Xbox One bumps up CPU speed by 150 MHz

Xbox One developers will have access to slightly more CPU power than expected. Originally set as 1.6GHz, Microsoft has announced that final production units will run at 1.75GHz.

33

Xbox One developers will have access to slightly more CPU power than expected. Originally set as 1.6GHz, Microsoft has announced that final production units will run at 1.75GHz--an increase of 150MHz. This is in addition to the GPU speed increase announced last month.

Systems are now in full production according to Microsoft's Yusef Mehdi, who revealed the updated console spec at the Citi Global Technology Conference. "This will be the biggest launch we've ever done by a wide margin," Mehdi told the audience, according to GeekWire. And just in case there are any doubts about the report's legitimacy, Xbox's Phil Spencer also tweeted the report.

The surprise performance boost for Xbox One is undoubtedly good news. With a beefier GPU and CPU, it's clear that Xbox One is slowly closing the gap between it and PS4.

Andrew Yoon was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

Filed Under
From The Chatty
  • reply
    September 3, 2013 5:20 PM

    Andrew Yoon posted a new article, Xbox One bumps up CPU speed by 150 MHz.

    Xbox One developers will have access to slightly more CPU power than expected. Originally set as 1.6GHz, Microsoft has announced that final production units will run at 1.75GHz.

    • reply
      September 3, 2013 5:21 PM

      yay !

    • reply
      September 3, 2013 5:22 PM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      September 3, 2013 5:24 PM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      September 3, 2013 5:25 PM

      Sony now runs at 5 GHz and ps4 has a phase change cooled GPU / CPU.

    • reply
      September 3, 2013 5:30 PM

      microsoft will leverage their new portfolio of nokia hardware/software to ensure that the xbox one is the best product available. you heard it here first!

      -in balmer we trust-

    • reply
      September 3, 2013 5:32 PM

      Anything that helps close the gap performance wise versus the PS4 is good news for all gamers.

      • reply
        September 3, 2013 7:46 PM

        Definitely a good thing, though the gap is only going to be slightly reduced.

        • reply
          September 3, 2013 7:54 PM

          yah a 150Mhz boost isn't going to do much.. oh joy an extra 2-3fps.

    • reply
      September 3, 2013 5:33 PM

      In before RROD v2 fro overheating.

    • reply
      September 3, 2013 6:23 PM

      Feels like Msoft is grasping for straws.

      • reply
        September 3, 2013 6:29 PM

        This is definitely it

      • reply
        September 3, 2013 6:41 PM

        Releasing obscure technical updates to get a news cycle seems kinda desperate. If they had said nothing before about clock speed they'd no reason to give us this story and they should because the average person is going to notice it's a much slower clock speed than the xbox 360's cores and wonder if it's really more powerful. And for the more technically inclined, it's just going to remind them of all the ways the ps4 is still faster. Just say it's many times more powerful than the previous Xbox and let people open it up and find out on their own it's an AMD system. Alternatively you could rebrand the AMD tech.

        • reply
          September 3, 2013 6:56 PM

          So they just shouldn't announce it and wait for people to notice the difference? Then stories get written and they have a "news cycle" anyway.

        • reply
          September 3, 2013 7:15 PM

          [deleted]

          • reply
            September 3, 2013 7:42 PM

            People who didn't know what they were talking about said that about the PS3. The 360 was arguably better hardware. The PS4 - Xbone comparison is legitimately lopsided though.

          • reply
            September 3, 2013 7:44 PM

            Does it really matter that the PS4 is faster?

            Yeah, I'd say it does especially since people here often comment on the framerate of console games. For cross platform games even with identical assets and resolution the PS4 version should give more consistent fps. Websites like eurogamer document these kinds of things.

            Ostensibly the reason why they tell us this stuff at all is to convince us they're faster but if you know you are going to lose that fight than you shouldn't have it and if you did think you were going to win that fight then you are incompetent. Considering Mattrick got fired left on the eve of the launch there is definitely at least disagreement within the higher execs of MS about the direction the product was going.

            If it's not obvious they have to tell us about clock speed changes now because they told them before. Regulatory agencies would not like it if they effectively lied about the shipped product but they were under no obligation to announce this stuff to begin with.

            Didn't they say the same stuff about the PS3?

            The xbox 360 and playstation 3 are very different combinations of technology. This is a much more apples to apple comparison.

