NVIDIA Tegra Architecture

The Tegra 4 variant in Shield has ~ 2x better CPU performance and ~ 1.7x better GPU performance compared to the S600 variant in the new [2013] Nexus 7. So even a significantly downclocked T4 variant used in a 7" tablet should compare quite favorably. Stylus support would be a nice bonus too. It is better to put some of the Tegra 4 R&D towards a finished 7" product than to wait forever for a "prospective customer" to come along who may or may not use it in the first place (and as far as I can tell, most of the other Tegra 4 tablets announced from their partners so far are 10" tablets). On an aside, Kepler.M is already sampling to customers, which is a relief given how late T4 started sampling.
 
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It may perform better but it will have to compete in price with the Nexus 7.

Google has limited distribution of the Nexus products in the past. Is that changing now?

And if Google is targeting higher volumes, can NVidia do the same?

They can only hope to get some content optimized for the T4, as they've done for previous Tegras, and carve out a niche of people wanting to play games with better graphics than typical tablet games.
 
If NVIDIA can sell Shield for $299 retail price (which is very impressive hardware for that price point), then I'm sure they could sell an affordable 7" tablet too based on T4. Of course the [2013] Nexus 7 will sell in much higher volumes, no argument there, but that doesn't mean that an affordable Tegra Tab 7" variant with stylus support would be any less attractive too :)
 
The Tegra 4 variant in Shield has ~ 2x better CPU performance and ~ 1.7x better GPU performance compared to the S600 variant in the new [2013] Nexus 7.

I know that Tegra 4 has about 1.5 to 1.6 times higher graphics performance than the Adreno 320 in the Nexus 7 (I compared the Shield to the Nexus 7), but could you provide some numbers to back up those CPU performance claims? 2× seems awfully high.
 
I know that Tegra 4 has about 1.5 to 1.6 times higher graphics performance than the Adreno 320 in the Nexus 7 (I compared the Shield to the Nexus 7), but could you provide some numbers to back up those CPU performance claims? 2× seems awfully high.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7190/nvidia-shield-review-tegra-4-crossroads-pc-mobile-gaming/4
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/nvidia-shield-tegra-4-android-geforce-review,3576-9.html

Performance advantage in SunSpider: 2.08x
Performance advantage in Google Octane: 1.87x
Performance advantage in Mozilla Kraken: 1.62x
Performance advantage in Geekbench: 1.68x
Performance advantage in Antutu: 2.06x

Now, obviously these are CPU+system benchmarks, but it is clear that the CPU performance of the Cortex A15 cores in Shield is way faster than the Krait cores in the [2013] Nexus 7.
 
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If Kepler.M is already sampling, could we see it in Surface 2?

If Surface 2 [RT] launches this year, then there is no way that Kepler.M will be inside. Kepler.M only recently started sampling, so products using Kepler.M will not reach the market until Q1 2014 at the earliest I would think.
 
If Surface 2 [RT] launches this year, then there is no way that Kepler.M will be inside. Kepler.M only recently started sampling, so products using Kepler.M will not reach the market until Q1 2014 at the earliest I would think.

Thanks for clarifying.
 
For what it's worth, I don't think there will be any new Windows RT devices available this year with Tegra inside. Asus, Acer, Lenovo, Dell, etc. are not supporting that platform (at least for the short-term). Microsoft needs to figure out a way to foster the ARM ecosystem (perhaps by merging their Windows Phone and Tablet operating systems for ARM-powered devices and creating a very efficient and inexpensive operating system for these devices), as they are in the awkward position of having most of their Windows Phones powered by ARM processors but with a complete lack of synergy between ARM and x86 with competing OS's in their Windows Tablets.
 
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For what it's worth, I don't think there will be any new Windows RT devices available this year with Tegra inside. Asus, Acer, Lenovo, Dell, etc. are not supporting that platform (at least for the short-term). Microsoft needs to figure out a way to foster the ARM ecosystem (perhaps by merging their Windows Phone and Tablet operating systems for ARM-powered devices and creating a very efficient and inexpensive operating system for these devices), as they are in the awkward position of having most of their Windows Phones powered by ARM processors but with a complete lack of synergy between ARM and x86 with competing OS's in their Windows Tablets.

Microsoft has already officially stated that their will updated versions of the Surface RT and Pro in in Q4 2013 and Jen Hsun also announced 2 days ago that NVIDIA is working hard on the next Surface RT tablet.
 
Microsoft has already officially stated that their will updated versions of the Surface RT and Pro in in Q4 2013 and Jen Hsun also announced 2 days ago that NVIDIA is working hard on the next Surface RT tablet.

They may have been working hard on the next Surface RT tablet, but based on the most recent Q&A session, I get the sense that they did not win that design win (although I could be wrong about that).
 
They may have been working hard on the next Surface RT tablet, but based on the most recent Q&A session, I get the sense that they did not win that design win (although I could be wrong about that).

That could fit with the idea of nVidia doing their own WinRT tablet, especially if they were basically pushing a reference design to an OEM for this in the first place.

Unfortunately, non-Microsoft WinRT tablets are in a bad position since they can't compete with SurfaceRT prices, not unless MS starts giving better deals. It's no wonder Acer, Asus, etc don't want it.
 
That could fit with the idea of nVidia doing their own WinRT tablet, especially if they were basically pushing a reference design to an OEM for this in the first place.

Unfortunately, non-Microsoft WinRT tablets are in a bad position since they can't compete with SurfaceRT prices, not unless MS starts giving better deals. It's no wonder Acer, Asus, etc don't want it.

Microsoft could run petitions for it; those who win are allowed to not release any RT devices :devilish:
 
It's puzzling why MS did not release the WinRT tablet one year earlier than they did, the way it happened it just got pwned by the desktop Windows 8 bad press. It's like releasing a Windows ME or Windows Vista tablet.
Dunno if the "let's wait for version 1.1" release of Windows 8.1, followed with Surface 2, can turn the tables a bit.

I feel like nvidia should target Ubuntu or other linux tablets, with Tegra 5 especially they will have hardware and drivers able to run all open source or ARM desktop linux apps.. It would be kind of a Surface Pro, but ARM and linux.
 
Nvidia seams to bring it own tablet to the market powered with Tegra 4 Soc ..

NVIDIA Tegra Tab leaked: 7-inch stylus-toting SHIELD companion

Tegra-Tab-04-580x386.jpg


~~~~~

early benchmark for Tegra 4 running at 1.8 MHZ

image_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png
 
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