Could the GC benefit from a memory expansion pack

[Ooh-videogames]

Could a memory expansion pack allow the Cube store more textures in memory making features like bump-mapping, anisotropic filtering completely free.

The GC mermory is 72 mbs after using the 6:1 texture compression and Xbox memory increases to 121 mbs, maybe more after texture compression.

If this is possible the amount of memory should be an increase of 8 to 16mbs of memory. (not compressed)

I also want to know is there a fixed size on how much memory could be used for textures or is up to the developer.

 

[Blade]

According to developer Factor 5, adding in more A-RAM wouldn't do much (if anything) for GameCube.

 

[mech]

Yep, cos it's too damn slow.

 

[PC-Engine]

Where did you guys get the A-RAM from?

 

[megadrive0088]

GameCube was designed to accept an upgrade in A-RAM, but most likely not in main 1T-SRAM (a shame)

The TriForce arcade hardware has 48 MB of main 1T-SRAM though. twice that of the consumer GameCube.

I doubt that the slower A-RAM, which is 81 MHz DRAM, could be much use for textures.

Nintendo should have used SDRAM or DDR for the A-RAM - would have made it much more useful, especially if more of it was added later.

 

[PC-Engine]

GameCube was designed to accept an upgrade in A-RAM, but most likely not in main 1T-SRAM (a shame)

Woh, I wasn't aware of that

Where would it interface? the highspeed port on the underside of GCN?

 

[mech]

The port on the underside of the Gamecube matches the speed of the A-RAM exactly IIRC.

 

[Teasy]

Could a memory expansion pack allow the Cube store more textures in memory making features like bump-mapping, anisotropic filtering completely free.

No, extra ram would do nothing for bump mapping or anisotroic filtering performance.

The GC mermory is 72 mbs after using the 6:1 texture compression and Xbox memory increases to 121 mbs, maybe more after texture compression.

Actually that's 144mb for GC (discluding GC's A-Ram and texture cache) and 384mb for XBox when using 6:1 compression.

 

[Tagrineth]

Hmm, well, the only way I see added A-RAM as being helpful is in additional pre-load binning space.

But that port's being used to DMA data from the GameBoy Player anyway, so who cares? There probably won't ever be an A-RAM expansion module, mostly because the GBP owners would have to switch constantly.

 

[Reznor007]

Hmm, well, the only way I see added A-RAM as being helpful is in additional pre-load binning space.

But that port's being used to DMA data from the GameBoy Player anyway, so who cares? There probably won't ever be an A-RAM expansion module, mostly because the GBP owners would have to switch constantly.

There is still one extra port in the Gamecube if you have network and GBA installed.

 

[Blade]

Making an expansion pack is bad enough business as it is.. but to make a basically worthless expansion pack?

 

[BenSkywalker]

I think it would be quite useful if they were planning a port of a title like Mafia. 81MB/sec is a lot better then what you can pull off the optical drive

 

[Tagrineth]

Hmm, well, the only way I see added A-RAM as being helpful is in additional pre-load binning space.

But that port's being used to DMA data from the GameBoy Player anyway, so who cares? There probably won't ever be an A-RAM expansion module, mostly because the GBP owners would have to switch constantly.

There is still one extra port in the Gamecube if you have network and GBA installed.

Yes, but the port the GBP uses is the port which connects straight to the A-RAM! The third port could NOT be a memory expansion by any realistic means - it'd be like having N64's memory expansion pack plug into a controller port!

 

[megadrive0088]

the next Nintendo machine will no doubt have more memory, but if it's 128-256 MB, it will be inadaquate once again, for that generation.


how much of today's best memory (DDR, 1T-SRAM, DDRII) could possibly be put inside a console the size of GameCube? i mean how much could be physically put in there, regardless of cost?

 

[Tagrineth]

how much of today's best memory (DDR, 1T-SRAM, DDRII) could possibly be put inside a console the size of GameCube? i mean how much could be physically put in there, regardless of cost?

Well, considering the potential surface area of the PCB, considering possible tiered design, and considering double-sided boards... you could conceivably have well over 20 (240MB) 12MB 1T-SRAM chips. Of course, they'd probably catch fire just like the early N64's... but oh well.

Considering that by that time the chip density will surely be increased (probably to 24 or 36MB, maybe even 48MB per chip), I'm sure Nintendo will have a decent amount of RAM. I just hope they don't have a crippled A-RAM pool in the next console

 

[zurich]

Could always just increase the density of the current chips instead of adding more.

 

[PC-Engine]

Well IMO if GCN2 had a HUGE texture cache like say 16-24MB then 128-256MB of main RAM wouldn't be an issue.

 

[Ooh-videogames]

The reason I created this thread is, there has been alot of discussion in other forums about Metroid Prime not having bump-mapping implemented.
So I figured Retro, during development ran out memory for textures. I believe if the memory was there they would have used the feature. Other reasons that have been mentioned is maintaining a smooth framerate.

 

[Blade]

Ooh: I'm a layman in comparison to some of the posters we have here, but AFAIK bump-mapping was left out of Metroid Prime for solely performance reasons. Memory has barely anything to do with it, right guys?

 

[PC-Engine]

Ooh: I'm a layman in comparison to some of the posters we have here, but AFAIK bump-mapping was left out of Metroid Prime for solely performance reasons. Memory has barely anything to do with it, right guys?

Well AFAIK bumpmapping will only cost fillrate/bandwidth since GCN can do 8 textures per pass and since a bumpmap is just another texture...

Watch someone prove me wrong and make me look totally stupid