Limit to processor speed?

  • Thread starter Thread starter ZITBoy
  • Start date Start date
Z

ZITBoy

Isn't there a limit to processor speed?
I mean they cant simply go on bringing ever faster processors ?

There should be some theoritical limit to it. what is that?
 
Isn't there a limit to processor speed?
I mean they cant simply go on bringing ever faster processors ?

There should be some theoritical limit to it. what is that?
Click to expand...
Physics comes into play. Currently pretty much at the limit of current
technology.


--
________________________
Conor Turton
(e-mail address removed)
ICQ:31909763
________________________
 
ZITBoy said:
Isn't there a limit to processor speed?
I mean they cant simply go on bringing ever faster processors ?

There should be some theoritical limit to it. what is that?
Click to expand...

LOL
 
Only a limit to current technology. You should see some of the tech they are
working on tho. Some amazing stuff. Hopefully, the race for mhz will start
to dwindle and true performance increases will prevail. AMD has been trying
this for a couple of years and showing quite successfully the flaw of the
megahertz myth. I would like to see Intel follow suit.
 
ZITBoy said:
Isn't there a limit to processor speed?
I mean they cant simply go on bringing ever faster processors ?

There should be some theoritical limit to it. what is that?
Click to expand...

186,000 miles per second?
 
ZITBoy said:
Isn't there a limit to processor speed?
Click to expand...

Not as such. Depends if you mean speed of crunching numbers or clock speed.
I mean they cant simply go on bringing ever faster processors ?
Why?

There should be some theoritical limit to it. what is that?
Click to expand...


Why should there be?

There are certainly limits on the current lithographic type process used to
manufacture silicon chips in relation to feature size. AMD and IBM are
talking of 65nm fabs - half the feature size of current XPs. That'll come
after the 90nm fab due to be working at the end of the year (I think thats
current info).

But you can always do something different, think about it in an alternative
way and maybe make gains there.

Ben
 
There are certainly limits on the current lithographic type process used
to
manufacture silicon chips in relation to feature size. AMD and IBM are
talking of 65nm fabs - half the feature size of current XPs. That'll come
after the 90nm fab due to be working at the end of the year (I think thats
current info).

But you can always do something different, think about it in an alternative
way and maybe make gains there.
Click to expand...
I'm convinced that computer systems will get faster and faster, at least
within the next 20 years. Because one could always start to use processors
in parallel once we reach the theoritical limit. However, this will
introduce some overhead, so 2 processors won't be 2 times faster than 1
processor. And that means imho that there is ultimately a limit to speed.

Erik
 
Wasn't there rumors a couple years ago of a European company trying to
produce a slower MHz cpu with a very wide data/address bus. Something like
1024 bits wide?? The idea was their cpu would do as much or more work per
cycle than faster & narrower bussed cpu's.

Martin
 
Conor said:
Physics comes into play. Currently pretty much at the limit of current
technology.
Click to expand...

I remember reading about that - in an article about the 8Mhz 286 processor.
 
ZITBoy said:
Isn't there a limit to processor speed?
I mean they cant simply go on bringing ever faster processors ?

There should be some theoritical limit to it. what is that?
Click to expand...

I hear that the controller chips in the latest Ferraris are capable of over
300kmh.
 
Ben Pope said:
Not as such. Depends if you mean speed of crunching numbers or clock speed.


Why should there be?

There are certainly limits on the current lithographic type process used to
manufacture silicon chips in relation to feature size. AMD and IBM are
talking of 65nm fabs - half the feature size of current XPs. That'll come
after the 90nm fab due to be working at the end of the year (I think thats
current info).

But you can always do something different, think about it in an alternative
way and maybe make gains there.
Click to expand...

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/diamond_pr.html

Check that out.
 
ZITBoy said:
Isn't there a limit to processor speed?
I mean they cant simply go on bringing ever faster processors ?

There should be some theoritical limit to it. what is that?
Click to expand...

I suspect we're already seeing the end of the Gigahertz race. Witness
that Intel are only going to increase clock speed around 10% this year
compared to around 50% last year - same with AMD. Not that it's
technologically impossible to go faster, but there doesn't seem to be
market demand for it. Even the lowest end processors (Celeron 1.8Ghz)
are more than powerful enough for most office use. Only high end gamers
are really looking for more power and they're not a big enough market
segment to justify Intel and AMD investing big bucks producing faster
processors. High-end workstations may continue to demand more
performance, but RISC chips, many of which are nowhere near 3Ghz yet,
are players in that market.

I think future research will be into server technologies with more
emphasis on multiprocessor machines. AMD are clearly taking this route
with the Opteron. I think the days of the Wintel box may be numbered
anyway. I suspect future (business) computing will be based on
client-server technology with many dumb terminals sharing a central
processor (this is certainly Sun's vision of the future). Back to the
days of the mainframe, really.

Barry.
 
jnichols2 said:
I remember reading about that - in an article about the 8Mhz 286 processor.
Click to expand...
True. THe limits then was the die size they could manufacture at.

--
________________________
Conor Turton
(e-mail address removed)
ICQ:31909763
________________________
 
On 21 Aug 2003 11:03:22 -0700, Cermo pondered exceedingly, then took quill in
hand and carefully composed...

| Looking forward to the first quantum processor, which carries out your
| instructions five seconds before it occurs to you to input them.
|
| I might be joking, but somehow I think we'll see it before we see a
| 50mpg standard among production automobiles...

I'd be happy to see more efficient CPUs that don't waste so much energy in heat
production. Wonder how many years we'll have to wait before we see systems with
ultra-fast CPUs that operate at room temperature?

Larc



§§§ - Please raise temperature of mail to reply by e-mail - §§§
 
Larc said:
I'd be happy to see more efficient CPUs that don't waste so much
energy in heat production. Wonder how many years we'll have to wait
before we see systems with ultra-fast CPUs that operate at room
temperature?
Click to expand...

When they don't use electricity?

Ben
 
Cermo said:
Looking forward to the first quantum processor, which carries out
your instructions five seconds before it occurs to you to input them.

I might be joking, but somehow I think we'll see it before we see a
50mpg standard among production automobiles...

...or free health care in america...

...or the next GTA game...

...or me with a real job...

...sigh.
Click to expand...

Vote the rascals firmly out. Half measures won't do, they cheat.
 
(e-mail address removed) (Cermo) wrote in @posting.google.com:


Actually here in europe most (new) cars does that.
You can even buy a 125mpg car (VW Lupo 3L TDI)
Click to expand...

Is that a straight gasoline car, or a hybrid gas-electric?
 
Cermo said:
Looking forward to the first quantum processor, which carries out your
instructions five seconds before it occurs to you to input them.

I might be joking, but somehow I think we'll see it before we see a
50mpg standard among production automobiles...
Click to expand...

We'll be using some sort of alternative fuel (i.e. hydrogen) before that
happens.
...or free health care in america...
Click to expand...

You don't really want "free" (i.e. governement subsidized) health care in
America, trust me. Look at Canada for crying out loud. They've been doing it
for years, and people come here and PAY for it ... because they can actually
SEE a DOCTOR. Plus, "free" is never really free ...

Name one thing government has taken over and done better and/or cheaper than
the private sector. Government control makes things bloated and wasteful.
...or the next GTA game...
Click to expand...

Never saw the appeal of those games, though I know they're terribly popular.
Be patient, as long as they're profitable they'll keep spitting them out.
...or me with a real job...
Click to expand...

You're the only one that can do anything about that. Keep your chin up and
your eyes open.
...sigh.
Click to expand...

I second that ...
 
Back
Top