Nvidia Tegra 4

[Rigol]

http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/02/htc-one-s-review/
two kraits better than four tegras

[integrated]

Originally Posted by Rigol

http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/02/htc-one-s-review/
two kraits better than four tegras

Did anybody still doubt that? T3 is standard A9 with limited RAM BW.

[integrated]

Well, exciting performance or not, it appears T3 is the new baseline for Android gaming.

Asus tablets
Ouya console
Nexus 7
assorted phones

This looks like the new target platform for Android development...hopefully they'll ignore the TegraZone BS and keep it on the level.

[esrever]

Im not sure how nvidia is able to push tegra 3 into so many android tablets. It isn't a good chip and Im not sure why almost every android tablet has it.

[HighTech4US]

Originally Posted by esrever

Im not sure how nvidia is able to push tegra 3 into so many android tablets. It isn't a good chip and Im not sure why almost every android tablet has it.

Because it actually is pretty good.

It also is available for orders in the millions unlike the 28nm parts.

And why not actually try it to judge for yourself instead of just following the negative (anything Nvidia) herd.

[esrever]

Originally Posted by HighTech4US

Because it actually is pretty good.

It also is available for orders in the millions unlike the 28nm parts.

And why not actually try it to judge for yourself instead of just following the negative (anything Nvidia) herd.

4 really weak cores on something that would never use 4 cores, any dual core chip would be more efficient. The chip just isn't designed to be good but pushed out to be the first quad core ARM chip. The gpu performance is kinda pathetic compared to what nvidia goes around saying, mostly its just nvidia pushing their close system into android games even if the hardware isn't that much better than the competitor's.

4 cores in phones and tablets are a waste, android isn't even going to use the excess resource. Quadcore A9s are just a waste of power and die space.

[kalelovil]

They aren't "really weak cores", they are Cortex A9s with NEON clocked at 1.2+Ghz, just like 90% of Tegra's competitors.

I agree that 4 cores are currently underutilised on Android and a waste of die space, but to say they are never all used is false. There are however real power consumption advantages from Nvidia's approach compared to a higher clocked dual core set-up.

GPU performance is significantly behind some of Tegra's rivals, but Nvidia's developer relations programme and experience is probably a significant advantage here considering its competitors have nothing equivalent to it as far as I'm aware. What matters at the end of the day are the programmes which end up on a platform rather than its theoretical capabilities.

I do think dual core Krait with an Adreno GPU is a better solution at the moment, but Qualcomm's decision to produce it exclusively on TSMC's supply constrained 28nm process rules that out of contention for large volume orders from the likes of ASUS for now.

[fatty2nd]

Being on a Tegra 3 device right now, I have to say it ain't half bad, a definite improvement over Tegra 2 and realistically pretty similar on screen performance to the retina iPad as far as GPU performance is concerned. I can see the Nexus 7 being really big over the next year.

[Richthofen]

In the end nvdia made some clever decisions.

- 4 cores including the companion core that help to reduce power consumption and to offset some of the 40nm disadvantages

- 40nm production which is cheap and highly available. Nvidia gains really good momentum due to the fact that all 28nm SoC providers are experiencing massive shortages and rule them out for a lot of high volume products.

By the time 28nm is fully available Nvidia will have its 28nm SoC ready too.

[french toast]

Originally Posted by esrever

4 really weak cores on something that would never use 4 cores, any dual core chip would be more efficient. The chip just isn't designed to be good but pushed out to be the first quad core ARM chip. The gpu performance is kinda pathetic compared to what nvidia goes around saying, mostly its just nvidia pushing their close system into android games even if the hardware isn't that much better than the competitor's.

4 cores in phones and tablets are a waste, android isn't even going to use the excess resource. Quadcore A9s are just a waste of power and die space.

I'm sorry but this anti mulicore propaganda is becoming seriously out dated and well..annoying.

Admittedly there are few actual apps that can take full advantage of 4 cores...I only know of 2 outside of tegra 3 specific games...but just through multitasking and opening a couple of web pages up fires up 4 cores...it just clocks them lower to spread the load and hopefully save power.

It also keeps things running smooth as each core has always got some head room..even though I regularly can max out my 4 threads surprisingly often.

Android ics is actually rather good a resource management now...of course 4 cores would be redundant on ios and wp7 in their current incarnation outside of specific apps..which there is none....but android sure does benefit from 4 cores...smoothness and batterylife being 2 examples.

4 krait cores coming up in the apq snapdragon soc will be awesome.