PowerVR
Encyclopedia
PowerVR is a division of Imagination Technologies
(formerly VideoLogic) that develops hardware and software for 2D and 3D rendering
, and for video encoding, decoding, associated image processing
and Direct X, OpenGL ES
, OpenVG
, and OpenCL
acceleration.
The PowerVR product line was originally introduced to compete in the desktop PC market for 3D hardware accelerators with a product with a better price/performance ratio
than existing products like those from 3dfx Interactive. Rapid changes in that market, notably with the introduction of OpenGL
and Direct3D
, led to rapid consolidation; Most of the smaller players, like PowerVR, were pushed from the marketplace.
PowerVR responded by introducing new versions with low-power electronics
that were aimed at the laptop computer market. Over time this developed into a series of designs that could be incorporated into system-on-a-chip
architectures suitable for handheld device
use. In this form, PowerVR is a leading vendor in the mobile space, found in many embedded system
s, palmtops, and smartphone
s.
PowerVR accelerators are not manufactured by PowerVR, but instead their integrated circuit
designs and patent
s are licensed to other companies, such as Texas Instruments
, Intel
, NEC, Renesas
, Samsung
, STMicroelectronics
, Freescale, Apple, NXP Semiconductors (formerly Philips Semiconductors), and many others.
deferred rendering
(often abbreviated as TBDR). As the polygon generating program feeds triangles to the PowerVR (driver), it stores them in memory in a triangle strip
or an indexed format. Unlike other architectures, polygon rendering is (usually) not performed until all polygon information has been collated for the current frame. Furthermore, the expensive operations of texturing and shading of pixels (or fragments) is delayed, whenever possible, until the visible surface at a pixel is determined — hence rendering is deferred.
In order to render, the display is split into rectangular sections in a grid pattern. Each section is known as a tile. Associated with each tile is a list of the triangles that visibly overlap that tile. Each tile is rendered in turn to produce the final image.
Tiles are rendered using a process similar to ray-casting. Rays are cast onto the triangles associated with the tile and a pixel is rendered from the triangle closest to the camera. The PowerVR hardware typically calculates the depths associated with each polygon for one tile row in 1 cycle.
This method has the advantage that, unlike a more traditional z-buffered rendering pipeline, no calculations need to be made to determine what a polygon looks like in an area where it is obscured by other geometry. It also allows for correct rendering of partially transparent polygons, independent of the order in which they are processed by the polygon producing application. (This capability was only implemented in Series 2 and one MBX variant. It is generally not included for lack of API support and cost reasons.)
More importantly, as the rendering is limited to one tile at a time, the whole tile can be in fast onchip memory, which is flushed to video memory before processing the next tile. Under normal circumstances, each tile is visited just once per frame.
PowerVR is not the only pioneer of tile based deferred rendering, but the only one to successfully bring a TBDR solution to market. Microsoft also conceptualised the idea with their abandoned Talisman
project. Gigapixel, a company that developed IP for tile-based deferred 3D graphics, was purchased by 3dfx
, which in turn was subsequently purchased by Nvidia
. Nvidia currently has no official plans to pursue tile-based rendering.
Intel uses a similar concept in their integrated graphics solutions. However, their method, coined zone rendering, does not perform full hidden surface removal (HSR) and deferred texturing, therefore wasting fillrate and texture bandwidth on pixels that are not visible in the final image.
Recent advances in hierarchical Z-buffering have effectively incorporated ideas previously only used in deferred rendering, including the idea of being able to split a scene into tiles and of potentially being able to accept or reject tile sized pieces of polygon.
Today, the PowerVR software and hardware suite supports video encoding, decoding, associated image processing
and Direct X, OpenGL ES
, OpenVG
, and OpenCL
acceleration.
graphics on some Compaq
models, and as PCI cards from vendors such as Matrox
.
to design the successor to the Saturn
, the PowerVR2 was licensed to NEC and was chosen ahead of a rival design based on the 3dfx
Voodoo 2. Thanks to the performance of the PowerVR2, several Dreamcast games such as Quake III Arena
could rival their PC counterparts in quality and performance. However, the success of the Dreamcast meant that the PC variant, sold as Neon 250, appeared a year late to the market and was at that time mid-range at best.
In 2001, STMicroelectronics
adopted the third generation PowerVR3 for their STG4000 KYRO and STG 4500 KYRO II (displayed) chips. The STM PowerVR3 KYRO II, released in 2001, was able to rival the more expensive ATI Radeon
DDR and NVIDIA GeForce 2 GTS in graphic benchmarks of the time, despite not having hardware Transform and lighting (T&L). Unfortunately, as games were increasingly optimized for hardware T&L, the KYRO II lost its performance advantage.
, Samsung
, NEC
, NXP Semiconductors, Freescale, Renesas and Sunplus. The chips are in use in many high-end cellphones including the original iPhone
, Nokia N95
, Sony Ericsson P1
and Motorola RIZR Z8, as well as some iPod
s.
There are two variants: MBX and MBX Lite. Both have the same feature set. MBX is optimized for speed and MBX Lite is optimized for low power consumption. MBX can be paired up with an FPU, Lite FPU, VGP Lite and VGP.
