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New PPC Workstation from Terrasoft! (G5 Based!)

zmttoxics

zmttoxics

macrumors 65816
Original poster
May 20, 2008
1,020
1
In case you were wondering, IBM is still making PPC based chips (see: ps3) and apparently Terrasoft is now using what appears to be G5 based chips in their new workstation. I could be wrong, its just what I read in the news (about it being G5 classed, the model numbers are different). It costs 1899 in the store, and comes with 2 dual core cpus for a quad core system.

http://www.terrasoftsolutions.com/products/powerstation/

Makes me feel warm in side since I am getting my first G5 PowerMac today and that there will be some sort of support for it (linux wise) in the future with YDL driving the PPC workstation! :D
 
kabunaru said:
Apple,
please go back to PowerPC.
Click to expand...

The PPC era was no golden age - especially for laptop users - and while the G5 PowerMac was from reports great, things are now moving forward for the Mac like never before.
 
I guess the main things you are paying for are the XGI video card (I have no idea how well there card is supported by software makers) and the SAS RAID controller.

The PowerPC 970's used are based off of IBM's Power 4 architecture. I would expect a $1900 system to include something better than a CPU from 2005 but whose line was first released several years before. IBM is already at Power 6 I would expect this workstation to include at least Power 5 CPU's.
 
velocityg4 said:
I guess the main things you are paying for are the XGI video card (I have no idea how well there card is supported by software makers) and the SAS RAID controller.

The PowerPC 970's used are based off of IBM's Power 4 architecture. I would expect a $1900 system to include something better than a CPU from 2005 but whose line was first released several years before. IBM is already at Power 6 I would expect this workstation to include at least Power 5 CPU's.
Click to expand...

XGI is a newer company, only a few years old. My guess is they were the only company Terrasoft could get to produce the cards with the special firmware required to work with that custom implementation of Open Firwmare (open source version, SLOF).

Chances are they went with an older version of the platform for better support with their software and costs. A side from their PS3 clusters, this is their first forte into a real workstation / hardware solution.

I think the system will be an awesome performer. They have been doing PPC Linux for years and I am sure they tweaked it enough by now to make it a solid option for that market. I am definitely a fan of OpenFirmware based systems (mainly sparcs, todays G5 will be my first Mac with it) so I might concider this Terrasoft solution in the near future.
 
I don't think they make G5s anymore at all... in fact, I think G3s were being manufactured even after they stopped with G5s (though I could be wrong). The only PPCs being churned out right now, are I believe G4s, though perhaps even those have stopped.

IBM is definitely still making POWER chips, though, if that's what you mean... and their new POWER6 chip is a real monster. Kind of too bad Apple isn't able to use a G6-version of the POWER6.. that would scream.
 
zmttoxics said:
XGI is a newer company, only a few years old. My guess is they were the only company Terrasoft could get to produce the cards with the special firmware required to work with that custom implementation of Open Firwmare (open source version, SLOF).

Chances are they went with an older version of the platform for better support with their software and costs. A side from their PS3 clusters, this is their first forte into a real workstation / hardware solution.

I think the system will be an awesome performer. They have been doing PPC Linux for years and I am sure they tweaked it enough by now to make it a solid option for that market. I am definitely a fan of OpenFirmware based systems (mainly sparcs, todays G5 will be my first Mac with it) so I might concider this Terrasoft solution in the near future.
Click to expand...

I do not particularly know the benefits of openfirmware, I do know the benefits of firmware in general over BIOS. Is the main point to avoid control like I am sure Intel has over its firmware implementation's that MS refused to support in Windows? Though I am sure the performance will be commendable it is still in essence a Quad 2.5 G5 which I could not see competing against a Mac Pro or other similar workstation with Linux installed. The only thing that makes that price compelling to me is that an SAS RAID controller is expensive which I am sure is a large part of the price.

Don't get me wrong I love the PPC platform and know the benefits of RISC over CISC I just question putting such an old CPU in a new computer. It would be like using original Athlon 64 X2's or Pentium D's (not Pentium Dual Cores). Especially paired in a workstation with a unknown video card I would just be more comfortable with a Power 5/6 and a Quadro or FireGL GPU.

Firefly2002 said:
I don't think they make G5s anymore at all... in fact, I think G3s were being manufactured even after they stopped with G5s (though I could be wrong). The only PPCs being churned out right now, are I believe G4s, though perhaps even those have stopped.

