhan" <yjkhan@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1158876987.454832.77950@m7g2000cwm.googlegrou ps.com...
Quote:
pigdos wrote:
Quote:
When I read the Xbox 360 official, marketeering garbage it makes their CPU seem like a supercomputer. I know it's based on the PowerPC architecture, but which generation of the PowerPC architecture? How does it compare to the latest Intel/AMD CPU's?From what I've read about it in the past, it's a version of the core
that they used inside the last generation of PPC Macintoshes, the G5. It has 3 of those cores, but probably a smaller cache than the G5 did. Those are just what I read in the past, and no I don't have any links for it. Yousuf Khan
Sigh. Those who know aren't talking and those who talk don't know. At
least pigdos didn't crosspost all over the place.
On Thu, 21 Sep 2006 15:25:38 -0500, Del Cecchi <cecchinospam@us.ibm.com> wrote:
Quote:
pigdos wrote:
Quote:
When I read the Xbox 360 official, marketeering garbage it makes their CPU seem like a supercomputer. I know it's based on the PowerPC architecture, but which generation of the PowerPC architecture? How does it compare to the latest Intel/AMD CPU's? Does each 360 core have all the features of 6th generation (or is it 7th generation) CPU's (for example, branch prediction, out-of-order execution, speculative execution)? Does the 360 have a 64-bit data path or 128-bit? I have looked for this kind of information, but found nothing but Microsoft hype/marketeering.
Why do you want to know? What would you do with the information if youhad it? Why does it matter to you? Just buy your 400 dollar bundle andkill some zombies.
In article <1158876987.454832.77950@m7g2000cwm.googlegroups.co m>, yjkhan@gmail.com says...
Quote:
pigdos wrote:
Quote:
When I read the Xbox 360 official, marketeering garbage it makes their CPU seem like a supercomputer. I know it's based on the PowerPC architecture, but which generation of the PowerPC architecture? How does it compare to the latest Intel/AMD CPU's?From what I've read about it in the past, it's a version of the core
that they used inside the last generation of PPC Macintoshes, the G5. It has 3 of those cores, but probably a smaller cache than the G5 did. Those are just what I read in the past, and no I don't have any links for it.
Bzzzt! Wrong answer. Here is your consolation prize...
On Thu, 21 Sep 2006 20:18:54 GMT, "pigdos" <NA@nowhere.com> wrote:
Quote:
When I read the Xbox 360 official, marketeering garbage it makes their CPUseem like a supercomputer. I know it's based on the PowerPC architecture,but which generation of the PowerPC architecture?
The XBox 360 uses a triple-core chip where each core is pretty similar
to the one PPE of the Cell processor. It definitely does *not* appear
to be based off the PowerPC 970 (aka the "G5" when in the Steve Jobs
Reality Distortion Field), or the Power5, or really any other current
processor. It bears more resemblance to an old PowerPC 750 (aka
"G3"), though chances are that the chip was for the most part a new
design.
Quote:
How does it compare to the latest Intel/AMD CPU's?
It's quite a simple design when compared to the latest and greatest
from AMD and Intel. However it does have 3 cores on a single die and
it runs at 3.2GHz, which helps make up for the lack of some features.
It is also an SMT capable (aka "Hyperthreading" in Intel-speak), so
the chip can handle up to 6 simultaneous threads.
Quote:
Does each 360 core have all the features of 6th generation (or is it 7thgeneration) CPU's (for example, branch prediction, out-of-order execution,speculative execution)?
Beyond that, I don't know much more. The chip does have branch
prediction but not out-of-order execution or speculative execution.
Quote:
Does the 360 have a 64-bit data path or 128-bit? I
??? I'm not really sure what you mean here. Are you asking about the
path to L2 cache, memory or I/O? The path to L2 cache is 256-bit and
1.6GHz, memory is 256-bit and 1.6GT/s (800MHz DDR I believe, though it
might be 400MHz QDR).
The memory bandwidth is probably the biggest strength of this chip for
the sorts of applications it's likely to run. Combine that with it's
VMX vector units and it can crunch a lot of numbers if they're all
lined up right. The chip probably wouldn't be too hot as a general
purpose CPU, but within the limited scope of a game console chip and
of course the fixed-hardware and development environment of the whole
thing it probably works out pretty well.
-------------
Tony Hill
hilla <underscore> 20 <at> yahoo <dot> ca
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Xbox 360 CPU: hype or reality?
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