Digital Foundry: Xbox Series X Complete Specs + Ray Tracing/Gears 5/Back-Compat/Quick Resume Demo Showcase!

Armenius

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Digital Foundry has confirmed the final specifications of the Xbox Series X.
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CPU
Comprised of 2x quad core custom Zen2 clusters (1 core locked to the OS), clocked at 3.8 GHz (SMT off) and 3.6 GHz (SMT on).

GPU
RDNA2 running at 1.825 GHz with 52 CUs and 3328 shaders. Core clock speed is locked/no boost clock.

Memory
16GB GDDR6 running at 14 Gbps on a 320-bit interface. 10GB optimized for GPU with 560 GB/s bandwidth, 6GB "standard" with 336 GB/s bandwidth. 2.5GB of "standard" memory reserved for OS.

Storage
Custom 1TB NVME SSD with 2.4 GB/s bandwidth. 100GB reserved for Xbox Velocity Architecture (virtual memory-like system) with hardware decompression support. This is a new feature being added to DirectX as "DirectStorage."

 
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It's good to once again see a powerful console come to market, but really I'm more interested in the new tech like DirectStorage and DLI. I also wonder if the HDR machine learning algorithm could make its way into Windows.
 
CPU
Comprised of 2x quad core custom Zen2 clusters (1 core locked to the OS), clocked at 3.8 GHz (SMT off) and 3.6 GHz (SMT on).

3800-level performance, with 4 cores dedicated to OS. Or is it two physically-separate dies?

GPU
RDNA2 running at 1.825 GHz with 52 CUs and 3328 shaders. Core clock speed is locked/no boost clock.


~30% above 5700 XT. Likely what we can expect from "big Navi" as well.

Memory

16GB GDDR6 running at 14 Gbps on a 320-bit interface. 10GB optimized for GPU with 560 GB/s bandwidth, 6GB "standard" with 336 GB/s bandwidth. 2.5GB of "standard" memory reserved for OS.

320-bit interface... this the biggest surprise for me. I was sure they would save cost by going 256-bit.
 
Pretty nice. I expect the PS5 specs to be very similar.

Yeah, I imagine it will be virtually identical, but even if it's not and somehow the PS5 is weaker, I'd still be buying it over Xbone just for its exclusives anyways. I don't see much incentive in having an Xbone if you already have a decent PC and a Steam Link or Shield TV or something to stream to your living room like I do now. Pretty much all I use my Xbone for anymore is BC titles from 360 and older Xbox games anymore and it's been a long time since I even used it for that.

The biggest thing I'm looking forward to in the next gen consoles is VRR support so that devs have a much bigger FPS window to target instead of having to stay locked to 60 FPS whatever and performance can dip a bit without tearing or visibly dropped frames. That alone will be a game changer on consoles if Sony and MS can push them to use it. Ultrawide resolutions would be sweet too since I like to have my consoles on my PC desk, but I doubt they'll go for that.
 
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Emphasizes 4K120 video cable, equips machine with 4K24 GPU.

Current Pro/X consoles have a few native 4K60 titles already (they're mostly up-scaled from lower resolutions though), so I'm pretty sure there will be plenty of them on next gen consoles. I know we're the PCMR and all, but there are IQ settings outside or maxed/ultra settings.
 
Nice. Not a console gamer, but would buy one in a heartbeat if you could install Windows 10 on it. It would be a fantastic SFF computer.

I actually wonder why MS doesn't do this on their own? Just make Xbox dual boot so people can choose b/w Windows 10 or Xbox OS in console mode. That way they get best of both worlds, I bet a TON of PC gamers would pick one up as a secondary gaming box and even console players would flock to it since they could play console and PC games on a single box. Maybe it has to do with security and hackers cracking games more easily? But that still happens and MS just locks their Xbox out so I think the pros would outweigh the cons. It not only would benefit MS twice over (console + PC grip) but AMD would also see a huge uptick in the PC market since less people would buy NVIDIA discrete GPUs and opt for a dual boot Xbox instead. I guess Microsoft has the wrong people running their gaming division. They could even make it the highest end hardware and price it at $650 and call it the Xbox PC Console while the others that don't have dual boot would be plain Xbox Series X.
 
~30% above 5700 XT. Likely what we can expect from "big Navi" as well.

"Big Navi" should be double of 5600XT (non-overclocked) plus architectural enhancements due to RDNA2

If Nvidia manages significant improvement with 3080 ti then AMD might need a "huge navi" too in addition to "big navi"
 
Everything looks good, but only HDR10? Guessing that is all any TV's support?

Lol at the fridge for scale.
 
Everything looks good, but only HDR10? Guessing that is all any TV's support?

Lol at the fridge for scale.
Dolby Vision is listed in the specs. LG OLED and SUHD televisions support Dolby Vision. I don't know of any games that use it, but most UHD Blu-rays I've watched use Dolby through the One X. The Dolby Access app tries to dynamically map SDR brightness to Dolby Vision in non-HDR content, but I haven't tried it. HDR10+ brings the same kind of features to the table that Dolby does, and more televisions support the former than the latter. Right now it seems that Dolby Vision support is exclusive to LG. The Xbox One also supports HLG, so I assume the Series X will, as well.
 
Almost 10 lbs, she's got some heft (for a console).

