Xbox 360 hardware

The hardware of the Xbox 360 includes several parts, both internally in the console itself and as separate pieces of kit, or accessories.

Central processing unit

The Xbox 360 takes a new approach to hardware compared to its predecessor. The CPU, named Xenon at Microsoft and "Waternoose" at IBM, is a custom triple-core PowerPC-based design by IBM. The CPU emphasizes high floating point performance through multiple FPU and SIMD vector processing units in each core. It has a theoretical peak performance of 115.2 gigaflops and is capable of 9.6 billion dot products per second. Each core of the CPU is simultaneous multithreading capable and clocked at 3.2 gigahertz. However, to reduce CPU die size, complexity, cost, and power demands, the processor uses in-order execution in contrast to the Intel Coppermine128-based Pentium III used in Xbox which used more advanced out-of-order execution. The original chip used a 90 nanometer process, although a newer 65 nanometer process SOI revision is currently in the market. A 21.6 GB/s front side bus, aggregated 10.8 GB/s upstream and downstream, connected Xenon with the graphics processor/northbridge. Xenon was equipped with a 1 MB Level 2 cache on-die running at half CPU clock speed. This cache is shared amongst the three CPU cores. [cite web |url=http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/power/library/pa-fpfxbox/?ca=dgr-lnxw07XBoxDesign |title=Application-customized CPU design |accessdate=2006-09-30 |last=Brown |first=Jeffry |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2005-12-06 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=IBM |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] The CPU also contains ROM storing Microsoft private encrypted keys, used to decrypt game data. The heat sink implemented to cool the CPU is composed of aluminum fins with copper base heat pipes. The heat sink is cooled by two 60 millimeter fans at the back of the console. There are several types of fan used in the 360 from manufacturers Nidec, Sunon and Delta Electronics. Nidec are considered quietest.

Graphics processing unit

While the first Xbox's graphics processing unit was produced by NVIDIA, the Xbox 360 had a chip designed by ATI called Xenos. The chip was developed under the name "C1" and "R500" was often used to refer to it.cite web |url=http://www.beyond3d.com/articles/xenos/index.php?p=02 |title=ATI Xenos: XBOX 360 Graphics Demystified |accessdate=2006-12-27 |last=Baumann |first=Dave |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2006-06-13 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=Beyond3D |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] The GPU package contains two separate silicon dies, each on a 90 nm chip with a clock speed of 500 MHz; the GPU proper, manufactured by TSMC and a 10 MB eDRAM daughter-die, manufactured by NEC. Thanks to the daughter die, the Xenos can do 4x FSAA, z-buffering, and alpha blending with no appreciable performance penalty on the GPU. [cite web |url=http://techreport.com/etc/2005q2/xbox360-gpu/index.x?pg=2 |title=Embedded DRAM for "free" antialiasing |accessdate=2006-12-27 |last=Wasson |first=Scott |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2005-05-19 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=The Tech Report, LLC |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] The GPU also houses additional capabilities typically separated into a motherboard chipset in PC systems, effectively replacing the northbridge chip. Microsoft added an aluminum heat sink to cool the GPU in systems manufactured prior to the second half of 2007. Microsoft then revised the GPU heatsink in order to better move heat away from the GPU die. The newer heatsink consisted of different materials and connected to a secondary heatsink (located in front of the CPU heatsink, to the right of the DVD drive) via a copper heatpipe.

Memory and system bandwidth

The console features 512 MB of GDDR3 RAM clocked at 700 megahertz with an effective transmission rate of 1.4 GHz on a 128-bit bus. The memory is shared by the CPU and the GPU via the unified memory architecture. This memory is produced by either Samsung or Qimonda.

The Xbox 360 has an extensive amount of bandwidth in comparison to its competition; [cite web |url=http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/617/617951p1.html |title=Microsoft's Xbox 360 vs. Sony's PlayStation 3 |accessdate=2006-09-30 |last=Douglass |first=Perry |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2005-05-20 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=IGN |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] however this statistic includes the eDRAM logic to memory bandwidth, and not internal CPU bandwidths. The eDRAM internal logic to its internal memory bandwidth is 256 GB/s. The high bandwidth is used primarily for z-buffering, alpha blending, and antialiasing; it saves time and space on the GPU die. Between the eDRAM die and the GPU, data is transferred at 32 GB/s. [cite web |url=http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1818127,00.asp |title=Xbox 360 GPU Details |accessdate=2006-09-30 |last=Cross |first=Jason |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2005-05-20 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=ExtremeTech |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] The memory interface bus has a bandwidth of 22.40 GB/s and the southbridge a bandwidth of 500 MB/s.

