NVIDIA's new Shield gaming device might have distracted your attention from another new product they demonstrated which could be even more important to their success, a fully functional WinRT tablet. The tablet is powered by a Tegra 4 chip and apparently runs smoothly even on this OS which was theoretically designed for ARM hardware. DigiTimes feels that this is a sign that NVIDIA, who have had a long if somewhat troubled relationship with Microsoft, could become a chip supplier for new Surface devices and tablets. Hopefully in the near future we will get to see a head to head review of two devices powered by different chips so that we can see which provides the best experience.
"Nvidia unveiled a pilot tablet based on its new Tegra 4 processor and Microsoft's Windows RT operating system at CES 2013, and since the device is already operating smoothly, Nvidia will have a chance of becoming the CPU supplier for next-generation Surface tablets or Windows RT-based tablets from other IT players, according to Digitimes Research senior analyst Eric Lin."
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- CES 2013 Coverage Day 1 @ OCC
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“The tablet is powered by a
“The tablet is powered by a Tegra 4 chip and apparently runs smoothly even on this OS which was theoretically designed for ARM hardware.”
The MS Surface/Win RT was designed for ARM processors. The only difference is the use of ARM Cortext A15 cores which Tegra 4 is based off of.
The Surface with Windows RT
The Surface with Windows RT is already using a Tegra 3 SoC. The Tegra 3 is based on an ARM Cortex A9 and the Tegra 4 is based on the ARM Cortex A15.