            • reply
              September 3, 2013 7:49 PM

              Exactly. There are no downsides to being faster, assuming the design can handle it reliably. Cross platform games run more smoothly or with more effects on, and exclusives can be far superior.

        • reply
          September 3, 2013 7:26 PM

          Is my sarcasm meter broken? MHz is like the one not obscure technical stat, it was like the foundation of computer marketing for decades

          • reply
            September 3, 2013 8:17 PM

            Is my sarcasm meter broken?

            Well I take back that first sentence obviously because it contradicts what I say afterwards. It's great they etched a little more performance. Everyone benefits from that.

            MHz is like the one not obscure technical stat

            Okay but it one that is misunderstood frequently. I get depressed if I think about how many millions of dollars intel made winning the Ghz war not because the pentium 4 was faster but because they had a higher number. Basically you should assume people are very dumb which means there are probably people out there who are going keep their xbox 360 longer because 3.2 ghz is greater than 1.75 ghz.

            The only reason why we're having this conversion is because MS decided to talk about the specifics of the technology in the xbox one. They could have kept it vague like Apple does.

            • reply
              September 3, 2013 8:24 PM

              They could have kept it vague but tech sites and nerds everywhere would get the specs sooner or later. They've already released specs, so if they changed the specs and released the console without saying anything, people would notice and it would be news for game enthusiasts and we would be back here talking about it. So why not announce it? People who don't care probably won't hear about it, people who do care will appreciate a little more knowledge about their potential purchase.

              • reply
                September 4, 2013 8:27 AM

                Because if you say something about it the dickwads on here want to talk about "grasping at straws," "not enough to matter," "xbone still blowz," etc. etc. etc.

                • reply
                  September 4, 2013 11:44 AM

                  If you say something about what? What are you going on about? etc. etc. etc.

            • reply
              September 3, 2013 10:19 PM

              Also I'd kinda glad Microsoft is going to have to compete for the hearts and minds of gameplayers by games and kinect experiences rather than raw performance. Subjective of course but the sega genesis had a lot of good games despite them not really looking as good as the snes games. The N64 had better graphics but lost that generation anyway. The Playstation 2 was weaker than the gamecube and the xbox but beat all of them. There is no correlation between performance and console success. I think this is why nintendo stopped playing that game. Last generation was the one where 2/3 of console makers went balls out for performance. I don't think that will happen again.

              • reply
                September 4, 2013 11:50 AM

                I'd argue that a majority of console gamers wouldn't know megahertz from a gighertz.

      • reply
        September 3, 2013 6:42 PM

        Wow, Internet posters do not disappoint

        • reply
          September 3, 2013 7:20 PM

          It really is kind of hilarious how when even unequivocally good news about the XB One comes out, people will still find a way to spin it in the comments as a failure.

          I find that is the case for Microsoft products in general the last few years. People see the word "Microsoft" and instantly they're looking for reasons to dislike it. Their brand is less than nothing, it's toxic. Compare that to Apple who could literally sell poop on a stick for $500 and some people would still line up to buy it because the brand is so strong.

          • reply
            September 3, 2013 7:32 PM

            Microsoft's always been on the short end of the stick with a lot of things but XBox was the one thing they did so right.

            Sony hasn't said a whole hell of a lot other than "We're doing whatever Microsoft isn't, we'll let them hang themselves and come in like Superman".

            It's pretty pathetic how quickly people turn and blow everything immediately out of proportion.

            • reply
              September 3, 2013 8:30 PM

              Didn't I read the PS4 as having quite a bit more shaders available on the GPU? If so, that's going to make a much bigger impact than a single bin CPU bump...right?

              • reply
                September 3, 2013 8:38 PM

                In the end it doesn't really matter much because most games will be developed with both consoles in mind. As long as there's nothing significantly gimping either, it'll be similar to the current gen. One console gets slightly better textures, the other can do more stuff at once, blah blah in the end you get pretty much the same experience on either.

            • reply
              September 4, 2013 10:07 AM

              Microsoft did the mouse right before anyone else. Same thing with Office (now everyone uses an office suite of some kind). Believe it or not, MS is not a one-trick pony.

          • reply
            September 3, 2013 7:53 PM

            The XBOne might already be into "too little, too late" territory for many. I'm not even getting a new console any time soon but I've pretty much written off the XBO. I could change my mind, but it would have to take some major positive news or absurdly good exclusives or something.

