It was much debated on the Internet what SoC Nintendo's Switch is using. Some say it is powered by Nvidia's 2 years old Tegra X1, others say it is powered by a custom Tegra Pascal chip. It seems we finally have an answer as ARM claimed the Switch will be powered by 4x ARM Cortex-57 cores. For reference, the X1 also uses four ARM Cortex-57 cores. While Nvidia's Pascal based Tegra P1 chip utilises four Cortex-57 cores as well, it also has 2 additional Denver2 cores that are lacking in the X1 and ARM's announcement. That means it's very likely that Nintendo went with the X1, although with some sort of possible customization.

Source

Update

Someone asked ARM via email about the facebook post and ARM says it was 'not an official statement' and removed the post. Whether it was posted by mistake or if there is any other reason behind it is anyone's guess. ARM notably didn't deny the truthfullness of the post, but at present the Switch's SoC remains unconfirmed.

 

[Deleted User]

I think they are. However I am color blind so I cant really speak to that part and just use downloaded profiles. The 144hz is really smooth. The second on I got was a refurb direct from BenQ and was supposed to be a 2411Z which has one less port and doesnt have the S switch (mouse thingy for changing preset modes). Some how the order got screwed up and the Customer Service Rep didnt have one to ship, so sent me the upgraded model. Customer Service is top notch with them. Get on their mailing list as they have refurb sales frequently. I cant tell the difference between my new and refurb display. At the time Gsync/FreeSync were just more that I wanted to spend. Next time.

Ah okay well thanks. I was thinking of getting one soon. I REALLY need a updated monitor. Tired of 900p

 

[Zense]

To change the subject for a minute, are BenQ monitors good? I've heard bad things about them but I wanted to hear from somebody who uses them in daily use.

This is probably the best off-topic ever

I've stopped caring about the specs of the Switch as long as it's easier to develop for than the Wii U. The only thing I care about is how the virtual console is gonna be. Nintendo really needs share some info on this... I don't wanna buy any vc game before this is clarified.

 

[Tigran]

Last I checked steam big picture mode was still a thing
http://store.steampowered.com/bigpicture

And if you dont want to put a gaming pc in your living room
http://store.steampowered.com/app/353380/

I just want to note that the Steam Link is awesome and greatly under-appreciated.

 

[Deleted User]

This is probably the best off-topic ever

I've stopped caring about the specs of the Switch. As long as it's easier to develop for than the Wii U. The only thing I care about is how the virtual console is gonna be. Nintendo really needs share some info on this... I don't wanna buy any vc game before this is clarified

Same. If the VC is going to look washed out and have a even worse selection than Wii U, than I guess I'll just stick to the Wii.

 

[thorasgar]

Ah okay well thanks. I was thinking of getting one soon. I REALLY need a updated monitor. Tired of 900p

Follow r/buildapcsales if you are in the market for anything. Last spring there was a massive pricing screw up by some distributor and I was able to snag a $900 Samsung 32" Freesync 4K display for $225. Gave it to the wife for work, she is the envy of everyone in the office.

Also on the BenQ from everything I have read they are not the best at factory defaults but once calibrated they really shine.

I just want to note that the Steam Link is awesome and greatly under-appreciated.

Damn straight. Especially at $20 on sale. Great for Rocket League on the couch.

 

[nolimits59]

Don't be a Nvidia shill. AMD makes great products, if not competitive products. You care to explain yourself?

They great entry graphic card @ around 50-100€, well, they used to, because now i would not advance on that point, but when it comes to elaborated drivers, better AA's, better optimisation, less power consumption, Nvidia all the way... and heses cuda cores are wonderfull when you need to have a versatil configuration, buy a gtx 1070, you have a long lasting card and a great companion for your rendering on adobe suites for example, better than the AMDs ones.
Just the Geforce experience now is a +1 direct to sell a Nvidia than a AMD, streaming, recording, drivers updates, games settings optimisation... so much features you have more than when you buy a AMD.
Just compare the "poor" RX 480 with a gtx 1070, it outrun the AMD in everygame, sometimes by 50% more FPS, and even a CROSSIFRE of 480 dont outrun a 1070 that easily,
that architecture is poor, AMD knows it, if not, where are the "enthusiast" versions of a RX ? RX 490 ? well, they gonna arives when Nvidia will get they new 1080/1070 ti version that will destroy them again...
They're so late... their CPU are garbage... their only source of concrete revenus comes from Sony and Microsoft who have AMD GPUs in their X1 and PS4...

