7 replies to this topic

[hozer]

Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150

The Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 or GMA 3150 is an integrated (shared memory) graphics card that is located on the processor package of the Intel Atom N4xx processors. The graphics core is based on a GMA X3100 design (according to Intel) but features only two processor cores clocked at 200 MHz. Therefore, the performance is only a bit better than the old GMA 950 found in many Netbooks with N270 Atom CPUs.

The 3D performance of the GMA 3150 is therefore only suited for some low demanding 3D games in low details. In our tests only the old Quake 3 Arena ran fluently (even with high detail settings). Furthermore, Torchlight ran more or less fluently in 800x600 - low, but Fraps only showed 10fps. More modern low demanding games like Trackmania Nations Forever or Left 4 Dead only showed a slideshow. In our tests with the Dell Mini 1018 many modern games didn't even start (driver 8.14.10.2117):

* Crysis
* Anno 1404
* Supreme Commander
* Need for Speed Shift
* Mafia II
* Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
* Battlefield: Bad Company 2

According to Intel, the GMA 3150 can help the CPU decode MPEG2 videos. The DXVAChecker shows hooks for MPEG2 (VLD, MoComp, A, and C) up to 1920x1080. Therefore, the performance of the N450 and N470 with GMA 3150 is currently not sufficient to watch H.264 encoded HD videos with a higher resolution than 720p. HD flash videos (e.g. from youtube) are also not running fluently on the Atom CPUs.

Another drawback of the GMA 3150 are the supported display types and resolutions. The GMA 3150 supports one digital LVDS port (to connect the internal display) with resolutions up to 1366x768. Furthermore, an external analog VGA port with resolutions up to 1400x1050 is supported. DisplayPort, HDMI or DVI are not possible (no SDVO ports to connect them). Therefore, AtomN450 Netbooks with HDMI ports will only be possible with the upcoming ION 2 GPU.

The main advantage of the new GMA 3150 is the low power consumption as it is integrated in the Atom CPU.
Manufacturer Intel
Graphics Media Accelerator 3000 Series

Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 2/0@200MHz
Codename Pineview
Pipelines 2 / 0 Pixel- / Vertexshader
Core Speed * 200 MHz
Shader Speed * 200 MHz
Memory Speed *
Memory Bus Width
Memory Type
Shared Memory yes
8-384MB shared
DirectX DirectX 9c, Shader 3.0
Transistors 123 Million
technology 45 nm
Features OpenGL 1.5, Clear Video HD (SD Videos only), MPEG-2 Decode, Adaptive Interlacing,
Notebook Size small and light
Date of Announcement 10.01.2010
Link to Manufacturer Page http://www.intel.com...ucts/processor/...
Source: http://www.notebookc...50.23264.0.html

Edited by hozer, 23 December 2010 - 01:12 PM.

[Ultimate Chicken]

In other news, Intel continues to regard graphics as simply putting an image on a monitor, and that's enough for it.

(Jeez, look at their OGL support. LOOK AT IT. 3 **** years of driver development and they're only up to OGL 1 point bloody 5, going only 0.1 versions. They don't even support Vertex Buffer Objects by default, the bare minimum of modern standards.

I know I don't like the amount of stuff OGL 3.x and later removes BUT at the very least Intel, as one of the so-called signers of the bloody OpenGL standard, could afford to do something about support for this. Funny how their shader support trumps the ability to USE them correctly!)

Edited by Ultimate Chicken, 21 December 2010 - 03:34 PM.

[zeo]

Add all Pine Trail ATOM's are using the Intel GMA 3150. So that includes the N450, N455, N470, N475, N550, and the D series ATOMS too. Only difference is nettop ATOMs clock the Intel GMA at 400MHz, which is partly why you see higher supported VGA output for them than the netbook versions.

Even the 8 Core version of the NG-ION used in the 1015PN has a benchmark score about 10x that of the Intel GMA...

