Microsoft's CPU/GPU Combo Chip is Called 'Vejle'
Microsoft and IBM beat Intel and AMD in designing a CPU and GPU combo chip.
We've been waiting for the realization of all the talk about the combination of CPU and GPU into a single chip for some time now. AMD and Intel will be achieving that goal in the not too distant future, but a major software giant (along with some other hardware help) beat them to the punch.
Microsoft's latest redesign of the Xbox 360 houses a CPU and GPU combo chip, which includes IBM's triple-core design with ATI's graphics core, and is called Vejle, named after a city in Denmark (not Valhalla, as many previously believed).
The two parts originally debuted as 90nm parts (codenamed Xenon for the IBM CPU and Xenos for the ATI GPU) but are now married as one 45nm part produced by IBM and Globalfoundries.
Compared to the original duo of chips, this single SoC is 50 percent smaller in size and draws 60 percent less power. This clearly reduces cost for Microsoft in both silicon as well as design of cooling hardware.
Despite being the first of its kind on such a mass scale, the new Vejle chip contains only 372 million transistors, which is about half as many as the Core i5-760.
Despite the fact that the CPU still runs at 3.2GHz and the GPU at 500MHz, the overall design is capable of higher performance than the original design thanks to its integrated design. Sadly, instead of the new Xbox 360s being able to take advantage of the improvements, the system must be throttled to maintain compatibility with the previous designs.
Seen in the block diagram is the FSB replacement, which puts limits the latency and bandwidth on the new chip so that it'll behave the same way as the older chips.
(Sources: Ars Technica, Venture Beat.)
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I heard Microsoft solved the red ring of death problem by removing the red LEDs.
I heard Microsoft solved the red ring of death problem by removing the red LEDs.
PS3 fanboy? As far as I know, the Xbox 360 currently doesn't have a higher failure rate than its competitors.
Still, I couldn't care less about this message. After all, the PC is the one and only gaming medium in my opinion.
I call BS on this article. What do you think the i3 and i5 processors are? Granted, they're not impressive GPUs, but they're still CPUs and GPUs on the same die.
PS3 fanboy? As far as I know, the Xbox 360 currently doesn't have a higher failure rate than its competitors.Still, I couldn't care less about this message. After all, the PC is the one and only gaming medium in my opinion.
Thanks for letting everyone know you don't care enough about my message to actually click reply and write a response. In fact I am a PC gamer who is not happy with microsoft for many reasons including how they treated Xbox customers with the faulty hardware that resulted in so many red rings of death.
makes you wonder if the next gen XBOX720 will contain an AMD fusion product?
Doubtful if they're making their own with IBM.
I call BS on this article. What do you think the i3 and i5 processors are? Granted, they're not impressive GPUs, but they're still CPUs and GPUs on the same die.
You said it yourself; all they did with the i3 and i5 was stick the two on the same die. This, like Fusion, is a true GPU/CPU combo. One chip, not two chips, one die.
silverblue: no they're not, they're two silicon dies on the same plastic square. look for pictures.
Point taken. However, Llano is also a GPU/CPU combo and has been taped out for a while. All now depends on who brings what to retail first.
Sorry all; misunderstood the idea of "GPU/CPU Combo Chip" - in its own way, it could be interpreted like how Intel made Core 2 Quads (two Duos on one die), or the monolithic quad cores as made by AMD.
Point taken. However, Llano is also a GPU/CPU combo and has been taped out for a while. All now depends on who brings what to retail first.Sorry all; misunderstood the idea of "GPU/CPU Combo Chip" - in its own way, it could be interpreted like how Intel made Core 2 Quads (two Duos on one die), or the monolithic quad cores as made by AMD.
Well, that is more or less exactly the case. Not so much interpretation needed
Seems like a wasted opportunity in terms of having extra, stable performance for free.
Then Marcus was right...