PlayStation technical specifications

Central processing unit (CPU)

• MIPS R3000A-compatible 32-bit RISC CPU MIPS R3051 with 5 KB L1 cache, running at 33.8688 MHz.
• The microprocessor was manufactured by LSI Logic Corp. with technology licensed from SGI.
• Features:
• * Initial feature size was 0.5 micron.
• * 850k – 1M transistors
• * Operating performance: 30 MIPS
• * Bus bandwidth 132 MB/s
• * One arithmetic/logic unit
• * One shifter
• CPU cache RAM:
• * 4 KB instruction cache
• * 1 KB non-associative SRAM data cache

• Coprocessor that resides inside the main CPU processor, giving it additional vector math instructions used for 3D graphics, lighting, geometry, polygon and coordinate transformations GTE performs high-speed matrix multiplications.
• Operating performance: 66 MIPS
• Polygons per second :
• * 90,000 with texture mapping, lighting and Gouraud shading
• * 180,000 with texture mapping
• * 360,000 with flat shading

• Also residing within the main CPU, enables full screen, high quality FMV playback and is responsible for decompressing images and video into VRAM.
• Operating performance: 80 MIPS
• Documented device mode is to read three RLE-encoded 16×16 macroblocks, run IDCT and assemble a single 16×16 RGB macroblock.
• Output data may be transferred directly to GPU via DMA.
• It is possible to overwrite IDCT matrix and some additional parameters, however MDEC internal instruction set was never documented.
• It is directly connected to a CPU bus.

• This unit is part of the CPU. Has 16 32-bit control registers.
• Modified from the original R3000A cop0 architecture, with the addition of a few registers and functions.
• Controls memory management through virtual memory technique, system interrupts, exception handling, and breakpoints.

  Memory

• 2 MB main EDO DRAM
• Additional RAM is integrated with the GPU and SPU, see below for details.
• Cache RAM for CPU core and CD-ROM. See the relevant sections for details.
• Flash RAM support through the use of memory cards, see below.
• BIOS stored on 512 KB ROM

  Graphics processing unit (GPU)

• Handles display of graphics, control of framebuffer, and drawing of polygons and textures
• Handles 2D graphics processing, in a similar manner to the 3D engine
• RAM:
• * 1 MB VRAM for framebuffer
• * 2 KB texture cache
• * 64 bytes FIFO buffer
• Features:
• * Adjustable framebuffer
• * Emulation of simultaneous backgrounds
• * Mask bit
• * Texture window
• * Dithering
• * Clipping
• * Alpha blending
• * Fog
• * Framebuffer effects
• * Transparency effects
• * Render to texture
• * Offscreen rendering
• * Multipass rendering
• * Flat or Gouraud shading and texture mapping
• * No line restriction
• * Colored light sourcing
• Resolutions:
• * Progressive: 256×224 to 640×240 pixels
• * Interlaced: 256×448 to 640×480 pixels
• Colors:
• * Maximum color depth of 16,777,216 colors
• * 57,344 to 153,600 colors on screen
• * Unlimited color lookup tables
• * 32 levels of transparency
• * All calculations are performed to 24 bit accuracy
• Texture mapping color mode:
• * Mode 4: 4-bit CLUT
• * Mode 8: 8-bit CLUT
• * Mode 15: 15-bit direct
• * Mode 24: 24-bit
• Sprite engine
• * 1024×512 framebuffer, 8×8 and 16×16 sprite sizes, bitmap objects
• * Up to 4,000 sprites on screen, scaling and rotation
• * 256×256 maximum sprite size
• Special sprite effects:
• * Rotation
• * Scaling up/down
• * Warping
• * Transparency
• * Fading
• * Priority
• * Vertical and horizontal line scroll

  Sound processing unit (SPU)

• Supports ADPCM sources with up to 24 channels
• Sampling rate of up to 44.1 kHz
• 512 KB RAM
• PCM audio source
• Supports MIDI sequencing
• Digital effects include:
• * Pitch modulation
• * Envelope
• * Looping
• * Digital reverb

  I/O system and connectivity

• 660MB maximum storage capacity, double speed CD-ROM drive
• 2×, with a maximum data throughput of 300 KB/s, 150KB/s
• 128 KB data buffer
• XA Mode 2 compliant
• Audio CD play
• CD-DA
• Rated for 70,000 seek operations

• Expandable with multitap connector

• Two removable cards
• Each card has 128 KB flash memory
• OS support for File Save, Retrieve and Remove

• AV Multi Out
• RCA Composite video and Stereo out
• RFU DC out
• S-Video out

• Serial I/O
• Parallel I/O

• 100 V AC ; 120 V AC ; or 220–240 V AC
• 7.5 V DC 2 A