.
2.0 and DirectX
10.1 with Shader Model 4.1.
The SGX GPU core is included in several popular systems-on-chip
(SoC) used in many portable devices. Apple uses the A4
(manufactured by Samsung) in their iPhone 4
, iPad
, iPod touch
, and Apple TV. Texas Instruments
' OMAP 3 and 4 series SoC's are used in the Nokia N900
, Sony Ericsson Vivaz
, Motorola Droid/Milestone
, Droid Bionic, Archos 70
, Palm Pre
, Galaxy Nexus
, and others. Samsung produces the Hummingbird SoC and use it in their Galaxy S, Galaxy Tab
, Samsung Wave S8500
Samsung Wave II S8530
, Samsung Galaxy SL devices.
Intel uses the SGX 535 as its GMA 500 and GMA 600 integrated graphics for their Atom
platform.
and iPhone 4S with the A5
SoC also feature a dual-core SGX543MP2.
ST-Ericsson
has announced that its new Nova application processors will include Imagination’s next-generation POWERVR Series6 ‘Rogue’ architecture.
These GPU can be used in either single-core or multi-core configurations.
Imagination Technologies
Imagination Technologies Group plc is a British-based maker of a mobile graphics and microprocessor chip technology primarily known for its PowerVR graphics and Pure DAB radio divisions...
(formerly VideoLogic) that develops hardware and software for 2D and 3D rendering
3D rendering
3D rendering is the 3D computer graphics process of automatically converting 3D wire frame models into 2D images with 3D photorealistic effects on a computer.-Rendering methods:...
, and for video encoding, decoding, associated image processing
Image processing
In electrical engineering and computer science, image processing is any form of signal processing for which the input is an image, such as a photograph or video frame; the output of image processing may be either an image or, a set of characteristics or parameters related to the image...
and Direct X, OpenGL ES
OpenGL ES
OpenGL for Embedded Systems is a subset of the OpenGL 3D graphics application programming interface designed for embedded systems such as mobile phones, PDAs, and video game consoles. OpenGL ES is managed by the not-for-profit technology consortium, the Khronos Group, Inc.- Versions :Several...
, OpenVG
OpenVG
OpenVG is a standard API designed for hardware-accelerated 2D vector graphics. It is aimed primarily at mobile phones, media and gaming consoles such as the PlayStation 3, and other consumer electronic devices. It will help manufacturers create flashier user interfaces that are less dependent on...
, and OpenCL
OpenCL
OpenCL is a framework for writing programs that execute across heterogeneous platforms consisting of CPUs, GPUs, and other processors. OpenCL includes a language for writing kernels , plus APIs that are used to define and then control the platforms...
acceleration.
The PowerVR product line was originally introduced to compete in the desktop PC market for 3D hardware accelerators with a product with a better price/performance ratio
Price/performance ratio
In economics and engineering, the price/performance ratio refers to a product's ability to deliver performance, of any sort, for its price. Generally speaking, products with a higher price/performance ratio are more desirable, excluding other factors....
than existing products like those from 3dfx Interactive. Rapid changes in that market, notably with the introduction of OpenGL
OpenGL
OpenGL is a standard specification defining a cross-language, cross-platform API for writing applications that produce 2D and 3D computer graphics. The interface consists of over 250 different function calls which can be used to draw complex three-dimensional scenes from simple primitives. OpenGL...
and Direct3D
Direct3D
Direct3D is part of Microsoft's DirectX application programming interface . Direct3D is available for Microsoft Windows operating systems , and for other platforms through the open source software Wine. It is the base for the graphics API on the Xbox and Xbox 360 console systems...
, led to rapid consolidation; Most of the smaller players, like PowerVR, were pushed from the marketplace.
PowerVR responded by introducing new versions with low-power electronics
Low-power electronics
Low-power electronics means that the consumption of electric power is deliberately low, e.g. notebook processors.- Computing elements :The density and speed of integrated-circuit computing elements have increased exponentially for several decades, following a trend described by Moore's Law...
that were aimed at the laptop computer market. Over time this developed into a series of designs that could be incorporated into system-on-a-chip
System-on-a-chip
A system on a chip or system on chip is an integrated circuit that integrates all components of a computer or other electronic system into a single chip. It may contain digital, analog, mixed-signal, and often radio-frequency functions—all on a single chip substrate...
architectures suitable for handheld device
Handheld device
A mobile device is a small, hand-held computing device, typically having a display screen with touch input and/or a miniature keyboard and less than . Early pocket sized ones were joined in the late 2000s by larger but otherwise similar tablet computers...
use. In this form, PowerVR is a leading vendor in the mobile space, found in many embedded system
Embedded system
An embedded system is a computer system designed for specific control functions within a larger system. often with real-time computing constraints. It is embedded as part of a complete device often including hardware and mechanical parts. By contrast, a general-purpose computer, such as a personal...
s, palmtops, and smartphone
Smartphone
A smartphone is a high-end mobile phone built on a mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone. The first smartphones were devices that mainly combined the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone or camera...
s.