IBM is definitely still making POWER chips, though, if that's what you mean... and their new POWER6 chip is a real monster. Kind of too bad Apple isn't able to use a G6-version of the POWER6.. that would scream.
Click to expand...
I am pretty sure the Power 4's are still being produced, don't the XBox 360's use Power 4 variants. Heck I do not know if they still do but until recently Motorola was still making 68K chips, possibly Freescale still does.

And the Power 6 would be a G7;). Even though the Power 5's were out I think before the Intel announcement Apple never incorporated them. Probably due to price, power consumption, IBM unwilling to make a Desktop counterpart and/or that we would by now have unbelievable powerhouse G7 iMacs and Powermacs while pushing 2Ghz single core G4's in Powerbooks and iBooks:eek:.
 
velocityg4 said:
...that we would by now have unbelievable powerhouse G7 iMacs and Powermacs while pushing 2Ghz single core G4's in Powerbooks and iBooks:eek:.
Click to expand...

One of the funniest (and truest) posts on here in a really long time.
rotf.gif
 
zmttoxics said:
In case you were wondering, IBM is still making PPC based chips (see: ps3) and apparently Terrasoft is now using what appears to be G5 based chips in their new workstation. I could be wrong, its just what I read in the news (about it being G5 classed, the model numbers are different). It costs 1899 in the store, and comes with 2 dual core cpus for a quad core system.

http://www.terrasoftsolutions.com/products/powerstation/

Makes me feel warm in side since I am getting my first G5 PowerMac today and that there will be some sort of support for it (linux wise) in the future with YDL driving the PPC workstation! :D
Click to expand...

the PS3 doesn't run on PPC chips, it runs on a Cell processor, the XBox and Wii have PPC chips though if i'm not mistaken. although they're heavily modified for specialized use.

the G5 chips are long in the tooth now compared to comparable offerings. the Power 5 and Power 6 platforms are much better today than the Power 4 that ended with the "G5"s

kabunaru said:
Apple,
please go back to PowerPC.
Click to expand...

please don't. the growth and platform outlook, along with everything else that x86 has brought us is much better than anything PPC did give.
 
PlaceofDis said:
the PS3 doesn't run on PPC chips, it runs on a Cell processor, the XBox and Wii have PPC chips though if i'm not mistaken. although they're heavily modified for specialized use.

the G5 chips are long in the tooth now compared to comparable offerings. the Power 5 and Power 6 platforms are much better today than the Power 4 that ended with the "G5"s



please don't. the growth and platform outlook, along with everything else that x86 has brought us is much better than anything PPC did give.
Click to expand...

LOL. Cell processors are PPC architecture. Thanks for playing the game son, but you lose. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_(microprocessor)
 
zmttoxics said:
LOL. Cell processors are PPC architecture. Thanks for playing the game son, but you lose. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_(microprocessor)
Click to expand...

try again. while it has parts of PPC architecture included in its development, its not a 'pure' PPC chip at all. its a combination of many different chips in the creation of one chip, the 'cell' that is in and of itself different from PPC and x86, in other words, a chip class of its own. but thats semantics. and not the topic of this thread.
 
PlaceofDis said:
try again. while it has parts of PPC architecture included in its development, its not a 'pure' PPC chip at all. its a combination of many different chips in the creation of one chip, the 'cell' that is in and of itself different from PPC and x86, in other words, a chip class of its own. but thats semantics. and not the topic of this thread.
Click to expand...

Haha! How do you explain PPC Linux running on the PS3? If it wasnt the same arch it would be impossible. Yellow Dog Linux for PPC Mac is the EXACT same distro that runs on the PS3. There are no differences in the build other then the boot loader.
 
Arjuna93 said:
Does anyone know is it possible to install Mac OSX onto this G5 Powerstation?
Click to expand...

I don't know. I am thinking no because even though its OpenFirmware (OpenBoot PROM) - its a different rendition. Only way to know would be to email Terrasoft or someone trys it and reports back.
 
zmttoxics said:
Haha! How do you explain PPC Linux running on the PS3? If it wasnt the same arch it would be impossible. Yellow Dog Linux for PPC Mac is the EXACT same distro that runs on the PS3. There are no differences in the build other then the boot loader.
Click to expand...

Easy. The PPC Linux doesn't use all the chip. Only the PPC cells.
 
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