Audio and video

All games made for the Xbox 360 are required to support at least Dolby Digital surround sound. The console works with over 256 audio channels and 320 independent decompression channels using 32-bit processing for audio, with support for 48 kHz 16-bit sound. Sound files for games are encoded using Microsoft's XMA audio format. An MPEG-2 decoder is included for DVD video playback. VC-1 or WMV is used for streaming video and other video is compressed using VC-1 at non-HD NTSC and PAL resolutions or WMV HD. The Xbox 360 also supports H.263 and H.264 MPEG-4 videos. Unlike the original Xbox, voice communication is handled by the console, not by the game code, allowing for cross-game communication. There is no voice echo to game players on the same console; voice only goes to remote consoles.

There are no digital video outputs such as DVI or HDMI on Core packages or Premium packages manufactured before July 2007; instead, HD-quality output could only be produced over VGA or component video. An HDMI port and cables is included in the Elite SKU; the Pro and Arcade versions also have the port, but lack the HDMI cable. A wide array of SDTV and HDTV resolutions are supported by the console hardware; [cite web |url=http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/x/xbox360prosystem/highdefdetails.htm |title=Xbox 360 High Def Details |accessdate=2006-10-03 |last=McLain |first=Alex |date=2005-10-31 |publisher=Microsoft Corporation] up to 1080p after the October 2006 software upgrade.cite web |url=http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061030-8108.html |title=Microsoft prepares major update to Xbox Live |accessdate=2006-10-31 |last=Reimer |first=Jeremy |authorlink=|coauthors= |date=2006-10-30 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=Ars Technica, LLC |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] While most games are rendered natively at 720p, the video from all games can be scaled by the hardware to whatever resolution the user has set in the console's settings; from 480i NTSC and 576i PAL all the way to 1080p HDTV. Up to 1080p, the resolution the console will output is only limited by the chosen display equipment's capability (TV, projector, etc.) and the video cables used to connect the two.

DVD storage

Early production runs of the Xbox 360 are equipped with a 12x DVD drive, capable of a maximum read rate of 15.85 MB/s.cite web |url=http://www.osta.org/technology/dvdqa/dvdqa4.htm |title= Understanding Recordable & Rewritable DVD |accessdate=2006-12-18 |last=Bennett |first=Hugh |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=OSTA |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] The original production DVD drives were manufactured by both LG and Toshiba. Beginning in November 2006, a new model the BenQ VAD6038 was introduced, which is said to run faster than the previous models and, in addition, is much quieter. [cite news |url=http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=5997 |title=Microsoft's Xbox 360 Gets New Internal Optical Drive |first=Brandon |last=Hill |date=2007-02-06 |publisher=DailyTECH |accessdate=2007-07-06 ] There is a new drive by LiteOn [cite web |title=New Benq (LiteOn) drive in Xbox 360 |url=http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=648236] , which as of June 2008 is not hackable [cite web |url=http://www.xboxhacker.net/index.php?topic=9647.0 |title=LitOn drive thread on www.xboxhacker.net] .

Games are stored on standard dual-layer DVD-ROMs with 7 GB of usable space available for game content. [cite web |url=http://xbox.gamespy.com/xbox/microsoft-xbox/594331p1.html |title=We Got Next—Part One (Xbox) |accessdate=2006-11-13 |last=Padilla |first=Raymond |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2005-03-08 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=GameSpy |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] The option to apply a regional lockout to games is available to publishers, although DVD region codes are always enforced for movies. Microsoft has implemented methods to prevent hacking through the drive. Later drive models have the external debug triggering removed and black hard glue added to cover all the chip and controller pins. [cite web |url=http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/05/microsoft-fires-back-at-dvd-firmware-hack/ |title=Microsoft fires back at DVD firmware hack |accessdate=2006-10-05 |last=Farivar |first=Cyrus |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2006-10-05 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=Weblogs, Inc |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] The drive is able to read both DVD±R and DVD±RW in addition to being able to play DVD-Video out of the box, unlike its predecessor, which required the purchase of an add-on remote. The system is also capable of playing standard CDs along with CD-R/RW, CD-DA, CD-ROM XA, CD-Extra, WMA-CD, MP3-CD, and JPEG Photo CD.cite web |url=http://www.xbox.com/en-AU/support/xbox360/manuals/xbox360specs.htm |title=Xbox 360 technical specifications |accessdate=2006-09-30 |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=Microsoft |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] Some users reported problems with the disc drive, as when a user changes the console's orientation, the inserted disc may brush against the drive's pickup assembly and incur scratches to it. [cite web |url=http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/673/673686p1.html |title=Xbox 360: Glitch In The System? |accessdate=2007-01-03 |last=Miller |first=Jonathan |date=2005-12-05 |publisher=IGN Xbox 360] The users manual advises against changing the console's position while there is a disc in the drive. Other users report experiencing disc scratching during normal horizontal usage.

