Title
CDC 6600 CPU cabinet (4 of 4)Catalog Number
X1385.97IType
Physical objectDescription
Sign attached to right side of CPU cabinet (removed 11/29/2010) read:CONTROL DATA 6600
Control Data Corporation
Word length: 60-bit (Main processor); 12-bit (Peripheral Control Processors)
Speed: 3,000,000 instructions per second, 10 MHz (4, 25ns phases)
Primary Memory: 131,072 words core memory
Secondary Memory: With additional Peripheral Control Processors almost unlimited number of tape drives and disk drives.
Instruction Set: 15-bit or 30-bit instructions using 6-bit operation codes, hence 2, 3 or 4 instructions per word.
Architecture: 10 Peripheral Control Processors act independently of a Main Processor.
Technology: 600,000 silicon transistors
Input and Output: Card, tape or direct terminal input.
Price: $7,000,000
Size: 400 cubic feet
Software: COS (Chippewa Operating System), FORTRAN, Assembly systems for both Main and Peripheral Processors.
Development History: Started in 1960, the 6600 was introduced August 22, 1963. Designed by Seymour Cray, Jim Thornton, and a small team of engineers in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.
Production History: The first unit was delivered to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories in September 1964. The first ten units were produced in Chippewa Falls.
Use: Large time-sharing systems; sophisticated scientific computation.
Achievements: Fastest computer of its time. First use of peripheral processors. First use of Freon cooling and double-sided “cordwood” modules led to greatest component density achieved of its time.
Date
1964Manufacturer
Control Data Corporation (CDC)Place Manufactured
U.S.Identifying Numbers
| Model number | CDC 6600 |
| Serial number | 1 |
Dimensions
overall: 79 in x 136 in x 136 inCategory
Digital computer/supercomputerLot Number
X1385.97Related Records
| X1385.97F | CDC 6600 CPU cabinet (1 of 4) |
| X1385.97G | CDC 6600 CPU cabinet (2 of 4) |
| X1385.97H | CDC 6600 CPU cabinet (3 of 4) |
| X1385.97J | CDC 6600 operator console |