In this demonstration, I will be comparing this Xbox 360
motherboard to my own laptop at home, the Samsung np550p7c. An Xbox 360’s price
can range from £130 to £200, depending on whether you buy it as a package with features
such as Kinect or games, whereas my laptop cost £799. I will discuss the
components of the motherboard of a 360 as well as comparing the features to my
laptop.
CPU + Northbridge
The Xbox 360 CPU is 64-bit, and has three
symmetrical cores, each of which are simultaneous multithreading capable
(improves overall efficiency by allowing multiple threads of information
to be processed at one. A thread is the smallest sequence of
programmed instructions that the OS can schedule – give access too). It clocks a 3.2 GHz
turning speed. My laptop is also 64-bit. The Northbridge, with the Southbridge,
allow the CPU to communicate with the rest of the motherboard. It is connected
by the front side bus, allowing a flow of 21.6 GB/s. The CPU is protected by a
Heatsink. This is
composed on aluminium fins and pipe, which helps expel heat produced by the
current running through the circuitry. Connected to this would be a 70mm fan
which would help move the heat away from the sensitive components.
Resistors and Capacitors
All along are a series of resistors and
capacitors. Resistors are used to lower the current in a circuit. This will
protect sensitive components such as the flash drive and RAM disks from damage
by overloading them with current. The Capacitors hold a small amount of charge,
allowing them almost to do the opposite of the resistors. They can allow
components of the circuit to use more power when required. (Did not reference
this paragraph, recalled it is from my memory from GCSE Electronics).
2x2.0 USB port
The 360 has three 2.0 USB ports overall, named
for this as it is the successor of the USB 1. It has a battery charging
specification to keep external devices alive, and a signal rate of 48-Mbit/s.
My laptop has four USB slots – two 2.0’s and two 3.0s’. The 3.0’s vary by
having a maximum transmit speed of 5Gbit/s, and is backward compatible to the
2.0.
Mini RAM card/RAM storage Chips
Aid the main RAM storage chips. RAM stands for
random access memory – this allows data to be temporarily stored and accessed
very quickly at random points. In the Xbox 360’s case, this is a total of 512MB
of GDDR3 RAM (Graphics Double Data Rate 3, which is a graphics specific type of
card which allows two 32 bit data loads per clock cycle, totalling 128 bits
over the four pins) with an effective transmission rate of 1.4 GHz on the 128
bit bus (effective transmission meaning it transmits 700MHz on the rising end
of the cycle, and 700MHz on the falling end). The Samsung Laptop has 8G of RAM
storage.
Memory Card Interface
These two ports give you the option of
expanding the memory of the hard drive, ranging from official Microsoft cards
at 512MB to 8G unofficial memory cards. The main purpose, according to
Microsoft, is to transport saved files and games without the need to transport
the 360 itself. This has become a redundant market for Microsoft, as many people just
transfer onto a cloud or to a USB. The Laptop has an infinite amount of ways to
externally store and transport data, ranging from memory sticks to external
hard drives connected through the USB slots.
Flash Memory Chip/OS Storage
This is where the operating system is stored
(the Xbox Dashboard), which uses 16MB of memory. The Flash Memory Chip is an
aid to this, providing flash memory (a non-volatile memory source, meaning it
will be stored even if not being powered) so that the Dashboard will not be
lost. The laptop runs off the 64-bit Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, stored
also on a flash drive.
South Bridge
The second half of the Northbridge chipset,
but normally deals with I/O functions, such as music. It is normally
distinguished from the Northbridge (if there is a clear one present) by not
being directly connected to the CPU.
Ethernet Port + USB
Another USB port, as well as an Ethernet out
to bring a wired internet connection to the Xbox.
AV port
Audio/video port, allows connection to a
monitor. Has a switch on the side externally, to allow HD signals.
ANA Scaler Chip
Upscale the resolution of games to 1080p to
give greater image quality.
GPU
Controls all of the graphic outputs of the
360, and has a clock speed 500 MHz. It has the capability of FSAA (full speed anti aliasing,
which stops signals in the images getting distorted) and Z-Buffering
(manages 3D graphics) without any performance penalisation. The GPU also has a Heatsink, similar to the CPU. My laptop
has a dedicated 2GB DDR3 NVIDIA card with 650M graphics. It has a 128 bit
interface.
Bibliography
http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/pc-peripherals/notebook-computers/high-performance/NP550P7C-S02UK (19/11/12)
Part 2
AV VS HDMI
A/V runs on analogue, whereas HDMI runs off
digital signals. Digital signals do not degrade over time and can be compressed to send
more data in one go. Also, on a HD screen, analogue signals need to be converted which
gives data loss, whereas HD signals never need converting. My laptop has a VGA
(video graphics array, 15 pins to connect to a monitor) and a HDMI port so I
can connect to a HD monitor or TV, although both are not used often as the
screen is full HD 1920x1080p, and has a built in blue ray player.
Storage, SATA Interface
Has a 20GB hard drive, Serial advanced
technology attachment – allows mass storage devices to be connected, such as an
external hard drive (serial being the type of connection).
AC Power Adapter
Has a 10 A, 100–120 V alternating current
input and 203/175/150 W direct current output, depending on which version you
had. My laptop at home has a 100-240V input with a 19V output. Volts being the
energy at the given point of the circuit, and the Watts being the transfer of that
energy, and an Ampere being the unit of charge passing through a certain point per unit time.
Networking
Ethernet port allows internet signal to be
hardwired into the 360, through the 8P8C connecter (8 position 8 contact – an 8
pin connecter). Inside the jack is a spring which makes the contact more
secure, to guarantee the signal is not distorted. There is a purchasable Wifi add on for £60. My laptop also has the same Ethernet
port, as well as built in wifi.
Bibliography
Bibliography
http://www.anandtech.com/print/1865
(16/11/12)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front-side_bus
(19/11/12)
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