AMD Polaris in Apple Mac, Sony PS4K design wins say reports

[Sumanji]

I think AMD's Apple wins were a given, although Apple now only put discrete GPUs in the higher end products within each range so the quantity might not be as high as it would otherwise seem.

Aye, a much bigger win would be if they managed to sneak a Zen APU into the Macbook lineup...

Presumably Intel has Apple by the balls somehow wrt CPU supply though?

[kalniel]

The PS4k seems a little optimistic - 2304 processors is less than a 390.

The 390 is a massive chip. The PS4 used a much smaller and more efficient chip (based on Pitcairn) that could be incorporated into the same bit of silicon as the CPU. Using Pitcairn's successor makes a lot of sense if they're doing the same thing.

[Xlucine]

Sure, and much of the 390 silicon is turned off - my point was that 4k gaming from it is a big ask, unless you sacrifice a lot of image quality.

[Biscuit]

Sure, and much of the 390 silicon is turned off - my point was that 4k gaming from it is a big ask, unless you sacrifice a lot of image quality.

In a PC there are layers of abstraction that a developer has to work with which result in unavoidable overheads. In consoles the development is much closer to being 'native' to the GPU. Essentially you cannot compare a 390's performance on the PC to the possibilities of using a version of it in a console that uses a proprietary operating and development system.

[outwar6010]

In a PC there are layers of abstraction that a developer has to work with which result in unavoidable overheads. In consoles the development is much closer to being 'native' to the GPU. Essentially you cannot compare a 390's performance on the PC to the possibilities of using a version of it in a console that uses a proprietary operating and development system.

This explains why sony exclusives look soo awesome. The last of us was released at the end of the ps3's life and still blew away people.

[kalniel]

Sure, and much of the 390 silicon is turned off - my point was that 4k gaming from it is a big ask, unless you sacrifice a lot of image quality.

I get you. I think Polaris 10 with a low-overhead API should be able to do 4k no problem - remember when you have only one system spec you can mandate exactly what level of graphics to use to hit a target, and do a lot of optimising with assets that you can't do on a heterogeneous environment like PC. Whether it can do 4K with the same fidelity as the current PS4 can do 1080p is another question - total throughput is estimated to be only about 2.3x the PS4, while it needs to be closer to 4 for an easy comparison, however, Polaris does have some extra tricks that don't need to be explicitly coded for that will help bridge the gap, like much better memory compression.

[Rob_B]

I thought all the rumours suggested no 4k, upscaling perhaps but not native.

[kalniel]

I thought all the rumours suggested no 4k, upscaling perhaps but not native.

But then what's the point in a new GPU? You could just plonk an upscaling chip on the existing PS4 (or not bother at all, given all 4k TV's surely have an upscaler built in).

[Rob_B]

A bit more eye candy, or smoother frame rates, higher resolution (but still sub 4k)
I know consoles obviously need less oomph due to standardised hardware but 4k is a stretch especially considering these things will likely retail at £400 or less

[shaithis]

But then what's the point in a new GPU? You could just plonk an upscaling chip on the existing PS4 (or not bother at all, given all 4k TV's surely have an upscaler built in).

I can't see how it will game at 4k, no matter what they put in it. The 4k is almost certainly going to be because of the HDMI2.0a interface. There's no way they can shoehorn anything in a console yet that can game at 4k and cost £400 for a complete unit. 4k console gaming isn't happening this generation.....

The new APU is almost certainly a natural progression. They normally die-shrink mid-gen and make a slim, this time they are trying making a premium unit instead.

[jigger]

I can't see how it will game at 4k, no matter what they put in it. The 4k is almost certainly going to be because of the HDMI2.0a interface. There's no way they can shoehorn anything in a console yet that can game at 4k and cost £400 for a complete unit. 4k console gaming isn't happening this generation.....

The new APU is almost certainly a natural progression. They normally die-shrink mid-gen and make a slim, this time they are trying making a premium unit instead.

Well anything from a R9 290 chip and faster would offer 4k capability to the consoles. A custom 8 core Bristol Ridge APU with GCN 1.2 graphics and 2.5K~ shaders = 4k console.

[lumireleon]

4k with all settings medium, pushing the ps4 chip will cook the thing.

[HalloweenJack]

Well anything from a R9 290 chip and faster would offer 4k capability to the consoles. A custom 8 core Bristol Ridge APU with GCN 1.2 graphics and 2.5K~ shaders = 4k console.

wont be Bristol ridge - non of the ihv`s want to use excavator since it loses 50% of the FPU - my money is on a carrizo-l with likely an R9 480

[kalniel]

Looks like the stock market caught up with the news today

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

It appears AMD has had double digit increases in GPU sales:

http://wccftech.com/amd-q1-2016-earn...#ixzz46WWvwgSC

[kalniel]

It appears AMD has had double digit increases in GPU sales:

http://wccftech.com/amd-q1-2016-earn...#ixzz46WWvwgSC

Polaris has dropped to only 2x perf/watt increase though?