Name: Greatgamer Date: October 28, 2006 at 03:21:32 Pacific Subject: Why not over 4ghz CPUs by now? OS: XP CPU/Ram: AMD 4400 X2 Model/Manufacturer: DFI
Comment:
Hello, I remember watching AMD CPUs go from 400mhz, to 1ghz, to 2.6ghz, but why does it stop there? I assume that they reached their peak and cannot product an affordable CPU that goes beyond that speed? I am aware that they are trying to use dual cores, faster RAM, etc. to make up for the speed but I was looking forward to the 5ghz cpus a few years ago :P I am still not really satisfied with today's computer specs. I would like to reach an era where the PC can load up in a couple of seconds and every program can open and close as fast as a notepad text document.
At the moment AMD and Intel arent focusing on increacing MHz but iproveing architecture, effiency etc. Which makes for a much faster CPU. Intels new Core 2 Duo's are an example and AMD's low power A64's. I'm pretty sure even my computer could boot in a matter of seconds if it wasnt for the most common and obvious bottleneck - The hard drive. Compared to the rest of the computer, hard drives are super slow and without a doubt its every computers bottleneck. If hard drives were as fast as RAM then everything would open instantly and load times in games would dissapear. I'm sure if you spent the money on a new system you would be impressed. For now though, if you want a faster computer and already have plenty of RAM and CPU power, get a RAID going with two 10,000 RPM drives and that should boost boot up performance and application open times.
Mattwizz3 : )
Sempron 2600+ @ 2.2GHz 1Gb DDR400 Asus A7N8X-E Deluxe 200GB SATA 2X 80Gb IDE 256Mb MSI 6800 Ultra
Yeah funny I used to post that argument about how harddrives are slowing down the whole computer and how you can have a kick ass system but the harddrive will always be the bottleneck:
I recall reading that the GHz race was halted because the reasonable physical limits of what could be done with a PC had been reached. By that I mean that to run CPUs at 5GHz & beyond would require more power & extreme cooling measures & would result in much higher costs per unit. So Intel & AMD focused elsewhere...more efficency, higher FSB, dual & quad cores CPUs, etc. There may be some sort of technological breakthrough that will allow the CPU GHz race to startup again...time will tell.
Besides, does that average PC user need 5GHz? Does he even need 3GHz? Does he truly need a dual-core CPU? In most cases, NO. Enthusiasts, gamers, & hardcore multi-taskers make up a small percentage of worldwide PC users. The vast majority of PCs are used for office applications, internet, multimedia, etc
Yeha but he was talking about your avg home user. Your avg home user the type of people that mostly surf the web do word processing and lightly game will never need a dual core processor or a 3ghz processor. Those types of uses make the the vast majority of the pc market.
Software always lags behind hardware developments - way back when the first 386's came out, very few (if any) programs could take advantage of the 'new architecture'
So... do you think Moore's Law has hit (or is about to hit) that wall, and is no longer valid?
Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie!'... till you can find a rock
It will hit a wall, but the question is when? Who knows maybe within the next 10 years or so. I mean, you can only pack so many transistors onto a chip before you hit a stopping point where you can no longer pack anymore in, but when that happeneds then that's where Cell technology will come in and replace the current chip technology.
Researchers from IBM and Georgia Tech created a new speed record when they ran a silicon/germanium helium supercooled chip at 500 gigahertz (GHz). The chip operated above 500 GHz at 4.5 K (451 degrees below zero Fahrenheit) and simulations showed that it could likely run at 1 THz (1,000 GHz).
So, it's been done (using the extreme cooling mentioned by jam) - just don't expect them to be rolling off of the shelves anytime soon
Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie!'... till you can find a rock
I think the biggest limitation will be the size they can get the transistors. After a while they are too small to effectively conduct electricty. But I dont think that GHz is going to be what matters for a while, I think they will look at other technologys to boost performance.
Mattwizz3 : )
Sempron 2600+ @ 2.2GHz 1Gb DDR400 Asus A7N8X-E Deluxe 200GB SATA 2X 80Gb IDE 256Mb MSI 6800 Ultra
It's been done but in reality it will never happen, because it would cost billions of dollars to design a chip that is capable of reaching that speed at the same time keeping it cool on a regular case fan while using reasonable watts on a psu. It would be dumb to spend billions of dollars to do something like that, when all you have to do is just ditch the aging chip structure itself and use a bran new technology like cell technology instead.
The information on Computing.Net is the opinions of its users. Such
opinions may not be accurate and they are to be used at your own risk.
Computing.Net cannot verify the validity of the statements made on this site. Computing.Net and Computing.Net, LLC hereby disclaim all responsibility and liability for the content of Computing.Net and its accuracy.
PLEASE READ THE FULL DISCLAIMER AND LEGAL TERMS BY CLICKING HERE
