Editing Nintendo 64 (section)

=== Technical specifications ===
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin:0.5em 0 0.5em 1.4em; text-align:center;"
|-
| [[File:CPU-NUS 01.jpg|none|100px|VR4300 CPU]]
| [[File:RCP-NUS 01.jpg|none|100px|64-bit "Reality Coprocessor"]]
| [[File:RDRAM18-NUS 01.jpg|none|100px|2-chip [[RDRAM]]]]
|-
| style="width:100px;"| {{small|VR4300 CPU}}
| style="width:100px;"| {{small|64-bit "Reality Coprocessor"}}
| style="width:100px;"| {{small|2-chip [[RDRAM]]}}
|-
| [[File:Nintendo-N64-Motherboard-Bottom.jpg|none|100px|Main motherboard]]
| [[File:Nintendo-N64-Motherboard-Top.jpg|none|100px|Main motherboard]]
| [[File:Nintendo-64-Memory-Expansion-Pak Front.jpg|none|100px|Memory Expansion Pak]]
|-
| style="width:100px;"| {{small|[[Motherboard]] (bottom)}}
| style="width:100px;"| {{small|Motherboard (top)<br />([[commons:File:Nintendo-N64-Motherboard-Top.jpg|Annotated]])}}
| style="width:100px;"| {{small|Memory Expansion Pak}}
|}
The Nintendo 64's architecture is built around the Reality Coprocessor (RCP), which serves as the system’s [[Northbridge (computing)|central hub]] for processing graphics, audio, and memory management.<ref name="N64 Programming Manual">{{Cite web |title=Hardware Architecture |url=https://ultra64.ca/files/documentation/online-manuals/man/pro-man/pro03/index.html |access-date=March 31, 2025 |website=N64 Programming Manual |archive-date=January 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240123210149/https://ultra64.ca/files/documentation/online-manuals/man/pro-man/pro03/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It works in tandem with the [[VR4300]], is a [[64-bit computing|64-bit]] CPU produced by [[NEC]], operating at 93.75&nbsp;MHz with a performance of 125 [[million instructions per second]].<ref name="NECVR4300">{{Cite web |title=Main specifications of VR4300TM-series |url=http://www.nec.co.jp/press/en/9711/1401-01.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710173520/http://www.nec.co.jp/press/en/9711/1401-01.html |archive-date=July 10, 2020 |access-date=May 20, 2006 |publisher=[[NEC]]}}</ref> ''[[Popular Electronics]]'' compared its processing power to that of contemporary [[Pentium]] desktop processors.<ref name="Popular Will" /> Though constrained by a narrower [[32-bit]] system [[bus (computing)|bus]], the VR4300 retained the computational capabilities of the more powerful 64-bit MIPS R4300i on which it was based.<ref name="NECVR4300" /> However, software rarely utilized 64-bit precision, as Nintendo 64 games primarily relied on faster and more compact 32-bit operations.<ref name="32bitmode">{{Cite web |last=Copetti |first=Rodrigo |date=September 12, 2019 |title=Nintendo 64 Architecture: A Practical Analysis |url=https://www.copetti.org/writings/consoles/nintendo-64/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730091625/https://www.copetti.org/writings/consoles/nintendo-64/ |archive-date=July 30, 2023 |access-date=August 4, 2023 |publisher=}}</ref> 

The RCP operates at 62.5 MHz and contains two critical components: the "Signal Processor", responsible for sound and graphics processing, and the "Display Processor", which manages pixel drawing.<ref name="Technical Details">{{Cite web |title=Nintendo 64 Technical Details |url=https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Hardware/Nintendo-History/Nintendo-64/Technical-Details/Technical-Details-627050.html?srsltid=AfmBOooCiye65lvmg1A5Rp5egtfZAu3It91_5cB50U_Dg1gqTJ9YQdr0 |access-date=March 31, 2025 |website=Nintendo of Europe SE |language=en-GB}}</ref> The RCP renders visual data into the graphics frame buffer and controls [[direct memory access]] (DMA), transferring video and audio data from memory to a [[digital-to-analog converter]] (DAC) for final output.<ref name="N64 Programming Manual" />

A key advantage of the Nintendo 64's architecture is that the CPU and RCP operate in parallel, dividing tasks for better efficiency. While the VR4300 executes the main game logic, the RCP processes graphics and sound independently. This design enables 3D rendering and complex audio effects but also requires careful coordination to avoid performance bottlenecks.<ref name="N64 Programming Manual" />

The Nintendo 64 was among the first consoles to implement a [[unified memory architecture]], eliminating separate banks of [[random-access memory]] (RAM) for CPU, audio, and video operations.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=November 1996 |title=Total Recall: The Future of Data Storage |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |page=43 |issue=23 |quote=The current trend now, with both the M2 and N64, is back towards a unified memory system.}}</ref> It features 4&nbsp;MB of RDRAM (Rambus DRAM), expandable to 8&nbsp;MB with the [[Expansion Pak]]. At the time, RDRAM was a relatively new technology that provided high bandwidth at a lower cost.

Audio processing is handled by both the CPU and the RCP and is output through a DAC with a sample rate of up to [[44,100 Hz|44.1 kHz]] with 16-bit depth, matching CD quality.<ref name="NGen12">{{Cite magazine |date=December 1995 |title=Which Game System is the Best!? |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |pages=83–85 |issue=12}}</ref> However, this level of fidelity was rarely used due to the high CPU demand and the storage limitations of the ROM cartridges.<ref name="32bitmode" /> Most games featured [[stereo sound]], with some supporting [[Dolby Pro Logic]] surround sound.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=1999-05-15 |title=Nintendo Embraces New Technology |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/05/15/nintendo-embraces-new-technology |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=IGN |language=en |archive-date=April 7, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250407133729/https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/05/15/nintendo-embraces-new-technology |url-status=live }}</ref>

For video output, the system supports [[composite video|composite]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nintendo Support: Nintendo 64 AV to TV Hookup |url=https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/nintendo64/hook_avtotv.jsp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100520030615/http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/nintendo64/hook_avtotv.jsp |archive-date=May 20, 2010 |access-date=February 28, 2010 |publisher=Nintendo}}</ref> and [[S-Video]] output, using the same cables as the Super NES and GameCube. It can display up to [[Millions of colors|16.8 million colors]]<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Loguidice |first1=Bill |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wZnpAgAAQBAJ&q=The+Nintendo+64+supports+16.8+million+colors&pg=PA262 |title=Vintage Game Consoles: An Inside Look at Apple, Atari, Commodore, Nintendo, and the Greatest Gaming Platforms of All Time |last2=Barton |first2=Matt |date=February 24, 2014 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=9781135006518 |page=262 |language=en |access-date=October 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813021307/https://books.google.com/books?id=wZnpAgAAQBAJ&q=The+Nintendo+64+supports+16.8+million+colors&pg=PA262 |archive-date=August 13, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> and resolutions ranging from 256×224 to 640×480 pixels.<ref name="Technical Details" /> While most games run at 320×240, some support higher resolutions, often requiring the Expansion Pak.<ref name="IGN-Pak">{{Cite web |last=IGN Staff |date=December 15, 1998 |title=Nintendo 64 Expansion Pak |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/1998/12/16/nintendo-64-expansion-pak |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924042723/http://www.ign.com/articles/1998/12/16/nintendo-64-expansion-pak |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |access-date=August 7, 2015 |website=IGN}}</ref> The console also accommodates widescreen formats, with games offering either [[Anamorphic format|anamorphic]] 16:9 or [[Letterboxing (filming)|letterboxed]] display modes.<ref name=":0" />