Im not a nvidia blind followers, i always looked objectively on the market, ATI 4890 and 4870 X2 ? FUCK YES, their actual garbage ? Hell no...

 

[Deleted User]

Just the Geforce experience now is a +1 direct to sell a Nvidia than a AMD, streaming, recording, drivers updates, games settings optimisation... so much features you have more than when you buy a AMD.

OBS
Driver Updates are no problem, as Steam, AMD Radeon program, and Speccy do that for you.
Game Optimizations are with the Radeon Program also.

But yea I agree with you on everything else.

 

[kumikochan]

OBS
Driver Updates are no problem, as Steam, AMD Radeon program, and Speccy do that for you.
Game Optimizations are with the Radeon Program also.

But yea I agree with you on everything else.

They have bad optimization tho. Like i said when i get a driver update for my 980 Ti or 1080 i get an increase in FPS and my brother usually gets problems whenever a driver update releases for his R9. Last time he had like 15 - 20 fps drops on Overwatch when a driver update came out and he had to wait a shitload of time before it got fixed.

 

[Bateees]

I just realized the Nintendo Switch is basically a larger more defined version of a Playstation Vita. Honestly people I am more than content right now with my 3DS and can wait at least a year or more before buying a new console. The only game worth playing is the new Zelda game, and I do not have $300+ to just throw around. The new Mario game doesn't come out until the end of the year, and there's always a the chance of being delayed. I also want to see what Nintendo has in store at e3. The 3DS is definitely where all the games are.

 

[osaka35]

It's not about the products but bad support AMD gives. Instead of a driver update that gives you more stability AMD's update will give you stability issue's. My little brother has a R9 and i'm using a 1080 and before i was using a 980 Ti but anyway i've never experienced a driver update that gave me stability issue's and fps loss while my brother has that constantly with his R9 when an update comes out. There's zero to no optimising with AMD.

That's fair. On of AMD's biggest problem, I agree, is driver optimization. They tend to have noticeably longer lifespans, though, when they get it right after a while. I've found nvidia drivers have been pretty terrible in the past too. I'm in the habit now of creating a restore point every time I update any of my Nvidia machines . They're better than they used to be though, for sure. I suspect they've added a process or two before releasing drivers now.

 

[Foxi4]

I love how people think the XB1 and PS4 are so powerful. They're using outdated AMD 8 core APUs and only 8gb of ram. my haswell i5 4670 with 16gb 1600 ddr3 and with my gtx 960 4gb or my 1060 6gb runs way better then that tech they use.

The Jaguar microarchitecture was new (released mid-2013) at the time of XBO's and PS4's design process - they're low-power chips by choice, not because they're obsolete. The idea was that multiple cores will be better for handling multiple threads simultaneously, however gaming isn't taxing on the CPU, so multiple low-power cores are more power efficient and more suitable for the purpose.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_(microarchitecture)

Can people please stop bashing the Switch for being "underpowered"? When has Nintendo EVER cared about graphics! I mean, come on everyone. It's the content produced on the console. Let's all have a little faith!

Their last system designed to be competitive on the marketplace was the Gamecube, all systems after that were underpowered. The NES, SNES, N64 and GC were all cutting edge for their time. Coincidentally Nintendo became a household name and industry leader thanks to the NES and SNES - nobody mentions the Wii when you ask them about Nintendo.

 

[Joe88]

Just compare the "poor" RX 480 with a gtx 1070, it outrun the AMD in everygame, sometimes by 50% more FPS, and even a CROSSIFRE of 480 dont outrun a 1070 that easily,
that architecture is poor, AMD knows it, if not, where are the "enthusiast" versions of a RX ? RX 490 ? well, they gonna arives when Nvidia will get they new 1080/1070 ti version that will destroy them again...
They're so late... their CPU are garbage...
Im not a nvidia blind followers, i always looked objectively on the market, ATI 4890 and 4870 X2 ? FUCK YES, their actual garbage ? Hell no..

Why are you comparing a card that costs twice as much as a lower end card and then saying its more powerful? I would hope it is but the comparison is moot at best.
1060 vs 480 on the other hand (about the same price), everybody will recommend the 480

The new ryzen cpu's are launching within a few weeks, but I guess the blind nvidia follower wouldn't know that.

 

[Foxi4]

Why are you comparing a card that costs twice as much as a competing card and then saying its more powerful? I would hope it is but the comparison is moot at best.
1060 vs 480 on the other hand (about the same price), everybody will recommend the 480

The new ryzen cpu's are launching within a few weeks, but I guess the blind nvidia follower wouldn't know that.

