PS3 memory - Blu-ray Forum

ThePhantomOak · 06-17-2008, 06:10 AM

I dont want to post this in the PS3 forum, because I expect it will be taken out of context (seen as a slam on the PS3)...

Why does the PS3 and Xbox360 have such limited memory? The have 512MB? Thats garbage. My laptop from 6 years ago has 512MB. Why would Microsoft and Sony put out something with so little memory?

And then I got to thinking about it ... the top of the line super great Cell, mixed with 256MB GPU + 256MB CPU? That just seems silly. Spend hundreds of millions on a Cell, and then couple it with so little memory? With such a fast processor, would you not want a lot of memory?

Maybe someone would school me on why both would go so small... I would assume it is because of how games are run, but I really have no idea.

This story got me thinking about it
http://www.videogamer.com/news/16-06-2008-8541.html

haste · 06-17-2008, 04:11 PM

console memory and personal computer memory interact with their own systems waaaay differently.

a console is much much more proprietary, so they dont need as much memory because it is a lot faster. the parts are able to talk to each other in a different manner than a personal computer.

most personal computer parts are made to work in a lot of different machines. the memory in consoles are integrated just for that machine, therefore it is a lot more efficient...hopefully this cleared some up for you. sorry i couldnt be more technical!

and of course, if anyone else can chime in with a better explanation, please do.

ThePhantomOak · 06-17-2008, 10:39 PM

Well, I just called my dad (the question was boggling my mind).

[background; my father is was a computer scientist who ran simulations on the supercomputers at LLNL. His office had a computer with a terabyte of RAM when he retired]

His explanation, without knowing anything about the PS3 or Xbox, is that when you have a superfast processor, RAM has to be integrated closer to the chip, or even in the chip. Reason is, that the processor is making calculations so quickly, that the speed of light (at a few inches) is the biggest hindrance to performance.

He mentioned that when the 3rd and fourth generations of supercomputers were being made, the hardest part of programing them was allowing for time to let the information travel and that if any two processors or their memory were more than a foot apart, it was almost impossible to run.

These Machines get super expensive when high level programing and special material is needed to keep the information flowing.

So, he asked me, how is the memory on them set up. I told him 256MB for the CPU and 256MB GPU. He said, "Well, of course it is. If they had to share memory, the time it took to go back and forth even a couple inches would make the operations run much slower and cause the system to be unstable."

In laymen's terms, the PS3 (actually the CELL) does not need a lot of RAM because it does not have to contend with delays and unneeded code to keep it stable. Even if you could plug in a gig of RAM is a PS3 (like you would a desktop), it would not make it able to run better, and would likely slow it down.

I guess thats as good an answer as I would expect. My dad was also impressed that a game consol was set up like this, as it takes a very fast computer to make the speed of light matter.

Maybe this would be a good topic in the PS3 forum... Or Tech. I will see if it gets any traffic here.

06-17-2008, 06:10 AM	#1
ThePhantomOak Blu-ray Guru Member since:Nov 2007 Location:Reno, NEVADA. "Battle Born"	PS3 memory I dont want to post this in the PS3 forum, because I expect it will be taken out of context (seen as a slam on the PS3)... Why does the PS3 and Xbox360 have such limited memory? The have 512MB? Thats garbage. My laptop from 6 years ago has 512MB. Why would Microsoft and Sony put out something with so little memory? And then I got to thinking about it ... the top of the line super great Cell, mixed with 256MB GPU + 256MB CPU? That just seems silly. Spend hundreds of millions on a Cell, and then couple it with so little memory? With such a fast processor, would you not want a lot of memory? Maybe someone would school me on why both would go so small... I would assume it is because of how games are run, but I really have no idea. This story got me thinking about it http://www.videogamer.com/news/16-06-2008-8541.html Last edited by ThePhantomOak; 06-17-2008 at 06:13 AM.

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06-17-2008, 04:11 PM	#2
haste Senior Member Member since:Aug 2007 Blu-ray collection:87 Blu-ray reviews:1	console memory and personal computer memory interact with their own systems waaaay differently. a console is much much more proprietary, so they dont need as much memory because it is a lot faster. the parts are able to talk to each other in a different manner than a personal computer. most personal computer parts are made to work in a lot of different machines. the memory in consoles are integrated just for that machine, therefore it is a lot more efficient...hopefully this cleared some up for you. sorry i couldnt be more technical! and of course, if anyone else can chime in with a better explanation, please do.

06-17-2008, 10:39 PM	#3
ThePhantomOak Blu-ray Guru Member since:Nov 2007 Location:Reno, NEVADA. "Battle Born"	Well, I just called my dad (the question was boggling my mind). [background; my father is was a computer scientist who ran simulations on the supercomputers at LLNL. His office had a computer with a terabyte of RAM when he retired] His explanation, without knowing anything about the PS3 or Xbox, is that when you have a superfast processor, RAM has to be integrated closer to the chip, or even in the chip. Reason is, that the processor is making calculations so quickly, that the speed of light (at a few inches) is the biggest hindrance to performance. He mentioned that when the 3rd and fourth generations of supercomputers were being made, the hardest part of programing them was allowing for time to let the information travel and that if any two processors or their memory were more than a foot apart, it was almost impossible to run. These Machines get super expensive when high level programing and special material is needed to keep the information flowing. So, he asked me, how is the memory on them set up. I told him 256MB for the CPU and 256MB GPU. He said, "Well, of course it is. If they had to share memory, the time it took to go back and forth even a couple inches would make the operations run much slower and cause the system to be unstable." In laymen's terms, the PS3 (actually the CELL) does not need a lot of RAM because it does not have to contend with delays and unneeded code to keep it stable. Even if you could plug in a gig of RAM is a PS3 (like you would a desktop), it would not make it able to run better, and would likely slow it down. I guess thats as good an answer as I would expect. My dad was also impressed that a game consol was set up like this, as it takes a very fast computer to make the speed of light matter. Maybe this would be a good topic in the PS3 forum... Or Tech. I will see if it gets any traffic here.

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