EVGA Tegra Note 7 Review: Nvidia's Tegra 4 For $200

[somebodyspecial]

"Why does everyone complain about no 1080p? The difference between 1280x800 to 1920X1080p on a 7" screen is minimal while it requires signifigantly more performance and power. Also, its a $199 tablet, what where you expecting?"

I agree completely do you really need the screen to be 1080p on a 7" tablet screen.

There are people that strain their eyes reading 1080p on a standard 21.5" computer monitor.

The other thing is that the HDMI will still output to 1080p when connected to a proper display.

Also as mentioned having a more reasonable resolution size on the tablet screen reduces both power and performance requirements for standard tablet use.

personally i prefer better performance over higher resolution as well. as an owner to the original N7 i'm perfectly fine with it's 720p resolution.

I'd say the same but I'd rather have everyone focusing on 1080p as a norm since T4 can push this. Devs can devote no resources then below this. I think it's kind of like crossing off dev work here more than liking 1080p over lower. By the same token I don't like 1600p for these chips (or my dads 10in nexus) as the chips just can't push that res without causing all kinds of game alterations.

Low-end PC's and apu's a just getting to be able to push 1080p (not comment on how well...LOL), so I'd rather have all dev work aimed at that or above. Movies run there default also from bluray etc so why not just move to that and drop everything below it? Consoles are there now etc. It just seems we should aim software above 720p etc now to minimize work across platforms. If I don't like small print I can output the image to TV and play there

 

[somebodyspecial]

Looks impressive for it price, not a bad little tablet , I do prefer a 10 incher , so I hope they consider making a larger one

i do heard some rumor about nvidia making 10 inch tablet in similar fashion they did with Tegra Note 7 (the white box thing) but it will be based on T5 instead of T4.

I hope they do a 13in T5 model. Not many selling there and could get a bunch of buyers (like me who still think 10 is too small for anything I'm not really carting around much). My dad's 10in nexus never really leaves the house. I want it to grow but stay 1080p for performance. It should make for some really good looking games at 1080p with kepler/T5. I don't need 1600p with crappy details, I want 1080p fast with tons of details. Better console quality type games will come out if they shoot these things more at 1080p instead of 1600p, retina crap they just can't push (I mean desktops have trouble with 1600p, consoles are having trouble with 1080p). Tablets and 1600p/1440p just isn't going to happen FAST until 10nm or less probably. We could advance mobile gaming faster if they'd quit chasing resolutions that are higher than 98.5% of desktops (steampowered survey shows 98% of us are 1920x1200 or lower...WTH are you chasing above this on tablets for?).

 

[rwinches]

There are many things that enter into choosing a Tab.
Sony Xperia Z does multi tasking
The Samsung does multi windows.
The Asus MeMO HD 7 has floating apps, though older tech now, maybe new versions will surface.
Monster M7 may only have a dual core 1.5Ghz (measures 1.6) but has matching or better specs plus larger battery. There has been a ROM update since before the CU report.

 

[vmem]

I don't care about that 800p screen, but the 1GB memory is the deal killer here. I mean c'mon Nvidia, you're saving money on that cheaper screen aren't you? does it really kill you to put a few more memory modules in there?

The article does make a good point that kit kat promises to be an even lighter OS and would save on memory. but at the end of the day, this device is like someone buying an i7, and then saying 'oh shit i'm outta money', and buys 4 GB of memory to go with it. sure the computer will run, but the configuration makes me cringe a little inside

 

[Oscar C]

Performance wise it is very good for the price seemingly but I just hate the design, to me it just looks plain ugly

I prefer to think of it as "robust" looking - Side by side with the Nexus 7 I don't think it is necessarily less of a catch, I like the industrial look and the front speakers are maybe a little unsightly, but think of the potential sound that they represent.

 

[Shawn Nuocmam]

his for those who need a smaller than 10 in tablet, liek me. I use GPS when I play golf, now that courses don't provide gps anymore. I tried playing with my 10 in, and it's too big and clumsy. The lower resolution is fine with me, as long as there's hdmi out and SD expansion...are you listening Nexus 7? This tablet is my choice for best all-around features...having said that, it needs to be $175 before I buy...

 

[alinnior]

I don't know what you guys were doing to break CF-Bench on the Shield.. I just ran it on my shield and got 43927 on native 38832 on java.. Also some of your numbers are out of order

 

[cortexa100]

The most powerful mobile SoC is definitely the snapdragon 800. Nvidia shield is running on a 720p display and iPhone 5s on well a display less than 720p where as the nexus 7(2013) running at 1080p with snapdragon 600 which was deployed on the nexus 4 a year ago

 

[renz496]

The most powerful mobile SoC is definitely the snapdragon 800. Nvidia shield is running on a 720p display and iPhone 5s on well a display less than 720p where as the nexus 7(2013) running at 1080p with snapdragon 600 which was deployed on the nexus 4 a year ago

overall tegra 4 is comparable to snapdragon 800 albeit adreno 330 is a bit faster than ULP geforce inside tegra 4. if the resolution between the device are the same tegra 4 will still ahead of snapdragon 600. the choice to use 720p res is more logical choice since nvidia were targeting smooth gaming performance even for the most demanding tittle. also you will not find snapdragon 800 based device under 300 unless subsidized.

