The Cell Processor....

[Final-Fan]

crumas2 said:

Final-Fan said:
I'm just put off by the attitude of "you can't HANDLE the truth!" that (IMO) lies at the bottom of your impulse to hide these facts.

It's better, I think, to just say (when you think someone uninformed will be looking), "You can't directly compare two different types of processor by looking at the GHz, cores, etc. You have to look at performance. That's true of AMD vs. Intel, and extra double true of AMD/Intel vs. Cell."

It's simple, it's true (right?), and it doesn't treat people like children.

I never said people couldn't handle the truth.  I said it was misleading for those who aren't software/hardware engineers to call the Cell an "8-core" CPU, when it's a very different animal compared to traditional consumer-level multi-core CPUs.  Just as it's misleading for companies to state that a 22" monitor is "HD", even though it doesn't really support 720p or 1080i/p... just something "almost" 720p.

I even stated that you made a good point, i.e. - that the "numbers" of supposedly similar products could be misleading.

I guess I'm just put off by the attitude that the motivation of others can be uncovered by inference, i.e. - that I "treat people like children", have an impulse to "hide facts", etc.

I'm finished discussing this with you as you've turned the argument personal instead of sticking to the merits.

That was apparently more offensive than I meant it to be.  Sorry. 

But you ARE implying, by claiming that people will be mislead, that those people are not readily able to comprehend that "more cores ≠ better performance".  If not, then why shouldn't we mention the fact that it has 8 cores? 

The MERITS of this argument are your reasons for wanting people to not talk about the Cell having 8 cores where non-expert people can hear them (or that's what it sounded like to me). 

So I asked, 'Why refrain from mentioning (if you object to "hide") pertinent facts, when a simple disclaimer will do?' 

Or, alternatively, if you're only talking to people about performance, why mention the stats of the processor at all, instead of picking out things in particular that we shouldn't mention?  (At least, that's what it seemed to me that you were doing.  Was that impression mistaken?)