NVidia does perform better in gaming as of today, but that's NVidia's own doing - PhysX, GameWorks and other NVidia-specific toolkits and solutions are notoriously performing worse on AMD, and it's not a coincidence at all as NVidia doesn't care about optimising them for AMD chips even though they're obligated to do so. Meanwhile AMD chips perform better in DX12 benchmarks, so it's not a lack of power that's holding them back, it's NVidia's trickery.

 

[DarthDub]

3 more weeks..

 

[Subtle Demise]

Can people please stop bashing the Switch for being "underpowered"? When has Nintendo EVER cared about graphics! I mean, come on everyone. It's the content produced on the console. Let's all have a little faith!

They cared until the Wii. The GameCube had the best graphics capabilities of its generation, even if the original Xbox had better specs as gar as numbers go.

If you go further back, the NES completely obliterated its competitors, the Sega Master System and the Atari systems, in terms of graphics and sound. Hell, even the PCs of the time couldn't compete at a decent price point. The Sharp x68000 could've destroyed it but it was too bleeding-edge for 1987 and cost way too much to get any decent marketshare. Oh and despite what anyone says, SNES > Sega Genesis.

 

[Fronic]

I love how people think the XB1 and PS4 are so powerful. They're using outdated AMD 8 core APUs and only 8gb of ram. my haswell i5 4670 with 16gb 1600 ddr3 and with my gtx 960 4gb or my 1060 6gb runs way better then that tech they use.

Everyone knew they were dated before they released. Well at least the people with PCs. But the console market is always filled with old hardware.

 

[Yil]

The Jaguar microarchitecture was new (released mid-2013) at the time of XBO's and PS4's design process - they're low-power chips by choice, not because they're obsolete. The idea was that multiple cores will be better for handling multiple threads simultaneously, however gaming isn't taxing on the CPU, so multiple low-power cores are more power efficient and more suitable for the purpose.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_(microarchitecture)
Their last system designed to be competitive on the marketplace was the Gamecube, all systems after that were underpowered. The NES, SNES, N64 and GC were all cutting edge for their time. Coincidentally Nintendo became a household name and industry leader thanks to the NES and SNES - nobody mentions the Wii when you ask them about Nintendo.

Japan in its entirety start to fall behind in terms of tech. While we are getting gpus that higher than 2 teraflops, quite a number of devs cant make full use of ps3.

 

[nolimits59]

Why are you comparing a card that costs twice as much as a lower end card and then saying its more powerful? I would hope it is but the comparison is moot at best.
1060 vs 480 on the other hand (about the same price), everybody will recommend the 480

The new ryzen cpu's are launching within a few weeks, but I guess the blind nvidia follower wouldn't know that.

Doesn t matter, you can also take a 390X (1year older card "lol"),I took the highest and latest GPU, of AMD and the average of Nvidia, one is capable of 4K games,
u know why i think it matter ? beside that the fact that you should have a 4Kready GPU in your roster that actually have great performance (and that are upadted, so, no R9 Fury because no thank you for that outrageous PSU consumtion, "lol" again), so lets say a solid 40fps at least in ultra,
correct me, but neither a 480 or 390X can handle that... that's a joke really, you should have a high end graphic card that allows you to change your screen without forcing you to also take the latest graphic card...

It's not a secret that AMD is struggling with RAW performances when it comes to hi-end, now they're resting on DX12 and Vulkan like said before because it's ease their work, they adapted quite well (thx mantle) on that so they don't have to push they card further, but we are very close to a 1070/1080 ti, so the 1070 is gonna be as the same price of a 480 kinda soon...wow...
"Ryzen out soon" i lost my trust to AMD a long time ago, remember Buldozer for their CPU ? They're always talking but thats all they can do, when they announce a new architecture, they're always "yeah our hi end gonna beat the x70 of the actual nvidia serie", yeah i guess because theses cards are 1year old...
but gotta remember you that Ryzen is CPU not GPU, GPU is Vega, and we saw Doom Vulkan 4K maxed out on a Vega+Ryzen cant event get a total stable 60fps, and sometimes drop like 45-50fps, so its close but not over a 1080... again...

 

[DarkCoffe64]

So, the Switch is powered by this dude

cloned four times? We might see the Crash Bandicoot trilogy on the switch after all, then.

 

[Xzi]

I imagine this has already been pointed out, but ARM's Facebook post was removed because they said the information was inaccurate.