Announced at CES 2006 and first publicly shown at E3 2006, an external HD DVD drive was released in North America on November 7 2006, for US$199.99, and in Japan on November 17 2006, for ¥19,800. In Europe, the HD DVD drive was released for €199.99/£129.99 in the UK, France, and Germany.cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/events/x06/story.html?sid=6158830 |title=$199 360 HD-DVD drive coming in mid-November |accessdate=2006-10-02 |last=Sinclair |first=Brendan |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2006-09-27 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=GameSpot |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] The HD DVD drive was bundled for a limited time with an Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote, as well as an HD DVD copy of Peter Jackson’s "King Kong". The drive plays HD DVD movies, although all Xbox 360 games will remain on the DVD format. [cite web |url=http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/11573/HD-DVD-Xbox-360-Games-Another-Rumor-Debunked/ |title=HD DVD Xbox 360 Games Another Rumor Debunked |accessdate=2006-11-11 |last=Berardini |first=César |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2006-08-17 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=TeamXbox |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] Microsoft has no plans to include an internal HD DVD player in future Xbox 360 designs. [cite web |url=http://gamerscoreblog.com/team/archive/2006/06/30/536031.aspx |title=No Internal HD DVD Plans |accessdate=2006-11-01 |last=Menendez |first=Cesar |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2006-06-30 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=Gamerscore |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] The external drive connects to the Xbox 360 via USB and contains two integrated USB ports on the rear. Games can not be played on the HD-DVD drive.

Microsoft has since discontinued the HD-DVD add-on since the format was officially dropped by Toshiba. All remaining drives on store shelves have been drastically reduced in price by an average of US$50.00 to US$129.00 Some retailers have lowered it to as low as US$50.00 to clear it from their inventory.cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6186652.html?tag=result;title;1 |title= Microsoft drops 360's HD DVD player |accessdate=2008-02-25 |last=Magrino |first=Tom |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=Gamespot |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ]

List of DVD drives

Hard drive storage

The "Premium" configuration of the system comes with a detachable 60 GB hard drive and it is optional to separately purchase one for the "Core" and the "Arcade" versions of the Xbox 360. The total capacity of the Xbox 360 Hard Drive is 60 GB. Of this amount, approximately 7 GB is reserved for system use; approximately 4 GB of that portion is reserved for game title caching and other hard drive specific elements in games that support the hard drive, and an additional 2 GB is reserved for use by the Xbox 360 backwards-compatibility software. This leaves almost 54 GB of free space, rounded down to 53 GB in the Dashboard, for saving game files, Xbox LIVE downloadable content, and media files (such as music and video).

Depending on the market, the hard drive comes preloaded with content, such as videos and Live Arcade games. Therefore, actual free space on a new hard drive may be 11 to 12 GB. It is not required for standard games, with the exception of a few games like Football Manager 2006, Final Fantasy XI, BLADESTORM, and Kane & Lynch. The custom 2.5" hard drive is connected through a SATA interface and rotates at 5400 rpm. The Xbox 360 Elite has a 120 GB HDD. It is packaged in a black case to match the Elite, unlike 20 GB drives which are grey, matching the top of the Core and Premium units. The 120 GB HDD retail price was GB£129.99 and US$179.99.

Networking

All versions of the Xbox 360 come with a built in Ethernet 10/100 adapter. No version includes a WiFi card, although a separate adapter can be purchased for wireless networking.

Motherboards

Microsoft avoids outright announcements of new motherboard production runs and their subsequent appearance in the market in part due to uneven distribution causing consumer remorse and to prevent purchaser delay. [Microsoft Xbox 360 Internal Memorandum 11952006; Announcement of new motherboards may cause consumers to delay purchases of existing units and some regions with slower inventory turnover may not see the newer units for some time] However, rumors indicate three newer motherboards for the Xbox 360 have been in development: Jasper, Opus and Valhalla [cite web |url=http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/15/rumor-next-xbox-360-chipsets-are-opus-valhalla/ |title=Rumor: Next Xbox 360 chipsets are Opus, Valhalla - Joystiq] [cite web |url=http://kotaku.com/356917/new-opus-and-valhalla-xbox-360-chipsets-coming-next |title=Rumor: New "Opus" and "Valhalla" Xbox 360 Chipsets Coming Next?] [cite web |url=http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/15/are-opus-and-valhalla-the-next-next-xbox-360s/ |title=Are "Opus" and "Valhalla" the next, next Xbox 360s? - Engadget] [cite web |url=http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/digitaljoystick/archives/132014.asp?from=blog_last3 |title=Next Xbox 360 Designs are "Opus" and "Valhalla"] .

