Processor Speed question


NeonFuz

Still Fresh
Joined
Jun 19, 2010
Messages
13
So, a while back i heard that they (ed, etc) were considering upgrading the processor to a 1ghz or something. I havent had the time to come back here that often to check, so, are we using the 1ghz processor for batch 2? also, i know that the pandora (1st batch) can go from 500 mhz to like 900 mhz, does that mean that the upgraded pandora will be able to go from 1ghz to around 1.5 ghz, or will we be stuck at 1ghz. Also, how will this work with the pnd format, as they are currently (if i recall) set to the 1g pandora (500-900 mhz), not the new one, so how will this work.


Sorry if im slow, or if we wont get this processor, im just a little confused.


Thanks
 
Hello neonfuz, welcome to the forums.


To the best of my knowledge, the production run which will complete all batch 1 and batch 2 preorders (hopefully by January) will have the original specs that the Pandora uses now. Using a newer processor was just some speculation as one of the changes to make to the device in the future as they changed board manufacturers this fall.


As for overclocking the hypothetical new processor, it just depends what they go with if it changes at all, which it won't for this coming production run.


And the PND system as a whole should not at all be affected by a faster processor. The processor speed is an upper-bound, so a PND will simply use however much CPU power it needs until it hits the upper limit.
 
Hello neonfuz, welcome to the boards.


So far, nothing has been announced with regard to the higher clocked processors. I know the team still has a lot of the old processors stored, so don't expect batch 2 to deliver these newer ones. Perhaps at a later stage and perhaps not at all. I'm not sure if the higher clocked processors can overclock to 1.5 ghz.


Should this upgrade happen, then the pnd format will not change. Each PND can request a specific clock speed. Like now, software will be configured to use the lowest clock speed at which it can run properly.
 
Just to be 100% clear on the CPU matter, here is a recent quote from hardware designer MWeston.

There isn't going to be a 1GHz chip going into Pandora for a long time if ever. We ordered THOUSANDS of 3530's a long time ago thinking that CC would actually produce boards on a schedule and those chips are going to run into batch 3. We can't just tell the distributor, "oh sorry, here take these back" because the parts are in our possession and the deal is done. If you don't want to take my or OP's word for it, you can ask Notaz and maybe other software devs. I discussed this with Notaz ages ago. We both agreed that we would love to go to the DM3730 but we pre-ordered a ton of 3530 stock that prevents any further discussion of such thing unfortunately. ED's wishful thinking has the unfortunate side effect of sounding official and he doesn't deal with parts ordering. Craig and I do (did) but now he knows the situation. Hopefully people keep reading this topic and realize that other than a possibly better paint job, their Pandora will be the same as everyone else. It has to be. We have no choice. We can't just toss $100k+ worth of chips in the garbage.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Ah, well there you go.


Frankly, a faster processor, though always better, wouldn't really add anything for me, anyway, as the most popular games in the repo and the ones I play myself all work flawlessly at stock speed anyway.
 
Thanks alot guys, and thanks for the fast response. I cant wait to get my hands on my pandora. also, this isnt my first post on the forums, i was just logging in with a account before and now i logged in using my facebook.
 
I think also mentioned that new chip could only reach 1.2 ghz anyways, the Cortex A8 core is pretty maxed out.


I am at 1 Ghz at opp4 so I think 1.1 Ghz is possible at opp5 though I never pushed it that far. The new chip won`t be revolutionary even if it comes.
 
Thanks alot guys, and thanks for the fast response. I cant wait to get my hands on my pandora. also, this isnt my first post on the forums, i was just logging in with a account before and now i logged in using my facebook.

Ah, okay. I saw you had 'one post' listed, so I assumed you were new. But yes, the Pandora is pretty damn nice; are you a Batch 1 pre-order?
 
Yes but currently we don`t need more then 1 Ghz, with a LOT of programs open on the desktop I`m at 23% CPU usage, only maxing out while scrolling in PDFs or loading new web pages.


In games, PCSX does perfectly fine at around 800 mhz for the majority of game, N64 needs quite a bit of horse power though and that`s one of the only things craving more power.


Even if we get to the 1.2 Ghz dual cores I don `t think we will reach the next teir of emulation just yet.


I`m all for more power, but it`s not a neccesity here.
 
Yes but currently we don`t need more then 1 Ghz, with a LOT of programs open on the desktop I`m at 23% CPU usage, only maxing out while scrolling in PDFs or loading new web pages.


In games, PCSX does perfectly fine at around 800 mhz for the majority of game, N64 needs quite a bit of horse power though and that`s one of the only things craving more power.


Even if we get to the 1.2 Ghz dual cores I don `t think we will reach the next teir of emulation just yet.


I`m all for more power, but it`s not a neccesity here.

Yeah, these are my exact thoughts.


Salesmen are all "you need 8GB of memory and an i7 Intel processor and " blah and blah and blah, yet the main computer I use is now a 3 year old netbook. And runs everything I throw at it like a champ.


Obviously some things need more power, but for everyday things (web browsing, documents, music, movies) a simple computer will do.
 
No, actualy im actually a very early 2nd batch pre-order. I had the money for when the first batch, but i spent it on a touchscreen netbook (which recently broke) like a dumbass, so i didnt have enough money while the first batch was still in preorder, so i had to wait until 2nd batch.
 
Just to be 100% clear on the CPU matter, here is a recent quote from hardware designer MWeston.

There isn't going to be a 1GHz chip going into Pandora for a long time if ever. We ordered THOUSANDS of 3530's a long time ago thinking that CC would actually produce boards on a schedule and those chips are going to run into batch 3. We can't just tell the distributor, "oh sorry, here take these back" because the parts are in our possession and the deal is done. If you don't want to take my or OP's word for it, you can ask Notaz and maybe other software devs. I discussed this with Notaz ages ago. We both agreed that we would love to go to the DM3730 but we pre-ordered a ton of 3530 stock that prevents any further discussion of such thing unfortunately. ED's wishful thinking has the unfortunate side effect of sounding official and he doesn't deal with parts ordering. Craig and I do (did) but now he knows the situation. Hopefully people keep reading this topic and realize that other than a possibly better paint job, their Pandora will be the same as everyone else. It has to be. We have no choice. We can't just toss $100k+ worth of chips in the garbage.

Bear in mind that things have changed quite a bit since that post was made, i.e. Ed is now more than a little involved with parts ordering. It also fails to take into account that it would be possible to have more than 1 model of Pandora available if the only thing that was different was which chip was attached to the board. Not sure if that would be desirable, but it would certainly be possible and would in no way mean that you'd have to bin existing stock.
 
Note that the OMAP DM3730 is basically just a 45nm version of the 65nm OMAP 3530 currently used, so the main difference lies with power consumption at particular clocks.  The 5th generation consoles I've heard causing problems for the existing hardware are the ones with particularly quirky hardware, and I haven't heard of real issues with anything older then that on the console side so I don't think anything is sitting on the edge in that department.


Last I heard DOSBOX emulation was in the 386 territory, but improving that significantly doesn't represent a minor clock bump.  A 386/33 was rated around 11.4 MIPS.  A 486/66 was rated around 50 MIPS.  A original P5 Pentium/60 was rated around 100 MIPS.  Based on the DOSBOX wiki I'm going tend to say we're probably looking at a Cortex A15 setup to handle 486 or Pentium DOS games in an efficient manner.


Incidentally ARM recently announced a Cortex A7 that is a basically a modernized and stripped down version of the Cortex A8 meant to help with Hi-Lo paired designs involving in the Cortex A15 and other applications.  I'm curious what TI will do with that.  I wouldn't expect anything practical along those lines until 2013 though, when Rogue and similar GPUs should also be available.  Anything sooner would have more of a difference in terms of a larger and newer RAM module, and using the Pandora as a multitasking computer with natively running software, and the... tire kickers.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Back
Top