ARM Launches Mali-450 GPU

By Douglas Perry
published

ARM announced a new version of its Mali GPU architecture. The new 450 MP model is positioned above the existing 400 MP product and promises twice the performance of that chip.

The new 450 integrates one to eight cores, 8 KB to 512 KB L2 cache and supports 4x multi-sampling with "virtually no performance drop" as well as 16x anti-aliasing that is "outperforming all implementations of comparable quality", ARM states. A reference quad-core Mali-450 MP GPU with 256 Kb L2 cache has a size of 8.6 mm2 and is clocked at 240 MHz or 480 MHz.

ARM says the 450 will hit 104 million triangles per second and up to 3.8 gigapixels per second at 480 MHz. There was no information how much power the GPU consumes. In comparison, the 400 MP tops out at 44 million triangles per second and 1.1 gigapixels per second at 400 MHz.

The new 450 chip is targeted at the lower-end range of tablets and TVs, but can run 2K and 4K screen resolutions. ARM said that the new GPU design is available now.

Douglas Perry
11 Comments Comment from the forums
  • ewood
    depending what power consumption is, put it in phones!
    Reply
  • aqualipt
    ewooddepending what power consumption is, put it in phones!
    To be honest with youm i dont think that the SoC in phones is what determinates the battery life, i say its the screen, put the brightness in 0% and you get 8-9 hours of battery life but if you put it in 100% you barely get 5.5-6 hours
    Reply
  • rantoc
    There will be several questions about how it will do vs a discrete card. Lets just say its like comparing a Ferrari to a Toyota Prius where the Ferraris is the the discrete card made for maximum performance while the Prius is made for maximum efficiency - Both have their places and target audiences! I rather have a Ferrari in my desktop but don't want 2 sec's of battery life in the pad and there is where this gpu belongs!
    Reply
  • Osmin
    For mobile phones, shrinking the die size is important. From a power perspective, you could design a chip to run slower when on battery and faster when plugged-in (Up to the thermal limits possible in the phone’s design). This can lead to possible wireless external displays that can utilize the phones computational power remotely. Just like the announced ASUS Transformer AIO, the phone can be the computer using a larger wireless external touch display.
    Reply
  • Gormeroth
    Assistant to the Regional Manager??
    Reply
  • elel
    'But can it play crysis?'

    Sorry, had to say it once :D
    Reply
  • But can it play Angry Birds?
    Reply
  • Well now there is a benchmark !! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZteW1tMPZeY
    Reply
  • a1b2c3
    Where does it fall on the GPU hierarchy chart?
    Reply
  • s3anister
    aqualiptTo be honest with youm i dont think that the SoC in phones is what determinates the battery life, i say its the screen, put the brightness in 0% and you get 8-9 hours of battery life but if you put it in 100% you barely get 5.5-6 hoursI wouldn't normally respond to a post like this but you obviously have no idea what you're talking about. Screen brightness does impact battery life if the screen draws a lot of power, however, the CPU/GPU on the phone can and will draw a massive amount of total power from the battery when fully taxed.
    Reply