With the announcement of the ASUS Transformer Prime also came the grand introduction of NVIDIA's quad-core Tegra 3 processors.

Boasting speeds up to twice as fast as Tegra 2 CPUs, the new "Kal-El" processors still manage up to 61% lower power consumption in comparison to its predecessor. The way that the Tegra 3 processor handles this feat is with the help of a fifth "companion" core. When a device's functions require low power, the primary four cores shut down and the work is handled by the companion core and, as a result, battery life is extended. When running tasks that require more power, all four cores are activated to keep the device running smoothly.

NVIDIA's new processor features accelerated Adobe Flash Player 11, HTML5 and WebGL browsing, as well as an optimized Javascript engine.


Combined with the 12-core GeForce GPU, Tegra 3 processors manage up to three times the graphics performance of the Tegra 2, including support for stereoscopic 3D.


Set to appear in tablets and high-end smartphones, Tegra powered devices also have access to the TegraZone, where you can find games build specifically for use with NVIDIA's CPU. The TegraZone is expected to have 40 titles by the end of the year, including 15 games optimized for the Tegra 3.




Posted: Nov 09, 2011 2:44 pm

Source: http://uk.ign.com/articles/2011/11/08/nvidia-unleashes-the-quad-core-tegra-3-processor