Metal Feature Set Tables

This chapter describes the features, limits, and capabilities of the Metal feature sets.

Each Metal feature set is tied to a specific OS and GPU (or Mac model), as listed in Table 9-1. Query the supportsFeatureSet: method with a valid MTLFeatureSet value to find out if a specific feature set is supported by a MTLDevice object.

Table 9-1  Metal feature sets by OS and GPU

	Apple A7 GPU	Apple A8 GPU	Apple A9 GPU	MacBook (early 2015) MacBook Air (mid 2012 or newer) MacBook Pro (mid 2012 or newer) Mac Mini (late 2012 or newer) iMac (late 2012 or newer) Mac Pro (late 2013 and newer)
iOS 8	iOS GPU Family 1 v1	iOS GPU Family 2 v1	—	—
iOS 9	iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	—
OS X 10.11	—	—	—	OS X GPU Family 1 v1

Feature Availability

Table 9-2 lists the availability of major Metal features. For specific API availability information, see the Metal Framework Reference.

Table 9-2  Feature availability

Feature	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
MetalKit
Programmable blending
PVRTC pixel formats
ETC pixel formats
BC pixel formats
Cube map texture arrays
Texture barriers
Layered rendering
Sampler comparison functions
Counting occlusion query
Base vertex/instance drawing
Indirect drawing
Indirect processing
MSAA depth resolve
ASTC pixel formats
Metal Performance Shaders

Limits

Table 9-3 lists the hardware and/or software limits throughout the Metal framework.

Note: For any listed entry in Table 9-3, a ‘—’ indicates that the feature corresponding to the limit is not available in that specific feature set.

Table 9-3  Limits

Limit	iOS GPU Family 1 v1	iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1	iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
Maximum number of vertex attributes per vertex descriptor	31
Maximum number of entries in the buffer argument table, per render or compute command encoder	31
Maximum number of entries in the sampler state argument table, per render or compute command encoder	16
Maximum length of a data block for a function, per render or compute command encoder	4096 B
Maximum number of 32-bit components that can be passed from a vertex function to a fragment function	60
Maximum number of texture layers per 1D or 2D texture array	2048
Maximum number of texture layers per 3D texture	2048
Maximum size of a point primitive	511.0
Maximum visibility query offset for setVisibilityResultMode:offset:	65528 B
Maximum 3D texture width, height, and depth	2048 px
Maximum buffer length	256 MB
Maximum number of entries in the texture argument table, per render or compute command encoder	31					128
Maximum threads per threadgroup, per call to dispatchThreadgroups:threadsPerThreadgroup:	512					1024
Maximum total threadgroup memory allocation, per call tosetThreadgroupMemoryLength:atIndex:	16 KB					32 KB
Minimum buffer offset alignment for a shader or compute function parameter	4 B					256 B
Maximum number of cube maps in a cube map texture array	—					341
Maximum memory allocation for a shader or compute function variable in the constant address space	No limit					64 KB
Buffer alignment for creating a new texture from a buffer	64 B				16 B	—
Buffer alignment for copying from an existing texture to a buffer	64 B				16 B	256 B
Maximum number of color render targets per render pass descriptor	4		8
Maximum total render target size, per pixel, when using multiple color render targets	16 B		32 B			No limit
Maximum 1D texture width	4096 px	8192 px	4096 px	8192 px	16384 px
Maximum 2D texture width and height	4096 px	8192 px	4096 px	8192 px	16384 px
Maximum cube map texture width and height	4096 px	8192 px	4096 px	8192 px	16384 px

Pixel Format Capabilities

The tables in this section list and categorize pixel format support and capabilities in each GPU family.

• Sample indicates whether a texture with that pixel format is filterable during sampling and can generate mipmaps.

• Write indicates whether a compute shader can write to a texture that uses that pixel format.

• Render indicates whether a texture with that pixel format is color-renderable. A color-renderable texture can be used as a color render target in a MTLRenderPassAttachmentDescriptor object.

