Wii U specs on more details, dismissal of systems bricking

Duncan Idaho · Nov 21, 2012

http://www.imgmr.com/index.php/Wii-U-News/wii-u-hardware-specifications-are-finally-detailed.html

[SIZE=78%]With the first console of the eighth generation of gaming available to the public, the mystery behind the Wii U's hardware has finally been revealed. Since Sunday, the console has been selling everywhere in North America and the reactions have been mostly positive except for the few bugs which Nintendo will have to patch. As seen in all console launches, it is understandable that it is not perfect, but while Nintendo is taking care of these problems, find out what is the Wii U hiding under its hood.[/SIZE]
The team called Anandtech are the ones who popped the hood and dug into the heart of the console. Even if a console is opened up and examined, it is always hard to know exactly what there is. Consequently, it is hard to know exactly the console's true potential. So, this is the closest we are going to get since Nintendo love to be silent on their product.

The teardown of the console brings some new information regarding the CPU, GPU and RAM of the Wii U. While it was already know that the Wii U had an AMD GPU and IBM CPU MCM (multi-chip model), Now we have the exact measurements. The GPU's die size is 12.2mm x 12.7mm (156.21mm2[SIZE=78%]). On the other hand, the CPU's die size is 5.2mm x 6.3mm (32.7mm[/SIZE]2[SIZE=78%]) and there was found another miniscule die (1.79mm x 1.48mm) found on the MCM. Anandtech believes it is off-chip memory.
No exact specification can be set from this standpoint. However, it can be said that the GPU has come on-chip memory thanks to a previous teardown done by Nintendo themselves. This also means the die size increased as well. To picture it otherwise, take a 104mm[/SIZE]2[SIZE=78%] Redwood core found in the Radeon HD 5670 and add some megs of eDRAM. Naturally, this is close to the 156.21mm[/SIZE]2[SIZE=78%] die size the Wii U's GPU contains. The people at [/color]Extreme Tech assume that a 40nm process is being used. This type of GPU is definitely a force to be reckoned with.Unfortunately, the CPU will not be able to do wonders for the console. The small multi-core Power-based CPU was made based on IBM's 45nm SOI process and it also has on-die eDRAM. The CPU is still a big mystery and it is rumored the Wii U simply took the Wii's Broadway core and multiplies it by three, since the Wii U is backwards compatible with the Wii. Extreme Tech suggest adding a few process node improvements and the Wii U's CPU would be "fairly competent".For RAM, the Wii U has a Samsung NAND flash chip for user storage, 8GB for the white Wii U of the Basic Set and 32GB for the black Deluxe Set, a Toshiba NAND chip for non-user storage and a 2GB of Hynix DDR-1600 RAM on a 16-bit interface. This setup provides the Wii U a top memory bandwidth of 12.8GB/s. Even if this is twice as fast as the Wii, in today's standards, it's still quite slow.Now let us jump to the famous Gamepad. The tablet controller has but one major problem: battery life. It only has a 5.6 watt-hour battery (1500mAh @ 3.7V). The Gamepad can stay off its charging cradle for around 3-4 hours before needing to put it back. This is a problem for those who play games for long sessions. At the very least, the battery is indeed replaceable and third-party batteries are also in the works, which may be able to extend battery power.Now, even with bad battery power, the Gamepad has pretty wireless capabilities. Although the 6.2-inch touchscreen between your hands can be used for different needs (full gaming, mirrored screen or HUD-style display), the Gamepad functions thanks to a high-speed 802.11n WiFi connection which probably works perfectly up to 7.5m (25 feet) away from the console. Thanks to Anandtech's teardown, the Gamepad also has two WiFi antennae and controllers: one for online network connection and the other solely to ensure the Gamepad works flawlessly. This can be proven via gameplay as no lags or slowdowns occur from the Gamepad.In terms of power consumption, the Wii U is very efficient as it uses only 31.2 watts in the main menu and 33 watts when New Super Mario Bros. U is popped in. This is probably the work of IBM and AMD making sure to pare down the power needed. Also, as many know already, Nintendo and Opera have not worked together this time. Like many smart devices today, the Wii U uses a WebKit-based browser made by NetFront, the people behind the browser for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS. The browser on the Wii U has excellent HTML5 support and JavaScript performance.Although Nintendo should have included their 5GB update for online capabilities to evade the result of bricked Wii U consoles, the console is still on a good start and should be able to do great things. The Wii U's strongest card will be its innovation. Power is important, but when it is not used well or in the right manner, it is useless. However, Nintendo is well-known for innovations and doing something new and, most importantly, fun. Therefore, the Wii U is the perfect console that can help Nintendo drive into the future of gaming.
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Wii U specs on more details, dismissal of systems bricking

Duncan Idaho Well-Known Member

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Wii U specs on more details, dismissal of systems bricking

Duncan Idaho Well-Known Member

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