PowerVR accelerators are not manufactured by PowerVR, but instead their integrated circuit
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
designs and patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s are licensed to other companies, such as Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
, Intel
Intel Corporation
Intel Corporation is an American multinational semiconductor chip maker corporation headquartered in Santa Clara, California, United States and the world's largest semiconductor chip maker, based on revenue. It is the inventor of the x86 series of microprocessors, the processors found in most...
, NEC, Renesas
Renesas Electronics
is a Japanese semiconductor manufacturer. It is based in Tokyo and has manufacturing, design and sales operations in around 20 countries. Renesas is one of the world's largest manufacturers of semiconductor systems for mobile phones and automotive applications. It is the world's largest...
, Samsung
Samsung
The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
, STMicroelectronics
STMicroelectronics
STMicroelectronics is an Italian-French electronics and semiconductor manufacturer headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.While STMicroelectronics corporate headquarters and the headquarters for EMEA region are based in Geneva, the holding company, STMicroelectronics N.V. is registered in Amsterdam,...
, Freescale, Apple, NXP Semiconductors (formerly Philips Semiconductors), and many others.
Technology
The PowerVR chipset uses a method of 3D rendering known as tile-basedTiled rendering
Tiled rendering is the process of subdividing a computer graphics image by a regular grid in image space to exploit local spatial coherence in the scene and/or to facilitate the use of limited hardware rendering resources later in the graphics pipeline...
deferred rendering
Deferred shading
In computer graphics, deferred shading is a three dimensional shading technique in which the result of a shading algorithm is calculated by dividing it into smaller parts that are written to intermediate buffer storage to be combined later, instead of immediately writing the shader result to the...
(often abbreviated as TBDR). As the polygon generating program feeds triangles to the PowerVR (driver), it stores them in memory in a triangle strip
Triangle Strip
A triangle strip is a series of connected triangles, sharing vertices, allowing for faster rendering and more efficient memory usage for computer graphics. They are optimized on most graphics cards, making them the most efficient way of describing an object. There are two primary reasons to use...
or an indexed format. Unlike other architectures, polygon rendering is (usually) not performed until all polygon information has been collated for the current frame. Furthermore, the expensive operations of texturing and shading of pixels (or fragments) is delayed, whenever possible, until the visible surface at a pixel is determined — hence rendering is deferred.
In order to render, the display is split into rectangular sections in a grid pattern. Each section is known as a tile. Associated with each tile is a list of the triangles that visibly overlap that tile. Each tile is rendered in turn to produce the final image.
Tiles are rendered using a process similar to ray-casting. Rays are cast onto the triangles associated with the tile and a pixel is rendered from the triangle closest to the camera. The PowerVR hardware typically calculates the depths associated with each polygon for one tile row in 1 cycle.
This method has the advantage that, unlike a more traditional z-buffered rendering pipeline, no calculations need to be made to determine what a polygon looks like in an area where it is obscured by other geometry. It also allows for correct rendering of partially transparent polygons, independent of the order in which they are processed by the polygon producing application. (This capability was only implemented in Series 2 and one MBX variant. It is generally not included for lack of API support and cost reasons.)
More importantly, as the rendering is limited to one tile at a time, the whole tile can be in fast onchip memory, which is flushed to video memory before processing the next tile. Under normal circumstances, each tile is visited just once per frame.
PowerVR is not the only pioneer of tile based deferred rendering, but the only one to successfully bring a TBDR solution to market. Microsoft also conceptualised the idea with their abandoned Talisman
Microsoft Talisman
Talisman was a Microsoft project to build a new 3D graphics architecture based on quickly compositing 2D "sub-images" onto the screen, an adaptation of tiled rendering. In theory, this approach would dramatically reduce the amount of memory bandwidth required for 3D games and thereby lead to...
project. Gigapixel, a company that developed IP for tile-based deferred 3D graphics, was purchased by 3dfx
3dfx
3dfx Interactive was a company that specialized in the manufacturing of 3D graphics processing units and, later, graphics cards. It was a pioneer in the field for several years in the late 1990s until 2000 when it underwent one of the most high-profile demises in the history of the PC industry...
, which in turn was subsequently purchased by Nvidia
NVIDIA
Nvidia is an American global technology company based in Santa Clara, California. Nvidia is best known for its graphics processors . Nvidia and chief rival AMD Graphics Techonologies have dominated the high performance GPU market, pushing other manufacturers to smaller, niche roles...
. Nvidia currently has no official plans to pursue tile-based rendering.
Intel uses a similar concept in their integrated graphics solutions. However, their method, coined zone rendering, does not perform full hidden surface removal (HSR) and deferred texturing, therefore wasting fillrate and texture bandwidth on pixels that are not visible in the final image.
Recent advances in hierarchical Z-buffering have effectively incorporated ideas previously only used in deferred rendering, including the idea of being able to split a scene into tiles and of potentially being able to accept or reject tile sized pieces of polygon.