            • reply
              September 3, 2013 9:08 PM

              The promise of a new game from Remedy isn't good enough for you?

              (I know it's not a launch title, but it's far more compelling for me than Sony's exclusives - don't their retail exclusives consist of just Knack, some driving game, and Killzone and InFamous sequels?)

              • reply
                September 4, 2013 1:13 AM

                I'm in the same boat. Remedy is a make or break dev for me, and MS has them locked up tight.

              • reply
                September 4, 2013 1:29 AM

                Why would it be? The last time Remedy made a good game was almost 10 years ago. I didn't find MP3 or Alan Wake compelling at all.

                While the new title looks interesting, it's far from enough to sway me towards the more-expensive system.

                • reply
                  September 4, 2013 3:35 AM

                  Remedy was not involved in the development of Max Payne 3. Take-Two/Rockstar have owned the rights to Max Payne for the past decade. As far as I know, Alan Wake is basically all they worked on between 2003 to 2010. Seems incredible it took that long to complete but I think Microsoft's meddling had something to do with it as they switched from PC development to only Xbox 360. The game was also originally intended to be an open-world I believe and Remedy did change some story elements as it was initially to be set in New England before switching to the Pacific Northwest. Other than that Remedy also brought back Death Rally in 2012. In any case, I think they have talent but since they've not released much other than Alan Wake in the last 10 years it makes sense for gamers to not be completely sold on any future projects. Quantum Break looks like fun though I've not seen much and I don't really like episodic formats which I think the game might have, unless that is just the television tie-in. There just isn't enough information on the game yet to conclude too much.

                  • reply
                    September 4, 2013 3:46 AM

                    Quantum Break looks interesting, but I think what I need is A. some real solid gameplay demos, like, 5-10 minutes of unedited footage and B. some assurance that the weird TV show stuff is non-essential, because I have no intention of messing with that.

              • reply
                September 4, 2013 5:23 AM

                Nope, it's not. That's simply because I'm not looking forward trying to make a launch purchase decision. I get to wait and see the reception of the first year or two of games, and how their respective OSs and online networks work.

                And who knows, maybe something we don't discuss much like the hdmi pass through & IR blaster ends up being implemented really well and is the killer app.



              • reply
                September 4, 2013 5:29 AM

                Remedy is not a console saler. Not after Alan Wake (which I liked enough).
                And they ported that game to PC, so I dunno about this "exclusive".

                • reply
                  September 4, 2013 8:51 AM

                  I like how since almost all the 360 exclusives eventually got ported to the PC this is always said like it is a bad thing for Microsoft to allow. Why cause it would have been better if they lock away exclusives like Sony does. I get why that can tip scale to PS3 but when ever the word exclusive gets brought up it Xbox gets scoffed at cause they aren't locked away forever instead looked at as it being a better way of doing it, in regards to PC gamers, even if they are timed exclusive.

                  • reply
                    September 4, 2013 9:06 AM

                    That's what an exclusive is, by definition.

                    • reply
                      September 4, 2013 9:11 AM

                      So you rather it was completely exclusive then?

                      It always seems like a mark against Microsoft instead of something that gamers should be for.

          • reply
            September 4, 2013 3:37 AM

            Ehh. The Apple hate train is pretty strong as well! Thank god!

      • reply
        September 3, 2013 7:30 PM

        You'd think they announced they reduced the clock speed. This type of comment is the post of a fool.

      • reply
        September 3, 2013 11:48 PM

        it's like you rebuilt the whole front page system just to post

    • reply
      September 3, 2013 6:27 PM

      Does the esram run on the same clock as the CPU?

    • reply
      September 3, 2013 6:31 PM

      Needs a physical "Turbo," button.

      • reply
        September 3, 2013 6:47 PM

        Aww man, beat me.

      • reply
        September 3, 2013 7:55 PM

        Ah!! my old 386 SX33 had that button when i was a kid... coulnd't play Doom without it!!

    • reply
      September 3, 2013 6:45 PM

      Makes me wonder if this pushes some sort of threshold recommended by the engineers. As someone sarcastically pointed out before, I hope this doesn't lead to RROD 2.0.

      At the end of the day, if both system can play the games well and also sell well enough to have a healthy competition, the 3rd party developers will develop for the lowest common denominator. System strength will make merely a marginal difference at the middle of the console of the console's lifespan but I guess towards the end of the line, that's where the extra margin makes a difference.