• MSAA indicates whether a texture of type MTLTextureType2DMultisample that uses that pixel format can be allocated.

• Resolve indicates whether a texture of type MTLTextureType2DMultisample that uses that pixel format can perform a multisample resolve. An MSAA-resolve texture can be used for the resolveTexture property of a render target with theMTLStoreActionMultisampleResolve store action.

• Blend indicates whether a texture with that pixel format is blendable. A blendable texture can be used in a blend operation if the value of blendingEnabled is YES.

Note: For any listed entry in Table 9-4 through Table 9-16, a ‘—’ indicates that the pixel format is not available in that specific feature set.

Table 9-4  Ordinary 8-bit pixel format capabilities

Pixel Format	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
A8Unorm	Sample
R8Unorm	Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
R8Unorm_sRGB	Sample Render MSAA Resolve Blend	Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend		—
R8Snorm	Sample Write Render MSAA Blend	Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
R8Uint	Write Render MSAA
R8Sint	Write Render MSAA

Table 9-5  Ordinary 16-bit pixel format capabilities

Pixel Format	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
R16Unorm	Sample Write Render MSAA Blend			Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
R16Snorm	Sample Write Render MSAA Blend			Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
R16Uint	Write Render MSAA
R16Sint	Write Render MSAA
R16Float	Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RG8Unorm	Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RG8Unorm_sRGB	Sample Render MSAA Resolve Blend	Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend		—
RG8Snorm	Sample Write Render MSAA Blend	Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RG8Uint	Write Render MSAA
RG8Sint	Write Render MSAA

Table 9-6  Packed 16-bit pixel format capabilities

Pixel Format	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
B5G6R5Unorm	Sample Render MSAA Resolve Blend			—
A1BGR5Unorm	Sample Render MSAA Resolve Blend			—
ABGR4Unorm	Sample Render MSAA Resolve Blend			—
BGR5A1Unorm	Sample Render MSAA Resolve Blend			—

Table 9-7  Ordinary 32-bit pixel format capabilities

Pixel Format	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
R32Uint	Write Render MSAA
R32Sint	Write Render MSAA
R32Float	Write Render MSAA Blend			Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RG16Unorm	Sample Write Render MSAA Blend			Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RG16Snorm	Sample Write Render MSAA Blend			Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RG16Uint	Write Render MSAA
RG16Sint	Write Render MSAA
RG16Float	Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RGBA8Unorm	Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RGBA8Unorm_sRGB	Sample Render MSAA Resolve Blend		Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend	Sample Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RGBA8Snorm	Sample Write Render MSAA Blend	Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RGBA8Uint	Write Render MSAA
RGBA8Sint	Write Render MSAA
BGRA8Unorm	Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
BGRA8Unorm_sRGB	Sample Render MSAA Resolve Blend		Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend	Sample Render MSAA Resolve Blend

Table 9-8  Packed 32-bit pixel format capabilities

Pixel Format	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
RGB10A2Unorm	Sample Render MSAA Resolve Blend		Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RGB10A2Uint	Render MSAA		Write Render MSAA
RG11B10Float	Sample Render MSAA Resolve Blend		Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RGB9E5Float	Sample Render MSAA Resolve Blend		Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend	Sample

Table 9-9  Ordinary 64-bit pixel format capabilities

Pixel Format	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
RG32Uint	Write Render MSAA
RG32Sint	Write Render MSAA
RG32Float	Write Render MSAA Blend			Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RGBA16Unorm	Sample Write Render MSAA Blend			Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RGBA16Snorm	Sample Write Render MSAA Blend			Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RGBA16Uint	Write Render MSAA
RGBA16Sint	Write Render MSAA
RGBA16Float	Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend

Table 9-10  Ordinary 128-bit pixel format capabilities

Pixel Format	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
RGBA32Uint	Write Render MSAA
RGBA32Sint	Write Render MSAA
RGBA32Float	Write Render MSAA			Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend

Table 9-11  Compressed BC pixel format capabilities

Pixel Format	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
BC1_RGBA BC1_RGBA_sRGB BC2_RGBA BC2_RGBA_sRGB BC3_RGBA BC3_RGBA_sRGB BC4_RUnorm BC4_RSnorm BC5_RGUnorm BC5_RGSnorm BC6H_RGBFloat BC6H_RGBUfloat BC7_RGBAUnorm BC7_RGBAUnorm_sRGB	—			Sample

Table 9-12  Compressed PVRTC pixel format capabilities

Pixel Format	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
PVRTC_RGB_2BPP PVRTC_RGB_2BPP_sRGB PVRTC_RGB_4BPP PVRTC_RGB_4BPP_sRGB PVRTC_RGBA_2BPP PVRTC_RGBA_2BPP_sRGB PVRTC_RGBA_4BPP PVRTC_RGBA_4BPP_sRGB	Sample			—

Table 9-13  Compressed ETC pixel format capabilities

Pixel Format	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
EAC_R11Unorm EAC_R11Snorm EAC_RG11Unorm EAC_RG11Snorm EAC_RGBA8 EAC_RGBA8_sRGB ETC2_RGB8 ETC2_RGB8_sRGB ETC2_RGB8A1 ETC2_RGB8A1_sRGB	Sample			—

Table 9-14  Compressed ASTC pixel format capabilities

Pixel Format	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
ASTC_4x4_sRGB ASTC_5x4_sRGB ASTC_5x5_sRGB ASTC_6x5_sRGB ASTC_6x6_sRGB ASTC_8x5_sRGB ASTC_8x6_sRGB ASTC_8x8_sRGB ASTC_10x5_sRGB ASTC_10x6_sRGB ASTC_10x8_sRGB ASTC_10x10_sRGB ASTC_12x10_sRGB ASTC_12x12_sRGB ASTC_4x4_LDR ASTC_5x4_LDR ASTC_5x5_LDR ASTC_6x5_LDR ASTC_6x6_LDR ASTC_8x5_LDR ASTC_8x6_LDR ASTC_8x8_LDR ASTC_10x5_LDR ASTC_10x6_LDR ASTC_10x8_LDR ASTC_10x10_LDR ASTC_12x10_LDR ASTC_12x12_LDR	—	Sample		—

Table 9-15  YUV pixel format capabilities

Pixel Format	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
GBGR422 BGRG422	Sample

Table 9-16  Depth and stencil pixel format capabilities

Pixel Format	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
Depth32Float	MSAA		MSAA Resolve	Sample MSAA Resolve
Stencil8	MSAA
Depth24Unorm_Stencil8	—			Sample MSAA Resolve
Depth32Float_Stencil8	MSAA		MSAA Resolve	Sample MSAA Resolve

Color-Renderable Pixel Format Sizes

Due to the tile-based rendering architecture of iOS GPUs, the contents of render target textures are temporarily cached in tile memory during a render pass. As listed in Table 9-3, this tile memory has a limited size; therefore, the summed size of all the render target pixel formats for a particular render pass must fit within this limit. (16 bytes per pixel in iOS GPU Family 1; 32 bytes per pixel in iOS GPU Family 2 and 3).

Some color-renderable pixel formats are expanded when temporarily stored in tile memory, and consume more space than inferred from their implicit size. In some cases, this size difference is further affected by whether or not the render target uses MSAA.Table 9-17 describes how much tile memory space each pixel format consumes, in bytes per pixel.

Note: These size differences are not applicable to OS X GPUs; they can accept up to any 8 textures as render targets, regardless of pixel format.

