What Microsoft should have done with Xenos

[Techno+]

hello,

In case you dont no Xenos is a 64 pipeline GPU with 16 pipes disabled for redundancy. I think Microsoft shouldn't have done this, but instead keep all the 64 pipes and use 16 of them for physics, and then leave The Xenon CPU to do the AI and game code.

 

[3dcgi]

hello,

In case you dont no Xenos is a 64 pipeline GPU with 16 pipes disabled for redundancy. I think Microsoft shouldn't have done this, but instead keep all the 64 pipes and use 16 of them for physics, and then leave The Xenon CPU to do the AI and game code.

This is an urban legend. Xenos does not have 64 ALUs. If you don't believe me search for a recent post by DaveBaumann that confirms this.

 

[Acert93]

This is an urban legend. Xenos does not have 64 ALUs. If you don't believe me search for a recent post by DaveBaumann that confirms this.

Correct. The source of the confusion was ATI had mentioned redundancy (appears now to be more fine grained) and the die shots appear to show 4 symetrical units that could have been shader arrays; add in no clarification by ATI waaay back in 2005 it became "assumed" that this was so. Dave was kind enough to clarify this recently though :smile:

 

[sunscar]

hello,

In case you dont no Xenos is a 64 pipeline GPU with 16 pipes disabled for redundancy. I think Microsoft shouldn't have done this, but instead keep all the 64 pipes and use 16 of them for physics, and then leave The Xenon CPU to do the AI and game code.

Stares blankly... For AI and game code... You've got a TON of gamecode and AI, doncha? Sounds like it'd be overkill for AI and gamecode, and even if they can order those sixteen pipes around to do proper physics, I doubt it'd be of much point (it wouldn't be all that remarkable from a performance-stance).

 

[22psi]

xenos is fine

 

[Bohdy]

Xenos is broken.
Not really

But I does seem like no-one is making use of the much-touted "free AA". Tiling penalty?

The edram is kind of looking like a waste at this point.

 

[Rangers]

If they had 16 extra pipes, guess what they should have used them for? Graphics.

 

[London Geezer]

If they had 16 extra pipes, guess what they should have used them for? Graphics.

16 extra pipes would also get you high 25% faster.

 

[StefanS]

Urban legend = lock