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When it comes to the graphics performance on Apple's iOS devices, the company has been sticking with the powerful POWERVR SGX535 GPU from Imagination Technologies for quite some time, introducing it on the iPhone 3GS and carrying it through into the company's own A4 system-on-chip designs for the brains of the iPad and iPhone 4. But hints included in the new iOS 4.3 beta seeded to developers earlier this week indicate that Apple may be preparing to move to Imagination Technologies' next-generation GPU architecture with the SGX543 on future devices.


144157-sgx543_driver.jpg


Introduced for licensing in January 2009, the SGX543 appears to only just now be coming ready for inclusion in mobile devices, and the new iOS 4.3 beta SDK includes references to a driver bundle supporting the graphics processor core.

The SGX543 is said to deliver performance of 35 million polygons per second and a filtrate of 1 billion pixels per second when running at 200 MHz, compared to 28 million polygons per second and a filtrate of 500 million pixels for the SGX535 running at the same clock speed. In addition, the SGX543 offers support for the Apple-backed OpenCL specification that allows applications to harness untapped potential of both CPUs and GPUs for processing purposes. Finally, the SGX543 support multi-core configurations allowing for even greater performance.

Article Link: iOS 4.3 Beta Hints at OpenCL-Capable SGX543 GPU in Future Devices
 
Awesome! Not that we had any doubt that hardware improvements were coming (duh - they have been, year after year, since, well, forever).

But concrete proof, like the iOS device ID's, is always nice to see :)
 
if this is likely in the iPhone 5 then im really gonna have a hard time deciding if i should pre order the verizon ip4 or wait. Especially after appleinsider has a posting talking about how it appears apples on track to release a new CDMA and GSM ip5 this summer. damn these decisions:mad:
 
I'm already now impressed what some developers manage to do with the current hardware - amazing and fast graphics. Can't wait to see the full potential of the new hardware used (which unfortunately will still take some time once the new hardware is released)
 
I'd say that the current GPU in the iPad is underpowered for MSAA and a Retina Display.

Doubling the resolution needs 4x the fill rate. This new GPU is only doubling the pixel fill rate, so I guess it'll make things viable for Retina Display, but not with much extra room left.
Feels like an underpowered GPU for an iPad with Retina Display overall.

We need almost a 2 billion pixels fill rate to be able to get decent Retina Display resolution + MSAA on an iPad.
 
Seems to cut it a little too close to be included in ipad 2.....oh well, I'll still pick it up. I waited through the original ipad; time to jump on board.
 
nice, but in the 18 months i've owned my 3GS it has only been in the last few months that i see a lot of games that take advantage of the GPU in it. most games are just 80's arcade rejects
 
But can it power an iPad retina display???? LOL

I just really hope that the new A8 and this GPU debut in iPad 2!!!

I'd say that the current GPU in the iPad is underpowered for MSAA and a Retina Display.

Doubling the resolution needs 4x the fill rate. This new GPU is only doubling the pixel fill rate, so I guess it'll make things viable for Retina Display, but not with much extra room left.
Feels like an underpowered GPU for an iPad with Retina Display overall.

We need almost a 2 billion pixels fill rate to be able to get decent Retina Display resolution + MSAA on an iPad.

Do you people have no logic at all lol? :rolleyes: Never mind the simple fact that with current production and technology such a screen is not even possible to make!
 
For a company that virtually ignored games for a long time, I think Apple is about to become a huge gaming platform. Proper games that is, not just $0.99 ones.
 
hmm, I guess that means we will be getting 16-core ipad....jk

but could we be getting a dual-core version of this for the ipad 2?
 
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Many have said that OpenCL amounts to nothing.

This is interesting news.
 
I'd say that the current GPU in the iPad is underpowered for MSAA and a Retina Display.

Doubling the resolution needs 4x the fill rate. This new GPU is only doubling the pixel fill rate, so I guess it'll make things viable for Retina Display, but not with much extra room left.
Feels like an underpowered GPU for an iPad with Retina Display overall.

We need almost a 2 billion pixels fill rate to be able to get decent Retina Display resolution + MSAA on an iPad.
Unless Apple put two of these cores into the new A5 processor ... like the article says it can now be used in a multi-core configuration.

Seriously though the screen for the iPad 2 is not going to have the same pixel density of the Retina display. I expect it to be higher resolution, but not that high.
 
I just really hope that the new A8 and this GPU debut in iPad 2!!!



Do you people have no logic at all lol? :rolleyes: Never mind the simple fact that with current production and technology such a screen is not even possible to make!

As far as I know, the screen on the iPhone 4 is the highest DPI ever made. So, it's not a dream. And if you stick 9 3.5" screens together (2880x1920) in a 10.5", that's more than enough pixel density to cover 2048x1536 (iPad resolution doubled) in a 9.7" screen. It'll be expensive, but it's certainly doable with today's technology.
 
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Many have said that OpenCL amounts to nothing.


Those are dumb people.

GPU computing for the phone is amazing and OpenCL is an good way to get there. I have been trying to work with apple engineers to get OpenCL capable devices included in portable devices so we can use them in the defense industry for a number of tasks.
 
I'm hoping for the Apple version of the Cortex A9. But not really expecting it.

Yeah. Hopefully Intrinsity has done another custom design that includes the A9 and the SGX543.

More info on 543:

http://www.imgtec.com/news/Release/index.asp?NewsID=428

This core can go multi-core and since Apple is an ARM and ImgTech licensee, we could potentially see any kind of configuration, including single or multiple cores for both the CPU and GPU.
 
As far as I know, the screen on the iPhone 4 is the highest DPI ever made. So, it's not a dream. And if you stick 9 3.5" screens together (2880x1920) in a 10.5", that's more than enough pixel density to cover 2048x1536 (iPad resolution doubled) in a 9.7" screen. It'll be expensive, but it's certainly doable with today's technology.

The memory bandwidth required for a screen of that resolution on a mobile GPU is a bit silly. I believe you are going to have a hard time moving the data across the bus for a screen of that size to meet the responsiveness Apple and Steve require. I am not saying it can't happen but it will be interesting to see how this works out.
 
This makes me exited I can't wait fir the new iOS devices, these new hints such as the gestures and this new GPU make awesome products.
 
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