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Taken from PCZone:
"Moore's Law dictates that the transistor density of silicon doubles roughly once every 18-24 months, and this is also a fair indicator of performance increases over the same period of time. Currently, Intel's Pantium 4 chips use 42 million transistors while Athlons use 37 million. This is in stark contrast to the days of 10-micron, when transistors numbered 2,300 and chips operated at a lowly 108KHz.
With such an astounding rate of technological advance, the industry can expect to hit a wall in the next 10-20 years, when transistor size begins to approach the atomic level. In Intel's prediction chart, the last figure (0.032 micron) is already dangerously close. This is, of course, when the transistors themselves cannot possibly be made any smaller.
Intel's roadmap shows that chip manufacturing will hit 0.13 micron this year and 0.09micron by 2003. At this point, calculations suggest 3.6GHz processors will be possible - while 2007 will allow for scorchingly fast 20GHz units."
There's a bit more, but it goes on about needing 3D layouts for chips to get them faster than 20Ghz.
The thing is, do we need them faster than 20GHz? If we look at what they're capable of now, with a 1GHz chip, imagine what will be possible with a 20GHz chip, especially as graphics acceleration will also increase, although possibly not at the same rate. But will we notice any difference between what a 15GHz chip can do, and what a 20GHz chip can do? I personally think that we won't.
Look at graphics in games like B&W, Max Payne, games which are available now. They look stunning on a 1GHz chip. Games which are out towards the end of next year, Doom 3, Thief 3, Deus Ex 2 etc, the screenshots are unbelievable, and I can't see them needing anything more than a 2GHz processor.
Could it be, that for once CPU capabilities are growing faster than the software it runs? So every time a new game comes out it won't need the newest processor? Could it be that if you upgrade your PC it will last longer than 1 year before you need to upgrade again? I hope so.
A number of people on here have said that they don't really use their PC for gaming as they don't want to have to upgrade every 18 months or so, and it's a fair point. But would you be prepared to buy a PC for games if you were 100% sure that you could still play games in 4 years time? Thats almost the lifespan of a console. If people can be sure that when they buy or upgrade a PC, they will still be able to play the games in 4 years time, then maybe more people will buy PC's for games?
The extra numbers of people buying PC games could be an incentive for some developers to be a bit more imaginative, a bit more experimental, as there is more chance that the game will sell well enough. Perhaps we would see the end of sequels to games thnat are just a re-hash of the original, and stale genres? (Well, to an extent). Perhaps this would allow the PC to go back to its rightful place as the best platform for gaming.
Of course, there is a down side. The extra power could encourage developers to be sloppy in their programming. They may think "Oh, it's ok, we don't need to tidy the code up, machines are fast enough to handle it with it's problems." Which of course would handicap those people with slower machines.
What do you think?
"Moore's Law dictates that the transistor density of silicon doubles roughly once every 18-24 months, and this is also a fair indicator of performance increases over the same period of time. Currently, Intel's Pantium 4 chips use 42 million transistors while Athlons use 37 million. This is in stark contrast to the days of 10-micron, when transistors numbered 2,300 and chips operated at a lowly 108KHz.
With such an astounding rate of technological advance, the industry can expect to hit a wall in the next 10-20 years, when transistor size begins to approach the atomic level. In Intel's prediction chart, the last figure (0.032 micron) is already dangerously close. This is, of course, when the transistors themselves cannot possibly be made any smaller.
Intel's roadmap shows that chip manufacturing will hit 0.13 micron this year and 0.09micron by 2003. At this point, calculations suggest 3.6GHz processors will be possible - while 2007 will allow for scorchingly fast 20GHz units."
There's a bit more, but it goes on about needing 3D layouts for chips to get them faster than 20Ghz.
The thing is, do we need them faster than 20GHz? If we look at what they're capable of now, with a 1GHz chip, imagine what will be possible with a 20GHz chip, especially as graphics acceleration will also increase, although possibly not at the same rate. But will we notice any difference between what a 15GHz chip can do, and what a 20GHz chip can do? I personally think that we won't.
Look at graphics in games like B&W, Max Payne, games which are available now. They look stunning on a 1GHz chip. Games which are out towards the end of next year, Doom 3, Thief 3, Deus Ex 2 etc, the screenshots are unbelievable, and I can't see them needing anything more than a 2GHz processor.
