I don't want to be a Playstation fanboy anymore :(

[binary solo]

vivster said:

binary solo said:

Just tell me straight, 'cause I haven't been bothered trawling through all the posts looking for the technological explanation. How does the AI/CPU thing gel with what I understand to be a GPU thing?

OT, it's always better to be a fan rather than a fanboy. It's a sign if immaturity that someone revels in wearing the fanboy label. It's a sign of maturity that someone renounces that characterisation and determines to be more levelheaded about their gaming preferences.

The short version is that the GPU needs the CPU. If the GPU has to wait for the CPU because it is overtaxed it will not be able to run at full capacity. If there is a CPU bottleneck it doesn't matter if your computer is running a weak APU or a triple SLI Titan. You can't produce faster if there is no raw material to work with. Which is the stuff that the CPU is providing.

The juicy thing about this whole mess is that the X1 CPU is supposedly stronger than the PS4 CPU which could actually mean that the PS4 is currently the limiting factor. And now think about what would've happened if we'd seen an X1 performing better than the PS4 on a multiplat game. If you think about it that way, Ubis comments actually make a lot of sense since that debate would've definitely be a huge thing and best to avoid.

If Ubi would spend the time to either optimize or reduce the CPU load, the PS4 would no doubt perform better because the bottleneck would switch to the GPU, where it belongs.

Ok I can understand that from a fps perspective. The CPU can only output so much timewise for the GPU to do its thing, so CPU demand is so great on ACU that it can only send content to the GPU for it to output 30 times per second. And it seems no one really complains much about fps parity. But why does CPU load and output rate affect resolution? What's the CPU's role in resolution, especially in squeezing that last bit of juice out to achieve 1080p?

Also interesting DF article on the latest Aliens game, it seems that in order to meet 1080p for that game both PS4 and Xb one suffer performance-wise (framerate dips, screen tear, brief pauses), and no doubt both versions would have benefitted from a 900p treatment. There is a good case to be made, IMO, especially with multiplat games, that 1080p is actually a distraction that causes compromises and reduces game quality because of lowered performance in other, more important areas of graphics. Maybe 1080p should be left to the exclusives, because those folks have the time to devote all their optimisation resource on one platform.