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Sony's Kaz Hirai says new PS3s use 65nm chips after all, partly
It hasn't exactly been easy to pin down the exact type of chips used in the new 40GB PlayStation 3s, but Sony's Kaz Hirai now appears to have finally put the matter to rest -- at least for now. In an interview with the folks at Impress, he said that the new model does in fact use the swanky new 65nm process for the Cell chip after all, but not for the system's RSX graphics chip, which gets stuck with the same power-hungry 90nm chip as before. Despite that, Hirai says that the new Cell chip alone is enough to "cut the power usage of the system considerably," an amount that had previously been been reported as 120 to 140 watts (down from 200 watts before). In related news, Hirai also confirmed that neither the 20 or 60GB models (with their increased backwards compatibility) are in production at the moment, but he said that "depending on how the market reacts, it's possible for Sony to produce them again."[Via IGN, thanks um]
Sony says the 40GB PS3 is still using 90nm chips
We'd been hearing that Sony's new 40GB PS3 featured a revised design with a 65nm Cell processor and improved cooling, but sadly it looks like those reports were in error -- a Sony spokesperson has told Heise Online that the 40GB model continues to use 90mn processors, but does feature an updated design with a lower power consumption of just 120 to 140 watts, compared to 180 to 200 watts for the older models. Sony says its still planning on moving to 65nm processors in the near future, but for now, it looks like the PS3 is 90nm across the board.[Thanks, Khattab]
40GB PS3 run cooler and quieter
Engadget is reporting that the new 40GB PS3 - which is on sale right now in Europe and Australia and which will be released in early November in America and Japan - is built quite differently from its 60GB and 80GB brethren. It seems Sony has done a bit of cleaning up of the internals of the machine by utilising a new motherboard and smaller components. Even the Cell itself has had a bit of a spruce up and the chips inside the 40GB SKUs are of the 65nm variety. This means that the 40GB PS3 runs quieter, cooler and at a lower power consumption than its big brothers. For audio-visual-philes this can only be a good thing when the PS3 is being used as a media hub. We've never had a problem with our PS3s making noise, but we're always happy to see technology get improved.
40GB PS3s run cooler, quieter, use less energy
A report from German site Computer Base reveals that consumers giving up backward compatibility on their 40GB PS3s are at least getting something in return. The new systems utilize the new 65nm version of the Cell processor, reducing the power usage from 200 watts to 135 and further limiting the heat and noise the system gives off.With both the Xbox 360 and PS3 now having the cheaper, more efficient 65nm CPUs integrated into their designs, the race to 45nm can truly begin. After that? We're predicting microscopic quantum CPUs.[Via Engadget]
40GB PS3 features 65nm chips, lower power consumption
It's been revealed that the new 40GB PlayStation 3 features more than just a cut down hard disk drive. Sony has also thought to stick the 65nm version of the Cell inside the new console, reducing the power usage down to around 135 Watts (down from 200 Watts.) That means the console also runs cooler and quieter, which is always a plus for a device that usually resides in the living room. Sony also jiggled around a few other components by making the heat pipe smaller, swapping out the motherboard for a new version, and added a button battery to keep time when the system is off. Looks like potential PS3 purchasers will be looking forward to a less noticeable din then.[Thanks, Khattab]
New 65nm Falcon begins to soar
Tech nuts the world over have been waiting for the new 65nm Xbox 360 "Falcon" CPUs for a while and word on the street is that they're finally being rolled out to retail.According to various reports and photo evidence over on the Xbox.com forums, new Halo 3 Xbox 360 consoles with lot numbers #734 have been confirmed to have the newly new 65nm CPUs in them. So, if the Halo 3 360s are a predictor of things to come, hopefully we'll be seeing 65nm technology in all Xbox 360s hitting store shelves soon. Lots more information and a guide to tell if your Xbox 360 has Falcon technology can be read over on the Xbox.com forums via the links below. You're free now ... fly Falcon, fly![Via Engadget]Read - Falcon discovery threadRead - How to tell if you have a Falcon 360
65nm Xbox 360s starting to trickle out?
