The consumer version of the Microsoft Xbox Series X console is equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6 system memory. This memory is divided into two stacks: 10 GB fast memory with 560 GB/s bandwidth (14 Gb/s speed, 320-bit bus) and 6 GB slow memory with 336 GB/s bandwidth (14 Gb/s speed, bus 192 bits). But the disassembly of the development kit (devkit) Xbox Series X showed that it is equipped with two and a half times more memory.
Image Source: YouTube / GamersNexus
The popular YouTube channel GamersNexus dismantled the Xbox Series X developer kit. As channel host Steve Burke points out, the device was purchased at one of the auctions.
An attempt by an unauthorized user to connect the development kit to the Internet results in an instant blocking of the console on the Web, which also makes it impossible to run any games. Unfortunately, this also did not allow us to test the device and compare the efficiency of the cooling systems of the devkit and the consumer version of the set-top box.
The disassembly of the devkit showed that it is equipped with twenty 16-gigabit GDDR6 memory chips with a capacity of 2 GB each labeled Samsung K4ZAF325BM-HC14. Thus, the total memory of the device is 40 GB. All memory runs at 14 Gb / s, supports 320-bit interface, and its bandwidth is 560 GB / s. The only reason for using this amount of memory is simple: a device with such a large memory buffer allows game developers to debug unoptimized builds with uncompressed textures without any problems.
In addition to a large supply of memory, the Xbox Series X devkit has a number of other features. For example, its cooling system consists of two tangential fans, a large heatsink with copper heat pipes, and a large copper evaporation chamber. It cools not only the Project Scarlett processor at the heart of the console, but also the GDDR6 memory chips that are on the same side with it.
The memory chips on the back of the PCB are equipped with thermal pads that make contact with the devkit’s metal case, very likely serving as a heat dissipator. A video of the complete disassembly of the Xbox Series X Developer Kit can be found below.
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