1GHz Pandora impressions


Gausen

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Hi, I have just received my 1GHz Pandora bought from the trading section. I think of dropping a few lines of feedback, so here we are.

New case.
Top notch. My Rebirth Pandora was squeaking since day one and after a few months of use was cracked in three places. This new case feels solid.

Nubs.
I don't know if this are newly produced or not. But i have no doubt that are better, sensitivity is also better and mouse clicks are well recognized and differentiated by the system (no random behavior).

Pad and buttons.
All are excellent, better than the Rebirth edition.

LCD.
Well, it's good. But if you have used a previous Pandora version you will notice the difference. So I swapped LCD's between my Rebirth and 1GHz versions (It looks beautiful now). For what I've read on this forums there is a third generation screen which have enhanced contrast. So, if you buy a Pandora now you will get one with this newer and better screens.

Heat.
It gets warmer than the Rebirth version, it's nothing really, just mentioning it because its a difference. I haven't measured battery life but it looks the same to me.

WiFi.
It is giving me some trouble. My Rebirth can do 200KB/s with the usual tweaks. This 1GHz get 50KB/s tops, no matter what. Downloading from the repo with Jumanji usually gets interrupted (but the download resumes automatically). Well, it was always a matter of luck getting a good performer WiFi chip in your Pandora, so no changes here. [it can be fixed, thanks Skeezix for the tip].

Edit: I normally run the OS from an SD card. When I received the Pandora GP just used the same card that used on my Pandora RP (no OS re installing). Now I have re installed the OS from scratch to the SD card, surprisingly the download speed is over 600KB/s (tested with Transmission using Ubuntu 12.10 x86 torrent [i'm pretty sure SD card transfers can affect this test]). Speed tests on DSLreports give over 1300KB/s figures.

Software.
It's faster and more responsive. But there are issues too. At least Quake 3 nanogl, Doom legacy, Prboom and Descent exhibit graphical glitches. I can imagine that those bugs are related to SGX drivers since those games works just fine in my Rebirth Pandora.

Edit: Graph's on LibreOffice3 spreadsheet are faster. It's better to turn off anti-aliasing in LibreOffice options. With this setting off my Rebirth was a little faster but still crawling on every graph redraw, now the 1GHz is quite fluent on dense data chart's. This comment was made from LibreOffice 3 under PanDebian, now we have native LibreOffice 3 thanks to ptitSeb. Graph's are fast drawn, though the advice on disabling anti-aliasing makes them even faster to draw.

Edit: Some info on setting up Quake 3. Here's the pnd. Here's a slightly tweaked cfg file (Controls: different sensitivity for each axis. Graphics: some performance tweaks such as no curved surfaces or gibs). For better nub response it's best to reset nubs before starting the pnd. Put your pak data files and the cfg file in /BOOT/pandora/appdata/quake3/baseq3/ (this folder should be created by the pnd). Set your nubs to joystick before running quake 3 or controls won't work right. Use dpad for movement and right nub to aim. I found using L for shooting more accurate as opposed to using R in which case you will be aiming and shooting with the same hand. I prefer R for jumping. Performance is good on Rebirth Pandoras (I played through all the game with one of this) and better on 1GHz (Bloody SGX bug...). No more bugs with Quake 3 or any other software on 1GHz Pandoras! Quake 3 Arena runs beautifully on this devices (Team Arena is slow though).

Edit: Some info on compiling SGX drivers. Don't know if this is helpful at all.

Edit: FBA 1.0.7.5 is the best version for my use case (mainly CPS1, CPS2, CPS3 and System 16). It's based on FBA 0.2.97.21. You can obtain the dat file from FBA itself (using some major desktop version based on the same code [menu -> Misc -> Generate dat file]). Here's 0.2.97.21 dat (arcade only).

Overall.
This is an excellent piece of hardware. If you don't have a Pandora, you will be amazed by the performance (...and the software catalog and the support and the community!). If you already have a Pandora and want some beefier Pandora, this 1GHz edition is for you. Finally I think the machine deserves some more SGX love, those bugs are nasty for a top tier piece of hardware. The 1GHz edition is better than ever, is solid, well built and bugs free. Thanks notaz for the new kernel and this pnd which allows to install nearly all SGX drivers (currently running on the recommended 4.03.00.02 driver).


Regards.
 
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Gausen

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You can see the difference in this picture (remember, screens are swapped).

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8o51fufz24aqimn/IMG035.jpg

The picture was taken with the lowest brightness on both Pandoras. The new LCD looks like if there was some veil on it (or some tint). It less crisp and less bright, but is Ok.

Edit: The bad looking LCD image is from an second generation screen. Now Pandoras are shipped with a better (third generation) LCD which has enhanced contrast.
 
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Askarus

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Nice to see a happy person with a Giga Pandora. :)


Have fun and report your test results.


I'd like to see some more stuff for the Giga Pandora.
 

Linux-SWAT

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Nice review.


The new gamma settings on the latest firmware can correct the brightness of the new screens.
 

Loonie

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Here's hoping PowerVR get off their arses and sort out the SGX drivers.
 

The Thinker

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If you modify the settings using gamma settings is it possible to achieve the same quality level of previous pandora LCD's?


Is the new pandora playable outdoor in sunny days?


Cheers ;)
 

Gausen

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I couldn't. Maybe it need some advanced gamma profile. I'm sure someone will find a good gamma setting for the new LCD's. The new LCD looks more reflective and diffusive. Under direct sunlight the screen looks very white.
 

Binky

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is the 1ghz more worth it than the rebirth in terms of money-quality?

The quality is the same (made by the same people, in the same factory with very nearly the same parts.


Can you afford a 1GHz version?
 

ryan27968

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I can't afford any version at th moment. And by quality I ment including all th speed increases And all that taken into account.
 

Gausen

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I can't afford any version at th moment. And by quality I ment including all th speed increases And all that taken into account.

The best you can get right now is the 1GHz version. It's a pretty good device. I hope you can stretch to get it.


The speed increases are very nice, PCSX, FBA, PanMAME, all benefit from this. Also ports. Quake 3 shows some glitches but speed wise is amazing. Doom legacy or PrBOOM shows some glitches too, but again, speed is awesome (you can use the bests midi patches and won't note any drop in speed). This speed is also good for doing some spreadsheet or matrix calculations. It depends on your use. But if you like the Rebirth edition I'm prety sure that you are going to come back for buying a 1GHz version (is just too tempting to have some more power in your pocket).


Let me picture my route of use (Pandora uses, time dependent version!).


I got it (it's the hard part, I was lucky though). I started to set up some emulators. First week go with this retro awesomeness. Then I started to do some multimedia. Another week flew by. Then I started to do some office, preparing presentations and materials for my classes, doing some breakthrough curves on the way to work. Then I started to use Octave for doing more flexible and serious calculations. Also started to do more and more web browsing on Pandora (Jumanji with Flash player it´s my latest favorite browser). Then I had to do some heavy Monte Carlo testing on MatLab on my desktop PC (of course Pandora can´t handle that within a reasonable timeframe). But the point is not that my beloved Rebirth Pandora couldn't do the job, the point is I realized I haven't used my desktop for 7 months!


I think this is a glimpse of what this device can do.
 
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