Microsoft readies cooler, cheaper Xbox 360s
- August 16, 2007 08:16 AM PST
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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. said on Thursday that Microsoft has begun using TSMC's 90 nanometer RAM for the Xbox 360. The chips are said to be cheaper and cooler-running possibly helping to reduce the number of machine failures.
Cheaper RAM on its way to 360
Ars Technica speculates, however, that the move is more of a cost saving move than a reliability improvement one.
"When paired with the coming 65nm process shrink for the Xbox 360's CPU and GPU, a process shrink for memory could well contribute just a little to keeping the console cooler," Jon Stokes writes. "But it should be noted that memory chips don't run nearly as hot as processors, GPUs, and other number-crunching chips."
It is still unclear when smaller 360 processors and GPUs will hit stores shelves, however, Microsoft said when extending its one year warranty to three years in July that improvements have already been made to reduce failure rates.
"We have been following this issue closely, and with on-going testing have identified several factors that can cause a general hardware failure indicated by three flashing red lights on the console. To address this issue, and as part of our ongoing work, we have already made certain improvements to the console."