Today, the PowerVR software and hardware suite supports video encoding, decoding, associated image processing
Image processing
In electrical engineering and computer science, image processing is any form of signal processing for which the input is an image, such as a photograph or video frame; the output of image processing may be either an image or, a set of characteristics or parameters related to the image...
and Direct X, OpenGL ES
OpenGL ES
OpenGL for Embedded Systems is a subset of the OpenGL 3D graphics application programming interface designed for embedded systems such as mobile phones, PDAs, and video game consoles. OpenGL ES is managed by the not-for-profit technology consortium, the Khronos Group, Inc.- Versions :Several...
, OpenVG
OpenVG
OpenVG is a standard API designed for hardware-accelerated 2D vector graphics. It is aimed primarily at mobile phones, media and gaming consoles such as the PlayStation 3, and other consumer electronic devices. It will help manufacturers create flashier user interfaces that are less dependent on...
, and OpenCL
OpenCL
OpenCL is a framework for writing programs that execute across heterogeneous platforms consisting of CPUs, GPUs, and other processors. OpenCL includes a language for writing kernels , plus APIs that are used to define and then control the platforms...
acceleration.
Series 1 (NEC)
PowerVR's initial products were available as the OEMOEM
OEM means the original manufacturer of a component for a product, which may be resold by another company.OEM may also refer to:-Computing:* OEM font, or OEM-US, the original character set of the IBM PC, circa 1981...
graphics on some Compaq
Compaq
Compaq Computer Corporation is a personal computer company founded in 1982. Once the largest supplier of personal computing systems in the world, Compaq existed as an independent corporation until 2002, when it was acquired for US$25 billion by Hewlett-Packard....
models, and as PCI cards from vendors such as Matrox
Matrox
Matrox is a producer of video card components and equipment for personal computers. Based in Dorval, Quebec, Canada it was founded by Lorne Trottier and Branko Matić....
.
Series 2 (NEC)
The second generation PowerVR2 ("PowerVR Series 2", chip codename "CLX2") chip found a market in the Dreamcast console between 1998 and 2001. As part of an internal competition at SegaSega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
to design the successor to the Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
, the PowerVR2 was licensed to NEC and was chosen ahead of a rival design based on the 3dfx
3dfx
3dfx Interactive was a company that specialized in the manufacturing of 3D graphics processing units and, later, graphics cards. It was a pioneer in the field for several years in the late 1990s until 2000 when it underwent one of the most high-profile demises in the history of the PC industry...
Voodoo 2. Thanks to the performance of the PowerVR2, several Dreamcast games such as Quake III Arena
Quake III Arena
Quake III Arena , is a multiplayer first-person shooter video game released on December 2, 1999. The game was developed by id Software and featured music composed by Sonic Mayhem and Front Line Assembly...
could rival their PC counterparts in quality and performance. However, the success of the Dreamcast meant that the PC variant, sold as Neon 250, appeared a year late to the market and was at that time mid-range at best.
Series 3 (STMicro)
STMicroelectronics
STMicroelectronics is an Italian-French electronics and semiconductor manufacturer headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.While STMicroelectronics corporate headquarters and the headquarters for EMEA region are based in Geneva, the holding company, STMicroelectronics N.V. is registered in Amsterdam,...
adopted the third generation PowerVR3 for their STG4000 KYRO and STG 4500 KYRO II (displayed) chips. The STM PowerVR3 KYRO II, released in 2001, was able to rival the more expensive ATI Radeon
Radeon
Radeon is a brand of graphics processing units and random access memory produced by Advanced Micro Devices , first launched in 2000 by ATI Technologies, which was acquired by AMD in 2006. Radeon is the successor to the Rage line. There are four different groups, which can be differentiated by...
DDR and NVIDIA GeForce 2 GTS in graphic benchmarks of the time, despite not having hardware Transform and lighting (T&L). Unfortunately, as games were increasingly optimized for hardware T&L, the KYRO II lost its performance advantage.
Series 4 (STMicro)
STM's STG5000 chip, based upon the PowerVR4, did include hardware T&L but never came to commercial fruition. It and the KYRO 3 (2D/3D AIB) were shelved due to STMicro closing its graphics division.MBX
PowerVR achieved great success in the mobile graphics market with its low power PowerVR MBX. MBX, and its SGX successors, are licensed by seven of the top ten semiconductor manufacturers including Intel, Texas InstrumentsTexas Instruments
Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
, Samsung
Samsung
The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
, NEC
NEC
, a Japanese multinational IT company, has its headquarters in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. NEC, part of the Sumitomo Group, provides information technology and network solutions to business enterprises, communications services providers and government....
, NXP Semiconductors, Freescale, Renesas and Sunplus. The chips are in use in many high-end cellphones including the original iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
, Nokia N95
Nokia N95
The Nokia N95 is a smartphone produced by Nokia as part of their Nseries line of portable devices. It was released in 2007. The N95 runs Symbian OS v9.2, with a S60 3rd Edition user interface. The phone has a two-way sliding mechanism, which can be used to access either media playback buttons or...