Could it be, that for once CPU capabilities are growing faster than the software it runs? So every time a new game comes out it won't need the newest processor? Could it be that if you upgrade your PC it will last longer than 1 year before you need to upgrade again? I hope so.
A number of people on here have said that they don't really use their PC for gaming as they don't want to have to upgrade every 18 months or so, and it's a fair point. But would you be prepared to buy a PC for games if you were 100% sure that you could still play games in 4 years time? Thats almost the lifespan of a console. If people can be sure that when they buy or upgrade a PC, they will still be able to play the games in 4 years time, then maybe more people will buy PC's for games?
The extra numbers of people buying PC games could be an incentive for some developers to be a bit more imaginative, a bit more experimental, as there is more chance that the game will sell well enough. Perhaps we would see the end of sequels to games thnat are just a re-hash of the original, and stale genres? (Well, to an extent). Perhaps this would allow the PC to go back to its rightful place as the best platform for gaming.
Of course, there is a down side. The extra power could encourage developers to be sloppy in their programming. They may think "Oh, it's ok, we don't need to tidy the code up, machines are fast enough to handle it with it's problems." Which of course would handicap those people with slower machines.
What do you think?
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Umm, didn'yt you just mention that?
I don't know of any suppliers - do SR sell them?
I don't know of any suppliers - do SR sell them?
Hmmm, I can see the problem.
Have you tried one of those quiet fans and PSU's?
Have you tried one of those quiet fans and PSU's?
Your Honour wrote:
I can see your point if
> you use headphones and want your computer to be really quiet if you
> use it at night, but most fans aren't that loud so they keep
> everyone else awake are they?
hmm, but my brother has super-sensitive hearing, and even with the door closed, he can still hear the whine of a PC... not so good if you're only allowed 3 hours max. on your PC every night...
I can see your point if
> you use headphones and want your computer to be really quiet if you
> use it at night, but most fans aren't that loud so they keep
> everyone else awake are they?
hmm, but my brother has super-sensitive hearing, and even with the door closed, he can still hear the whine of a PC... not so good if you're only allowed 3 hours max. on your PC every night...
Don't know, I haven't got one. But when I upgraded my PC I needed a new PSU, my mate suggested I get a silent one.
I'd already ordered mine so I don't know any details.
Thing is, why need a really quiet one? When I'm using my PC for stuff other than games I have music or the radio playing, and when I'm playing games they have music and sound effects in anyway.
I can see your point if you use headphones and want your computer to be really quiet if you use it at night, but most fans aren't that loud so they keep everyone else awake are they?
I'd already ordered mine so I don't know any details.
Thing is, why need a really quiet one? When I'm using my PC for stuff other than games I have music or the radio playing, and when I'm playing games they have music and sound effects in anyway.
I can see your point if you use headphones and want your computer to be really quiet if you use it at night, but most fans aren't that loud so they keep everyone else awake are they?
Where? You don't mean whisper quiet ones, do you? They're still very loud...
Louder PC's?
You do know you can get silent fans and silent PSU's so your computer doesn't make a sound, don't you?
You do know you can get silent fans and silent PSU's so your computer doesn't make a sound, don't you?
But that means louder PCs... i.e. no online gaming in the night...
There is a limit when they hit 20GHz. They reckon that they will need to use 3D chips to get any more speed.
AMD did say about 6 months ago that they had found a way of constructing their chips so that one could run at1.5GHz with out any need for a heatsink or fan.
If you added some cooling to that chip it would probably get up to 3GHz+.
AMD did say about 6 months ago that they had found a way of constructing their chips so that one could run at1.5GHz with out any need for a heatsink or fan.
If you added some cooling to that chip it would probably get up to 3GHz+.
I've read somewhere that there is a limit to the speed of which processors can run at, on today's technology at least. I think it said that the physical limits will soon be reached within 3 GHz or something, but I could be wrong - however, with the advent of nano technology (not taken from the Borg, but from PC Format), this will soon be posible. I think.
Kapoera Gaebora wrote:
> LOL, Make some quick case copy em onto SR cos they are your own work
> and win a free game sounds like a good plan!!
"Make some quick case" I don't want to manufacture luggage you fool!
If you used ENGLISH and PUNCTUATION then I may be able to understand what you're on about.
> LOL, Make some quick case copy em onto SR cos they are your own work
> and win a free game sounds like a good plan!!
"Make some quick case" I don't want to manufacture luggage you fool!
If you used ENGLISH and PUNCTUATION then I may be able to understand what you're on about.
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