    • reply
      September 3, 2013 6:45 PM

      ..In the form of a TURBO button.

    • reply
      September 3, 2013 7:18 PM

      Awesome.

    • reply
      September 3, 2013 7:29 PM

      GOD, first 8 controllers, now THIS? What the fuck, Microsoft? Next you'll be announcing what, an increase in HDD size? I am disgusted.

      • reply
        September 3, 2013 8:40 PM

        an extra 200mb per drive!

    • reply
      September 3, 2013 7:47 PM

      Can't wait for the inevitable rash of heat deaths in launch consoles.

    • reply
      September 3, 2013 8:30 PM

      I hear Xbone will be using thicker-than-Ps4 gauge plastic for its shell. Apparently it makes games 6% more fun.

    • reply
      September 3, 2013 10:06 PM

      I find it very strange they are making hardware changes at this point... should they not be in full production mode by now???

      • reply
        September 3, 2013 10:10 PM

        i'm also wondering why there still is no release date. seems like they're really pushing it. but then again, i dunno wtf

      • reply
        September 3, 2013 10:23 PM

        This isn't necessarily a hardware change - Microsoft may be able to just adjust the clock/voltage in the firmware (I'm assuming it uses UEFI not BIOS), in which case the change will just be bundled in the mandatory day one update they already announced.

      • reply
        September 3, 2013 10:30 PM

        Clock speed is something you can mess with near the end of production (heck it's someone that end users do). Notice how graphics card vendors like EVGA, gigabyte, MSI, ASUS, and sapphire all have different warranties, cooling systems, clock speeds, and game bundles despite having access to same chips. It will be interesting to see if there is any hickups in the xbox one launch because of all the sudden changes.

        • reply
          September 3, 2013 10:32 PM

          Are you an engineer? It's not like they can hit a light switch!! ;P

        • reply
          September 3, 2013 10:53 PM

          yeah I see what your saying and I know just about anyone can mess with just about any clock on their computer. But you can have 200 of the same cpu's and 10 of them will refuse to overclock at all and if they are not overclocking then why did amd not just say right from the get go that all of these cpu's will run at 1.75ghz??

          • reply
            September 3, 2013 11:33 PM

            you can have 200 of the same cpu's and 10 of them will refuse to overclock at all

            They already had to balance that kind of cost/benefit risk even if they hadn't made this change. There will always be defect dies on the wafer and those will be waste. Nvidia and AMD can probably die harvest their chips however console makers can not. Sony most likely has a larger die so a greater percentage of their chips will be unusable. They are absolutely paying more for whatever performance advantage they get. As they take use of process upgrades that price will go down.

            if they are not overclocking then why did amd not just say right from the get go that all of these cpu's will run at 1.75ghz?

            CPU and GPU on are the same die. Sony dies probably have more in common with Microsofts then they differ but they're not identical. Many have noted that xbox one has a larger case. This likely houses a larger heatsink that would be convenient for a hotter chip.

            • reply
              September 4, 2013 12:56 AM

              I believe the MS one is bigger in fact, it has the extra 32mb of ram on die, made with a different process (!!!). Sony have a slightly smaller die but with more transistors dedicated to CPU / GPU.

            • reply
              September 4, 2013 2:07 AM

              Here we go..... red ring v2.0

      • reply
        September 3, 2013 11:27 PM

        [deleted]

      • reply
        September 4, 2013 8:35 AM

        On the contrary, this kind of hardware change is a by-product of actual production. They started making the processors and found that they had a better tolerance than expected at a higher speed and heat.

    • reply
      September 3, 2013 11:10 PM

      For this"improvement" and the last one my response has been largely to reminisce on my five 360s four of which red ringed.

    • reply
      September 3, 2013 11:15 PM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      September 3, 2013 11:34 PM

      I for one as so annoyed that it will perform better.

    • reply
      September 4, 2013 4:01 AM

      The GHz war has come to the consoles.

      All this has happened before, and all of this will happen again.

    • reply
      September 4, 2013 11:50 AM

      Cool news - for all the people who know tech more than me, will this make a noticeable difference in how games look/perform? I had thought the GPU would make more of a difference in that respect, which is behind the GPU in the PS4 (like a Radeon 7790 vs a Radeon 7850/7870 right?).

Hello, Meet Lola