Tom Thompson
Apple will release a PowerPC-based notebook and other systems, including the top-of-the-line Power Mac 9500 (code-named
Tsunami
) this summer. The 9500 centers around a PowerPC 604, clocked at 120 or 132 MHz, with a 512-KB cache. The processor sits on a processor card. Because DRAM and the L2 cache reside on the main logic board, upgrading to a faster CPU will require a mere card swap. The memory bus is self-configuring to a maximum of 50 MHz, allowing it to support different-speed processors.
The 9500's base memory features 16 MB of 70-nanosecond DRAM (expandable to 768 MB). The L2 cache RAM is soldered on the main logic board, but the rest of the 9500's RAM resides in sockets. The 9500 uses 168-pin JEDEC DIMMs (dual in-line memory modules) instead of the 72-pin SIMMs foun
d in existing Power Macs.
The 9500's PCI bus operates at 33 MHz, and it's clocked independently of the processor. Many of the internal I/O subsystems in the 9500 use Open Firmware and the PCI bus for start-up configuration and data transactions. Apple built its own Rev 2.0-compliant PowerPC-to-PCI bus bridge chip for these systems. Apple's chip supports up to four multiple bridge chips and implements PCI bus masters and 96-MBps data streaming.
A number of improvements (see
"Power Mac at a Glance"
) in the 9500's architecture boost hard disk I/O. Improvements to the 9500's memory subsystem, including the use of memory interleaving to generate 128-bit wide memory accesses, resulted in performance increases of up to 16 percent. The 9500 also employs 14 DMA channels that manage I/O transfers and frees the 604 to handle more important tasks.
The 9500 and its siblings' new system architecture let them manage system resources more efficiently than previous designs, while unfe
ttering the 604 to tackle more computer-intensive jobs. The 132-MHz Power Mac 9500, with 16 MB of RAM, a 2-GB hard drive, and quad-speed CD-ROM drive, will cost $5399.
CPU:
PowerPC 604 (120- or 132-MHz) with 512-KB cache.
Standard Peripherals:
Six PCI bus slots, a 1- or 2-GB fast
SCSI drive, a quad-speed CD-ROM drive, two GeoPort serial ports,
built-in 24-bit video, two Ethernet ports (a 10Base-T and an AUI port
for other Ethernet connections), and two SCSI buses (one external and
one internal bus that supports SCSI-2 fast transfers).
Power Supply:
220-W (ample power for slots and peripherals).
Improved hard drive I/O:
Fast SCSI-2 internal SCSI bus and
internal drive; SCSI driver now native, not emulated 680x0 code; new
driver lets a SCSI peripheral's device controller use its on-board
cache to optimize data transfers.
System 7.5.2:
Faster dynamic recompilation emulator and
other optimizations, including more native code (Resource Manager,
SCSI Manager, device drivers, and network protocol stacks are native)
along with enhanced native code and improved emulated code. Existing
680x0 code runs up to 50 percent faster.
POWER MAC 9500 PERFORMANCE RESULTS
BYTE's Native Benchmarks indicate that the better processor, higher
clock speed, new software libraries, and improved memory subsystem
give a 132-MHz, PowerPC 604-based Power Mac 9500 system much improved
integer and dramatic floating-point performance over a 100-MHz,
PowerPC 601-based Power Mac 8100.
POWER MAC POWER MAC
8100/100 9500/132
Integer Index
1.067 1.81
Floating Point Index
.375 1.74
(1 = 90-MHz Dell Pentium)
photo_link (74 Kbytes)
Apple's Tsunami: PCI Power