The "Opus" Xbox 360 motherboard is a revision of the "Falcon" (the codename for the 65nm revision of the Xenon processor) motherboard designed for the older models of the Xbox 360 - the ones which lack the HDMI port. It implements a 65nm CPU into consoles which are sent to Microsoft for repair.

The "Jasper" Xbox 360 motherboard includes both a 65nm CPU and GPU, as opposed to the Falcon motherboard, which has a 65nm CPU and an 90nm GPU. This revision further reduces heat generated from the processors, although it operates with the same wattage as the previous "Falcon" systems. An additional advantage is its lower cost of production, which will allow Microsoft to realize more profit or reduce the Xbox 360 price points to be more competitive. Rumours point to a late August or early September 2008 release date for "Jasper"-based Xboxes. cite web |url=http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/digitaljoystick/archives/139165.asp |title=New Jasper Xbox 360 Probably Shipping First Week of September] [cite web | url=http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/xbox-rumor/rumor-xbox-360-jasper-motherboard-set-for-808-release-309411.php |title=Rumor: XBox 360 "Jasper" Motherboard Set For 8/08 Release] However, as of the end of September 2008 there are no reports of the Jasper motherboards on the market. Most likely, however, the units with the new motherboards will begin shipping within the coming weeks.

The "Valhalla" Xbox 360 motherboard is reported to include a CPU and GPU unified into one chip, which will be manufactured at the 65nm process. This revision will reduce production costs, as only one chip will be manufactured rather than two individual chips, and a simpler cooling system will be utilized.

List of revisions

Connectivity to accessories

Xbox 360 also has a built-in 100BASE-TX Ethernet port, suitable for connecting to Xbox Live, and three USB ports (two on the front one on the back).

The Xbox 360 supports up to four wireless controllers and three wired controllers (four with the use of a USB hub). The wireless protocol is also used for other devices like the wireless force feedback racing wheel and wireless headsets.

The Xbox 360 can connect to Xbox Live through an optional wireless network adapter on a home network through a wireless router. The Universal Media Remote can be used to control several functions of the console, including the Windows Media Center functions if connected to the network. Various other components for the console exist, such as decorative faceplates to change the physical appearance of the console, wired or wireless headsets for communication over Xbox Live, and an Xbox 360 branded webcam called Xbox Live Vision.

The console also has two front-mounted memory card slots for the system's proprietary Memory Unit. These can be used to transfer personal game data from one Xbox 360 to another. The current "Arcade" model comes with a 256 MB Memory Unit. Memory Unit up to 512 MB are available from Microsoft.

Physical appearance

The Xbox 360 physical outline is 309 mm (wide) × 83 mm (high) × 258 mm (deep) and is similar in form factor to its predecessor. It is slightly slimmer in every dimension, and the Xbox 360 is white, black or green with a slightly concave, whereas the original Xbox was black and noticeably convex. It was designed by Astro Studios in cooperation with Hers Experimental Design Laboratory. [cite web |url=http://www.core77.com/reactor/04.06_xbox.asp |title=Collaboration and the creation of the Xbox 360 |accessdate=2006-12-28 |last=Kemp |first=David |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2006-04-01 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=Core77 |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] The front of the console features a "ring of light", which displays 4 illuminated quadrants either in red or green. When the lights turn red, the console has encountered a fault condition, the number of sectors illuminated informs a user what category the error falls into. The Xbox 360 has a weight of 3.5 kg (7.7 lb), about 350 grams lighter than the original Xbox. The console uses an external power supply with a 5A / 100–120V AC input and DC output of 203/175 (depending on revision) W. An estimated 2 W of power are used while the console is in standby mode, a yearly usage of 20 kWh. [cite web |url=http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/11188/Game-Console-Energy-Consumption/ |title=Game Console Energy Consumption |accessdate=2006-11-18 |last=Berardini |first=César |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2006-06-19 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=TeamXbox |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] Saving the console size and weight, the power supply displaces 1300 cm³. [cite web |url=http://www.joystiq.com/2005/12/06/xbox-360-power-supply-dunked-in-water-to-prove-its-damned-big/ |title=Xbox 360 power supply dunked in water to prove it's damned big |accessdate=2006-10-03 |last=Cole |first=Vladimir |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2005-12-06 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=Joystiq |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ]

References

External links

* [http://www.xbox.com Official Xbox/Xbox 360 Website]
* [http://gamerscoreblog.com/team/default.aspx Gamerscore Blog—Official PR and Marketing Team Blog]
* [http://blogs.msdn.com/xboxteam/default.aspx Xbox Development Team Blog]