[Ultimate Chicken]

Just remember that netbooks aren't the only ones stuck with this crud. A crapton of "business" and "low end" ordinary notebooks armed with multicore Intels get trapped with a comparatively cruddy Intel IGP. It's because Intel believes the proc is still completely everything, and to force its point purposefully made its graphics adapters terrible.

It's actually safer to buy AMD powered stuff for this reason, since after buying ATi the Radeons are now in everything AMD (even if shader support on AMD graphics is sketchy - and of course, you hardly get Nvidia equipped AMDs anymore, due to this conflict of interest thing). Nevermind the power consumption, it's the one thing AMD has over Intel right now.

If you still want an Intel proc powered set, well, shop carefully, do your homework, etc.

PS: Zeo, I do believe the cores are for CUDA computing (which, currently, non-programmers are unlikely to use) or Multiple Render Targets (which is actually a useful feature, but most current programs/games use only a max of 8... there are a handful that uses >8 tho). They don't really have any effect otherwise, which means by far even the crippled NG-ION the 1015pn has is faster/more efficient in raw processing capability. The only thing limiting it here is the PCIe 2.0 1x lane, courtesy of Intel anti-competition. <_<

(Edit: OTOH, that policy has indirectly forced Nvidia to build an mPCIe graphics card... let's see if Nvidia gets smarter and unleashes this as a discrete laptop upgrade part. >_>)

Edited by Ultimate Chicken, 22 December 2010 - 03:41 AM.

[zeo]

Quote

PS: Zeo, I do believe the cores are for CUDA computing

Nope, they're the shader cores, the more the better the performance, and the benchmarks between the 1215N and the 1015PN clearly show that the extra 8 cores in the 1215N version make a significant difference in performance.

The 8 Core in the 1015PN though still does about as well as the original ION and is easily 10x better than the Intel GMA 3150 can provide, without optimizations, and provides HDMI.

ATI graphics up to 4250 are just barely under the 1015PN NG-ION but don't offer anything power savings that Optimus potentially provides.

Though things may significantly change with AMD's Fusion line, using the latest ATI GPU should give Zacate the graphical advantage over any Intel graphic solution. Though CPU performance may not be better than the existing K325 but given the APU advantage should help it perform multi-tasking extremely well.

[Turionaltec]

Intel Gimpalong Media Adapter / Garbage Media Adapter have sucked for over a decade. They try monopolistic techniques of trying to lock out real GPU makers either by offering absurd "bundles" with Chipsets making it impossible for others to meet the pricepoint, false marketing names like "Centrino", or in the case of Atom, they almost refused to allow it to be paired to a good GPU for Ion. Other tactics:

-Strongarming Microsoft to allow non-Aero compatible GMA910/915 be marked "Vista Capable"
-Calling junk integrated graphics "Exxxxxxxxxxxxxxxtreme Graphics'
-GMA 500 that shipped with Atom Z520 (and similar) is a decent enough GPU hardware (for the market segment) but had absolutely terrible drivers for all operating systems. For some reason this didn't seem to concern Intel.

My Work laptop is supposedly an "Engineering Laptop" Spec but includes Intel GMA graphics. Not even a new one, but a 965 (I think). At times it likes to randomly reassign my extended desktop at login.

Edited by Turionaltec, 23 December 2010 - 02:07 AM.

[ferreol]

guys i m trying to display gma 3150 720p resolution under linux : is this possible i can do 1368x768 but cannot pick 1280x720
without this resolution cannot plug on tv

[zeo]

Quote

guys i m trying to display gma 3150 720p resolution under linux : is this possible i can do 1368x768 but cannot pick 1280x720
without this resolution cannot plug on tv

Yes, GMA 3150 can handle 720p, it's 1080p that runs into problems... Depending on your distro you can create custom resolution profiles... Also when connecting an external monitor usually gives you access to more resolution options that are otherwise locked because of the resolution limit of the LCD.

Going higher than your LCD native resolution doesn't help though, in most cases you'll just create a virtual resolution and the screen will pan around because the resolution scale will remain the same and the extra resolution will register as extra space extending beyond the normal screen size. You also have to worry about distortion if you choose a resolution that doesn't match the screen proportions.