Senior Contributing Editors:
Jesus Diaz
| AIM | Twitter
Mark Wilson, Reviews
| AIM | Twitter
Contributing Editors:
Matt Buchanan | AIM | Twitter
Adam Frucci | Twitter
Sean Fallon | Twitter
Jack Loftus | Twitter
John Herrman | Twitter
Dan Nosowitz
Chris Mascari
Kat Hannaford | Twitter
Rosa Golijan | Twitter
Chris Jacob
CommentingpointlesslyisMeh promoted this comment
bkchurch: The one guy who didn't buy Modern Warfare 2 was starred
bkchurch: The one guy who didn't buy Modern Warfare 2 was unstarred
"What we still don't know is what that means: If the original Tegra could decode 1080p video, what can the new one do? Decode 1080p video more enthusiastically?"
It's really not that tough. If the Tegra 1 could decode 1080p video, then the new one can probably do it with lower CPU utilization and power consumption. I'm surprised the writers at Giz weren't able to guess that.
Beyond that, I'm sure Nvidia improved the 3D performance of the chip, and hopefully went for an ARM Cortex A8 CPU instead of ARM 11.
The Tegra is built by NVIDIA, leaving Zune fans to suggest that it delivers industry leading, desktop-gaming type graphics that far exceed the capabilities of industry-standard mobile graphics. However, Tegra isn’t a scaled down version of NVIDIA’s PC graphics GPUs. The Tegra’s CPU/GPU package also uses DDR1 memory, introducing significant real world RAM bandwidth limits no matter how powerful the embedded GPU core is rated to be in theoretical terms.
In contrast, the modern Cortex-A8 used in the iPhone 3GS, Palm Pre, Nokia N900, and Pandora game console represents the latest generation of ARM CPU cores. It also employs a DDR2 memory interface, erasing a serious performance bottleneck hobbling the Zune HD’s Tegra. It’s difficult to make fair and direct comparisons between different generations of technology, but NVIDIA’s own demonstrations of Tegra’s ARM11/integrated graphics show it achieving 35 fps in Quake III. The same software running on Pandora’s Coretex-A8 with SGX GPU core achieves 40-60 fps.
onsense as it simply counts logical blocks common to all embedded SoC parts as “cores.” The CPU in the Tegra is a single ARM11 core. Even if the Tegra did supply multiple CPU cores, the Windows CE kernel used by the Zune HD doesn’t support multi-core SMP so it couldn’t make any use of them. Again, if you’re wondering why Microsoft was able to score the NVIDIA Tegra “before” Apple, it wasn’t due to any mobile industry clout or hardware experience on Microsoft’s end, but rather simply due to the fact that Apple has its own resources for designing and building advanced, state of the art mobile processors, and didn’t need to buy into the desperate hype NVIDIA is using to promote the runner up technology of Apple’s former SoC vendor.
@istuptinosil: that's really interesting. I wonder if Tegra 2 has solved the DDR1 issue and raised the FPS scores. Eventually I suppose that benchmarking phone graphic prowess will become a normal thing to do before buying. I bet that someday we will all be able to "upgrade" our phone GPU's when they become outdated (may be not...pipedream).
@iansilv: You know, surprisingly enough, you don't really hear that kind of stuff here. Engadget has plenty of fan boi commenting but I rarely see it here. I think it has to do with how promoting threads, like what I'm doing right now, and the fact that stars are given out by the editors keeps Gizmodo pretty clean. It also seems that they will ban you easily if you are an idiot, which also helps.
@CommentingpointlesslyisMeh: But, what if you aren't really an idiot, but sometimes you post like one, because you are a stressed out lawschool student? Can I still get a star? :)
@iansilv: Lol. I wasn't calling you an idiot. I have no idea how you can get a star. I got one commenting during a semi-live chat about BD-Live Terminator 4 .
I would love for Google to make a Tegra Android/ChromeOS netbook, throw in a 3g chip, ~8 hours of battery life, and sell 'em at around $200-$300 with free wireless internet, making the money on Android apps and ad sales from the surfing.
@DennyCraneDennyCraneDennyCrane: I guess that would be a direct competitor to ION? Which is also Nvidia. I wonder if Tegra 2 is more powerful than an ION (which I think has an Nvidia 9400m in it).
@CommentingpointlesslyisMeh: Its not a direct competitor with the Ion. Ion is a chipset, a GPU and audio chip. Its main market is as a compliment for Intels Atom.
Tegra is basically an Ion, plus an ARM CPU. It is designed mostly for Phones, PDAs, things like the Zune HD... It could also work as a netbook, but it would be unable to run Windows (well... It will run Windows CE, but not XP/Vista/7).
So, it would be fine for running Android/ChromeOS, since it would be compiled specifically for the Tegra. It would be quite low power thanks to the system on a chip design. And, best of all... my plan would come with free mobile Internet. Woo!
@clR3vv: Yeah, the Tegra is actually the most efficient system on a chip available. It has many different smaller dedicated processors, and only throws powers towards the ones it needs at the moment. Such as the HD Video Encoder or the Decoder.
* ARM 11
* ARM 7
* GPU
* 2D Engine
* HD Video Encoder
* HD Video Decoder
* Audio
* Imaging
"The Zune HD’s battery capacity is 660 mAh, about 16 percent less than the 789 mAh battery in the new iPod touch. Yet the Zune promises a longer run time than the touch for both music and videos."
Ipod Touch Battery life:
Music 30 Hours
Video 6 Hours
I still want a Tegra-based cellphone with a hard gamepad built in (something that looks like the PSPGo) and big name studios developing games for it. I would love that.
@HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.: Sounds kind of like that nokia phone (I think it was nokia, having a tough time remembering because it was laughed into obscurity).
