Xbox 360 Motherboard In-Depth

jshaped writes "As a follow-up to their previously popular article, Anandtech has posted an in-depth look at the Xbox 360 motherboard. The IBM cpu core looks massive, and check out the ATI gpu with 2 dice on the package." From the article: "The original Xbox featured a 4-layer Intel motherboard, but given the incredible power requirements of the CPU and GPU on the Xbox 360's motherboard we would be astonished if the same were true today. Luckily with any console, especially early on in their life, you are getting a true bargain when it comes to the cost of hardware - so the number of layers on this PCB doesn't matter much to the end user, as Microsoft will absorb all costs above and beyond the core system's $299 price tag."

Comments

True costs?

[the computer guy nex]

The 360 is more powerful than any gaming machine on the market today. Adjusted for inflation the 360 is also cheaper at launch than NES SNES N64 PS1 PS2 and the Xbox1.

Microsoft has to be eating a ton of the cost for every console sold.

Re:True costs?

[Anonymous Coward]

Adjusted for inflation the 360 is also cheaper at launch than NES SNES N64 PS1 PS2 and the Xbox1.

Don't forget that Adjusted for inflation:

• The ipod is cheaper than a record player from 1901

• The revolution will be cheaper than a book from 1542

• Oil today is cheaper than in was during the oil-shocks of the 1970's

• A 2005 Focus is cheaper than a Model-T

What's the point?
Because of mass-production, robotics and computer design things become both better and cheaper; this doesn't stop people from complaining that something (ie. Oil/XBox 360) is way too expensive because it reaches a level of cost that is either unprecidented or at least unprecidented in a mainstream product.

Re:True costs?

[MindStalker]

But you could say that about any computer in exenstance today, prices are going down while power is increasing. Now lets say power increases 2X every 18 months and price drops by 5% every 18 months (probably not accurate numbers but just go with me here). Over 20 years that is 2^13=8192 increase in speed for the average desktop system. And I its been too long sense I took calculus and dealt with natural logs but lets say the average home computer has gone from 2 grand to 500 thats a 75% drop. Oh F it.. as you can see the Xbox cost almost as much as a full computer of todays standards while the Atari cost a small fraction. The atari probably was a fraction of computing standards for the day.. So what am I getting at here. I have no Fing clue except our stats are stupid too!! :P

Re:True costs?

[ivan256]

Microsoft has to be eating a ton of the cost for every console sold.

Doubtful.

Looking at the parts shown in this article, it doesn't seem that the price is far outisde the $350 range*. Really, the only super-expensive parts are the CPU and GPU, and recent articles have shown that custom high performance silicon in recent years costs considerably less to produce than analysts had been predicting. Plus they're using cost saving techniques like splitting components out onto multiple dies to improve yields. Add to that the the best economies of scale when manufacturing these things comes early due to the pre-release inventory build-up, and it seems to me that if they're not turning a profit on the average costs between the core and premium models, they will be soon.

(* $150 CPU (inc. heat sink, etc...), $50 memory (probably over estimating given how cheap GDDR3 is supposed to be and how cheap GDDR3 graphics cards are), $10 DVD-ROM, $100 GPU (again, maybe over-estimating), $40-80 packaging, glue logic, etc...)

Can we please stop calling dies "dice"?

[blincoln]

Pretty please? I keep expecting to see 2d10 in their photos.

Re:Amazing Piece Of Hardware

[Babbster]

I know I'm feeding the troll here, but I feel the need to highlight one of the funniest things I've read on Slashdot in months:

"Stick an ATI card in there and you've got a system that is performing around the level of a dual 2.5ghz 970 PowerMac. Which is why you keep hearing first hand impression talk about how 360 games look no better than the games people are playing at home."

So, the quote above, in essence, means that Microsoft is charging $300 (the core system is supposedly going to play at least 99% of 360 games, though I expect HD-requiring games like MMOGs as the 360 goes on) for a gaming experience comparable to that of a $2,000 Power Mac with the actual consistent release of games? The tone says complaint, the content says "OMG the Xbox 360 is a fantastic deal!" :)