CIS 371 (Martin/Roth): Recap
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Unit 14: Putting It All Together:
Anatomy of the XBox 360 Game Console
CIS 371
Computer Organization and Design
CIS 371 (Martin/Roth): Recap
2
This Unit: Putting It All Together
•! Anatomy of a game console
•! Microsoft XBox 360
•! Focus mostly on CPU chip
•! Briefly talk about system
•! Graphics processing unit (GPU)
•! I/O and other devices
Application
OS
Firmware
Compiler
I/O
Memory
Digital Circuits
Gates & Transistors
CPU
CIS 371 (Martin/Roth): Recap
3
Sources
•! Application-customized CPU design: The Microsoft
Xbox 360 CPU story, Brown, IBM, Dec 2005
•! http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/power/library/pa-fpfxbox/
•! XBox 360 System Architecture, Andrews & Baker, IEEE
Micro, March/April 2006"
•! Microprocessor Report"
•! IBM Speeds XBox 360 to Market, Krewell, Oct 31, 2005"
•! Powering Next-Gen Game Consoles, Krewell, July 18, 2005
CIS 371 (Martin/Roth): Recap
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What is Computer Architecture?
Plans
The role of a computer architect:
“Technology”
Logic Gates
SRAM
DRAM
Circuit Techniques
Packaging
Magnetic Storage
Flash Memory
Goals
Function
Performance
Reliability
Cost/Manufacturability
Energy Efficiency
Time to Market
Computer
PCs
Servers
PDAs
Mobile Phones
Supercomputers
Game Consoles
Embedded
Design
Manufacturing
CIS 371 (Martin/Roth): Recap
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Microsoft XBox Game Console History
•! XBox
•! First game console by Microsoft, released in 2001, $299
•! Glorified PC
•! 733 Mhz x86 Intel CPU, 64MB DRAM, NVIDIA GPU (graphics)
•! Ran modified version of Windows OS
•! ~25 million sold
•! XBox 360
•! Second generation, released in 2005, $299-$399
•! All-new custom hardware
•! 3.2 Ghz PowerPC IBM processor (custom design for XBox 360)
•! ATI graphics chip (custom design for XBox 360)
•! 30+ million sold
CIS 371 (Martin/Roth): Recap
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Microsoft Turns to IBM for XBox 360
•! Microsoft is mostly a software company
•! Turned to IBM & ATI for XBox 360 design
•! Sony & Nintendo also turned to IBM (for PS3 & Wii,