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bookemdano writes
"Intel announces first stacked processor for their XScale line. No core speed increases but the smaller sizes helps with power, overall unit size, and adding additional pieces like WiFi and color screens to smart phones and MP3 players. But speed increases are in the future."
As an embedded engineer (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:As an embedded engineer (Score:3, Interesting)
I agree. I have done some development for Pocket PCs. Our testing shows that the new 400 MHz XScale Compaq iPaq are about 2x slower than the old 206 MHz Strongarm Compaq iPaqs! So the XScale processors are effectively 4x slower per MHz compared to the old Strongarm processors. Needless to say, customers blame me when my code runs 2x slower on their new "twice as fast" Pocket PC.
Re:As an embedded engineer (Score:3, Interesting)
I don't know if this is a dead end product for Intel, but they better start putting out some compilers that take advantage of the XScale improvements or there won't be many customers lef
Re:As an embedded engineer (Score:2)
Intel told us the same story:
Intel: The Microsoft Strongarm compiler is old and does not have XScale optimizations. You need a newer compiler with XScale optimizations.
Me: Where can I download it? Can you send me a CD?
Intel: Sorry, we don't have any compilers with XScale optimizations. Better luck next time!
Eventually, Intel gave us a beta XScale compiler, but even with all optmiziations turned on, it produced code LARGER and SLOWER than Microsoft's Strongarm compiler. And the XScale compiler seemed to
Re:As an embedded engineer (Score:2)
Re:XScale errata (Score:1)
Stacked chips? (Score:1)
Another Xscale alternative (Score:5, Interesting)
It is a wonderful little piece of silicon with lots of integrated peripherals, low power, and great performance. It is built around a MIPS architecture processor core.
Linux-MIPS runs great on this chip.
Check them out. [amd.com]
Re:Another Xscale alternative (Score:1)
The breakdown we've seen for platforms is something like 60% XScale, 35% x86, 4% Alchemy, 1% other (SHx, etc). The market for Alchemy just isn't big enough to make it worth our while to develop a solution for Alchemy. However, this does mean that an enterprising small company could fill that niche very nicely.
And this is great because... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:And this is great because... (Score:2)