@zeroprime: Yeah, but that was terrible execution. It still had a shitty cellphone screen, for one, and you had to take out the battery to change games. And the thing was HUGE, by cellphone standards.
And don't forget sidetalking.
@lixiaochenx277: Include a cell-phone radio for online multiplayer and to consolidate my phone into the device, and I'm sold.
Edited by HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H. at 12/16/09 3:34 PM
HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H. was starred
HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H. was unstarred
I'm running 2x 4870's now and while the performance is killer, I'd say avoid going the 2-card route if you can help it. It takes more power and makes more noise and I've also run into some heat related issues.
This is useful considering I'm building a new rig next month but such a shame they didn't provide benchmark charts. I like to see graphs for these sort of things rather than a vague performance analysis.
No AGP or PCI? I have an old PC, and I don't really have the disposable funds to replace the motherboard, CPU, and related components. I have a 6200, and I've heard mixed news about the newer PCI cards.
@BubbleF**kingBuddy:
Whether you have the money to replace the rest of your system or not it isn't their fault that your hardware is quite literally obsolete. There's no point covering hardware that was phased out about 5 years ago. I mean it's not as if AGP or PCI are even recent anymore.
Trust me you're better off just saving up and buying a new system rather than wasting money on something that's just getting more and more outdated and harder to maintain.
The PC may not be as popular for the home theater as it is for gaming... but it would still be nice if we could occasionally be given more info about what graphics cards are best for use in our home theaters. Like which ones can do 7.1 lossless audio over HDMI? Or which ones are hdcp compliant?
@Beftus:
AGP is a 12 year old technology that started being phased out 5 years ago. It's wholly irrelevant unless you have a very outdated machine (5 years is a long time in computing) and you're much better off with a new PC than trying to maintain legacy technology.
12/16/09
12/16/09
12/16/09
It's really not that tough. If the Tegra 1 could decode 1080p video, then the new one can probably do it with lower CPU utilization and power consumption. I'm surprised the writers at Giz weren't able to guess that.
Beyond that, I'm sure Nvidia improved the 3D performance of the chip, and hopefully went for an ARM Cortex A8 CPU instead of ARM 11.
12/16/09
In contrast, the modern Cortex-A8 used in the iPhone 3GS, Palm Pre, Nokia N900, and Pandora game console represents the latest generation of ARM CPU cores. It also employs a DDR2 memory interface, erasing a serious performance bottleneck hobbling the Zune HD’s Tegra. It’s difficult to make fair and direct comparisons between different generations of technology, but NVIDIA’s own demonstrations of Tegra’s ARM11/integrated graphics show it achieving 35 fps in Quake III. The same software running on Pandora’s Coretex-A8 with SGX GPU core achieves 40-60 fps.
onsense as it simply counts logical blocks common to all embedded SoC parts as “cores.” The CPU in the Tegra is a single ARM11 core. Even if the Tegra did supply multiple CPU cores, the Windows CE kernel used by the Zune HD doesn’t support multi-core SMP so it couldn’t make any use of them. Again, if you’re wondering why Microsoft was able to score the NVIDIA Tegra “before” Apple, it wasn’t due to any mobile industry clout or hardware experience on Microsoft’s end, but rather simply due to the fact that Apple has its own resources for designing and building advanced, state of the art mobile processors, and didn’t need to buy into the desperate hype NVIDIA is using to promote the runner up technology of Apple’s former SoC vendor.
12/16/09
12/16/09
There, folks I have set the lower end of the bar for comments on Tegra 2.
and now that I have done this, no one else needs to. Standards can increase from here.
12/16/09
12/16/09
12/16/09
12/16/09
MAKE IT HAPPEN, GOOGLE. I WANT THIS.
12/16/09
12/16/09
Tegra is basically an Ion, plus an ARM CPU. It is designed mostly for Phones, PDAs, things like the Zune HD... It could also work as a netbook, but it would be unable to run Windows (well... It will run Windows CE, but not XP/Vista/7).
So, it would be fine for running Android/ChromeOS, since it would be compiled specifically for the Tegra. It would be quite low power thanks to the system on a chip design. And, best of all... my plan would come with free mobile Internet. Woo!
12/16/09
12/16/09
12/16/09
[apcmag.com]
The eight cores are:
* ARM 11
* ARM 7
* GPU
* 2D Engine
* HD Video Encoder
* HD Video Decoder
* Audio
* Imaging
"The Zune HD’s battery capacity is 660 mAh, about 16 percent less than the 789 mAh battery in the new iPod touch. Yet the Zune promises a longer run time than the touch for both music and videos."
Ipod Touch Battery life:
Music 30 Hours
Video 6 Hours
Zune HD:
Music 33 Hours
HD Video 8.5 Hours
12/16/09
12/16/09
12/16/09
12/16/09
12/16/09
12/16/09
And don't forget sidetalking.
@lixiaochenx277: Include a cell-phone radio for online multiplayer and to consolidate my phone into the device, and I'm sold.
12/15/09
12/15/09
12/14/09
12/15/09
Whether you have the money to replace the rest of your system or not it isn't their fault that your hardware is quite literally obsolete. There's no point covering hardware that was phased out about 5 years ago. I mean it's not as if AGP or PCI are even recent anymore.
Trust me you're better off just saving up and buying a new system rather than wasting money on something that's just getting more and more outdated and harder to maintain.
12/14/09
12/14/09
12/14/09
12/14/09
12/15/09
AGP is a 12 year old technology that started being phased out 5 years ago. It's wholly irrelevant unless you have a very outdated machine (5 years is a long time in computing) and you're much better off with a new PC than trying to maintain legacy technology.
12/14/09