You have to cool that impressive APU. It has a lot functional units, at a very healthy clock speed, that has to chow down on some significant power. DF list a spec for the power supply to be: 200-220v at 2.2A. A big jump from XBX. Naturally that is what the PSU can handle, not what it will typically use, but that is ~400 watts, and most of the power will be consumed by the APU so it needs a hefty cooler.
 
CPU
Comprised of 2x quad core custom Zen2 clusters (1 core locked to the OS), clocked at 3.8 GHz (SMT off) and 3.6 GHz (SMT on).

3800-level performance, with 4 cores dedicated to OS. Or is it two physically-separate dies?

GPU
RDNA2 running at 1.825 GHz with 52 CUs and 3328 shaders. Core clock speed is locked/no boost clock.


~30% above 5700 XT. Likely what we can expect from "big Navi" as well.

Memory

16GB GDDR6 running at 14 Gbps on a 320-bit interface. 10GB optimized for GPU with 560 GB/s bandwidth, 6GB "standard" with 336 GB/s bandwidth. 2.5GB of "standard" memory reserved for OS.

320-bit interface... this the biggest surprise for me. I was sure they would save cost by going 256-bit.

Two 4-core chiplets. Only 1 core is dedicated to the OS, not four.
 
Here is another DF video about it.

It's not as tall as it looks in some pictures. The height is basically the same as the Xbox One X's length.
 
What's the life expectancy of this thing? 2-4 years?

120fps 4K is just around the corner for PC's.....just saying..
 
"Big Navi" should be double of 5600XT (non-overclocked) plus architectural enhancements due to RDNA2

If Nvidia manages significant improvement with 3080 ti then AMD might need a "huge navi" too in addition to "big navi"

I can't imagine AMD's next GPU having only double the juice of a 5600XT.
That would suck.
 
What's the life expectancy of this thing? 2-4 years?

120fps 4K is just around the corner for PC's.....just saying..
The eighth console generation will have lasted 7 years when the Xbox Series X releases end of this year.
 
The eighth console generation will have lasted 7 years when the Xbox Series X releases end of this year.

Generation makes sense for PS4 to PS5

But XBone was so gimped at the beginning that XB1X was effectively a new generation & XBoxX is another leap now
 
Have you noticed that video card generations are getting longer and longer? It will be a long time before the 4K/120hz dream reaches affordable price points.
I've run older games at 5K 166Hz, like HL2. So you can do it today. On new games it will probably be a long time since developers seem to push the graphics farther rather than increasing performance (with a few outliers like DOOM).
 
Extended from a conversation with sabrewolf732 in an older thread, we actually got the die size of the SOC package in the spec sheet. I don't think I've ever seen an official number from Microsoft before.
 
In a way, I am excited about these new consoles. They are so small and slick. As a PC gamer, I won't use one even if they'd give it to me for free, but that is one slick piece of hardware.

Very much reminds me of this beauty https://www.nzxt.com/products/h1-matte-white except the that's only a case for 350 dollars
 
In a way, I am excited about these new consoles. They are so small and slick. As a PC gamer, I won't use one even if they'd give it to me for free, but that is one slick piece of hardware.

Very much reminds me of this beauty https://www.nzxt.com/products/h1-matte-white except the that's only a case for 350 dollars
Good old NZXT. I mean mini ITX is a niche of a niche, so this is a low-volume product, but that case still isn't worth $350 by a longshot.
 
Good old NZXT. I mean mini ITX is a niche of a niche, so this is a low-volume product, but that case still isn't worth $350 by a longshot.

It comes with a PSU and 140mm AIO as well. Still probably not worth the $350, but a tiny bit less insane than $350 for the case alone.
 
Nice. Not a console gamer, but would buy one in a heartbeat if you could install Windows 10 on it. It would be a fantastic SFF computer.

Heck yeah. Ditch the optical drive, add a couple more USB ports, and charge an extra $200 or whatever for a PC edition.
 
Yar, really impressed by its form factor as well.

Truth be told, if MS did allow Windows 10 mode (with full KB+M support), I'd be hard pressed to build a dedicated gaming PC. All I need is steady 60fps with decent visual fidelity and snappy web browsing/forum posting. The 'game state saving' (or whatever they're called) has been great and I find myself using my X1X over my PC for certain Xbox Play Anywhere titles - just for that feature.
 
I've run older games at 5K 166Hz, like HL2. So you can do it today. On new games it will probably be a long time since developers seem to push the graphics farther rather than increasing performance (with a few outliers like DOOM).

If developers are doing a good job you should never be able to max out a game at 4k120fps on PC until 4k120fps is considered a low end monitor.
If you can max a new game out at a high resolution and frame rate it just means the developers aren't pushing hardware to it's limits.
If they're doing a good job you have the option to choose the level of detail, resolution, and frame rate you want.

People that complain they can't max out a game are stupid. It's a good thing most of the time. There are exceptions where the game is just terribly optimized and the frame rate and detail you're getting for the hardware is a legitimate complaint.

Xbox stating games should target 4k60fps is pretty cool. But that's on console where you generally don't get options for setting detail.
 
Seems like good hardware for the price. I am thinking this will be closer to $500, which may be a tough sell though. Maybe $450 is an option.
 
Good points sharknice . Also, since Xbox is targeting for 4K60 and even up to 120 Hz, it means most likely that format will become more popular.
 
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