so PS3's RSX ~ Reality Synthesizer GPU has *no* eDRAM ????

[Megadrive1988]

am I mistaken to say that the Nvidia-Sony RSX ~ Reality Synthesizer GPU in Playstation3 has no embedded DRAM, and therefore, no ultra-high bandwidth memory for rendering like the PS2 (48 GB/ sec) and Xbox360 have (256 GB/ sec)?

remember the awesome 48 GB/sec bandwidth of PS2's Graphics Synthesizer from the 2560 bit-bit bus connection from eDRAM to GS logic ?

why does Playstation3 seem to go a step backwards in this area -- there's a ~35 GB/sec bus between Cell CPU and RSX GPU, and RSX GPU has what, 22.4 GB sec to the 256 MB of GDDR3.


Xbox goes from no eDRAM to having 10 MB of 256 GB eDRAM in XB360

PS2 goes from 4 MB of 48 GB/sec eDRAM to no eDRAM in PS3 ?

 

[London Geezer]

Re: so PS3's RSX ~ Reality Synthesizer GPU has *no* eDRAM ??

am I mistaken to say that the Nvidia-Sony RSX ~ Reality Synthesizer GPU in Playstation3 has no embedded DRAM, and therefore, no ultra-high bandwidth memory for rendering like the PS2 (48 GB/ sec) and Xbox360 have (256 GB/ sec)?

remember the awesome 48 GB/sec bandwidth of PS2's Graphics Synthesizer from the 2560 bit-bit bus connection from eDRAM to GS logic ?

why does Playstation3 seem to go a step backwards in this area -- there's a ~35 GB/sec bus between Cell CPU and RSX GPU, and RSX GPU has what, 22.4 GB sec to the 256 MB of GDDR3.


Xbox goes from no eDRAM to having 10 MB of 256 GB eDRAM in XB360

PS2 goes from 4 MB of 48 GB/sec eDRAM to no eDRAM in PS3 ?

The configuration obviously didn't need eDRAM otherwise it would be there. It's not like they've spared any expense on the transistor count afterall.

The RSX will have its own 22.4GBs to GDDR, but it will also have that 35GBs to dip into. Cell on its own will not use the whole 35GBs bus anyway, i'd assume not even half under normal circumstances, so in the end the RSX will be able to access more than 256MB RAM at almost the same speed the PS2's GS accesses its tiny 4MB eDRAM.

Or that's the theory at least.

 

[hey69]

god knows what the final specs will be. (maybe not regarding the emb ram ) but maybe a clockspeed boost?
the original ps2 was also revealed first that it would be 250mhz but they bumped it to 300mhz later on before launch ifm not mistaken

 

[London Geezer]

Also, it might look like a "step back" to have the same (or less) bandwidth as PS2's GS, but remember that there are now many bandwidth saving techniques PS2 did not have access to, which makes this whole thing a proverbial apples to mangos comparison.

 

[mech]

Funny how every other graphics chipset bar the GS has managed without eDRAM.

It's not a necessity, it's just one technique to get nice graphics. Just chill

 

[j^aws]

*IF*, KillZone, when released looks anywhere near the demo, *and* RSX hasn't got any eDRAM, would you complain?

 

[MfA]

They just didnt have the time IMO.

 

[BOOMEXPLODE]

Re: so PS3's RSX ~ Reality Synthesizer GPU has *no* eDRAM ??

why does Playstation3 seem to go a step backwards in this area

Step backwards? RSX is infinitely superior to the GS however you look at it. Putting embedded ram on the GPU would just mean that other features would have to be cut and performance would suffer (re: XBox 360 GPU).

 

[PC-Engine]

Re: so PS3's RSX ~ Reality Synthesizer GPU has *no* eDRAM ??

why does Playstation3 seem to go a step backwards in this area

Step backwards? RSX is infinitely superior to the GS however you look at it. Putting embedded ram on the GPU would just mean that other features would have to be cut and performance would suffer (re: XBox 360 GPU).

Huh? Isn't the EDRAM in Xbox360 on a separate chip?

 

[Shifty Geezer]

As I understand it, XB360's EDRAM has some functional processing on board too.

Really though, EDRAM is but one solution to a problem. This time around Sony thought to try without it, MS thought to include it. And remember XB without EDRAM was more powerful than PS2 with it, so it's inclusion is any guarentee of best-possible design.

 

[Tacitblue]

What sorts of texture codec functions do you think are most likely to leverage either platforms strengths?

 

[Love_In_Rio]

According to the inquirer RSX is G70 plus 10MB EDRAM: http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=23325

 

[Megadrive1988]

*IF*, KillZone, when released looks anywhere near the demo, *and* RSX hasn't got any eDRAM, would you complain?

it would have to look like the demo or damn close. otherwise i'll bitch like hell.

just kidding

 

[ERP]

DOH I keep waiting for the obigatory how much bandwidth it takes to do 1x transparent overdraw at 1920x1080p calculation.

 

[London Geezer]

According to the inquirer...

Must be true!!

 

[Megadrive1988]

Re: so PS3's RSX ~ Reality Synthesizer GPU has *no* eDRAM ??

why does Playstation3 seem to go a step backwards in this area

Step backwards? RSX is infinitely superior to the GS however you look at it. Putting embedded ram on the GPU would just mean that other features would have to be cut and performance would suffer (re: XBox 360 GPU).

forgetting about the eDRAM for now,

you're quite right that RSX is infinitely superior to the GS.

those words... hehe....'infinite' and 'reality synthesizer'

Onyx Infinite Reality graphics: SGI

Graphics Synthesizer: Sony

SGI ===> Nvidia.

Nvidia + Sony: Reality Synthesizer.

 

[Nightz]

Re: so PS3's RSX ~ Reality Synthesizer GPU has *no* eDRAM ??

why does Playstation3 seem to go a step backwards in this area

Step backwards? RSX is infinitely superior to the GS however you look at it. Putting embedded ram on the GPU would just mean that other features would have to be cut and performance would suffer (re: XBox 360 GPU).

forgetting about the eDRAM for now,

you're quite right that RSX is infinitely superior to the GS.

those words... hehe....'infinite' and 'reality synthesizer'

Onyx Infinite Reality graphics: SGI

Graphics Synthesizer: Sony

SGI ===> Nvidia.

Nvidia + Sony: Reality Synthesizer.

Reality Co-Processor

 

[cthellis42]

Offhand, I think it will be amusing to see how many people cite a lack of EDRAM as a reason the PS3 will be hurting, while they used it as a reason the PS2 was bad last gen. (Usually while ignoring the fact that the GameCube had it, too.)

We all know it will come down to how the whole system architecture operates, and that is beyond unproven as of yet. EDRAM can certainly be used to good effect, but it is not the cure to all woes. The implementations of EDRAM have to themselves pan out within the overall system architecture, because it's no good curing a bottleneck somewhere to cause another one somewhere else.

In the end, the systems may simply be focusing on delivering different things, and it will be up to each and every consumer to decide what it is they like more.

 

[Johnny Awesome]

Apples and oranges: The X360 GPU can access main memory directly. The PS2 GS could not do this.

It's more amusing that the PS3 is a segmented PC-like design and the X360 is a console UMA design.

 

[AlNom]

Really though, EDRAM is but one solution to a problem. This time around Sony thought to try without it, MS thought to include it. And remember XB without EDRAM was more powerful than PS2 with it, so it's inclusion is any guarentee of best-possible design.

You mean nVidia couldn't be bothered to design anything for eDRAM and ATi was just reusing ArtX designs?

I jest