CELL REVEALED (this time it's official)

[russo121]

Because they are not doing Software rendering in the PS3. CELL is a CPU, it will be used to process geometry, physics, AI, and other logic. It will not be used in games to render the final pixel, because pixel pipelines are still organized more efficiency to do this.

The quickest way to lower your effective throughput from the theoretically 250Gflops way down to mediocre is to make CELL render 1080p scenes in software.

I agree with you but there is no word for PS3 about an independent graphics core... Well the information we (at least I) have is sparce to none... Or CELL is a "general CPU for graphics" but then not limited to SM2,3,4...

Doesn't todays processors (P4, A64) renders 1080p scenes in software

 

[DemoCoder]

No, today's games do not do rasterization in software.

Nvidia has already said that the PS3 will be using their next generation GPU.

 

[AutomatedMech]

One of the reason I get annoyed by Kutaragi and SCEI is their dishonensty; it is quite obvious that CELL does not run at 4 Ghz by "industry definition", yet they insist on this bogus definition to confuse and mislead average consumers.

 

[eSa]

I agree with you but there is no word for PS3 about an independent graphics core... Well the information we (at least I) have is sparce to none... Or CELL is a "general CPU for graphics" but then not limited to SM2,3,4...

Doesn't todays processors (P4, A64) renders 1080p scenes in software

Nvidia spokeperson said in recent interview, that the PS3 GPU is separate, custom gpu designed by nVidia for Sony. (With input from Sony).

 

[akira888]

As I've posted on this board before, one very basic bilinear texture filter operation would require somewhere around 72 FLOPS, and one trilinear filter operation would require a little more than twice that.

So if you could allocate roughly 25 percent of the chip's FPU execution time to texture filtering (a ridiculous amount) the maximum filtered texel generation rate would only be on the order of 0.9 Gtexels/sec. This is slightly less than the respective figure for the Xbox and PS2, and obviously unacceptable for a next-gen console. Hence, we have an NV graphics part.

As far as the "10-20 times faster than current graphics cards" comment goes, it's clearly just an empty rhetorical flourish by an ignorant reporter.

 

[russo121]

No, today's games do not do rasterization in software.

Nvidia has already said that the PS3 will be using their next generation GPU.

For sure I missed that... Can you point or have a link where Nvidia quoted that? I'll try google... and for PS3 I think it will be tomorrows games

 

[akira888]

Can you point or have a link where Nvidia quoted that? I'll try google... and for PS3 I think it will be tomorrows games

NVIDIA PlayStation 3 GPU to be completed by end of 2005

 

[sunscar]

This is basically aimed at "AutomatedMech"... My god Deadmeat, would you please for god's sake quit your trolling of every board in creation?! Take your beef with Kutaragi San somewhere where the rhetorick is appreciated. It sounds to both myself and I'm sure 99% of everybody who reads your posts that you're just ticked that PS2 didn't turn out to be everything that fanboys hyped it to be. Sounds like you're still pained over claims of ToyStory level games, made by complete idiots more than five years ago. Just drop it already or take it somewhere else....

Now, back on topic...

What's supposed to go on tomorrow at ISSCC (it's 6:52PM February 07 here, by the way)? I'm completely out of the loop for today.

Later

 

[Megadrive1988]

Now I'm sure Nvidia has nothing to do with hardware in PS3.....

1st - Developed jointly by IBM, Sony and Toshiba only.

2nd - "At first blush I think it's safe to say that it will be 10 to 20 times faster than the fastest graphics cards and processors," Doherty told New Scientist. "We think it is going to revolutionize computer science for entertainment and business." - http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn6976

Cell developed by IBM, Sony and Toshiba is capable of running 10 to 20 times faster.... why should they need Nvidia? If Nvidia could duplicate their performance of current generation (6800), that's what I call - Miracle!

3rd - Just to dissipate any doubts - "Dubbed a "supercomputer on a chip" by its makers, Cell could have a major impact on high-end computing, such as scientific experiments and graphics rendering."


What is the role of Nvidia in the middle of this? Making T-shirts ?!

1.) Nvidia is doing all or most or at least a major part of the Playstation3 graphics processing hardware. the GPU. the PS3 GPU is going to be some specific implementation of Nvidia's next generation GPU architecture.

2.) Cell would be pretty worthless if it had to calculate physicics, game-code, geometry/vertex processing AND render/rasterize/display everything through software. that is why PS3 will have a more conventional nextgen GPU.

 

[j^aws]

Sony would need at two of these to form PS3 CPU, if they are to even approach the 500 million transistors originally announced for PS3 CPU in 1999....

Do you have a link?

 

[MechanizedDeath]

This is basically aimed at "AutomatedMech"... My god Deadmeat, would you please for god's sake quit your trolling of every board in creation?! Take your beef with Kutaragi San somewhere where the rhetorick is appreciated. It sounds to both myself and I'm sure 99% of everybody who reads your posts that you're just ticked that PS2 didn't turn out to be everything that fanboys hyped it to be. Sounds like you're still pained over claims of ToyStory level games, made by complete idiots more than five years ago. Just drop it already or take it somewhere else....

This started before the PS2. At least, it started with the PS2 buildup over at NGO. And who knows where he posted the same tired mantra before that. PEACE.

 

[Wunderchu]

http://hardware.gamespot.com/Story-ST-15015-1483-x-x-x

 

[JF_Aidan_Pryde]

If Cell is to process geometry, is anyone expecting vertex shaders in the PS3 GPU?

If the Cell sends 'render pixel' requests to the GPU and the GPU does just that, then that'll be some pretty insane pixel shading power, enough it would seem to do GI to some extent. (assuming NV's GPU has no vertex hardware, every transistor put into pixel shading)

 

[Megadrive1988]

The Cell processor will offer a tremendous amount of parallelism with its eight synergistic processing cores working in conjunction with the single Power control processor. SCEI vice president of microprocessor development Masakazu Suzuoki adds that the first Cell implementation only has eight synergistic cores, but the architecture is flexible enough to allow for additional cores.

why not one PU / PPE Power control processor plus 16 synergistic processing cores? Sony boasted about a 500 million transistor PS3 CPU. the processor revealed today has slightly less than half that.

 

[one]

The Cell processor will offer a tremendous amount of parallelism with its eight synergistic processing cores working in conjunction with the single Power control processor. SCEI vice president of microprocessor development Masakazu Suzuoki adds that the first Cell implementation only has eight synergistic cores, but the architecture is flexible enough to allow for additional cores.

why not one PU / PPE Power control processor plus 16 synergistic processing cores? Sony boasted about a 500 million transistor PS3 CPU. the processor revealed today has slightly less than half that.

Seems plausible as the PS3, the game console, should be configured to be even more intended to massive parallelism and floating-point math performance.