PS3 specs - what does it all mean?

Joebob

Joebob

Joebob

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Ok, I have a list of all the technical specs of the PS3 below... but I need help to fully understand it all.

Technical Specifications

CPU: Cell Processor PowerPC-base core @3.2GHz; 1 VMX vector unit per core; 512KB L2 cache; 7x SPE @3.2GHz; 7x 128b 128 SIMD GPRs; 7x 256KB SRAM for SPE; 1 of 8 SPEs reserved for redundancy; Total floating point performance: 218 GFLOPS

GPU: RSX @550MHz 1.8 TFLOPS floating point performance; full HD (up to 1080p) x 2 channels; multi-way programmable parallel floating point shader pipelines

Sound: Dolby 5.1ch, DTS, LPCM, etc. (Cell-base processing)

Memory: 256MB XDR Main RAM @3.2GHz; 256MB GDDR3 VRAM @700MHz

System Bandwidth: Main RAM 25.6GB/s; VRAM 22.4GB/s; RSX 20GB/s (write) + 15GB/s (read); SB 2.5GB/s (write) + 2.5GB/s (read)

System Floating Point Performance: 2 TFLOPS

Storage: HDD Detachable 2.5" HDD slot x 1

I/O: USB Front x4, Rear x2 (USB2.0); Memory Stick standard/Duo PRO x1; SD standard/mini x1; CompactFlash (Type I, II) x1

Communication: Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T) x3 (input x1 + output x2); Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g; Bluetooth Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR)

Controller: Bluetooth (up to 7); USB2.0 (wired); Wi-Fi (PSP) Network (over IP)

AV Output: Screen size 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p; HDMI HDMI out x2; Analog AV MULTI OUT x1; Digital audio DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL) x1

Disc media:
CD: PlayStation CD-ROM; PlayStation2 CD-ROM; CD-DA; CD-DA (ROM); CD-R; CD-RW SACD; SACD Hybrid (CD layer); SACD HD DualDisc; DualDisc (audio side),DualDisc (DVD side)

DVD: PlayStation2 DVD-ROM; PlayStation3 DVD-ROM; DVD-Video DVD-ROM; DVD-R; DVD-RW; DVD+R; DVD+RW

Blu-ray Disc: PlayStation3 BD-ROM; BD-Video BD-ROM; BD-R; BD-RE

I understand most of this but what exactly is a terraflop? and how does it compare to most CPU's in a PC or even against the PS2 or XBOX360?

What exactly is the difference between 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i & 1080p?
 
The performance specs are totally meaningless. You'll get more information thinking about how architecture is evolving globally rather than looking at that (Or better still, stare at an orange for 5 minutes). Someone else can explain about the HD, but more or less the higher the number the higher the resolution. The i and the p bit I'm not sure on (Something to do with interlacing lines or something).
 
diff between i and p is one refreshes the whole image and other does it seperately or something i think :s p is better tho

What i dont get is not many tv's support 1080p do they? its quite a technilogical hurdle as it requires a lot of bandwidth to do it? So how they manage to get 1080p x 2?

They have a lot of usb ports lol what on earth u need that many for!

Dont think teraflops are a big indication of performance either now adays its just big numbers used to wow people. Higher is better but developers also have to be able to use it all to its advantage otherwise its wasted.

http://www.broadcastpapers.com/dcinema/PinnacleCinewave04.htm
 
They'll not be able to do 1080p60 but 1080p30 IS possible... The bandwidth isn't available to get 1080p60 to a tv screen yet. but at 30hz it is possible... The PS3 is rumoured to have 2 outputs so it is theoritically possible to output 2 1080p30 pics.... if it has the power to render them. I don't see it happening...

Expect a 720p60 picture like the xbox 360.
 
Joebob said:
Ok, I have a list of all the technical specs of the PS3 below... but I need help to fully understand it all.

Technical Specifications

CPU: Cell Processor PowerPC-base core @3.2GHz; 1 VMX vector unit per core; 512KB L2 cache; 7x SPE @3.2GHz; 7x 128b 128 SIMD GPRs; 7x 256KB SRAM for SPE; 1 of 8 SPEs reserved for redundancy; Total floating point performance: 218 GFLOPS

The CPU is comprised of 8 cores, one of which is a cut-down version of the CPUs found in pre-Intel Apple macs. The 7x SPEs are severely cut-down cores that are no longer general purpose (think special chip for one purpose rather than microprocessor). The VMX is just a unit that executes instructions useful for processing geometry. The 7x 256KB SRAM is the cache for each SPE, its slow and rubbish. The 7x 128b 128 SIMD GPRs bit is just mentioning general purpose registers for communication (presumably) between the seperate cores. The 218GFLOPS is peak theoretical and could quite easily be impossible to reach even under ideal conditions. Similiar to the P4 which can never reach its peak theoretical because there isn't enough bandwidth inside the chip itself to keep the ALUs fed.

