Completing the modular picture of the Moorestown platform for us today is the news about the GPU/video processing engine that will be used. It’s been a long time coming.
Intel GMA600 Graphics – Integrated power-optimizes 2-D/3-D graphics with up to 400Mhz graphics core clock frequency, support for OpenGL ES2.0, Open GL 2.1 and Open VG 1.1 and hardware-accelerated HD video decode (MPEG4 part 2, H.264, WMV and VC1) and encode (MPEG4 part 2, H.264) Supports internal display up to 1366×768 LVDS or 1024×600 MIPI
The details are given in the Moorestown fact-sheet that was published today (PDF) as part of the Moorestown official launch.
In general I think we can safely say that this is a GMA500 with 2Xclock (400Mhz compared to 200Mhz on Menlow) and video encode.
May 5th, 2010 at 5:18 am
New article: Moorestown Platform to Include GMA600 Graphics. http://bit.ly/9k2XZO
May 5th, 2010 at 5:38 am
RT @umpcportal: New article: Moorestown Platform to Include GMA600 Graphics. http://bit.ly/9k2XZO
May 5th, 2010 at 5:41 am
Moorestown Platform to Include GMA600 Graphics. http://goo.gl/fb/ChGKP http://j.mp/findmore
May 5th, 2010 at 5:49 am
Moorestown Platform to Include GMA600 Graphics.: Completing the modular picture of the Moorestown platform for us … http://bit.ly/bNhOWc
May 5th, 2010 at 7:32 am
What’s about external screen resolutions?
May 5th, 2010 at 12:30 pm
I can’t really get excited over this. First, you can use GMA Booster to set the clocks to 400 MHz, in most cases, if that is your thing. Second, its not the performance of the GMA 500′s hardware that is lacking, its the software.
DavidC1 Reply:
May 5th, 2010 at 1:45 pm
You cannot use GMA Booster on GMA 500, it only works on GMA 950 devices that are underclocked.
drifter77 Reply:
May 6th, 2010 at 12:35 am
Exactly.
May 5th, 2010 at 3:22 pm
maybe Viliv N5 will have Z600? + GMA600, if windows is supportet in future…
May 5th, 2010 at 9:56 pm
if intel didn’t learn it’s lesson from GMA 500 this is going to be a terrible graphics chip. They released horribly buggy drivers for both linux and windows and never bothered to fix or update them. The lniux drivers weren’t open source so no one else could fix them either.
If intel is serious about pushing meego as a real alternative for tablets and netbooks they are going to need an open source driver with the same level of commitment they have given their GMA 950 – 4500. Otherwise they are going to fall behind upstream kernels and X releases the way GMA 500 did.
May 6th, 2010 at 3:17 am
What about external monitor and fullHD support? Does this mean no HDMI?
May 6th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
Drivers for Linux are obviously going to be written for MeeGo so until we see the results of that, there’s not much comment we can make on the quality of the GMA600. Technically, the potential is good.
theluketaylor Reply:
May 6th, 2010 at 3:24 pm
if intel takes the same route with 600 they did with 500 the drivers are going to be awful and will hold meego back. the gma 500 drivers were closed source and needed a specific kernel and X server version.
DavidC1 Reply:
May 6th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
Quake 3 Arena has been demonstrated at near 100 fps on smartphone version of Moorestown, while the GMA500 on my Viliv S5 chugs along at 30 fps when everything is set at low.
I’m pretty sure they made some advancements on the drivers. GMA600 is EXACT same core, but with potentially 2x the clock. That won’t give 2x performance, though it might be close.
It’ll have to be on par with PowerVR drivers now.
theluketaylor Reply:
May 6th, 2010 at 4:02 pm
The issue is less about the quality of the drivers (though they were pretty buggy) and more about the nature of the drivers. If the drivers are closed like GMA 500 meego will be trapped at particular kernel and X versions the same way Z series atoms have been and no one but intel will be able to improve them.
The open source drivers intel has sponsored for GMA 950-4500 are wonderful. Kernel mode setting just works, Aero-like interfaces are possible on a lot less hardware than Windows needs and they support are the open source tools for muti-monitor and acceleration. The GMA 500 drivers don’t do any of that. We’re going to wind up with one or the other and I’m really hoping for the former.
May 8th, 2010 at 1:11 am
uhhh well if this is a “GMA500 with 2Xclock” then it is a PowerVR chip rebranded as Intel. I expect the same lousy drivers (both win and linux) as the GMA500. I’m baffled that Intel don’t realise that they are tarnishing their name by selling these non-supported products.