Hardware Configuration

This document describes the configuration of the CTR's graphics-related hardware.

Configuration of Graphics-Related Hardware

Here we describe the configuration of the graphics-related hardware, centering on the data-storage regions.

The figure below describes the configuration of the hardware.

A buffer is a memory region where information can be temporarily stored and retrieved while processing is taking place.

Since different kinds of information are handled by different buffers, the buffers are named to reflect which kind of information they handle.

Devices for Calculating and Rendering

This section describes the CPU that performs calculations and the GPU that performs rendering operations for the CTR.
The CTR has two 268MHz CPUs and one GPU.

CPU

The CPU performs the calculations necessary for the handing of polygons and particles. It issues commands to the GPU relating to screen rendering. The CTR has two CPUs, one that is used for the system and the other for game applications.

GPU

The GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is the device where graphics are processed for screen rendering. It follows screen-rendering commands issued from the CPU.

Memory Devices

This section describes the devices that store information handled on the CTR.
The CTR has 64Mb of main memory and a pair of VRAM, each with a capacity of 2Mb.

Main Memory

Main memory is a memory device where graphics-related data can be placed. It can also store data about the progress of the game. Both the CPU and the GPU can utilize main memory.

VRAM

VRAM are memory devices specialized for graphics. They can be used by the GPU.
VRAM operate faster than main memory, so they are better for storing frequently-used vertex data and texture data.