Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian07002
Quite interesting, but I don't think it will become reality...Time will tell, however.
|
In '05 I got a new computer with a 3.0Ghz processor (single core). Up to that point the clock speeds of processors were increasing steadily (in accordance with Moore's law). A few months ago, however, I got another new computer (more than 4 years later) with a 3.2Ghz processor (quad core).
My point is that we have reached a point where the clock speeds of processors cannot be increased without exponentially increasing power consumption and heat output.
Obviously clock speed is only one factor in the performance of a processor. Two processors with the same clock speed can have drastically different performances based on what occurs in a give clock cycle. Bus speed is another factor.
Another way to improve the performance of processors is to jam more cores in. This explains why once clock speeds could no longer be reasonably increased, multi-core processors started appearing.
If this trend continues there is no reason why processors with 48 or more cores will not become the norm. After all, if Moore's law is to continue, performance will have to double roughly every 2 years or so. The next time I buy a computer it might have a 16-core processor with the same clock speed as my current one.
Also considering the rise of concurrent programming that is happening in response to the multi-core trend, I think that so long as more cores can be crammed into a processor, manufacturers will continue to do so.
Last edited by NullPointer; 12-06-2009 at 05:52 PM..
|