We've been waiting and waiting, and after months of speculation, a hardware revision, a couple limited editions, and even a new SKU, it looks like Microsoft is finally shipping "Falcon"-equipped Xbox 360s with 65nm CPUs. According to the eagle-eyed posters in the official Xbox forums, Halo edition 360s from lot #734 appear to be the first machines with the new chips, and the time-honored method of peeking inside the case with a flashlight should confirm you have the latest and greatest once you get your baby home. Check the read links for tons more info (and a fun little flamewar).[Image from user JWSpeed in the Xbox forums]Read -- Original thread with pics of the new chipsetRead -- What to look for to see if you've got a 65nm 360
Falcon 360s "just in time for Christmas"
If you've been waiting for the Falcon -- the 360 motherboard housing a smaller, cooler 65nm chip -- to arrive before making your 360 purchase, you may be waiting a few months yet. According to Xbox 360 guru Dean Takahashi, the first 360s housing the new chip are probably on there way from China right now. So, why will it take months for them to make it onto store shelves? First of all, the new 360s have to make a 6 week trip on the boat. The second reason is inventory. See, Microsoft still has plenty of 90nm Xbox 360s to sell out at retail before the Falcon starts cropping up. The real question then, is how long that's going to take. As Takahashi points out, Halo 3 and the recent price cut will likely drive sales, which should help thin the 90nm population, but ultimately it will take a few months before the Falcon is readily available. In Takahashi's estimation, "it's probably just in time for Christmas." Of course, he also points out that there is no way to tell one Xbox from the other. At this point, the only way you know you have a 90nm box is if it doesn't have an HDMI port. Even then, there are 90nm boxes with the HDMI port, so you still won't be sure when the Falcon arrives. All we do know is that the new chips are coming.The way we see it, you can A) wait until Christmas, or B) buy one now and have it replaced with a Falcon after it Red Rings. Remember, the Xbox 360 is all about choice.[Via Joystiq]
Takahashi: Xbox 360s with 65nm CPUs soaring this year
Have you been as curious as us about when Microsoft plans to utilize smaller CPUs in their Xbox 360? According to The Mercury News' Dean Takahashi, who has previously written two books on Microsoft's consoles, the 65nm processors will probably start finding its way into new Xbox 360s by the end of the year. However, there are a few caveats.The chips, which are a sizable difference than the current 90nm chips, are being planned for a new motherboard codenamed Falcon (if you recall, Microsoft's previous motherboard upgrade that included an HDMI port was called Zephyr). The upgrade will still have 90nm graphics chips from ATI -- that upgrade is for later. And there is no guarantee that the smaller chips, though theoretically will require less energy, will alleviate the Xbox 360's Red Ring of Death. And so how will you tell if the console has the Falcon? You can't -- not at first, anyways. "Microsoft has no intention of telling you which box has 65-nanometer chips on the inside," he said. All Falcon-equipped Xbox 360s have HDMI ports, but not all HDMI-enabled 360s have Falcons. "I really don't know how you're going to be able to tell the difference. If you're buying an Xbox 360 without HDMI, then for sure you aren't getting Falcon," he said.This Christmas, if you're hoping for a more reliable Xbox 360, there is a chance you could nab one. From what Takahashi has said, however, you might have to increase your Luck stat before you try to pick up one. Check out Takahashi's article for more details.
Intel launching Core 2 Extreme X7900 mobile CPU?
All set to one-up the 2.6GHz X7800, Intel has reportedly launched the 2.8GHz successor, unsurprisingly dubbed the Core 2 Extreme X7900. The processor purportedly relies on a 65-nanometer die, but boasts updated specs to go along with the 200MHz jump in speed. The chip will apparently offer up an 800MHz front-side-bus, chew through 44-watts of power, and arrive at OEMs unlocked and ready for a (likely minor) does of overclocking. At the GC Press Day, an Intel representative was said to be demonstrating the new CPU on the Asus G2 and a Dell M1730, but nothing was mentioned about a release date.
