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{{short description|32-bit CPU for the Nintendo GameCube}}
{{short description|32-bit CPU for the Nintendo GameCube}}
{{no footnotes|date=July 2018}}
{{Infobox CPU
{{Infobox CPU
| name = Gekko
| name = Gekko
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| l2cache = 256 KB
| l2cache = 256 KB
| l3cache =
| l3cache =
| application = [[Nintendo GameCube]]<br />[[Triforce (arcade system board)|Triforce Arcade Board]]
| application = [[GameCube]]<br />[[Triforce (arcade system board)|Triforce Arcade Board]]
| predecessor = [[R4200#R4300i|NEC VR4300]]
| predecessor = [[R4200#R4300i|NEC VR4300]]
| successor = [[Broadway (microprocessor)|Broadway]]
| successor = [[Broadway (microprocessor)|Broadway]]
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}}
}}


[[File:IBM Gekko Die Exposed.jpg|thumb|180nm IBM Gekko CPU in the Nintendo Gamecube shaven down to expose the silicon die.]]
[[File:IBM Gekko Die Exposed.jpg|thumb|180nm IBM Gekko CPU in the Gamecube shaven down to expose the silicon die.]]


{{POWER, PowerPC, and Power ISA}}
{{POWER, PowerPC, and Power ISA}}


'''Gekko''' is a superscalar out-of-order [[32-bit]] [[PowerPC]] [[microprocessor]] custom-made by [[IBM]] in 2000 for [[Nintendo]] to use as the [[Central processing unit|CPU]] in their [[Sixth generation of video game consoles|sixth generation game console]], the [[GameCube|Nintendo GameCube]], and later the [[Triforce (arcade system board)|Triforce Arcade Board]].
'''Gekko''' is a superscalar out-of-order [[32-bit]] [[PowerPC]] [[microprocessor]] custom-made by [[IBM]] in 2000 for [[Nintendo]] to use as the [[Central processing unit|CPU]] in their [[Sixth generation of video game consoles|sixth generation game console]], the [[GameCube]], and later the [[Triforce (arcade system board)|Triforce Arcade Board]].


==Development==
==Development==
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==See also==
==See also==
* [[Nintendo GameCube]]
* [[Triforce (arcade system board)]]
* [[PowerPC G3]]
* [[Broadway (microprocessor)]], the processor in the [[Nintendo Wii]]
* [[Broadway (microprocessor)]], the processor in the [[Nintendo Wii]]
* MIPS [[R4200#R4300i|R4300]], the processor in the [[Nintendo 64]]
* MIPS [[R4200#R4300i|R4300]], the processor in the [[Nintendo 64]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{no footnotes|date=July 2018}}
{{reflist|30em}}
*[http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/2181.wss IBM, Nintendo Announce $1 Billion Technology Agreement]
*[http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/2181.wss IBM, Nintendo Announce $1 Billion Technology Agreement]
*[https://www.webcitation.org/66B5UsvoD?url=http://www.hotchips.org/archives/hc13/2_Mon/06ibm-gekko.pdf A PowerPC compatible processor supporting high-performance 3-D graphics]
*[https://www.webcitation.org/66B5UsvoD?url=http://www.hotchips.org/archives/hc13/2_Mon/06ibm-gekko.pdf A PowerPC compatible processor supporting high-performance 3-D graphics]

Revision as of 20:07, 19 April 2021

Gekko
IBM Gekko processor
General information
Launched2000
Discontinued2007
Designed byIBM and Nintendo
Common manufacturer
Performance
Max. CPU clock rate486 MHz 
Cache
L1 cache32/32 KB
L2 cache256 KB
Architecture and classification
ApplicationGameCube
Triforce Arcade Board
Technology node180 nm
MicroarchitecturePowerPC G3
Instruction setPowerPC ISA 1.10
Physical specifications
Cores
  • 1
Products, models, variants
Variant
History
PredecessorNEC VR4300
SuccessorBroadway
180nm IBM Gekko CPU in the Gamecube shaven down to expose the silicon die.

Gekko is a superscalar out-of-order 32-bit PowerPC microprocessor custom-made by IBM in 2000 for Nintendo to use as the CPU in their sixth generation game console, the GameCube, and later the Triforce Arcade Board.

Development

Gekko's role in the game system was to facilitate game scripting, Artificial Intelligence, physics and collision detection, custom graphics lighting effects and geometry such as smooth transformations, and moving graphics data through the system.

The project was announced in 1999 when IBM and Nintendo agreed to a one billion dollar contract for a CPU running at approximately 400 MHz. IBM chose to modify their existing PowerPC 750CXe processor to suit Nintendo's needs, such as tight and balanced operation alongside the "Flipper" graphics processor. The customization was to the bus architecture, DMA, compression and floating point unit which support a special set of SIMD instructions. The CPU made ground work for custom lighting and geometry effects and could burst compressed data directly to the GPU.[citation needed]

The Gekko is considered to be the direct ancestor to the Broadway processor, also designed and manufactured by IBM, that powers the Wii console.

Features

  • Customized PowerPC 750CXe core
  • Clockrate – 486 MHz
  • Superscalar Out-of-order execution
  • 4 stages long two-integer ALUs (IU1 and IU2) – 32 bit
  • 7 stages long Floating Point Unit – 64-bit double-precision FPU, usable as 2 × 32-bit SIMD for 1.9 single-precision GFLOPS performance using the Multiply–accumulate operation. The SIMD is often found under the denomination "paired singles."
  • Branch Prediction Unit (BPU)
  • Load-Store Unit (LSU)
  • System Register Unit (SRU)
  • Memory Management Unit (MMU)
  • Branch Target Instruction Cache (BTIC)
  • SIMD Instructions – PowerPC750 + roughly 50 new SIMD instructions, geared toward 3D graphics
  • Front-side Bus – 64-bit enhanced 60x bus to GPU/chipset at 162 MHz clock with 1.3 GB/s peak bandwidth
  • On-chip Cache – 64 KB 8-way associative L1 cache (32/32 KB instruction/data). 256 KB on-die, 2-way associative L2 cache
  • DMIPS – 1125 (dhrystone 2.1)
  • 180 nm IBM six-layer, copper-wire process. 43 mm² die
  • 1.8 V for logic and I/O. 4.9 W dissipation
  • 27 × 27 mm PBGA package with 256 contacts
  • 6.35 million logic transistors and 18.6 million transistors total

See also

References