Intel Demos Graphics Performance Analyzer 2012 for Android
by Anand Lal Shimpi on February 26, 2012 9:47 AM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Intel
- Mobile
- SoCs
One of Intel's advantages as it gets into the smartphone market is its extensive software experience, particularly when it comes to performance optimization and analysis. On Monday at GDC Intel will officially unveil its Graphics Performance Analyzer for Android, allowing game developers, hardware partners and curious hardware reviewers to tap into counters on an Intel Atom SoC.
Power analysis, USSE pipe utilization and all sorts of wonderful performance/state counters are available via the tool. The GPA runs over adb on a tethered Windows machine, with minimal performance impact to the Intel Android smartphone it's attached to. The tool will obviously only work on Intel based devices and is currently limited to Intel's Android reference platform, although I would expect other derivative Atom based Android smartphones to gain support at some point.
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kjboughton - Sunday, February 26, 2012 - link
This just in: Intel's performance analyzer tool favors Intel hardware.Story at 11.
freezervv - Sunday, February 26, 2012 - link
Not entirely sure how it can favor Intel hardware when it only runs on Intel hardware...KitsuneKnight - Sunday, February 26, 2012 - link
I'd imagine the GP is just parodying the (likely few but annoyingly loud) people that will try to complain about this move by Intel.This will, with any luck, lead to more efficient games (hopefully not just on Intel phones), while benefiting Intel by giving them good PR and giving developers good tools.
ImSpartacus - Sunday, February 26, 2012 - link
If it supported non-Intel hardware, it probably would favor Intel hardware.But since the tool only supports Intel hardware, there's no opportunity for bias.
JKflipflop98 - Sunday, February 26, 2012 - link
LOL @ thinking "performance analyzer" is something one would want to "cheat" at.IntelUser2000 - Sunday, February 26, 2012 - link
You guys do realize they use PowerVR graphics on smartphone Atoms right? And its GPA, which mainly deals with the graphics. PowerVR is used by other smartphone chip vendors too. There is no real "Intel hardware".dealcorn - Sunday, February 26, 2012 - link
Are you saying GPA will work on any manufacturer's SOC with PowerVR graphics or are you saying that GPA is not necessary and that all this data is available for any SOC with PowerVR graphics? If there is nothing there, why is Intel the only one who can do this?IntelUser2000 - Monday, February 27, 2012 - link
You are right, I was just saying in response to favoring vendors(and that it doesn't matter because everyone use PowerVR), but I think that was a mistake. Medfield might have hardware counters to work with GPA, I don't know.danjw - Monday, February 27, 2012 - link
Intel is way behind everyone else in the mobile space. They are just barely starting to show up at the race. They don't have any hardware that is competitive against other SOC manufacturers. Having the best analysis software won't help them until they actually get out some decent hardware. Intel ignored this market too long. They need to start delivering soon or they will be lose all mind share in the space. Software that will analyse performance of a non-competitive SOC isn't all that much of an advantage.redisnidma - Monday, February 27, 2012 - link
Intel + Graphics = FAIL!!! /: