Can you replace the N64 processor with a faster 1

[New to this Game]

forinstance like a processor from a PC or a dreamcast. What about video cards can they br replaced to.

[kendrick]

The main processor in the Nintendo 64 is a customized chip, and as such it can't be upgraded as you would the CPU in a personal computer. The instruction set that is stored in these chips is very specific, and since Nintendo has not created faster versions of the chip with the same instruction set, there is no upgrade path.

By comparison, the Dreamcast uses a standard SH-series Hitachi processor. The Gamecube uses an IBM PowerPC chip, and the Xbox uses a plain old Intel Pentium. While you could in theory replace each of these chips with the next fastest iteration of the corresponding 'off-the-shelf' processor, in reality the other components in each console are not designed or implemented to take advantage of this higher speed.

Also, none of these components are installed in sockets. To remove and replace these chips would require desoldering and resoldering dozens of connections. The same applies to other semiconductor components, including the graphics chips and sound chips. Put very simply, no game console was designed to have components upgraded or replaced in this fashion. You can have peripherals added on (like the Sega CD or the 3DO MPEG card) but never has there been a component upgrade.

That's a lot of words to say 'no' to your question. Maybe you should give us a better idea of what goal you want to accomplish... Do you want a specific game or a piece of custom code to run faster, or more efficiently? Maybe you should explore overclocking the N64 or hacking another storage medium (like the DoctorV64 or one of the many RAM carts available.) Rather than focusing on a component change, you should set the goal first and then find out what options could lead you to accomplish that goal.

-KKC, who has the patience of a saint and the persistence of a sinner.

[Vertigo]

As Kendrick says, you can overclock the N64, with varied results, there's a video going around (use the internet in conjunction with your brain) that shows the difference overclocking makes to Perfect Dark. As with all overclocking, the effects on each piece of software is variable and lots of games will quite happily spew out garbage to the screen or crash completely, so if you go down that route perhaps incorporating a switch where possible would be advisable, or keep a virgin system to play games that become unstable on the overclocked one.
I will be going at my Asian Megadrive soon to overclock it. For great justice.

[Aidan]

Well, the N64 CPU is actually based on a standard MIPS core. However, there's a bunch of custom logic that acts as the 'glue' between the processor core and the rest of the console. In theory, it would be possible to replace the CPU chip with a daughter board consisting of the MIPS core together with some programmable logic that would emulate the extra functions of the N64 CPU, but that would be a huge amount of work!

As far as the video 'card' goes, that's the other half of the console. As you're probably already aware, PCs are made up of several components. You have the CPU, the chipset, some RAM and a videocard as the core essentials. In the N64, the chipset is split into two halves - one half lives inside the N64 CPU, and the other half sits inside the video chip. That fact makes it very hard to replace any of the N64, as it's a highly integrated solution!

[Blinky]

You can replace the xbox chip with a faster celeron. Its just a standard celeron in the xbox, and there was a website that they actually modded the xbox by replacing the chip with a 1 ghz chip I believe. They stopped the mod however, because of the later motherboards, they couldn't handle the faster speeds.

[atom]

No.

~atom

[RobIvy64]

simply plugging in a 1 GHz cpu into an xbox will not make it run at 1 GHz.  

[dj898]

yep!
dropping V12 block into Honda Civic doesn't make it go as fast as V12 Lamborghini...

[phreak97]

since an xbox is based on pc hardwre, i'm willing to bed the cpu speed is controlled by the cmos, which means without a hacked cmos (which is probably possible) all itll do will run a bit cooler since you arent pushing your new processor to do anything more than the old one.. plus if you want to solder all of a few hundred rather small points, then this is a project for you. the n64 is all custom as previously said, so replacing anything would be a massive effort. you'd be modifying more in there than you'd be leaving untouched, and even then it probably wouldnt work. that and the n64 is a huge pain to desolder anything from, it seems like they used solder with a high melting point, i had my iron on one of the ports for five minutes (!) before i managed to pull it free, boards are usually rated to last about twelve seconds before the heat damages them.. so that is highly not recommended lol..  

[Aidan]

Given the Xbox was only ever designed to support one processor, there is no requirement to be able to alter the bus speed or multipliers. Why put in parts that have cost but no use?

[Endymion]

simply plugging in a 1 GHz cpu into an xbox will not make it run at 1 GHz.

No it sure won't, but something similar has been done and it wasn't much more work than you probably think. First you have to install a mod chip, then you have to remove the original 733MHz CPU, then you have to install a socket as the XBox logic board does not have one (the CPU is soldered in), only one company has made a socket that is designed to fit the kind of board that the XBox uses and they no longer perform this mod. But, when they did offer it for sale they would gladly install the chip and a 1.4GHz CPU for you which did speed up games quite a bit. They also installed more memory to the XBox.

They are still around and still sell this stuff, the 1.4GHz CPU option is not available but they will install 128MB, http://www.friendtech.com

Note the graphic near the bottom right, still advertising the 1.4GHz CPU. Hopefully the need for this will be pointless in about nine days anyway.

[RobIvy64]

its easy work, given you have the right equiptment. Desoldering and soldering a PGA surface mounted CPU is no easy feat for the average modder.

-R

[Vertigo]

the n64 is a huge pain to desolder anything from, it seems like they used solder with a high melting point, i had my iron on one of the ports for five minutes (!) before i managed to pull it free

Doing the RGB mod to my other one was fine with the soldering iron up around 320 degrees C.
You need your iron hotter.