As a simple little method of trying to comprehend exactly how impressive it is that the 8800GTX has 681million transistors in its core, I tried to find some figures that would help put it in perspective.
The new Kentsfield (Quad Core Intel CPU) has 582million transistors. That alone is ALMOST enough to give every person in the United States two transistors each. (CIA site claims 295,734,134 in The United States)
An 8800GTX could give half a transistor to each person in China, and have spares.
Let's say you can count 2 transistors per second. Obviously that is very easy up until you're trying to say one hundred and seventy seven thousand seven hundred and seventy seven in half a second, but hey, let's say you can
If you could sustain that rate, it would take you almost 11 years to count them all. :shocked:
Obviously you wouldn't be able to keep counting 24hours a day for 11 years. Let's say instead, it was something you just did, 8 hours a day, for the joy of it. It'd then take you 32years to do it.
Oh, wait, let's instead say that it is your job, to count them. You work 8 til 5, with an hour break. You don't take overtime, and you don't stop working, so you're still doing 8 hours a day, but of course, now you take the weekends off.
So how long? 45 years of hardened counting. A reasonable working life. Leave college with a counting degree at 21, retire at 66 :beer:
The new Kentsfield (Quad Core Intel CPU) has 582million transistors. That alone is ALMOST enough to give every person in the United States two transistors each. (CIA site claims 295,734,134 in The United States)
An 8800GTX could give half a transistor to each person in China, and have spares.
Let's say you can count 2 transistors per second. Obviously that is very easy up until you're trying to say one hundred and seventy seven thousand seven hundred and seventy seven in half a second, but hey, let's say you can
If you could sustain that rate, it would take you almost 11 years to count them all. :shocked:
Obviously you wouldn't be able to keep counting 24hours a day for 11 years. Let's say instead, it was something you just did, 8 hours a day, for the joy of it. It'd then take you 32years to do it.
Oh, wait, let's instead say that it is your job, to count them. You work 8 til 5, with an hour break. You don't take overtime, and you don't stop working, so you're still doing 8 hours a day, but of course, now you take the weekends off.
So how long? 45 years of hardened counting. A reasonable working life. Leave college with a counting degree at 21, retire at 66
:beer:
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