Re: Intel 64 bit Pentium seems to be on its way

From: Dirk Munk (munk_at_home.nl)
Date: 06/05/03 

Date: Thu, 05 Jun 2003 23:02:17 +0200

Gentlemen,

In my view the question if the IA64 is a better server cpu then the the Opteron
in big servers, is totaly academic.

The point is that AMD will have / has a 64 bit cpu range starting from the 64
bit Athlon (for the desktop), and 64 bit Opteron chips designed for 1, 2, or 4
cpu servers.

Now I'm sure we will all agree that potentionaly, in numbers, this covers the
vast majority of all Intel class computer systems that are sold, desktop
systems and small servers.

For most software developers this is very nice, that is where they can sell
their 64 bit stuff !!

Now if the AMD chips are accompanied by similar cpu's from Intel, this would
make the IA64 a niche cpu for high-end servers, instead of the industry standard
  cpu that Intel (and HP and Compaq) were aiming for.

What will this mean for the price of a IA64? The development costs are enormous,
and if those costs are spread over a relatively low number of sold chips, the
chips will be very expensive.

In this scenario I would prefer that other chip that was 'to expensive' etc.

Fred Kleinsorge wrote:
> The figure appears to me to be complete hogswallow, someones random guess
> based on a few public sources.
>
> The IA64 has, and will continue to have *leading* FP performance, and near
> leading integer performance in the 64-bit space. Vendors from HP to IBM are
> bringing more and bigger IA64 systems to market.
>
> Most sober analysis shows IA64 and Power as the leading 64-bit chips going
> forward, with a potential for Opteron (there's a whole lotta "ifs" with
> AMD - the chip isn't a desktop chip, it's really a 2-4 way server chip -
> with no serious server system vendors). SPARC has no chance of keeping up
> with any of these three (unless perhaps SUN has Fujitsu take over all their
> future design work ;-).
>
> But it *is* in your interest to try and talk down IA64, because you need to
> delay and hope for a miracle.
>
> "Andrew Harrison SUNUK Consultancy" <Andrew_No.Harrison_No@nospamn.sun.com>
> wrote in message news:bbhrf7$8ca$1@new-usenet.uk.sun.com...
>
>>Dirk Munk wrote:
>>
>>Current Itanium sales figures would suggest that the sooner
>>Intel have a competitive 64 bit CPU the better.
>>
>>http://212.100.234.54/content/61/30966.html
>>
>>The register recently reported that a grand total of
>>1,963 IA-64 based systems were sold in the first quarter of
>>this year, down 31% on Q4 2002.
>>
>>At an average of less than 2 CPU's per system thats a whopping
>>3800 CPU's not enough to even register in the 64 bit CPU
>>market.
>>
>>These numbers would suggest that the IDC estimate that 25,000
>>Itanium based systems would ship this year is very very very
>>optimistic.
>>
>>Regards
>>Andrew Harrison
>>
>>
>>>The German magazine CT has a editorial called "CPU whispers" (translated
>>>of course)
>>>
>>>In the editorial of 19 May the editors give us some very good evidence
>>>that a 64 bit Pentium class Intel CPU is on its way.
>>>
>>>The succesor of the Pentium 4 has the code name Prescott, and a certain
>>>mr. Hans de Vries took a very good look at the Die plot pictures that
>>>were published of this CPU.
>>>
>>>He concludes that the cpu has two 32 bit integer kernels that can be
>>>combined to one 64 bit kernel. Futhermore he concludes that the CPU has
>>>a 40 bit memory address bus, just like the 64 bit AMD Athlon / Opteron.
>>>However internally the CPU is 32 still bit wide, and certain 64 bit
>>>registers are missing.
>>>
>>>Their conclusion: we can expect a 64 bit Pentium class Intel CPU is the
>>>second half on 2004.
>>>
>>>At the same time I saw a HP powerpoint presentation which states that
>>>Alpha servers will be will be sold untill >>> at least <<< 2006, and
>>>that support for Alpha systems will continue untill >>> at least <<<
>
> 2011.
>
>>>No statements were made about when the PA-Risc systems will no longer be
>>>sold, or no longer be supported. However the arrow on time line of the
>>>*** ended at the same point as the arrow of the Alpha's.
>>>
>>
>
>