[rescue] Another fine business decision for us axp-lovers

[Joshua D. Boyd]

I don't remeber seeing 64bit registers though when I was poking around PPC
assembly, so how do they justify calling it 64bit?

Darn it, now I'm going to have to dig up some PPC ASM info.  

OK, so a brief skim reveals 32int registers, and 32float registers.
That's nice.  It has 32bit instructions.   That's also nice (albiet
standard for RISC machines I'm told).  OK, from one tutorial I'm reading
(http://www.lightsoft.co.uk/Fantasm/Beginners/Chapt1.html), it says that
doubles can only be handled through the FPU.  That would seem to indicate
that general registers are only 32bit, but still looking for specific
confirmation.

OK, further down the same page, it said that the general registers are
32bits wide.

So, we have 32bit instructions, and 32bit general registers.  Just like
x86.  We also have 64bit FPU registers, also like x86.  And we have a
128bit bus.  Well, I know that Socket7 chips have a 64bit bus, I don't
remeber if that was expended on the P6 core or not.

So, what justifies calling a PPC in an Apple a 64bit machine?

Or, is the PPC just being throttled like a 386 in 16bit mode?

--
Joshua Boyd

On Sun, 24 Jun 2001, Zach Malone wrote:

> Hello,
>     Apple does in fact use 64 bit CPUs, all the PowerPC chips from the 601
> up are 64bit.  The G4 is a 64bit core with a 128bit bus (from what I hear,
> it may truly be 128bit, but since it is a modified G3 I doubt it).  Check
> out www.everymac.com, they list specs on every macintosh model back to the
> Mac 128k, and all the PowerPCs are listed as 64bit.
>     Zach
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joshua D. Boyd" <jdboyd at cs.millersville.edu>
> To: <rescue at sunhelp.org>
> Sent: Monday, June 25, 2001 1:27 PM
> Subject: Re: [rescue] Another fine business decision for us axp-lovers
> 
> 
> > Hold up a second.  SGI is also heading towards Intel.
> >
> > And Apple doesn't really sell 64bit machines (well, they show no signs of
> > making a 64bit OS, and from my understanding, the PPC can be 64bit, but
> > the ones Apple uses aren't).  On the bright side, you forgot IBM.  They
> > make 64bit PPCs and Power chips.  And IBM should be around a long time.
> >
> > --
> > Joshua Boyd
> >
> > On Sun, 24 Jun 2001, Zach Malone wrote:
> >
> > > I thought it was funny reading the article on the Register about how
> Intel
> > > is thinking about buying Digital from Compaq.  So thus far, the list of
> 64
> > > bit RISC manufacturers which are going to Intel consists of HP, and
> > > DEC/Compaq.  At least we still have Sun, SGI, and Apple, though only Sun
> and
> > > Apple seem to produce nice workstations for a reasonable price.
> Supposedly
> > > Sun will be releasing UltraSPARC IIIs @ higher clockspeeds soon.
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > rescue maillist  -  rescue at sunhelp.org
> > http://www.sunhelp.org/mailman/listinfo/rescue
> 
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