What apu are they using?

[monstercameron]

So the smach zero just went up on kickstarter. They claim to be using an apu, I wonder which sku they are using.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/smachteam/smach-z-the-first-handheld-steam-machine/

 

[Madpacket]

That new embedded design AMD was going on about for digital signage probably. Can't find a link ATM but I'll dig.

Edit:

Err or maybe not, the TDP looks to high. Perhaps AMD is making a lower power version.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9726/...d-rseries-apus-for-embedded-with-ddr4-support

 

[Madpacket]

Oh Ars has more details:

"The Smach Zero is powered by an AMD G-Series SoC named Steppe Eagle, which features a Jaguar-based CPU paired with a GCN-based GPU. We don't know which G-Series SoC is actually being used, but presumably it'll be one of the 6W or 9W TDP parts (PDF). The CPU is probably clocked somewhere around 1GHz, and the GPU between 200-300MHz (it's roughly equivalent to an HD 8210E)."

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/08/smach-zero-a-portable-x86-steam-machine-for-e300/

 

[sm625]

Probably the GX-412HC.

 

[Madpacket]

That Ars article is from August and lists outdated specs (they still quote the screen as 720P).

So no idea really. If I had to guess it'll be some hybrid embedded R series APU if they can get the TDP low enough.

 

[Madpacket]

Probably the GX-412HC.

Hmm, that looks plausible TDP wise but I hope not. Performance will be terrible.

 

[AtenRa]

1080p 5" screen and Kabini Trinity iGPU ???? no thanks.

edit: Are we sure its not R-Series (Kaveri) ??

 

[Madpacket]

Specs are right on the Kickstarter page: It's a Jaguar based GCN APU with 2GB of dedicated RAM. OP, please provide the Kickstarter URL so we don't have to be guessing here

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/smachteam/smach-z-the-first-handheld-steam-machine/

"We have been looking for a good balance between performance, cost and power efficiency, that will permit to play the majority of current games in Steam awesomely well. Take a look:

AMD embedded G-Series SoC (formerly codenamed "Steppe Eagle") with "Jaguar"-based CPU and GCN-based Radeon™ graphics with 2 GB of dedicated GPU RAM.
4 GB RAM memory (8 GB on PRO model)
64 GB* internal memory (128 GB on PRO model)
MicroSD Card Slot.
5-inch Touch screen with 1080p** resolution.
USB 3.0 type C
Configurable tactile gamepads.
HDMI video output connection.
Wi-Fi connectivity.
Bluetooth connectivity.
4G mobile network connectivity (PRO model only).
* Only if the Stretch Goal is achieved, otherwise: 32GB.

** Only if the Stretch Goal is achieved, otherwise: 720p."

Supposedly can handle such games as:

"Powerful enough to play any game on the market: Portal 2, DOTA, Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, SOMA, Civilization V, Metro: Last Light Redux, Borderlands 2, The Witcher 2, ..."

This seems like a spurious claim given the Jaguar CPU involved but who knows as I was able to play a ton of games with the lowly 5350 APU some time ago.

I'm glad they're copying the Steam controller as it's much more well rounded than a traditional controller for a large Steam library.

 

[AtenRa]

So, 5" 1080p on the Jaguar iGPU ??? no thanks.

 

[Madpacket]

Looks like the 100 early bird specials sold out quickly and they have the same early bird special with mores slots but for 50 more which would feel like getting trolled if purchased.

I wish them luck but I think this thing is going to fail. It's a little too early to be pushing a system with specs this weak. The specs just aren't there for 1080P gaming and the streaming can be done already on a Shield handheld today. We need 14/16nm X86 APU's with a lot more grunt before something like this is viable IMHO.

 

[cfenton]

This looks like an Ouya level of disaster waiting to happen. The tech just isn't there for this to be a good experience.

I also find it downright misleading to claim that it's "powerful enough to play any game on the market". Only if by "play" they mean the executable will run, or you can play at five FPS, or at 640x480. There's no way it's powerful enough to play The Witcher 3 or Just Cause 3 or Fallout 4 at native resolution and 30FPS.

 

[frozentundra123456]

This looks like an Ouya level of disaster waiting to happen. The tech just isn't there for this to be a good experience.

I also find it downright misleading to claim that it's "powerful enough to play any game on the market". Only if by "play" they mean the executable will run, or you can play at five FPS, or at 640x480. There's no way it's powerful enough to play The Witcher 3 or Just Cause 3 or Fallout 4 at native resolution and 30FPS.

For sure, I cant even get consistent 30FPS with an i5 and HD7770 in W3 at 1080.