Table 9-17  Color-renderable pixel format sizes

	Typical texture memory size	Render target storage size (non-MSAA)		Render target storage size (MSAA)
Pixel Format	All Feature Sets	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2 iOS GPU Family 3 v1	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2 iOS GPU Family 3 v1
R8Unorm R8Unorm_sRGB R8Snorm R8Uint R8Sint	1	4		4
R16Unorm R16Snorm R16Uint R16Sint R16Float	2	4		4
RG8Unorm RG8Unorm_sRGB RG8Snorm RG8Uint RG8Sint	2	4		4
B5G6R5Unorm A1BGR5Unorm ABGR4Unorm BGR5A1Unorm	2	4	8	4	8
R32Uint R32Sint R32Float	4	4		4
RG16Unorm RG16Snorm RG16Uint RG16Sint RG16Float	4	4		4
RGBA8Unorm	4	4		4	8
RGBA8Unorm_sRGB RGBA8Snorm	4	4		8
RGBA8Uint RGBA8Sint	4	4		4
BGRA8Unorm	4	4		4	8
BGRA8Unorm_sRGB	4	4		8
RGB10A2Unorm	4	8		8
RGB10A2Uint	4	4		4
RG11B10Float RGB9E5Float	4	8		8
RG32Uint RG32Sint RG32Float	8	8		8
RGBA16Unorm RGBA16Snorm RGBA16Uint RGBA16Sint RGBA16Float	8	8		8
RGBA32Uint RGBA32Sint RGBA32Float	16	16		16

This information is particularly important for multiple render target (MRT) techniques and g-buffer configurations. For example—a deferred shading algorithm might have these four render targets with different pixel formats:

• Diffuse color (RGBA16Unorm)

• Surface normal (RGBA8Unorm)

• Linear depth (R16Float)

• Ambient occlusion (R16Float)

For this MRT configuration, the typical texture memory size total is 16 (8+4+2+2) and should fit within all the iOS feature set limits. However, the non-MSAA render target storage size total is actually 20 (8+4+4+4). This means that this MRT configuration is only valid for iOS GPU Family 2 and 3; it is not valid for iOS GPU Family 1.

Refer to the values listed in Table 9-3 and Table 9-17 in order to choose appropriate pixel formats for your own MRT configurations.

Next Previous

This chapter describes the features, limits, and capabilities of the Metal feature sets.

Each Metal feature set is tied to a specific OS and GPU (or Mac model), as listed in Table 9-1. Query the supportsFeatureSet: method with a valid MTLFeatureSet value to find out if a specific feature set is supported by a MTLDevice object.

Table 9-1  Metal feature sets by OS and GPU

	Apple A7 GPU	Apple A8 GPU	Apple A9 GPU	MacBook (early 2015) MacBook Air (mid 2012 or newer) MacBook Pro (mid 2012 or newer) Mac Mini (late 2012 or newer) iMac (late 2012 or newer) Mac Pro (late 2013 and newer)
iOS 8	iOS GPU Family 1 v1	iOS GPU Family 2 v1	—	—
iOS 9	iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	—
OS X 10.11	—	—	—	OS X GPU Family 1 v1

Feature Availability

Table 9-2 lists the availability of major Metal features. For specific API availability information, see the Metal Framework Reference.

Table 9-2  Feature availability

Feature	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
MetalKit
Programmable blending
PVRTC pixel formats
ETC pixel formats
BC pixel formats
Cube map texture arrays
Texture barriers
Layered rendering
Sampler comparison functions
Counting occlusion query
Base vertex/instance drawing
Indirect drawing
Indirect processing
MSAA depth resolve
ASTC pixel formats
Metal Performance Shaders

Limits

Table 9-3 lists the hardware and/or software limits throughout the Metal framework.

Note: For any listed entry in Table 9-3, a ‘—’ indicates that the feature corresponding to the limit is not available in that specific feature set.

