Once you normalize rPerf and GHz going back to Power 4 there is nothing special about Power 6 performance so why would 6+ be any better? I'm surprised such an astute observer hasn't done the research.

Lol, I hope nobody from Sun reads that, otherwise they could do something naughty just to spite IBM for jilting them!

...It just might not see the light of day. Sometime IBM says it will do something and then it doesn't.

The roadmap shows Power6+ was not a chip fabrication enhancement but was a tweak of Power6 technology, so I am wondering if its actually in the new systems IBM brought out last fall but decided not to call it a + so customers would not stall purchases. Afterall what does + mean?

Power7 will be a huge advance.

Free the Pirates

Apple dropped the PPC Processor, not the Power Processor although both are based on the same architecture. Also, Nintendo along with Sony and Microsoft have adopted variants of the Cell Processor for their gaming consoles, which is based on the Power/PPC architecture but is not the Power Processor.

The processors being talked about in this story are for Big Iron servers.

Anyway, as Apple found out much to their very public and vocal annoyance, IBM let them down and proved they are thoroughly incapable of even getting close to achieving their grandiose roadmaps. Lots of promises but nothing ever delivered on time, on budget or on spec.

... and PS3 and XBOX and millions of set-top-boxes based on PowerPC derivatives. However, these are low end, low margin items.

I remember when NT was announced and the HAL meant you could run Intel or Power PC and future processors would be possible. Good for competition. However, it seems IBM messed up. I'd love there to be 3 way competition - IBM, Intel. AMD.

Whatever happened to Motorola - 68000 etc. There was a JV with IBM but that didn't seem to work either.

Seems like IBM don't know much about high volume, lower margin products.

Actually...

By Stuart Duel Posted Friday 24th April 2009 04:39 GMT

Apple dropped the PPC Processor, not the Power Processor although both are based on the same architecture.

Also, Nintendo along with Sony and Microsoft have adopted "variants of the Cell Processor" for their gaming consoles, which is based on the Power/PPC architecture but is not the Power Processor.

actually Stuart Duel , the truth IS, Nintendo use in affect a generic G3 at it core.

Microsoft Use a generic G4 WITH an Extended Altivec SIMD core, thats got the generic G4 Altivec 128 bit SIMD registers AND a seperate matching set of Altivec SIMD+ registers for exclusive use..

and we all Know the Sony PS3 uses a cut down G4 plus the so called Co-processers know as "Cell" That are INFACT modifyed cut down Altivec SIMD units as their core, you can evendirectly port your existig Altivec SIMD codebases with care and reasonable ease as the old school G4 coders found out...

OC the x86 SIMD guts didnt get Altivec or "Cell" by any other name, so could take best advantage of it in their x86 SIMD ports.... funy how intel CPUs improved SIMD are only now finally becoming more like the old 128but Altivec after all this time....

powerPC OC is dirived fromthe G5 that could do its SIMD anywere as good as the G4 clock for clock, infact you have to tweak your G5/PowerPC SIMD to get anywere near the G4's implimentation.

the basic premise today then for this story and the perhaps impending Power6+ IS will they have included the MS inspired Altivec+ additions and vastly improved on them,

making a new [Altivec] SIMD++ 512Bit available perhaps...

alongside the expected and demanded multicore, bus, interconnects, memory, and other generic boosting for todays markets OC, rememebr IBM have a worlds smallest die tech, and make massive head line news with it all the time, so why dont they use it on mass.

multi "cell" Altivec++ SIMD is Good, so let us buy it and use it TODAY....

Power 5/6 are different processors targeted at servers (running AIX, z/os and other boring stuff).

Gaming processors and apple processor are cousins. Originally from the same family; but have forked off and have totally different strengths (and cost less).

It's like comparing Core2 with Nehalem/Opteron - same family but no connection. Once is used in corporate datacenters and the other in homes or desktops.

If you are from the IT industry you'ld know that IBM has slowly divorced itself from the consumer/home world and caters - in hardware/software/services - only to big corporates. (Yeah there might be some odd execptions; but 99.99% of the revenue comes from big corporates).

Apple, nintendo are direct opposites. They hardly cater to the "datacenters". They targe home environment. The processors they use are chearper, less power hungry but also less powerful copmared to power hungry, cache loaded, cash-demanding power6.

Paris, coz she left the corporate world to help the average citizen.