IBM announces Power6, world’s fastest CPU
Do you still think the best processors are either from Intel or AMD? Well, the world is bigger than you thought: IBM has announced a new p570 Unix server based on the next generation Power6 processor which it claims beats all its competitors in standard benchmarks, while doubling the electrical power efficiency of the previous model, the Power5 processor. The p570 is the first computer ever to hold all four benchmark speed records, according to product manager Ross Mauri, coming top in transactions, throughput, floating point, and Java. He said one Power6 processor is three times more powerful than IBM’s highly parallel, multi-processor (and very expensive) Deep Blue system from 1997. The p570 accepts modules starting at four cores up to 16 cores, with 48 Gbyte RAM per core, for a maximum of 768 Gbyte.
IBM claimed a number of other firsts at the international launch, held in London, including the fastest-running Unix processor; it comes in 3.5GHz, 4.2GHz and 4.7GHz variants. According to IBM, the key to the p570’s performance is its balanced design of cache and bandwidth. Each 65nm Power6 core has 8 Mbyte of cache, four times that of the Power5. Chip designer and IBM Fellow Brad McCredie said that the chip’s power savings were achieved by aggressive power management techniques such as turning off unused elements of the chip, and because the chip runs at 200mV, below most of the competitors. The chip consumes between 100W and 160W, according to Mauri. IBM also pre-announced AIX v6, which will be available later in 2007 and includes workload partitioning, filesystem encryption for end-to-end security, and application mobility. In July, IBM will provide an open beta for the first time.
Comments(16)
Not exactly your standard consumer CPU. Also, IBM you better beat everyone for as long as you’ve been in the game.
Yeah this chip might be the next generation of CPUs, but then IBM has always been in front of everyone else as they specialized on server CPUs ages ago, even though it would be quite cool to see IBM back in the PC business with a proper UNIX CPU. Also it seems like Intel is actively working on 65nm chips as well, so it wont be long until Intel will show us a prototype with 8 cores and 4ghz per core that is made in 65nm. Anyway let’s see how it all evolves
, especially when silicon free systems will be finally introduced.
Just can’t wait for prices to drop.
why didnt apple ordered a cpu of this type of family that would much better than going intel, jobs is retarded =)
Amazing!
It would make a nice coaster.
Nice, but to big and use to mutch Watt. But its ServerCPU… I’ll wait a month or 5 to buy the latest Intel releases
Maybe this is what I need so I can play S.T.A.L.K.E.R. on decent settings…
One of these and a better graphics card, of course.
pfft fuck this shit AMD pwns all
looks cool
Cool looking paper weight.. I would really like one though, intel cant seen to get past 3.6 ghz. AMD cant seem to get past 2.8 or 3.0. Come on IBM, seel me one for free.
Lol @ aXXo
@coldsaber
The processor speed isn’t the only thing that matter.
That thing looks beautiful, btw.
None of you guys will be getting this because IBM’s stuff is not for just anyone. Their hardware is focused on big buisnesses. The Cell processor from Sony’s PS3 is also IBM property and that was the only CPU they ever considered making available for PC enthusiasts which has still not happened and I wouldn’t wait on it either.
But will it improve my framerate when I play solitaire?
There is a God…