Hardware news: XDR - The Cell
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This doesn’t actually pertain to XDR, but it is a very interesting use of XDR nonetheless. Sony, Toshiba and IBM teamed up to develop a new CPU called the "Cell processor." XDR memory will be used exclusively in the Cell processor. The Cell processor may not currently be known to many people, but it should have a big impact in the near future.
The biggest initial impact will be in the Playstation 3. Soon after that will follow its use in HDTVs and then it may make its way into nearly every computerized device made. It will even give AMD and Intel runs for their money. Here are a few specs on the processor:
- 4.6 GHz
- 1.3v
- 85 Celsius operation with heat sink
- 6.4 Gigabit / second off-chip communication
To start with, it will be clocked in the range of 4 - 4.6 GHZ, which will make Intel and AMD sit down and take notes. The 6.4 GB/sec off-chip communication will be from the XDR RAM. When it becomes available, it will be faster then any high end dual core CPU by a large margin.
The cell will consist of nine cores, one acting as the controller for the rest. The other eight will be Attached Processor Units (APU). Each APU will have its own block of memory. The cores can act together or separately. Think of them as families in communities. A family (single processor) can all work together and build a nice home. If a new city building needs to be made, the families can work together and build it faster. If your new Playstation 3 is on, and you need a little more punch in your computer, you can use the Cell CPU in the Playstation to compute data for your computer. Upgrading these are simple, just add more cells. Hopefully, when it makes its way to a desktop, there will be room for many cells on the motherboard.
Conclusion
The specs on this memory look awesome, but so did the last generation of Rambus memory. RDRAM failed because DDR one upped it, but this time there is no other competing memory. XDR will run with lower volts and higher bandwidth than even DDR3. It will add features that will make motherboards smaller, and easier to create, like FlexIO and performance. The Octal Data Rate in particular should appeal to consumers. With Playstation 3 and any device that will use the Cell CPU, XDR memory will be right alongside. Hopefully XDR can ride the Cell wave to success.
Reasons to save your money
- BIG Bandwidth
- Low voltage
- FlexIO
- Cell Processor
Reasons to go to the candy store
- Will it follow in its big brother's foot steps?
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