About Nintendo 64 CPU not being made by SGI

Submitted ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨IlIllIIIllIlIlIIlI@lemmy.world⁩ to ⁨retrogaming@lemmy.world⁩

A lot of years ago I remember one post in some web I can not remember about Nintendo 64 manufacture history. I remember that it said that Sillicom Graphics (SGI) had heavy issues during the design/manufacture of the N64 CPU. Because of this, finally the CPU was made by other company, not SGI.

Recently I looked for that post but could not find it. I read other posts about this history but none talks about this SGI issue thing.

Does somebody know anything about this? Maybe is just im remember it wrong.

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SL3wvmnas@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Says here SGI demoed the coprocessor to both Nintendo and Sega. Sega bowed out after their engineers found / perceived problems with the SGI design. I do not remember any behind the scenes article about the realtionship between Nintendo and SGI but having heard a lot of stories, I suspect the read would be entertaining …

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- IlIllIIIllIlIlIIlI@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Thanks!
  
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farcaster@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
It’s basically an NEC VR4300. Produced by NEC based on a MIPS R4300i.

n64brew.dev/wiki/VR4300

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- IlIllIIIllIlIlIIlI@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Sorry, I was talking about the RCP, not CPU. I already fixed the OP. Thanks anyway.
  
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RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
SGI only made the RCP, Reality CoProcessor.

NEC (who sold the PC Engine, PC-FX consoles and the PC-98XX series home computers at the time) licensed the MIPS R4200 CPU designs from MTX. They then created the derivative CPU the N64 used, the MIPS VR4300i.

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- IlIllIIIllIlIlIIlI@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  You are right about the RCP. I fixed the op. Thanks.
  
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