PPC 750fx w/alti-vec

[DakotaGuy]

I was wondering if in the future this might be an option for Apple in their consumer machines? From EVERYTHING I have read the 750fx "Sahara" G3 from IBM is superior in design to the G4 74xx series from Motorola. How would a 750fx (G3) at the same clock speed as the 74xx series (G4) perform against it if it too had alti-vec? I have never heard anyone discuss this. I know that it has less power consumption and I believe better fabrication. I also think that higher MHz speeds might be possible with this processor in the future.

Anyhow I don't know a lot about all of this, but I was wondering if it could be possible and could it help improve the speed of future consumer products such as the eMac, iMac, and iBook??? I would like to hear your discussion on this topic.

 

[MacBandit]

A G4 is basically a G3 with Altivec Subprocessors integrated into the chip. IBM has better manufacturing and fabrication processes which have allowed the G3 accelerate well past the G4 in MHz. I believe personally that if IBM made a G3 with Altivec it would only be slightly cooler but they could build it to be a hell of a lot faster.

From what I've heard if Apple wanted to they could release computers with nearly a 2ghz G3 right now if they wanted to. Obviously this wouldn't make since because they would then have faster MHz consumer computers then there Pro computers. I say MHz because without the Altivec unit OSX and a lot of other processes that Apple and other software developers have optimized would not run as fast for many tasks. The other downside is that the G3 is not capable of running in a multiprocessor configuration.

 

[ftaok]

That's baloney!

Originally posted by MacBandit
From what I've heard if Apple wanted to they could release computers with nearly a 2ghz G3 right now if they wanted to.

IBM has not produced a Sahara that runs above 1ghz. I've been arguing that they don't even have a 1ghz G3, but according to their press release from last year, they should be at 1ghz about now. The 1.5ghz and 2ghz G3s are just rumors. They don't exist (in any usuable amounts).

Here's a point. If IBM did have 2ghz G3 chips, what's stopping Apple from using it and calling it a G4+ or G5 or whatever? Or they could call it something entirely new. Plus, since the 2ghz G3 would be so inexpensive, they could stick them in the "pro" Macs and would expand the already healthy profit margin.

The bottom line is that there are no 2ghz G3s.

 

[iGav]

Re: That's baloney!

Originally posted by ftaok

Here's a point. If IBM did have 2ghz G3 chips, what's stopping Apple from using it and calling it a G4+ or G5 or whatever? Or they could call it something entirely new. Plus, since the 2ghz G3 would be so inexpensive, they could stick them in the "pro" Macs and would expand the already healthy profit margin.

Would be a very bad move..... a Dual G4 at 1.25Ghz, with Altivec would IMHO totally flatten the 2 Ghz G3 in OSX.........

Ultimately Apple doesn't need to drop back down to a G3..... they need a next generation chip, that will form the basis for the next decade of PPC development.....

 

[MacBandit]

Re: Re: That's baloney!

Originally posted by iGAV


Would be a very bad move..... a Dual G4 at 1.25Ghz, with Altivec would IMHO totally flatten the 2 Ghz G3 in OSX.........

Ultimately Apple doesn't need to drop back down to a G3..... they need a next generation chip, that will form the basis for the next decade of PPC development.....

This is exactly right and is the reason they haven't used faster G3 processors. I will have to dig on it but IBM made a press release this spring saying that the G3 and achieved in small numbers 2 Ghz. If this was true then they should be able to turn out quantity by now.

Either way it would be a total waste to put a G3 in a tower unless they added Altivec to it.