Xbox 360 with 65nm chips ready to take off this fall?
Tuesday 10th July 2007, 03:03:00 AM, written by Farid
Dean Takahashi, journalist and author of Opening the Xbox and The Xbox 360 Uncloaked, reveals in his blog that Microsoft is preparing to move the chips powering its Xbox 360 console to a 65nm process. This new motherboard revision will cost Microsoft less to produce as well as alleviating overheating. Such overheating is widely believed to be the primary cause of the reliability issues that have plagued the console since its launch, which resulted in the recent warranty extension.
Takahashi also entertains the idea that "Falcon" might have the power supply integrated inside the console's chassis. It is still unclear whether all the new motherboards will have an HDMI output port or if that feature will remain exclusive to the Xbox 360 Elite. Note that the new “Falcon†motherboard could be designed to fit both regular and Elite versions of the console, with only some other components differing the two models.
Xbox 360 production started in mid-2005 using 90nm nodes at Chartered Semiconductor, IBM and TSMC. A switch to 65nm for the CPU and GPU was then expected to take place around the first quarter of 2007. According to Takahashi, whose books on the Xbox and Xbox 360 are proof of his insider knowledge of the Xbox division, the testing of the new 65nm chips has already started this summer. He expects to see these new "Falcon-powered" Xbox 360 consoles on retailers' shelves this fall.
If large-scale manufacturing has not yet begun, it will take Microsoft a few months to ramp up production to be able to meet demand. The new model will slowly replace its 90nm counterpart in all markets. Such an introduction will allow Microsoft to completely replace the 90nm variant without requiring a separate SKU and thus will not require a stock clearance.
Takahashi also entertains the idea that "Falcon" might have the power supply integrated inside the console's chassis. It is still unclear whether all the new motherboards will have an HDMI output port or if that feature will remain exclusive to the Xbox 360 Elite. Note that the new “Falcon†motherboard could be designed to fit both regular and Elite versions of the console, with only some other components differing the two models.
Xbox 360 production started in mid-2005 using 90nm nodes at Chartered Semiconductor, IBM and TSMC. A switch to 65nm for the CPU and GPU was then expected to take place around the first quarter of 2007. According to Takahashi, whose books on the Xbox and Xbox 360 are proof of his insider knowledge of the Xbox division, the testing of the new 65nm chips has already started this summer. He expects to see these new "Falcon-powered" Xbox 360 consoles on retailers' shelves this fall.
If large-scale manufacturing has not yet begun, it will take Microsoft a few months to ramp up production to be able to meet demand. The new model will slowly replace its 90nm counterpart in all markets. Such an introduction will allow Microsoft to completely replace the 90nm variant without requiring a separate SKU and thus will not require a stock clearance.
Tagging
xbox ± hardware, revision, falcon
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