HDMI-equipped Xbox 360 Premiums still carry 90nm chips
Well it appears that despite all of our wishing, hoping, and positive-thinking exercises, Microsoft has failed to deliver on a small dream of ours, namely, 65nm chips for the new HDMI-rocking Xbox 360 Premiums. Despite signs pointing otherwise, new photos show that this batch of systems continue to carry the Zephyr motherboard layout, which uses the older, hotter 90nm chips, though the boys in Redmond have addressed the heat issue a little bit with the addition of a second "daughter" heatsink attached to the CPU by heatpipe. The new 65nm "Falcon" boards -- which chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) confirmed are in production -- are still on their way according to the rumor mill, slated for release sometime this Fall. Interestingly, Microsoft and TSMC have just laid plans to produce the Xbox's graphics-memory subsystem using the chip manufacturer's 90nm embedded DRAM spec. We won't speculate on when we'll start seeing that addition appear, however.
HDMI confirmed in new 360 Premiums
It don't get much more official than this folks. It seems someone purchased an Xbox 360 Premium system from an Atlanta Target today, only to find out that it includes an HDMI port (confirming the rumor we posted just today). Shacknews has confirmed with Microsoft that Xbox 360 consoles will now include HDMI ports and that are gradually finding their way into retail outlets. Microsoft is currently mum on whether or not the HDMI port will make it into the Core System (then again, why would it be if the Core is on the way out, right?). Also unknown is if the inclusion of HDMI also means users can expect the new 360s to have the smaller, cooler 65nm chips. Considering the magnitude of the addition of HDMI, the 65nm chips would definitely make sense. If the above image is any indication, the port should appear on consoles manufactured on July 4th or later. If anyone out there is willing to check for the 65nm processor, be sure and send the proof our way.[Via Joystiq. Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Xbox 360 Premium confirmed shipping with HDMI
It looks like after all the rumor-mongering and speculation, the bomb is in fact dropping on Xbox 360 Premium hopefuls: the game systems are shipping with HDMI. At least one lucky customer who purchased a Premium system at a Target in Atlanta is currently enjoying the spoils of Microsoft's not-so-secret addition, so hot out of tips and direct to your eyes, we present the first of many you'll be seeing with the much-discussed, built-in HDMI port (and obviously perhaps the cooler 65nm chips onboard). You can stop saving and start buying -- as long as your Xbox was built on or around July 4th, a date which will now be remembered for two reasons.Update - Apparently, there's nothing "obvious" about that 65nm chip situation. Right now it looks like some may have it, and some may not.[Via Shacknews, thanks Tim]
Xbox 360 65nm chips out there, 45nm chips in the future
According to reports, contract chipmaker Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing has begun work on a 45-nanometer CPU designed specifically for a video game console, and the word on the street is that Microsoft is the company placing the order. The Singapore-based chip company, which produces the current Xbox 360 CPU, is set to begin work on the new design in late 2008 or early 2009. The smaller chip would mean lowered production costs, smaller power requirements, and a cooler operating temperature -- which would address a handful of problems the current Xbox design has. The newer 65nm chip which the company produces for Microsoft went into production over the last two quarters, and Chia Song Hwee, Chartered's president and CEO, said that "you would expect 45nm to come on stream about 18 months from that timeframe." So, expect to pass some time before any major changes beyond the 65nm come... perhaps Halo 3 will make the wait more bearable?[Via Joystiq]
65nm 360 chips in production 'last two quarters' - 45nm on the way
Though we're pretty confident the Xbox 360 price drop is coming sooner than "this Fall" – more like August 12th, if you want to be specific – we've had the entire Fall season marked on our Microsoft Executive Swimsuit calendar with "65nm chips" reminders. Those weary of the dreaded RROD have been looking forward to the smaller, cooler (and cheaper!) chips being included in the new systems, codenamed Falcon, but the extremely paranoid may want to hold off for the 45nm version. "As 65nm just started production in the last two quarters, you would expect 45nm to [begin production] about 18 months from that timeframe," said the President of Microsoft manufacturing partner, Charted Semiconductor. That means production on those new even smaller and even cooler chips won't begin until late 2008, early 2009. If that's too long to hold off, take comfort in knowing that those 65nm chips have been produced for some time, and should be making their way to retail Xbox 360s soon (astronotip: Fall starts on Sept. 23 this year, so mark your various themed calendars).
