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A little something to look forward to: A new leak has revealed key details about the device’s processor.
This information comes from hardware modder Geekerwan who is a respected YouTuber. The analyst and tipper who provided the motherboard was a well-known tipster. Kurnalsalts (19459017). Geekerwan confirmed in a new video that the Switch 2 runs Nvidia’s Tegra T239 soC and shared new details about the RAM, CPU, GPU and storage.
Geekerwan used a Focused Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscope to analyze the SoC and discovered that Samsung used elements from its 10nm- and 8nm-node nodes in order to manufacture it. The design is largely similar to the 8nm process that Samsung uses in its RTX 30 Series GPUs, but Samsung retained some features from 10nm to reduce costs.
Die shot analysis of the Tegra T239 shows a CPU with 8 Arm Cortex A78C cores. Each is paired with 256KB private L2 cache, and a shared L3 cache of 4MB. The chip also has a 2.4 sq mm Ampere graphics processor – likely based off the GA10B die – with 6 Texture Processing Clusters, 12 Streaming Multiprocessors and 1,536 CUDA Cores. Geekerwan claims that the entire SoC measures 207 sq. mm.
Other notable parts include 12GB LPDDR5x-853x memory in a two-six-GB configuration, and 256GB TLC-based UFS 3.1 Storage supplied by SK Hynix. The system includes a MediaTek Bluetooth and Wi-Fi modules, as well as a 34W power unit.
Geekerwan tested the gaming capabilities of the T239 by simulating its performance with an underclocked RTX2050 laptop GPU. According to his testing, the chip’s performances are comparable to a GTX 1050Ti when docked or a GTX750T when used in handheld mode. VideoCardz points out that, while this may not sound impressive, it is still seven timesbetter than the GPU performance of Switch’s first generation.
The results are based upon synthetic emulation, and may not accurately represent the T239’s real-world performance. After the official launch of the Switch 2 on June 5, comprehensive reviews should reveal a clearer picture.