 

[siuoq]

the second graph in pg9 Results: GPU Benchmarks is quite unusable. I think you should multiple the values 100 times.

 

[somebodyspecial]

The most powerful mobile SoC is definitely the snapdragon 800. Nvidia shield is running on a 720p display and iPhone 5s on well a display less than 720p where as the nexus 7(2013) running at 1080p with snapdragon 600 which was deployed on the nexus 4 a year ago

It depends on what you're doing and not all test run native. When you see them running in the same res T4 is quite capable and we are still not seeing many REAL games being uses just synthetic crap tests. I'm guessing when we see mobile gaming benched like PC games (like a dozen games chosen) we will see NV (and AMD if they enter a SOC before bankruptcy...LOL) rise to the top of mobile gaming. NOBODY but AMD has the 20yrs of game dev/driver experience that NV has. Qcom hasn't ever optimized for games before nor worked with game devs. Nobody else has any experience and will take years to get there. Meanwhile, AMD/NV will just migrate their desktop experience (and dev experience with that hardware, everyone knows kepler, etc) right down into mobile. Nobody has to learn anything. If you don't think this will matter you are sadly mistaken. Qcom rode to dominance on the backs of modems. The next champ will do it on the back of their gpus as mobile gaming takes over just from sheer units sold.

Don't forget A15's are better than S800 cpus. T4 wins many benchmarks against S800's even in gpu tests. Also show me an S800 optimized game that looks as good or better than T4 running the same game. Heck show me any optimized S800 games. Qcom seems to not understand that the modem isn't what will sell phones/tablets this year or next, it is the GAMES and your GPUs. Everyone has modems this year. Now it will be who has the best gpu, and who has the most experience with games and devs. NV's modem comes this Q, now it's a GPU world. Good luck with that Qcom, Samsung, Imagination tech, Arm etc...NV/AMD are kings here for 20yrs and even Intel has been thwarted repeatedly (i740, larrabee etc) while all the rest have been sent packing or are out of business. Imagination is in mobile right now because they couldn't keep up with AMD/NV on the desktop. But now that mobile is a market worthy of chasing due to the sheer size of it, say hello to AMD/NV driver/game experience moving into your world. Maybe Intel will get it right this time, but based on previous experience I'd bet on NV first, AMD 2nd though others can afford to take the time to figure this out (qcom has 40B in cash etc). But so far none have even begin to act.

 

[mo-boy]

Where can you buy the slide cover for it? I own one of these & I'm very happy with it.

 

[robert3353]

I bought an EVGA Tegra Note 7 from new egg dot com along with the cover. To me bench marks are interesting but should not be your sole reason for buying anything unless you are a rabid gamer and do nothing else. I love to game but I also like doing digital art along with other pastimes so for me a tablet was more practical than the Shield. I have and regularly use a Wacom Intos 4 drawing tablet while using Photoshop CS5 and Painter 12 on my desktop workstation gaming rig. I chose the Tegra Note 7 based on price and its ability to use a drawing stylus. To be honest I was not expecting much with respect to the stylus with being so used to using a Wacom Intos but I was rather shocked and more than pleasantly surprised at just how well it performs. The installed drawing app is however a joke and I saw that there was an Android version for Sketchbook Pro, a program I use on my PC. I bought it and was surprised that it was only $4.99 I am amazed at how well the Tegra Note preforms with this app. Nvidia should have raised the price by the cost of this app and had it pre installed on the Tegra Note 7 because it really showcases how well their stylus technology works. There are 2 other apps that also work really well and anyone with an Android tablet with a stylus should also add to their collection of art programs, they are ArtFlow and Clover Paint. From the short time I have owned my Tegra Note 7 I can see that it will replace a lot of hand drawn sketches when I am out and about, I will just be able to do them on my tablet and later transfer them to my PC for further work using Painter 12. To assist in this Sketchbook Pro saves work as TIFF files and the other two apps save in PSD which is the standard Photoshop file format. I will be able to do a lot more than simply sketch as all of these programs support layers, undo and all come with a ton of different brushes, I will be able to get a great start and even do finished work even one that winds up being complex using these programs and the Tegra Note 7. If I could have afforded one I probably would have bought the new Samsung Galaxy Note, however I am very satisfied with my Tegra Note and I am really glad I bought it, I will be able to do anything I want on it and I only spent 200 vs the 600 for the Samsung Note. One thing that is bad however is I have discovered how much easier and more natural for me drawing directly on the screen that is displaying my work is. It has always been awkward for me to draw and paint with my Intos 4 because it is either in your lap or on your desk while you are looking at your monitor. Wacom does make a really high end and very expensive drawing tablet display called the Cintiq costing from $1000-$3000 depending on its size. This fall they released two really interesting tablets, 13.5" 1080p ips screens called the Cintiq Companion (basicly an i7 ultra book without a keyboard) and Cintiq Companion Hybrid. The Hybrid is interesting because when you are out and about it is a Tegra 4 Android tablet but when you are at home you can connect it to your PC and it transforms into a regular Cintiq HD drawing tablet with touch gestures. Even though they are pretty pricy $1499 I am saving up for one. It may take me a year to actually get one but for me it will be worth the expense, an added bonus is I can use all of the extra pens I have purchased for my Intos 4 tablet.