Table 9-3  Limits

Limit	iOS GPU Family 1 v1	iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1	iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
Maximum number of vertex attributes per vertex descriptor	31
Maximum number of entries in the buffer argument table, per render or compute command encoder	31
Maximum number of entries in the sampler state argument table, per render or compute command encoder	16
Maximum length of a data block for a function, per render or compute command encoder	4096 B
Maximum number of 32-bit components that can be passed from a vertex function to a fragment function	60
Maximum number of texture layers per 1D or 2D texture array	2048
Maximum number of texture layers per 3D texture	2048
Maximum size of a point primitive	511.0
Maximum visibility query offset for setVisibilityResultMode:offset:	65528 B
Maximum 3D texture width, height, and depth	2048 px
Maximum buffer length	256 MB
Maximum number of entries in the texture argument table, per render or compute command encoder	31					128
Maximum threads per threadgroup, per call to dispatchThreadgroups:threadsPerThreadgroup:	512					1024
Maximum total threadgroup memory allocation, per call tosetThreadgroupMemoryLength:atIndex:	16 KB					32 KB
Minimum buffer offset alignment for a shader or compute function parameter	4 B					256 B
Maximum number of cube maps in a cube map texture array	—					341
Maximum memory allocation for a shader or compute function variable in the constant address space	No limit					64 KB
Buffer alignment for creating a new texture from a buffer	64 B				16 B	—
Buffer alignment for copying from an existing texture to a buffer	64 B				16 B	256 B
Maximum number of color render targets per render pass descriptor	4		8
Maximum total render target size, per pixel, when using multiple color render targets	16 B		32 B			No limit
Maximum 1D texture width	4096 px	8192 px	4096 px	8192 px	16384 px
Maximum 2D texture width and height	4096 px	8192 px	4096 px	8192 px	16384 px
Maximum cube map texture width and height	4096 px	8192 px	4096 px	8192 px	16384 px

Pixel Format Capabilities

The tables in this section list and categorize pixel format support and capabilities in each GPU family.

• Sample indicates whether a texture with that pixel format is filterable during sampling and can generate mipmaps.

• Write indicates whether a compute shader can write to a texture that uses that pixel format.

• Render indicates whether a texture with that pixel format is color-renderable. A color-renderable texture can be used as a color render target in a MTLRenderPassAttachmentDescriptor object.

• MSAA indicates whether a texture of type MTLTextureType2DMultisample that uses that pixel format can be allocated.

• Resolve indicates whether a texture of type MTLTextureType2DMultisample that uses that pixel format can perform a multisample resolve. An MSAA-resolve texture can be used for the resolveTexture property of a render target with theMTLStoreActionMultisampleResolve store action.

• Blend indicates whether a texture with that pixel format is blendable. A blendable texture can be used in a blend operation if the value of blendingEnabled is YES.

Note: For any listed entry in Table 9-4 through Table 9-16, a ‘—’ indicates that the pixel format is not available in that specific feature set.

Table 9-4  Ordinary 8-bit pixel format capabilities

Pixel Format	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
A8Unorm	Sample
R8Unorm	Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
R8Unorm_sRGB	Sample Render MSAA Resolve Blend	Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend		—
R8Snorm	Sample Write Render MSAA Blend	Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
R8Uint	Write Render MSAA
R8Sint	Write Render MSAA

Table 9-5  Ordinary 16-bit pixel format capabilities

Pixel Format	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
R16Unorm	Sample Write Render MSAA Blend			Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
R16Snorm	Sample Write Render MSAA Blend			Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
R16Uint	Write Render MSAA
R16Sint	Write Render MSAA
R16Float	Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RG8Unorm	Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RG8Unorm_sRGB	Sample Render MSAA Resolve Blend	Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend		—
RG8Snorm	Sample Write Render MSAA Blend	Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RG8Uint	Write Render MSAA
RG8Sint	Write Render MSAA

Table 9-6  Packed 16-bit pixel format capabilities

Pixel Format	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
B5G6R5Unorm	Sample Render MSAA Resolve Blend			—
A1BGR5Unorm	Sample Render MSAA Resolve Blend			—
ABGR4Unorm	Sample Render MSAA Resolve Blend			—
BGR5A1Unorm	Sample Render MSAA Resolve Blend			—