, Sony Ericsson P1
Sony Ericsson P1
The Sony Ericsson P1 is a smartphone and the successor of the P990. It integrates many of the hardware features of the P990 in the form factor of the M600. It was announced on 8 May 2007. There is a Chinese version of P1 called P1c...
and Motorola RIZR Z8, as well as some iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
s.
There are two variants: MBX and MBX Lite. Both have the same feature set. MBX is optimized for speed and MBX Lite is optimized for low power consumption. MBX can be paired up with an FPU, Lite FPU, VGP Lite and VGP.
PowerVR Video Cores(MVED/VXD) and Video/Display Cores(PDP)
PowerVR's PDP series is used in some HDTVs, including the Sony BRAVIABRAVIA
BRAVIA is a Sony brand used to market its high-definition LCD televisions, projection TVs and front projectors and for the PlayStation 3 , along with its home cinema range under the sub-brand BRAVIA Theatre. The BRAVIA name is an acronym of "Best Resolution Audio Visual Integrated Architecture"...
.
Series 5 (SGX)
PowerVR's Series5 SGX series features pixel, vertex, and geometry shader hardware, supporting OpenGL ESOpenGL ES
OpenGL for Embedded Systems is a subset of the OpenGL 3D graphics application programming interface designed for embedded systems such as mobile phones, PDAs, and video game consoles. OpenGL ES is managed by the not-for-profit technology consortium, the Khronos Group, Inc.- Versions :Several...
2.0 and DirectX
DirectX
Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with Direct, such as Direct3D, DirectDraw, DirectMusic, DirectPlay,...
10.1 with Shader Model 4.1.
The SGX GPU core is included in several popular systems-on-chip
System-on-a-chip
A system on a chip or system on chip is an integrated circuit that integrates all components of a computer or other electronic system into a single chip. It may contain digital, analog, mixed-signal, and often radio-frequency functions—all on a single chip substrate...
(SoC) used in many portable devices. Apple uses the A4
Apple A4
The Apple A4 is a package on package system-on-a-chip designed by Apple and manufactured by Samsung. It combines an ARM Cortex-A8 CPU with a PowerVR GPU, and emphasizes power efficiency. The chip commercially debuted with the release of Apple's iPad tablet; followed shortly by the iPhone 4...
(manufactured by Samsung) in their iPhone 4
IPhone 4
The iPhone 4 is a touchscreen slate smartphone developed by Apple Inc. It is the fourth generation iPhone, and successor to the iPhone 3GS. It is particularly marketed for video calling , consumption of media such as books and periodicals, movies, music, and games, and for general web and e-mail...
, iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
, iPod touch
IPod touch
The iPod Touch is a portable media player, personal digital assistant, handheld game console, and Wi-Fi mobile device designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The iPod Touch adds the multi-touch graphical user interface to the iPod line...
, and Apple TV. Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
' OMAP 3 and 4 series SoC's are used in the Nokia N900
Nokia N900
The Nokia N900 is a smartphone made by Nokia. It supersedes the Nokia N810. Its default operating system, Maemo 5, is a Linux-based OS originally developed for the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet. It is the first Nokia device based upon the Texas Instruments OMAP3 microprocessor with the ARM Cortex-A8...
, Sony Ericsson Vivaz
Sony Ericsson Vivaz
The Sony Ericsson Vivaz is a smartphone, announced by Sony Ericsson on 21 January 2010. It was released on 5 March 2010 in the color schemes Moon Silver, Cosmic Black, Galaxy Blue and Venus Ruby....
, Motorola Droid/Milestone
Motorola Droid
The Motorola Droid is an Internet and multimedia enabled smartphone designed by Motorola, which runs Google's Android operating system. The Droid had been publicized under the codenames Sholes and Tao and the model number A855...
, Droid Bionic, Archos 70
Archos 70
The ARCHOS 70 Internet Tablet is part of the Archos Generation 8 range, distributed between 2010-11. It is a 7 inches tablet computer running Android.-See also:* Archos 43* Archos 101* PMPs running Android OS...
, Palm Pre
Palm Pre
The Palm Pre is a multimedia smartphone designed and marketed by Palm with a multi-touch screen and a sliding keyboard. The smartphone was the first to use Palm's Linux based mobile operating system, webOS...
, Galaxy Nexus
Galaxy Nexus
The Galaxy Nexus is a touchscreen slate Android smartphone developed by a partnership between Samsung and Google. The phone and operating system were developed collaboratively by engineers from both companies. It is the third generation successor to Google’s previous flagship phones, the Nexus One...
, and others. Samsung produces the Hummingbird SoC and use it in their Galaxy S, Galaxy Tab
Samsung Galaxy Tab
The Samsung Galaxy Tab is an Android-based tablet computer produced by Samsung introduced on 2 September 2010 at the IFA in Berlin.The Galaxy Tab has a TFT-LCD touchscreen, Wi-Fi capability, a 1.0 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 Samsung Exynos 3110 processor, the Swype input system, a 3.2 MP rear-facing...
, Samsung Wave S8500
Samsung Wave S8500
The Samsung Wave GT-S8500 is the first touchscreen smartphone running the new bada operating system designed by Samsung, which was commercially released on June 1, 2010...
