NVIDIA Shield Review: At the Crossroads of PC and Mobile Gaming
by Brian Klug on July 31, 2013 12:14 AM ESTGPU Performance - 3DMark
The GPU performance story is finally a competitive one for NVIDIA. Although Tegra 4 lacks full OpenGL ES 3.0 compliance, it does finally dedicate enough SoC die area to GPU performance to compete with the likes of Apple and the iPad with Retina Display. We'll start with 3DMark, which is Android and Windows only at this point.
3DMark for Android features the Ice Storm benchmark and uses OpenGL ES 2.0. Ice Storm is divided into two graphics tests and a physics test. The first graphics test is geometry heavy while the second test is more pixel shader intensive. The physics test, as you might guess, is CPU bound and multithreaded. The overall score takes into account both graphics and physics tests. The benchmark is rendered to an offscreen buffer at 720p/1080p and then scaled up to the native resolution of the device being tested. This is a very similar approach we've seen by game developers to avoid rendering at native resolution on some of the ultra high resolution tablets. The beauty of 3DMark's approach here is the fact that all results are comparable, regardless of a device's native resolution. The downside is we don't get a good idea of how some of the ultra high resolution tablets would behave with these workloads running at their native (> 1080p) resolutions.
Here we see Tegra 4 in Shield outperforming all of the shipping players on Android, and virtually tying with Adreno 330 in Qualcomm's upcoming MSM8974 (Snapdragon 800 platform). Tegra 4's GPU performance is still no where near even Intel's HD 4000, but we're seeing massive improvements in raw FP throughput in ultra mobile GPUs. I'm very eager to see what's possible once Kepler makes its way into NVIDIA's mobile SoCs next year with Logan.
The 3DMark Physics test is also worth looking at as it shows a 36% increase in performance over four Krait 300 cores running at 1.5GHz. There are faster Krait 300s out there, but another 13% isn't enough to make up this gap. The Krait 400 comparison is much closer, but the Krait 400s have to be clocked at 2.3GHz to equal the performance of the 1.9GHz Cortex A15s. It remains to be seen which combination is ultimately lower power.
Basemark X
Basemark X is a new addition to our mobile GPU benchmark suite. There are no low level tests here, just some game simulation tests run at both onscreen (device resolution) and offscreen (1080p, no vsync) settings. The scene complexity is far closer to GLBenchmark 2.7 than the new 3DMark Ice Storm benchmark, so frame rates are pretty low.
In both tests, NVIDIA posts big gains over anything presently shipping from the Android camp. Adreno 330 pulls ahead on a level playing field, holding a 24% performance advantage over Tegra 4.
I would've loved to have seen this sort of competition from NVIDIA back when the iPad 4 launched, but it's at least good to see NVIDIA move from being a value player with Tegra 3 to a high performance contender with Tegra 4.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
134 Comments
View All Comments
This Guy - Thursday, August 1, 2013 - link
My tablet is 1.3 kg and I have no problem using it like a book. At first I lent it against my leg, desk and bed until I got used to the weight. If 500 grams is to heavy for you try resting your elbows on an arm rest while your playing.The device is very elegant. Nvidia is providing gaming with VNC. Try using an openGL game on a wired network with RDC. It sucks and it uses PC hardware. This is an 500 gram handheld android device that lasts for 10 hours.
Please don't be "That Guy." There are links to Dailytech in the side bar if you must use that tone.
RYF - Sunday, August 4, 2013 - link
Ergonomics play a big part is determining if an item can be held for a long time. It is about the weight distributions. E.g. holding a stick of 0.5KG as compared to holding a spherical item of 0.5KG give totally different feeling.Your irresponsible choice of words like "junk", "bias", "ugly" simply shows your prejudice.
Peanutsrevenge - Wednesday, July 31, 2013 - link
You clearly don't handle objects of differing weights, sizes and shapes very often.A 30Kg object can feel lighter than a 15Kg object if it's easy to hold, well balanced and controllable shape if the 15Kg one is awkward.
I remember when Anandtech had almost exclusively readers with an IQ >90.
jeffkibuule - Thursday, August 1, 2013 - link
I miss those days. Guess when you become popular, common sense comments go out the window.nathanddrews - Wednesday, July 31, 2013 - link
Haters gonna hate. Never heard of weight distribution?Refuge - Wednesday, July 31, 2013 - link
I don't see how that could have been considered a rant.Troll perhaps?
superflex - Thursday, August 1, 2013 - link
Maybe you should put down the Xbox controller and pickup a dumbell or barbell once in a while.Or would that hurt you quest to become the ultimate dungeon master?
Sabresiberian - Thursday, August 1, 2013 - link
What is unbelievable is how clueless and stupid some people can be. You have no idea what Brian and Anandtech are about, you are blatantly rude, and are so ignorant about weight and balance I'm surprised you can actually type. And if Anandtech feels that this response to your post goes overboard I'm sorry, but it is no more offensive than someone calling Brian dishonest in any way, and I don't believe in letting bad behavior go unchecked.I used to swing a 1-lb hammer all day long, and there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions over the years, of construction workers who did the same. That's one pound at the end of a stick, swinging it with one hand, not holding it in 2 hands relatively close to your body. Since you are so ignorant let me point out that 1 lb is 454 grams, and that measurement is for the head of the hammer, not the whole hammer. There ar many workers in many fields who deal with a lor more weight than that, 8 or more hours a day, 5 or more days a week.
Oh, and by the way, a regular wireless Xbox 360 controller weighs 265 grams. So, what you are talking abut here is a little over 1/5 a kilo more weight.
I'm sorry that the heaviest thing you lift in your life is a Big Mac and you have no muscle tone. I'm sorry that your Mommy was mean to you all your life and so now you have a bad attitude about everything. Here's a clue though - regardless, you are responsible for your behavior in public, responsible for your physical condition, and responsible for your beliefs. Consider this a wake-up call. Get a clue before you post next time.
Seriously, a good counselor can help a lot, I highly suggest you find one ASAP.
gi_ty - Friday, August 2, 2013 - link
Excellent, well said sir!twotwotwo - Wednesday, July 31, 2013 - link
People hold 7-inch tabs that are 400-500g with one hand and a funny grip. So a little over a half-kilo with two hands and real grips seems doable.