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Implementing a Mali 400MP in the Versatile Express

Note: This was originally posted on 23rd May 2012 at http://forums.arm.com

Dear all,

I will soon receive a Versatile Express platform with the Cortex A15x2, version [color=#222222][font=arial, sans-serif][size=2]V2P-CA15_A7 (big.LITTLE) for testing and benchmarking purposes. From what I've heard and seen though, due to the lack of a GPU all UI rendering must be done by the CPU, causing a huge performance drain.[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#222222][font=arial, sans-serif][size=2]I would like to implement a Mali400 on the board (FPGA?), but I don't know how that's done. [/size][/font][/color]
[color=#222222][font=arial, sans-serif][size=2]Could someone perhaps give me a few hints?[/size][/font][/color]
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[color=#222222][font=arial, sans-serif][size=2]Thanks in advance,[/size][/font][/color]
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[color=#222222][font=arial, sans-serif][size=2]Thijs Koot[/size][/font][/color]
  • Note: This was originally posted on 23rd May 2012 at http://forums.arm.com

    I just found something. It says here that the Motherboard Express has PCIe slots and "PCIe x8 Link Root Complex* or endpoint supported"
    "* Features stated here will depend on the daughterboard used."

    I know that the A15x2 doesn't suppport the endpoint nor the Root Complex so that would have to be embedded on an FPGA board.
    With some basic drivers for, say, the GT520 PCIe x1 I could use some relatively high end graphics for both benchmarking and UI rendering purposes. Besides, I've always wondered what it would be like to use a desktop GPU with Android. (not the 'Desktop class GPU' stuff Nvidia promotes, the Tegra3 GPU isn't that great and it gets beaten easily by the Mali400 @ 400 MHz from the SGS3.)
  • Note: This was originally posted on 1st June 2012 at http://forums.arm.com

    Hi Thijs,


    Aplogolies for the delay in the answer. I have checked with my colleagues. 


    First of all, you would need a license for the Mali-400 in order to implement in FPGA. Unfortunately, even if you did possess a license we might not be able to supply you an FPGA image for the Mali 400.


    Please let me know if you need any more clarification and apologies again to be of little help.

    Cheers, Karthik