Adaptec CPUs

[CPUShack]

Been wondering what Adaptec used on their RAID cards as they often only have Adaptec chips on them, rather then separate processors.

Turns out Adaptec designed their own CPU core (in around 1994).

Its called PhaseEngine RISC and examples I have found run at 10-20MIPs

Here is a 32bit 20MIPS AIC-7890

Anyone know anything about these?

[joekster]

Definately NOT a cpu. It was a "storage" processor that they claimed was RISC. It's like saying a GPU is a CPU (at least prior to DX9). It so advance that it can't even do an XOR (adaptec used an i960)...

I remember saying it's funny that the same 20 mips core is the same for regular scsi 10mb/s, wide scsi 20mb/s, and UW scsi 40mb/s... Would have thought it would scale with bandwidth.

[CPUShack]

With a RISC core, the line is blurred to start with, doesnt take much to make a core that's RISC

They did scale with bandwidth, 10MIPs to 20MIPs, and then they used a dual core 20MIPs

[mavroxur]

A storage processor is *technically* a processor, but that's a very gray area there.

[CPUShack]

Oh yes I agree, but I have very weak constraints on what I collect LOL.

Its a problem haha

[mavroxur]

[CPUShack]

On that note do you know of any other Adaptec branded chips we can call processors?

I have this one (a 10MIPS PhaseEngine)