Samsung Wave II S8530
Samsung Wave II S8530
The Samsung Wave II S8530 is the Successor of Samsung Wave S8500 smartphone running the bada 1.2 operating system designed by Samsung, which was commercially released on October, 2010...
, Samsung Galaxy SL devices.
Intel uses the SGX 535 as its GMA 500 and GMA 600 integrated graphics for their Atom
Intel Atom
Intel Atom is the brand name for a line of ultra-low-voltage x86 and x86-64 CPUs from Intel, designed in 45 nm CMOS and used mainly in netbooks, nettops, embedded application ranging from health care to advanced robotics and Mobile Internet devices...
platform.
Series 5XT (SGXMP)
PowerVR Series5XT SGXMP chips are multi-core variants of the SGX series with some updates. It will be included in the PlayStation Vita portable gaming device with the MP4+ Model of the PowerVR SGX543, the only intended difference is the cores, where MP4+ denotes 4 cores (quad-core) whereas the MP2 denotes 2 cores (dual-core). The Apple iPad 2IPad 2
The iPad 2 is the second and current generation of the iPad, a tablet computer designed, developed and marketed by Apple. It serves primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, presentations and web content, and is available in black or white...
and iPhone 4S with the A5
Apple A5
The Apple A5 is a package on package system-on-a-chip designed by Apple and manufactured by Samsung to replace the Apple A4. The chip commercially debuted with the release of Apple's iPad 2 tablet, and also powers the iPhone 4S...
SoC also feature a dual-core SGX543MP2.
Series 6 (Rogue)
PowerVR Series6 is Imagination’s next generation architecture,It is codenamed ‘Rogue’.ST-Ericsson
ST-Ericsson
ST-Ericsson is a global wireless platform and semiconductor supplier to four of the top five mobile handset manufacturers. ST-Ericsson is a 50/50 joint venture of Ericsson and STMicroelectronics established on February 3, 2009...
has announced that its new Nova application processors will include Imagination’s next-generation POWERVR Series6 ‘Rogue’ architecture.
List of PowerVR chipsets
- [1] Official Imgtec data
- [2] USSE (Universal Scalable Shader Engine) pipes/TMUsTexture mapping unitA texture mapping unit is a component in modern graphics processing units , historically it is a separate physical processor. A TMU is able to rotate and resize a bitmap to be placed onto an arbitrary plane of a given 3D object as a texture...
- [3] USSE2 (Universal Scalable Shader Engine 2) pipes/TMUsTexture mapping unitA texture mapping unit is a component in modern graphics processing units , historically it is a separate physical processor. A TMU is able to rotate and resize a bitmap to be placed onto an arbitrary plane of a given 3D object as a texture...
- All models support Tile based deferred rendering (TBDR)
Series 1
| Model | Year | Fab (nm) | Transistors (Million) | Die Size (mm2) | Memory (MB Megabyte The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000... ) |
Core clock (MHz Hertz The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications.... ) |
Memory clock (MHz Hertz The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications.... ) |
Config core | Fillrate Fillrate The term fillrate usually refers to the number of pixels a video card can render and write to video memory in a second. In this case, fillrates are given in megapixels per second or in gigapixels per second , and they are obtained by multiplying the number of raster operations by the clock... (MPixel/s) |
Memory | API Application programming interface An application programming interface is a source code based specification intended to be used as an interface by software components to communicate with each other... (version) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bandwidth (GB/s Gigabyte The gigabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage. The prefix giga means 109 in the International System of Units , therefore 1 gigabyte is... ) |
Bus type | Bus width (bit Bit A bit is the basic unit of information in computing and telecommunications; it is the amount of information stored by a digital device or other physical system that exists in one of two possible distinct states... ) |
DirectX DirectX Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with Direct, such as Direct3D, DirectDraw, DirectMusic, DirectPlay,... |
OpenGL OpenGL OpenGL is a standard specification defining a cross-language, cross-platform API for writing applications that produce 2D and 3D computer graphics. The interface consists of over 250 different function calls which can be used to draw complex three-dimensional scenes from simple primitives. OpenGL... |
||||||||||
| PCX1 | 1996 | 500 | ? | ? | 4 | 60 | 60 | 0/1/1/1 | 60 | 0.48 | SDR | 64 | 3 | N/A |
| PCX2 | 1997 | 350 | ? | ? | 4 | 66 | 66 | 0/1/1/1 | 66 | 0.528 | SDR | 64 | 3 | N/A |
Series 2
| Model | Year | Fab (nm) | Transistors (Million) | Die Size (mm2) | Memory (MB Megabyte The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000... ) |
Core clock (MHz Hertz The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications.... ) |
Memory clock (MHz Hertz The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications.... ) |
Config core | Fillrate Fillrate The term fillrate usually refers to the number of pixels a video card can render and write to video memory in a second. In this case, fillrates are given in megapixels per second or in gigapixels per second , and they are obtained by multiplying the number of raster operations by the clock... (MPixel/s) |
