NVIDIA Shield Review: At the Crossroads of PC and Mobile Gaming
by Brian Klug on July 31, 2013 12:14 AM ESTCPU Performance
Tegra 4 features the fastest ARM CPU configuration of any device we've ever tested. There are four Cortex A15 cores inside running at up to 1.9GHz. Note that 1.9GHz is the max CPU frequency even with all four cores active. Tegra 4 is an absolute beast. Do keep in mind that the Tegra 4 is actively cooled via a fan inside Shield, which does give it a bit more thermal flexibility than what we'd normally find in an Android tablet.
CPU-Z incorrectly identifies Tegra 4 as Tegra 2, the cores and frequencies are accurate though
Looking at even our limited CPU performance suite, the combination of ARM's first 3-issue out-of-order architecture, incredibly high clock speeds and a big chassis to dissipate heat is extremely evident. SunSpider performance is in downright low-frequency Core territory, and it just blows away anything else we've seen from any device running Android or iOS. The comparison in Google's Octane benchmark is still strong, although the Nexus 10 comes very close. Finally, we see great performance in Kraken as well. It's a shame we haven't seen Tegra 4 used in more places, because honestly this thing could make for a killer Windows RT device.
I threw in some of our early Snapdragon 800 performance data, and it looks like Tegra 4 still pulls away with a win in that comparison as well. ARM's Cortex A15 is just insanely quick. Again, there is a fan in Shield - that definitely helps make this possible.
For what it's worth, there's no funny CPU clock boosting going on upon launching any of these tests.
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Wixman666 - Wednesday, July 31, 2013 - link
Half a kilo isn't that heavy, unless you're a kid, even after hours.Revdarian - Wednesday, August 7, 2013 - link
Being a mobile gaming device, yes i was asking for a kid, but it is honestly too bulky to consider, and for a kid a standard 3ds//vita would be better game library wise.But hey, cheers to all the enraged manly men who confused the random troll with my questions and had to share their weight lifting stories, "cool stories bros" /facepalm.
420baller - Wednesday, July 31, 2013 - link
"over half a kilo".. you mean a pound?
boozed - Wednesday, July 31, 2013 - link
No, a pound is under half a kilogram.BryanDobbins - Saturday, August 17, 2013 - link
my neighbor's mom makes $72/hour on the internet. She has been unemployed for 7 months but last month her pay check was $19114 just working on the internet for a few hours. Read more on this web site... http://goo.gl/qHdAQ4Rontalk - Wednesday, July 31, 2013 - link
What a crap!silverblue - Wednesday, July 31, 2013 - link
It's actually very impressive. Regardless of whether you've been reading the same review or not, you could at least say more than three words on the subject. Please let us know your thoughts.I have to admit that NVIDIA have done rather well here for a first stab, and as software is the main issue, this can be improved upon quite quickly and easily. Who will buy Shield, though?
Rontalk - Wednesday, July 31, 2013 - link
Just any time a little thin laptop over it, which far more powerful and can be used for everything and do not look like an alien. It seems not even my 6 years old kid excited...connor4312 - Wednesday, July 31, 2013 - link
So I suppose you think that every mobile phone, every mini computer (Rasp Pi, etc), and every tablet, is also crap, because laptops are more powerful?Rontalk - Wednesday, July 31, 2013 - link
Where did I say that? But yeah, even a tablet or a phone are can be used for many things (for games too), they can look very well and to be thin. But this shield, I just do not get it. Maybe for dedo kids, but than should not cost more than $50... At this price level, I'll pay anytime the extra $100 for Ipad 5 tablets...