Microsoft 'Falcon' to bring cost reductions, 65nm CPU to the Xbox 360?
We knew it was coming, but it sounds like we finally know what it's all about: the 65nm Xbox 360 is apparently being code-named Falcon, according to Dean Takahashi. Stands to reason we can expect long-fabled cooler / less failure-prone / cheaper 360s to be Falcon's result, but hey, we'd take just two out of three at this point.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
A smaller, cooler Falcon should be soaring this Fall
Falcon. That's the code name for the project that'll not only make future Xbox 360s more reliable and make the hardware cheaper, but will also help Microsoft sleep better at night. Over at The Mercury News, Dean Takahashi talks about the Falcon project and how the new 65nm technology could be the answer to Microsoft's red ring woes. It is expected that the new 65nm CPU/GPU combo could be implemented as soon this Fall and would seriously help with hardware stability as the smaller chips produce less heat. The benefits are enormous and range from cheaper hardware, to more reliable chips, to less heat being generated. With project Falcon being so beneficial it'd be hard to believe that Microsoft isn't pushing to get the technology up and out the door as soon as possible. This Falcon could very well be the single best thing to ever happen to the 360.
IBM kicks out energy-efficient 4.7GHz POWER6 processor
Nah, it's no BlueGene L supercomputer, but IBM's latest dual-core microprocessor runs at a cool 4.7GHz while sporting 8MB of total cache per chip. The device reportedly runs "twice as fast" and packs four times the cache as the POWER5, and boasts a processor bandwidth of 300Gbps. Interestingly, the massive power increase doesn't seem to come with a boost in energy requirements, as IBM claims that the 65-nanometer POWER6 somehow ups its game while "using nearly the same amount of electricity" as its predecessor. The company plans on shoving the new darling into the System p570 server, and preliminary testing showed that all four of the "most widely used performance benchmarks for Unix servers" were shattered by its CPU. Unfortunately, there's no word on pricing nor availability just yet, but we're anticipating a bit of sticker shock when it does finally land.[Via LinuxDevices]
Xbox 360 getting 65nm GPU this fall?
While it's hardly a secret that the Xbox 360 will be getting a 65nm CPU upgrade sooner or later, China's Commercial Times (not always the most reliable source) is now reporting that the console's Xenos GPU will also be switching over to the cooler, lower-power chips, supposedly sometime this fall. According to the paper, an "engineering version" of the new and improved 65nm Xenos GPU has already been sent out, with production set to get underway in May, which would certainly seem to make a fall launch a possibility. Unfortunately, there's still no word on a possible disc drive upgrade to go along with these other revisions, which we all know is the real culprit for most of the console's noise problems.[Via Joystiq]
The amazing 360 GPU shrinks to 65nm this Fall
According to sources close to equipment manufacturers, later this year we'll be ushering in a new and improved Xbox 360 GPU. A Chinese report in the Commercial Times is stating that the new 65nm 360 GPU will be sent to production in May and make its way into Xbox 360 consoles later this Fall. And we all know the benefits of 65nm technology. So, anyone in the market for a new 360 or jumping in for the first time and going to hold out until the new 65nm technology makes it into the console? Or could you care less unless it would involve an Xbox 360 price cut?[Via Joystiq]