Memory | API Application programming interface An application programming interface is a source code based specification intended to be used as an interface by software components to communicate with each other... (version) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bandwidth (GB/s Gigabyte The gigabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage. The prefix giga means 109 in the International System of Units , therefore 1 gigabyte is... ) |
Bus type | Bus width (bit Bit A bit is the basic unit of information in computing and telecommunications; it is the amount of information stored by a digital device or other physical system that exists in one of two possible distinct states... ) |
DirectX DirectX Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with Direct, such as Direct3D, DirectDraw, DirectMusic, DirectPlay,... |
OpenGL OpenGL OpenGL is a standard specification defining a cross-language, cross-platform API for writing applications that produce 2D and 3D computer graphics. The interface consists of over 250 different function calls which can be used to draw complex three-dimensional scenes from simple primitives. OpenGL... |
||||||||||
| CLX2 | 1998 | 250 | ? | ? | 8 | 100 | 100 | 0/1/1/1 | 100 | 0.8 | SDR | 64 | 6 | N/A |
| PMX1 | 1999 | 250 | ? | ? | 32 | 125 | 125 | 0/1/1/1 | 125 | 1 | SDR | 64 | 6 | mini-GL |
Series 3
| Model | Year | Fab (nm) | Transistors (Million) | Die Size (mm2) | Memory (MB Megabyte The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000... ) |
Core clock (MHz Hertz The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications.... ) |
Memory clock (MHz Hertz The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications.... ) |
Config core | Fillrate Fillrate The term fillrate usually refers to the number of pixels a video card can render and write to video memory in a second. In this case, fillrates are given in megapixels per second or in gigapixels per second , and they are obtained by multiplying the number of raster operations by the clock... (MPixel/s) |
Memory | API Application programming interface An application programming interface is a source code based specification intended to be used as an interface by software components to communicate with each other... (version) |
Features | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bandwidth (GB/s Gigabyte The gigabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage. The prefix giga means 109 in the International System of Units , therefore 1 gigabyte is... ) |
Bus type | Bus width (bit Bit A bit is the basic unit of information in computing and telecommunications; it is the amount of information stored by a digital device or other physical system that exists in one of two possible distinct states... ) |
DirectX DirectX Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with Direct, such as Direct3D, DirectDraw, DirectMusic, DirectPlay,... |
OpenGL OpenGL OpenGL is a standard specification defining a cross-language, cross-platform API for writing applications that produce 2D and 3D computer graphics. The interface consists of over 250 different function calls which can be used to draw complex three-dimensional scenes from simple primitives. OpenGL... |
|||||||||||
| STG4000 | 2000 | 250 | 12 | ? | 64 | 115 | 115 | 0/2/2/2 | 230 | 1.84 | SDR | 128 | 6 | 1.4? | |
| STG4500 | 2001 | 180 | 15 | ? | 64 | 175 | 175 | 0/2/2/2 | 350 | 2.73 | SDR | 128 | 7 | 1.4? | |
| STG4800 | 2002 | 180 | 15 | ? | 64 | 200 | 200 | 0/2/2/2 | 400 | 3.13 | SDR | 128 | 6? | 1.4? | |
| STG5500 | cancelled | 130 | ? | ? | 64 | 250 | 250 | 0/4/4/4 | ? | ? | DDR | 128 | 8.0a? | 1.4? | Hardware T&L |
Series 4
| Model | Year | Die Size (mm2)[1] | Config core | Fillrate Fillrate The term fillrate usually refers to the number of pixels a video card can render and write to video memory in a second. In this case, fillrates are given in megapixels per second or in gigapixels per second , and they are obtained by multiplying the number of raster operations by the clock... (@ 200 MHz) |
Bus width (bit Bit A bit is the basic unit of information in computing and telecommunications; it is the amount of information stored by a digital device or other physical system that exists in one of two possible distinct states... ) |
API Application programming interface An application programming interface is a source code based specification intended to be used as an interface by software components to communicate with each other... (version) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MTriangles/s[1] | MPixel/s Pixel In digital imaging, a pixel, or pel, is a single point in a raster image, or the smallest addressable screen element in a display device; it is the smallest unit of picture that can be represented or controlled.... [1] |
DirectX DirectX Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with Direct, such as Direct3D, DirectDraw, DirectMusic, DirectPlay,... |
OpenGL OpenGL OpenGL is a standard specification defining a cross-language, cross-platform API for writing applications that produce 2D and 3D computer graphics. The interface consists of over 250 different function calls which can be used to draw complex three-dimensional scenes from simple primitives. OpenGL... |
|||||
| MBX Lite | Feb 2001 | 4@130 nm? | 0/1/1/1 | 3.4 | 270 | 64 | 8.0 | 1.1 |
| MBX | Feb 2001 | 8@130mm? | 0/1/1/1 | 7.4 | 600 | 64 | 8.0 | 1.1 |
Series 5
