10/4/22, 10:34 PM
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`Xbox 360 GPU — Neutralx2
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`To call the custom-built AT! GPU found inside the Xbox 360 “powerful”is like saying Muhammad Ali was a
`“good boxer.”Sure,it’s true, but it doesn’t even comeclose to the entire truth of the matter. There are
`subtle yet very important aspects of the Xbox 360’s GPU that, at first glance, might not strike you as
`impressive. But once you take a deeper look, we're sure you'll agree that this is one bad chip.
`
`First off, the custom-built ATI chip runs at 500MHz,a very respectable speed for a console-based GPU. It
`uses 512MB GDDR3 memory (which requires less power and runs cooler than previous memory types)
`running at 700MHz and has a 256-bit memory interface bus with a 22.4GBps bandwidth. This memory is
`equally accessible to both the GPU and CPU,creating what is known as Unified Memory Architecture,
`making graphics performancetrulylightning-fast.
`
`Innovative use of on-die eDRAM makessure this punch doesn't loseits speed and impact, even at 720p.
`
`Manufactured by NEC using 90nm technology, the unique 10MB eDRAM (embedded DRAM)chip provides
`the truly powerful benefits of the Xbox 360's GPU. (You might note that NECis also the providerof the
`Nintendo GameCube embedded DRAM,butthatis an entirely different generation of eDRAM.)
`
`Even running at a full SOOMHz, the ATI GPU drawsless than 35 watts of power, and that includes the
`eDRAM. The power management features found on the chip are impressive. They provide clock throttling
`at both a “macro” and “micro”level, powering downeither large blocks of the chip or smaller logical units
`where necessary. The true wonderof this chip is the fact that there is no fan directly on the GPU,only a
`passive heatsink, which is cooled by the air drawn overit by the fans on the back of the Xbox 360. Together,
`these features define a truly efficient chip.
`
`The 360’s GPU can produce up to 500 million triangles per second. Given thata triangle has three edges,
`for practical purposes this means the GPU can produce approximately 1.5 billion vertices per second.(In
`comparison, the ATI X1900 XTX processesonly 1.3 billion vertices per second and runsat nearly double the
`clock speed.) For antialiasing, the 360 GPU poundsout a pixel fillrate of 16 gigasamples per second, using
`AX MSAA (Multi-Sampling Anti-Aliasing). Of course, the big claim to fame of the 360s GPU is the stunning 48
`billion shader operations per second, thankstoits innovative use of Unified Shader Architecture.
`
`Whyis that figure so impressive? For the uninitiated, shader operations are the core of what makes a
`rendered graphic look the wayit does. There are two separate types of shaders that are used in gaming
`graphics: vertex shaders and pixel shaders. Vertex shaders impact the valuesof the lines that make up a
`polygon. They are what determine how realistic animation of polygons and wireframe models will look: the
`swagger of a walking character, for instance, or therolling tread of a tank as it crushes an android skull laid
`to waste on a charred battleground.
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`https://neutralx2.com/2006/04/26/xbox-360-gpu
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`10/4/22, 10:34 PM
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`Xbox 360 GPU — Neutralx2
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`Pixel shaders, on the other hand, are what determine howrealistic that charred battlefield will look or the
`
`Electronic Frontier Foundation
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`color of the dents in the tank. They alter the pixel's color and brightness, altering the overall tone, texture,
`and shapeof a “skin” onceit’s applied to the wireframe. These shaders allow developers to create materials
`and surfaces with textures and environments that much more closely resemblereality.
`
`Mozilla Foundation
`Sional Foundati
`ignal
`Foundation
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`Each of these graphics processing functions are called and executed on a per-pixel or per-vertex basis as
`they pass throughthepipeline. Until recently, graphics processors handled each type of shader individually
`with dedicated units for each. Developers used low-level assembly languagesto talk directly to the chip for
`instructions on how to handle the shaders, or they used APIs such as OpenGLorDirectX. Unified Shader
`Architecture changesall that by handling both shadertypesat the hardwarelevel in the same instruction
`process. This meansthat the GPU can make use of the commonpieces of each type of shader while making
`direct calls and relaying specific instructions to the shaderitself. This decreases the actual size of the
`instruction sets and combines commoninstructions for two shader types into one when applicable. This is
`how the 360’s GPU quickly and efficiently handles shader operations. 48 billion shader operations per
`second,in fact.
`
`It's tempting to compare the GPUinside the Xbox 360 to today's high-dollar, high-performance video cards,
`and some who do mightscoff a little. The latest graphic cards from Nvidia and ATI, such as Nvidia’s GeForce
`7800 GTX and ATI's Radeon X1900 series, are—on paper—superior GPUs. They tout processor speeds of
`550 to 625MHz and memory clock speeds of 1,500MHz and above.In terms of raw horsepower, these cards
`are indeed brutes. Of course, if there’s one thing we've all learned about clock speeds in the great
`processor wars between Intel and AMD,it’s that raw speed hardly translates into a real measure of
`processing power.
`
`It's not hyperbole to say that video memory bandwidthis one of the most important(if not the most
`important) parts of processing and rendering graphic elements.This is simply because bandwidth and
`speed determine howrapidly instructions can be transferred, processed, and returned to the system. Thus
`it's in direct control of overall graphics performance for a system.
`
`To improve video memory bandwidth, graphics card manufacturers have resorted to the typical methods
`of boosting speed, such as creating wider bitpaths (512MB nowadays) or boosting core clock speed. These
`techniques have placed performancein the range of 40 to SOGBpsat peak range, whichis respectable
`when compared with other graphics processors. However, thesefiguresstill fall short of the Xbox 360's
`256GBps.
`
`Yes, you read that right: 256GBps memory bandwidth. It’s utterly stunning, and it's thanks to the chip’s
`embedded 10MB of eDRAM.
`
`No currently available video card makes use of embedded DRAM. Andevenif one wasavailable,it'll be at
`least the end of 2006 before they'll be of any use. That's when WindowsVista comes out, meaning that the
`operating systems they're gaming on can’t make use of Vista’s WGF (Windows Graphics Foundation) 2.0
`features. This speed ofinstruction handling combined with Unified Shading Architecture not only makes
`the GPU inside the Xbox 360 the current graphics powerhouse,it also meansit'll stay that way for a number
`of years.
`
`And even when current PC-based GPUsstart catching up,it’s going to be extremely expensive to match the
`performanceof this dedicated gaming platform. The top-level cards by ATI and Nvidia are retailing for
`around $560 apiece, and that's without Unified Shading Architecture support or eDRAM. And of course,
`there are other aspects of the system to consider, such as the fact that the CPU and memory were custom-
`built for dedicated gaming performance.
`
`https://neutralx2.com/2006/04/26/xbox-360-gpu
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`10/4/22, 10:34 PM
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`Xbox 360 GPU — Neutralx2
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`AT! and Microsoft have truly built something special in the Xbox360’s GPU. It's astounding to see a chip with
`such powerrun at suchan efficient clock speed and generateas little heat as it does, while at the same
`time making use of never-before-seen technology thatwill surely be replicated in graphics cards and
`consoles for years to come.It’s comforting to know that the Xbox 360 will continue to produce visually
`stunning and smooth graphics well into the foreseeable future.
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`1 Comment
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`Eric » 16 years ago
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`you should have an english essay onthis,lol
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`AMD1318_0154271
`ATI Ex. 2140
`IPR2023-00922
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`ATI Ex. 2140
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