In short this CPU is heavily, heavily hyped and I have serious doubts of its application in gaming. Gaming is very latency sensitive and the Cell doesn't strike me as a paticularly flexible or low-latency design. Time will tell. It uses the same architecture as the X360, unfortunately only one core is general purpose. This means any quick games that are multi-platform will most likely only use a single core on both platforms. Badly ported games will probably use only one core on one of the platforms.

GPU: RSX @550MHz 1.8 TFLOPS floating point performance; full HD (up to 1080p) x 2 channels; multi-way programmable parallel floating point shader pipelines

The graphics chip. Basically its a standard GPU with built-in vertex & pixel shaders like any modern GPU. Multi-way could mean either the fact it has both vertex and pixel shaders, or that the pipelines can render to another pipeline to speed up multiple operations on a single pixel. Faster than the X360's GPU? I'm not so sure. From what I've seen of the ATI GPU, its very very powerful due to the daughter chip.

Sound: Dolby 5.1ch, DTS, LPCM, etc. (Cell-base processing)

The sound chip is software based like most onboard solutions. This means everything but the DAC (Digital Analogue Converter) process will be performed on the Cell CPU. This is not a good thing, it'll use valuable CPU cycles for processing environmental sounds, positional sound, doppler shift, etc.

Memory: 256MB XDR Main RAM @3.2GHz; 256MB GDDR3 VRAM @700MHz

256MB of system memory, running at an 'effective' speed of 3.2Ghz. Its actually running at 400Mhz because XDR is 8x iirc. More likely its using multiple channels (4-8?) using standard DDR memory and they're spinning it as '3.2Ghz'. 256MB GDDR3 VRAM is just some relatively cheap DDR3 memory for the GPU alone at 700Mhz.

System Bandwidth: Main RAM 25.6GB/s; VRAM 22.4GB/s; RSX 20GB/s (write) + 15GB/s (read); SB 2.5GB/s (write) + 2.5GB/s (read)

System Floating Point Performance: 2 TFLOPS

You can ignore these stats, they're relatively worthless

Storage: HDD Detachable 2.5" HDD slot x 1

A hard drive just like the X360's. Removeable and everything.

I/O: USB Front x4, Rear x2 (USB2.0); Memory Stick standard/Duo PRO x1; SD standard/mini x1; CompactFlash (Type I, II) x1

Standard input and output with a built in memory card reader (5in1).

Communication: Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T) x3 (input x1 + output x2); Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g; Bluetooth Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR)

Lots of connectivity, including 3 gigabit ethernet ports - although mentioning 2 as output and 1 as input implies its just one connection with a built-in 2 port hub). WiFi built-in (54g), and Bluetooth built in..

Controller: Bluetooth (up to 7); USB2.0 (wired); Wi-Fi (PSP) Network (over IP)

Wireless controllers!

AV Output: Screen size 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p; HDMI HDMI out x2; Analog AV MULTI OUT x1; Digital audio DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL) x1

Dual HDMI output (1080p support has been dropped, its technically impossible). All the standard outputs (probably component, S-Video, Composite). Digital Optical out.

Disc media:
CD: PlayStation CD-ROM; PlayStation2 CD-ROM; CD-DA; CD-DA (ROM); CD-R; CD-RW SACD; SACD Hybrid (CD layer); SACD HD DualDisc; DualDisc (audio side),DualDisc (DVD side)

DVD: PlayStation2 DVD-ROM; PlayStation3 DVD-ROM; DVD-Video DVD-ROM; DVD-R; DVD-RW; DVD+R; DVD+RW

Blu-ray Disc: PlayStation3 BD-ROM; BD-Video BD-ROM; BD-R; BD-RE

Full range of disc support, same as the X360 really.
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Neither console is better than the other, thats for sure.
 
Phil99 said:
One isn't even out yet ;)
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Depends on how you define 'better' :) I wouldn't say any console out of the PS2/Xbox/Gamecube is neccesarily better than the other. All have their good games, and their bad games.
 
Boogle said:
Depends on how you define 'better' :) I wouldn't say any console out of the PS2/Xbox/Gamecube is neccesarily better than the other. All have their good games, and their bad games.
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You're probably right there - hopefully we've seen the back of platform dependent games - here's hoping anyway!
I guess different software houses will still prefer coding for different platforms though.

Of course there'll always be particular franchises kept alive - PGR and Gran Turismo to name but a few..
 
hopefully we've seen the back of platform dependent games
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You have heard of a little thing called the Nintendo Revolution haven't you ?
:)

I'm fairly certain the games on that will be platform dependant !!
 
sorry guys n gals, but I really couldn't be bothered to google it - you just get so much carp to trail through before getting to what you want to know... I knew if I popped a post on here there would be someone willing to go in depth and explain the lot. :)
 
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