RSX- Do you have some new facts?

Yeah, whatever.. If the RSX is this i speculated how could it be bad either way, if it has more quads/VS units even better. But i dont get how someone is thinking that a G70 wouldnt be enough, the rest is just bonus if thats the case.

Remember that its a CLOSED SYSTEM also...

 

My understanding is the Nvidia was only contracted for the PS3 project late last year since the original idea was to use a cell based graphics solution.

I'm sure nVidia WOULD have spent millions on a custom solution but the way i read it is that a mostly off-the-shelf design was all there was time for.

I believe ATI started on the Xenos about 2 years ago...

J

 

Da BC runs on DC in da PC! Real EZ.

 

Sony and Nvidia were working together on PS3 in 2002...

http://www.nvidia.com/object/IO_17342.html

 

The RSX can be one of these things:

1. GeForce 7800 GTX (24 Fragment Processors/Pixel Shaders) running at 550Mhz.

2. A variation of the actual GeForce 7800 with 32 pipes and running at 550Mhz.

3. An actual GeForce 7800 with an "add-on" that is under NDA.

But the key of all the PS3 is the Cell, I believe that Sony has designed the machine for the postprocessing graphics in real time, this is why the huge bandwith between the Cell and the RSX exists.

In other words, the RSX can send the final image to the Cell or an uncomplete image for the application of an special image effect (like the Photoshop filters) that makes the final image that you see more accurate.

Since the Cell is more powerful than the Xenon we can see better graphics on the PS3, not for the PS3 GPU but for the combo of GPU (Render the image) and the CPU (makes better the image with post-processing).

Thanks, to all.

 

Surely it can be more than just these 3 possibilities.

J

 

Yeha i dont think that nvidia wasnt involved until late last year, just that Sony decided to go with a completely stand-alone 3rd party off the shelf GPU at that point.

It had been pointed out to me that one possibility was to make a GPU based on the cell technology, i could definitely see Sony contracting nvidia to assist early on (2002) with that design in order to leverage their expertise in this space.

J

 

The poisiton of nVidia is unclear, and we've too little info to hazard much of a guess. Use of a PC part doesn't particularly strike me as 'slapdash' emergency solution. After all a PC GPU and console GPU have to do the same job, and the nVidia part in XB was a very capable design limited by the rest of the system AFAIK. Much as I like exciting new approaches like US and eDRAM framebuffers if the hardware can manage the same job without, it's no big deal and the reasons for going with nVidia are numerous. There's as much possibility nVidia tendered a proposal at the same time Sony and Toshiba were suggesting GPU solutions, of not more reason to believe that then nVidia were conscripted in the last and talk of working for 2+ years with Sony were bald-faced lies.

 

Agreed.

However, what we have heard about RSX thus far, while far from complete, suggests it has a lot more in common with an off-the-shelf part rather than a custom part thats been 2 years in development no?

I know its all just speculation at this point but almost any post with 'RSX' in it is so we may as well...

J

 

Based on what we've heard so far, yes. But we really haven't heard anything! It has VS and PS pipes, and is clocked at 550 MHz. Oh, and it interfaces with Cell and has synchronised caches. There could be other things in there that took a couple dozen engineers two years to produce, in the realm of custom functions and processes if not logical units. We don't know, but for me the idea of a couple dozen (didn't I hear 50 engineers from somewhere) nVidia personnel taking a G70 and taking 2 years to on an XDR interface (when G70 wasn't available) seems like an awful waste of time. Assuming the 2 years story is true there must be something a little more to it than an off the shelf part. Though that may just be BC hardware.

 

Havent we heard more than once that the RSX is based on the G70? Not saying it means everything and i'll drop it after this because i understand its mostly moot.

J

 

The only thing that everyone is definite on is that...

The RSX is @ 550Mhz.
Some of its pipes will be locked/disabled for redundancy.
The design is based on the G70.

 

The money Sony gave them, of course. That's what I meant

 

That's definite?
Personally, i wouldn't call "definite" anything - especially the clock speed - until i have my nice PS3 plugged into my TV, and even then i'll be so busy drooling over the games that i'll hardly care!

 

The redundancy issue is an unknown but I agree with your view on that.

One thing we also know for definite RSX will perform 136 shader ops/cycle.

 

You better hope Marco and I know somethings for "definate" before we plug our home PS3 into our TVs, else you might not be drooling so much

 

You mean you still don't know some things "for definite"?

Anyway, how's work going? You must be busy with HS, haven't seen you around much (and with this, i expect this thread to turn into another -fully deserved! - We Love Heavenly Sword thread).

 

WTF they LET you take yours HOME? I need to have a talk with my boss.

 

Um, no. LB said 'definite' is 'when I plug my PS3 in at home'. Deano says 'if we don't have a definite long before then, our job's gonna be a bit difficult'.

But yeah, no new footage or news about HS at TGS. HS didn't even feature on the PS3 title's in development list.

 

LOL