Table 9-7  Ordinary 32-bit pixel format capabilities

Pixel Format	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
R32Uint	Write Render MSAA
R32Sint	Write Render MSAA
R32Float	Write Render MSAA Blend			Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RG16Unorm	Sample Write Render MSAA Blend			Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RG16Snorm	Sample Write Render MSAA Blend			Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RG16Uint	Write Render MSAA
RG16Sint	Write Render MSAA
RG16Float	Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RGBA8Unorm	Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RGBA8Unorm_sRGB	Sample Render MSAA Resolve Blend		Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend	Sample Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RGBA8Snorm	Sample Write Render MSAA Blend	Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RGBA8Uint	Write Render MSAA
RGBA8Sint	Write Render MSAA
BGRA8Unorm	Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
BGRA8Unorm_sRGB	Sample Render MSAA Resolve Blend		Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend	Sample Render MSAA Resolve Blend

Table 9-8  Packed 32-bit pixel format capabilities

Pixel Format	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
RGB10A2Unorm	Sample Render MSAA Resolve Blend		Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RGB10A2Uint	Render MSAA		Write Render MSAA
RG11B10Float	Sample Render MSAA Resolve Blend		Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RGB9E5Float	Sample Render MSAA Resolve Blend		Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend	Sample

Table 9-9  Ordinary 64-bit pixel format capabilities

Pixel Format	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
RG32Uint	Write Render MSAA
RG32Sint	Write Render MSAA
RG32Float	Write Render MSAA Blend			Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RGBA16Unorm	Sample Write Render MSAA Blend			Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RGBA16Snorm	Sample Write Render MSAA Blend			Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend
RGBA16Uint	Write Render MSAA
RGBA16Sint	Write Render MSAA
RGBA16Float	Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend

Table 9-10  Ordinary 128-bit pixel format capabilities

Pixel Format	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
RGBA32Uint	Write Render MSAA
RGBA32Sint	Write Render MSAA
RGBA32Float	Write Render MSAA			Sample Write Render MSAA Resolve Blend

Table 9-11  Compressed BC pixel format capabilities

Pixel Format	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
BC1_RGBA BC1_RGBA_sRGB BC2_RGBA BC2_RGBA_sRGB BC3_RGBA BC3_RGBA_sRGB BC4_RUnorm BC4_RSnorm BC5_RGUnorm BC5_RGSnorm BC6H_RGBFloat BC6H_RGBUfloat BC7_RGBAUnorm BC7_RGBAUnorm_sRGB	—			Sample

Table 9-12  Compressed PVRTC pixel format capabilities

Pixel Format	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
PVRTC_RGB_2BPP PVRTC_RGB_2BPP_sRGB PVRTC_RGB_4BPP PVRTC_RGB_4BPP_sRGB PVRTC_RGBA_2BPP PVRTC_RGBA_2BPP_sRGB PVRTC_RGBA_4BPP PVRTC_RGBA_4BPP_sRGB	Sample			—

Table 9-13  Compressed ETC pixel format capabilities

Pixel Format	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
EAC_R11Unorm EAC_R11Snorm EAC_RG11Unorm EAC_RG11Snorm EAC_RGBA8 EAC_RGBA8_sRGB ETC2_RGB8 ETC2_RGB8_sRGB ETC2_RGB8A1 ETC2_RGB8A1_sRGB	Sample			—

Table 9-14  Compressed ASTC pixel format capabilities

Pixel Format	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
ASTC_4x4_sRGB ASTC_5x4_sRGB ASTC_5x5_sRGB ASTC_6x5_sRGB ASTC_6x6_sRGB ASTC_8x5_sRGB ASTC_8x6_sRGB ASTC_8x8_sRGB ASTC_10x5_sRGB ASTC_10x6_sRGB ASTC_10x8_sRGB ASTC_10x10_sRGB ASTC_12x10_sRGB ASTC_12x12_sRGB ASTC_4x4_LDR ASTC_5x4_LDR ASTC_5x5_LDR ASTC_6x5_LDR ASTC_6x6_LDR ASTC_8x5_LDR ASTC_8x6_LDR ASTC_8x8_LDR ASTC_10x5_LDR ASTC_10x6_LDR ASTC_10x8_LDR ASTC_10x10_LDR ASTC_12x10_LDR ASTC_12x12_LDR	—	Sample		—