 

[Haserath]

The best part is the OLED screen. The worst part is the 1080p screen.

Intel's 14nm fanless Core chips can barely play Dota 2 at 1366x768. They're basically stealing, unless you consider extra cinematic a frame-rate.

 

[Insomniator]

Is this a joke? 1080p on a jaguar iGPU thats also probably going to have game gear battery life?

Its DOA. Would be better of with a Vita, or streaming with a shield.

 

[VirtualLarry]

This looks like an Ouya level of disaster waiting to happen. The tech just isn't there for this to be a good experience.

That's pretty-much what I was thinking.

 

[Phynaz]

Junk.

/thread

 

[Blitzvogel]

Maybe it's an APU paired with an actual dedicated GPU, hence "dedicated 2 GB"?

 

[cbn]

So, 5" 1080p on the Jaguar iGPU ??? no thanks.

For gaming streaming it could work.

However, I had poor experience with my AM1 APUs using Linux. (The decode doesn't work in Linux Mint and as I recall it didn't work in SteamOS either).

 

[mysticjbyrd]

So the smach zero just went up on kickstarter. They claim to be using an apu, I wonder which sku they are using.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/smachteam/smach-z-the-first-handheld-steam-machine/

It's kind of sad, but the stupidity of people no longer surprises me. Why would you invest money in something with no expectation of a return? You are donating money to fund the development of a product that you MIGHT want to buy. It's certifiably insane!

There is no way this piece of trash would be able to play anything other than some shitty indie games. They are sticking a tablet into a controller!

Heck, what I am saying? The odds this thing actually gets developed is practically zero. When you pay people to do a job upfront, a lot of time these people lose interest in finishing the job. That's when you have to waste time and money to take them to court. Ohh wait, these people donated their money...

Star Citizen is a great example of a crowdfunding ticking time bomb. Personally, I can't wait for that thing to go off either.

I hate crowdfunding, because it's so susceptible to these types of scams. Well, at least it isn't solar freaking roadways level.

 

[NTMBK]

From the comments section:

@Alexandre Thiffault: We're not using GX-210JA! Our current prototype is using GX-412HC SOC AMD Radeon (Quad-core, 7W TDP, CPU freq. 1.2/1.6GHz, GPU freq. 400MHz), but for the final SMACH Z we will mount a new unannounced chip of the same family but a lot much powerful (we can't give details on it has we have signed a NDA with AMD).

So, maybe there's some sort of 20/14nm shrink coming along... but then this would no longer be Steppe Eagle. And the "2GB dedicated for GPU" makes me confused as hell.

Yeah, I'm not backing this one. Sounds like they don't know what they're talking about.

 

[sm625]

That's the thing though, you cant get much more powerful than a GX-412HC. They might go with a 15W TDP version and then manually set its TDP to 8-10W, but its still going to be in the same ballpark. There is no way it is going to score more than 1800MT/600ST on passmark, which is abysmal. For comparison, the lowest end Core M scores 3000MT/1250ST on passmark, which makes their SoC essentially a 500MHz Core M equivalent.

 

[Magic Carpet]

600ST on passmark

600 marks is for the 1.5 Ghz SKU (about half of the ancient C2D). This gamepad is likely to be clocked lower.

the GPU between 200-300MHz (it's roughly equivalent to an HD 8210E)."

Dead on arrival.

So, 5" 1080p on the Jaguar iGPU ??? no thanks.

What are they smoking?

We will Thank You on our website for helping us to make it happen! Also we want to invite you to our forums where you get a place to talk about SMACH Z, send suggestions, and interact with the community.

They are asking for money before I can even check their forums. Disgusting!

 

[monstercameron]

If this is legit. Older titles and emulators will be fun to have in a portable.
Dmc4, max Payne 2, half life 2, halo 1, need for speed underground 2, hot pursuit 2, GTA sa, steamworld dig etc etc. Should be all playable 720p30 on this device.

 

[cbn]

If this is legit. Older titles and emulators will be fun to have in a portable.
Dmc4, max Payne 2, half life 2, halo 1, need for speed underground 2, hot pursuit 2, GTA sa, steamworld dig etc etc. Should be all playable 720p30 on this device.

Too bad it needs a online connection to play the games.

With that mentioned, I wonder if Valve starts offering perks for users who use SteamOS over Windows. That could make things interesting.

 

[monstercameron]

Too bad it needs a online connection to play the games.

With that mentioned, I wonder if Valve starts offering perks for users who use SteamOS over Windows. That could make things interesting.

Why would it need an online connection?