| Model | Year | Die Size (mm2)[1] | Config core[2] | Fillrate Fillrate The term fillrate usually refers to the number of pixels a video card can render and write to video memory in a second. In this case, fillrates are given in megapixels per second or in gigapixels per second , and they are obtained by multiplying the number of raster operations by the clock... (@ 200 MHz) |
Bus width (bit Bit A bit is the basic unit of information in computing and telecommunications; it is the amount of information stored by a digital device or other physical system that exists in one of two possible distinct states... ) |
API Application programming interface An application programming interface is a source code based specification intended to be used as an interface by software components to communicate with each other... (version) |
GFLOPS(@ 200 MHz) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MTriangles/s[1] | MPixel/s Pixel In digital imaging, a pixel, or pel, is a single point in a raster image, or the smallest addressable screen element in a display device; it is the smallest unit of picture that can be represented or controlled.... [1] |
DirectX DirectX Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with Direct, such as Direct3D, DirectDraw, DirectMusic, DirectPlay,... |
OpenGL OpenGL OpenGL is a standard specification defining a cross-language, cross-platform API for writing applications that produce 2D and 3D computer graphics. The interface consists of over 250 different function calls which can be used to draw complex three-dimensional scenes from simple primitives. OpenGL... |
||||||
| SGX520 | Jul 2005 | 2.6@65 nm | 1/1 | 7 | 250 | 64 | N/A | N/A | 0.8? |
| SGX530 | Jul 2005 | 7.2@90 nm | 2/1 | 14 | 500? | 64 | N/A | 2.0 | 1.6 |
| SGX531 | Oct 2008 | ? | 2/1 | 14? | 500? | 128 | N/A | N/A | 1.6? |
| SGX535 | Nov 2007 | ? | 2/2 | 14 | 1000? | 64 | 9.0c | 2.1 | 1.6 |
| SGX540 | Nov 2007 | ? | 4/2 | 28 | 1000 | 64 | 10.1 | 2.1 | 3.2 |
| SGX545 | Jan 2010 | 12.5@65 nm | 4/2 | 40 | 1000 | 64 | 10.1 | 3.2 | 3.2? |
Series 5XT
| Model | Date | Cores | Die Size (mm2)[1] | Config core[3] | Fillrate Fillrate The term fillrate usually refers to the number of pixels a video card can render and write to video memory in a second. In this case, fillrates are given in megapixels per second or in gigapixels per second , and they are obtained by multiplying the number of raster operations by the clock... (@ 200 MHz) |
Bus width (bit Bit A bit is the basic unit of information in computing and telecommunications; it is the amount of information stored by a digital device or other physical system that exists in one of two possible distinct states... ) |
API Application programming interface An application programming interface is a source code based specification intended to be used as an interface by software components to communicate with each other... (version) |
GFLOPS(@ 200 MHz,per core) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MTriangles/s[1] | MPixel/s Pixel In digital imaging, a pixel, or pel, is a single point in a raster image, or the smallest addressable screen element in a display device; it is the smallest unit of picture that can be represented or controlled.... [1] |
DirectX DirectX Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with Direct, such as Direct3D, DirectDraw, DirectMusic, DirectPlay,... |
OpenGL OpenGL OpenGL is a standard specification defining a cross-language, cross-platform API for writing applications that produce 2D and 3D computer graphics. The interface consists of over 250 different function calls which can be used to draw complex three-dimensional scenes from simple primitives. OpenGL... |
|||||||
| SGX543 | Jan 2009 | 1-16 | 8@65 nm | 4/2 | 35 | 1000 | 64 | 9.0 | 2.1 | 7.2 |
| SGX544 | Jun 2010 | 1-16 | 8@65 nm | 4/2 | 35 | 1000 | 64 | 9.0/L3 | 2.1 | 7.2 |
| SGX554 | Dec 2010 | 1-16 | ? | 8/2 | ? | ? | 64 | 9.0/L3 | 2.1 | ? |
These GPU can be used in either single-core or multi-core configurations.
Series 6
| Model | Date | Cores | Die Size (mm2) | Config core[3] | Fillrate Fillrate The term fillrate usually refers to the number of pixels a video card can render and write to video memory in a second. In this case, fillrates are given in megapixels per second or in gigapixels per second , and they are obtained by multiplying the number of raster operations by the clock... |
Bus width (bit Bit A bit is the basic unit of information in computing and telecommunications; it is the amount of information stored by a digital device or other physical system that exists in one of two possible distinct states... ) |
API Application programming interface An application programming interface is a source code based specification intended to be used as an interface by software components to communicate with each other... (version) |
Features | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MTriangles/s | MPixel/s Pixel In digital imaging, a pixel, or pel, is a single point in a raster image, or the smallest addressable screen element in a display device; it is the smallest unit of picture that can be represented or controlled.... |
DirectX DirectX Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with Direct, such as Direct3D, DirectDraw, DirectMusic, DirectPlay,... |
OpenGL OpenGL OpenGL is a standard specification defining a cross-language, cross-platform API for writing applications that produce 2D and 3D computer graphics. The interface consists of over 250 different function calls which can be used to draw complex three-dimensional scenes from simple primitives. OpenGL... |
|||||||
| Series 6 (Rogue) | Feb 2011 | ? | ? | ? | 380 million ‘real’ polygons per second | 5000 | 10.1 | 3.2 | USSEx | |