Intel Finally Catching Up to Cell Processor
In a series of tests run by Fixstars, a [shal]PS3[/shal] and a PC running off of the new Intel Core i7 965 Extreme Edition were given an identical task in order to see which one would perform said task faster. Video encoding is a safe test since it’s not only very CPU intensive, it’s also a consistent measurement tool for CPU power.
Fixstars’ [shal]Linux[/shal]-based test involved encoding video footage into MPEG-4-AVC format (H.265). According to the team, the average CPU can only render out 5 frames of H.265 footage per second; I can actually attest to this. Not bad, but a 2 hour movie would take 10 hours to encode.
The [shal]Intel[/shal] Core i7 chip, which retails for merely $999, was able to encode H.265 footage at 18 frames per second. It’s more than a 3x increase, but it wasn’t the one that came out on top. The [shal]Cell[/shal] Broadband Engine, which powers PS3 and blade servers from [shal]IBM[/shal], was able to do the same task at 29 frames per second, a 50% advantage over the Intel chip.
It’s good to see that after three years, Intel is finally catching up to IBM, Sony, and Toshiba’s ‘little’ chip. Too bad you could buy two PS3s (and a PSP) for the price of Intel’s new CPU.
[Source]
11 Responses to “Intel Finally Catching Up to Cell Processor”
wow, 29FPS, wow..lol.
that’s incredible. Now if only i could run Final cut pro through my ps3….
@Joinsideke,
It’d be nice if we could. Just hook up our PS3s to our PCs, use them as render machines.
So was this an ‘actual PS3′? or a PC running a cell processor? (like a blade server)
Because the PS3′s Cell is a cut down one, no? Very impressive, especially if it was the PS3 itself
– and in Linux too, where its not as efficient as it could be…
Alex
@ John Draisey
here:
you probably know about this.. but its funny and messed up all in 1.. 3 sections.
http://venturebeat.com/2009/02/06/the-race-for-a-new-game-machine-book-chronicles-the-sony-microsoft-ibm-love-triangle/
nice read.. so it doesn’t surprise me that other companies are following along.
@ShadowJin,
I’ve been meaning to pick that up. Sharing that G5 core with Sony and Microsoft was a really smart move, and even helped out multiplatform developers (who had already had a ton of differences to work with).
they announced software at NAB that does just this, turns the PS3 into an encoding farm runnning Linux, it’s called the CodecSys CE-10.
also here’s a vid link to using 3 PS3′s to render
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLte5f34ya8
if PS3′s hit $200 US, you would see a lot more render farms, it’s just a
price point issue. (what isn’t)
@ john draisey
you think so? i always felt it was incorrect. thats like you making a chipset and me modifying it. your development money funded mine.. its no better than reverse engineering existing tech. i do see where your coming from..
i got the book its defiantly an eyeopener.
Sweet!
That IS amazing! It’s quite refreshing to see that our PS3′s are still ahead of the rest, especially after all these years.
sweeeet…