Predict: The Next Generation Console Tech

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The future of cell is cloudy, and somehow a Fermi-derivitive would seem bad from a power consumption perspective too. :p
 
The future of cell is cloudy, and somehow a Fermi-derivitive would seem bad from a power consumption perspective too. :p
I was thinking something (see:dreaming...) like power7 "light" (much less L3 cache etc) with 4 cores 3.2GHz(today power7 is 45 nm,8 cores at 3.55GHz/32MB cache L3 =~ 240Watts) 32nm + 4GB RAM GDDR5 UMA and derived PowerVR 6 SGX600 MP16(cores) at 400MHz to 800MHz (like SGX 550+) 16 ROPS,32 MB eDRAM at 28 nm =~50/75 watts...

(maybe with this config we can see "ps4" less than 250 watts....)
 
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Here's a very random thought on memory footprints.
Generally devkits have more memory than consumer units 2x in most cases.
If one of the manufacturers went with a 4GB memory footprint, they'd be forced to use 64 bit addressing in the OS to accomodate devkits with more RAM.
That's at least a 10-15% performance penalty for most code, plus data bloat for any structures containing pointers.

Obviously there is no requirement to double the memory, so they could go 3GB retail 4GB devkit.
Or just not have extra memory in the devkits.
 
Or just not have extra memory in the devkits.
Well, I suppose we have seen Microsoft do that for the majority of this generation. :p But I mean, for the purposes of development how much more memory is really needed for the applications and tools?

3GB would be a neat scenario... 192-bit, 12x16-bit chips, 2Gb/chip, or 6x32-bit chips, 4Gb/chip. DDR3 @ 2500MHz would give 60GB/s.
 
Interesting DF article there. Regarding making HDD standard, I was always under the impression that making HDD standard is cost prohibitive which is why MS went from having HDD standard in the xbox 1 to an option in the 360. Is this wrong?
 
Interesting DF article there. Regarding making HDD standard, I was always under the impression that making HDD standard is cost prohibitive which is why MS went from having HDD standard in the xbox 1 to an option in the 360. Is this wrong?

It's just that it's a cost that can't be reduced in the same manner as the number of RAM chips or process scaling with the chips. They're effectively just paying for the platters, and whatever the density is on there is irrelevent. As time goes on density can improve, but that doesn't reduce the cost of the physical hardware.

Now, with flash being ICs, it may be a completely different scenario or it might not be; it'd be akin to the situation with memory chips, but at the same time they can only go so small with the process tech (at a fixed density or storage capacity) before the chip's I/O connections prohibit further reduction. At that point they may just go with a higher density chip i.e. more storage.

To make it useful though, they need a fast controller.

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The 4GB slim is kind of interesting:

Unlike the old 'Arcade' units the memory is no longer located directly on the motherboard, but instead Microsoft uses a small addon-on PCB with a 4GB flash memory unit. This probably makes production easier (afaik) as all motherboards are now exactly the same ... for the 4GB model they add the internal memory pcb-addon, for the 250GB unit they add the internal HDD.
http://pictures.xbox-scene.com/xbox360/new-xbox/4gb-01.jpg
http://pictures.xbox-scene.com/xbox360/new-xbox/4gb-02.jpg
http://pictures.xbox-scene.com/xbox360/new-xbox/4gb-03.jpg

Wish they didn't white-out the chip details. I presume it's NAND 32Gb SLC ?

At any rate, they did leave the option for a second chip.

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Just for reference on current state of NAND density

http://www.techpowerup.com/144473/Toshiba-Launches-19-nm-Process-NAND-Flash-Memory.html

Looks like they're only just hitting 8GB per chip. I wonder what the roadmap is for the next few years since they're already at 19nm. MLC is kinda crap. :p
 
With Corinne Yu on board I hope we will more than than a scaled up 360, enter the many generation // just kidding.
Till I'm drooling about it...
 
wow , i think its a bit of silly season on power usage


a intel core i7-920 @ 3.33ghz with 6 gigs of ram and a 120gig ssd uses only 258 watts under load with a radeon hd 6790.

AMD Radeon hd 6870 is 277w with the same system specs

Load is Crysis

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4260/amds-radeon-hd-6790-coming-up-short-at-150/14


They'd only need to shave 50ish watts off the power consumption to hit the launch ps3 numbers. A jump to 32/28nm and a more power efficent cpu and they'd be more than there
 
only 1120SPs? If you're only just hitting the upper ceiling of power consumption at 28nm with that, that's pretty awful.
 
Any word on what XDR2 is achieving in the real world? I'm still hoping Sony go that route with a massive pool of unified RAM, assuming it actually works out as cost effective.

I think it's 2x Gbpp is expected but as Sony is is the only Major user of XDR I haven't heard of anyone using XDR2. Also now there is mXDR as well which appears to be their latest dev line.
 
wow , i think its a bit of silly season on power usage


a intel core i7-920 @ 3.33ghz with 6 gigs of ram and a 120gig ssd uses only 258 watts under load with a radeon hd 6790.

AMD Radeon hd 6870 is 277w with the same system specs

Load is Crysis

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4260/amds-radeon-hd-6790-coming-up-short-at-150/14


They'd only need to shave 50ish watts off the power consumption to hit the launch ps3 numbers. A jump to 32/28nm and a more power efficent cpu and they'd be more than there

Crysis used two threads, that i7-920 won't even be firing on half its cylinders. The Furmark test show an increased draw of 265W, and that's with the CPU sitting on its hands.

Build a console with that stuff in, only budget for 258 Watts of power draw and heat dissipation, and then give developers 10 years to squeeze the most out of it. At least 110% of all the systems you ever make will self destruct!
 
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