When comparing SoCs, most like to look at the overall score, and as I mentioned this morning, Tronsmart T428 (based on RK3188) easily beats Kimdecent CS868 (Based on A31) in Antutu benchmark, the former scoring 15207 points against 10559 points for the latter, both using stock firmware, and similar resolution (1280×720 vs 1280×672). The difference in resolution is because the status bar was hidden in T428. If we look at GPU performance, both the 3D scores in Antutu are about the same for both devices:
| T428 | CS868 | |
| 2D Graphics | 1549 | 998 |
| 3D Graphics | 2696 | 2866 |
But according to an earlier GPU comparison post, PowerVR SGX544 MP2 should be much faster than Mali-400 MP4. So I’ve decided to perform two quick tests: Epic Citadel benchmark and Real Racing 3 game.
T428 could render Epic Citadel 1.07 at 41.3 fps in high quality, but I failed to install Epic Citadel, either via Google Play or an apk, on CS868. So I’ll skip this test. Sorry.
Real Racing 3 really makes PowerVR SGX544 MP2 shine against Mali-400 MP4, as you can see in the animation below. The games is very smooth in CS868, whereas it’s a bit choppy in T428. The difference is particularly evident in this complex scene, but the games definitely feels smoother when run with AllWinner A31.
Real Racing 3 in CS868 (AllWinner A31)
Real Racing 3 in T428 (Rockchip RK3188)
Initially, I also wanted to compare the image quality in this test, as I could see some aliasing issues in T428, but the same quality issues occurred with CS868, so I suppose it’s just because of the resolution, and 1080p video output may improve this. One caveat is that games may be optimized for a particular platform, and I don’t know if Electronics Arts spent more time optimizing Real Racing 3 on PowerVR rather than Mali.
Nevertheless, it makes you wonder if Gamestick (Mali-400 MP2) and OUYA (Tegra Geforce ULP, slightly better than Mali-400 MP4) game consoles are using an appropriate GPU for gaming. Even though it’s true most games will play just fine, some recent, more demanding games may not render as smooth as they could be on those 2 gaming platforms. If some of you have played some other 3D games on both RK3188 and A31 platform, I’m interested to know about your experience.
Finally, I’d like to point out that the goal of this test was to get a better understanding of the GPU performance between Rockchip RK3188 and AllWinner A31, and I don’t actually currently recommend CS868 as a gaming platform right now, because the firmware is just not stable, and Bluetooth is not supported.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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Are there some HDMI TV Sticts with NATIVE resolution 1080p so the could play 3D graphics in true 1080p, not upscaling from 720p? Something like OUYA but on RK3188 or A31.
@Indy
You need to look for 1080p ROM for your device. Performance will negatively affected compared to 720p, and I’ve read some sticks may overheat at that resolution.