Xbox 360 to get both cooler GPU and CPU?
updated 03:25 pm EDT, Mon July 9, 2007
Xbox 360 Project Falcon
Microsoft is planning radical changes to the inside of the Xbox 360 to combat the chronic overheating problems that prompted the three-year warranty for related issues, says one purported inside source. Codenamed "Project Falcon," the new architecture will not only shrink the processor from a 90-nanometer to a 65-nanometer process, the AMD-made graphics chipset will also receive the same treatment and (combined with improved heatsinks) should dramatically cool the inside of the case by using less energy therefore generating less heat.
The changeover will also have its incidental benefits, according to the report. Smaller overall hardware would potentially allow a power supply that can fit within the console rather than today's external brick. Costs for producing the chip are also expected to go down and may halve the raw prices for components on Microsoft's end, allowing the console maker to drop prices at stores as a result.
Microsoft is said to already be testing the revamped hardware this summer and would have the completed hardware ready for the fall, coinciding with earlier predictions and helping the company face challengers Nintendo and Sony during the particularly busy holiday period.