Table 9-15  YUV pixel format capabilities

Pixel Format	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
GBGR422 BGRG422	Sample

Table 9-16  Depth and stencil pixel format capabilities

Pixel Format	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2	iOS GPU Family 3 v1	OS X GPU Family 1 v1
Depth32Float	MSAA		MSAA Resolve	Sample MSAA Resolve
Stencil8	MSAA
Depth24Unorm_Stencil8	—			Sample MSAA Resolve
Depth32Float_Stencil8	MSAA		MSAA Resolve	Sample MSAA Resolve

Color-Renderable Pixel Format Sizes

Due to the tile-based rendering architecture of iOS GPUs, the contents of render target textures are temporarily cached in tile memory during a render pass. As listed in Table 9-3, this tile memory has a limited size; therefore, the summed size of all the render target pixel formats for a particular render pass must fit within this limit. (16 bytes per pixel in iOS GPU Family 1; 32 bytes per pixel in iOS GPU Family 2 and 3).

Some color-renderable pixel formats are expanded when temporarily stored in tile memory, and consume more space than inferred from their implicit size. In some cases, this size difference is further affected by whether or not the render target uses MSAA.Table 9-17 describes how much tile memory space each pixel format consumes, in bytes per pixel.

Note: These size differences are not applicable to OS X GPUs; they can accept up to any 8 textures as render targets, regardless of pixel format.

Table 9-17  Color-renderable pixel format sizes

	Typical texture memory size	Render target storage size (non-MSAA)		Render target storage size (MSAA)
Pixel Format	All Feature Sets	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2 iOS GPU Family 3 v1	iOS GPU Family 1 v1 iOS GPU Family 1 v2	iOS GPU Family 2 v1 iOS GPU Family 2 v2 iOS GPU Family 3 v1
R8Unorm R8Unorm_sRGB R8Snorm R8Uint R8Sint	1	4		4
R16Unorm R16Snorm R16Uint R16Sint R16Float	2	4		4
RG8Unorm RG8Unorm_sRGB RG8Snorm RG8Uint RG8Sint	2	4		4
B5G6R5Unorm A1BGR5Unorm ABGR4Unorm BGR5A1Unorm	2	4	8	4	8
R32Uint R32Sint R32Float	4	4		4
RG16Unorm RG16Snorm RG16Uint RG16Sint RG16Float	4	4		4
RGBA8Unorm	4	4		4	8
RGBA8Unorm_sRGB RGBA8Snorm	4	4		8
RGBA8Uint RGBA8Sint	4	4		4
BGRA8Unorm	4	4		4	8
BGRA8Unorm_sRGB	4	4		8
RGB10A2Unorm	4	8		8
RGB10A2Uint	4	4		4
RG11B10Float RGB9E5Float	4	8		8
RG32Uint RG32Sint RG32Float	8	8		8
RGBA16Unorm RGBA16Snorm RGBA16Uint RGBA16Sint RGBA16Float	8	8		8
RGBA32Uint RGBA32Sint RGBA32Float	16	16		16

This information is particularly important for multiple render target (MRT) techniques and g-buffer configurations. For example—a deferred shading algorithm might have these four render targets with different pixel formats:

• Diffuse color (RGBA16Unorm)

• Surface normal (RGBA8Unorm)

• Linear depth (R16Float)

• Ambient occlusion (R16Float)

For this MRT configuration, the typical texture memory size total is 16 (8+4+2+2) and should fit within all the iOS feature set limits. However, the non-MSAA render target storage size total is actually 20 (8+4+4+4). This means that this MRT configuration is only valid for iOS GPU Family 2 and 3; it is not valid for iOS GPU Family 1.

Refer to the values listed in Table 9-3 and Table 9-17 in order to choose appropriate pixel formats for your own MRT configurations.

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