Hacker claims to have discovered Wii U CPU and GPU tech specs

Do we finally have the actual tech specs?

A well-known hacker by the name of Marcan claims to have discovered the specifications of the Wii U CPU and GPU. Marcan, whose real name is Hector Martin, gave the following figures to Digital Foundry via Twitter.

Wii U CPU
-"Espresso"
-3 Power PC 750 type cores (similar to Wii's Broadway, but more cache.)
-1.243125 GHz

Wii U GPU
-"Latte"
-549.999755 MHz

There had been rumors that the CPU was named "Espresso," and Marcan appears to have confirmed this. He also claims that the GPU is called "Latte," something that we hadn't heard before. Given that the Wii U's code name was "Project Cafe," both names seem to make perfect sense.

The speed of the GPU is higher than that of the Xbox 360 and PS3, but the CPU speed is much lower than their respective Xenon and Cell processors. In fact, Digital Foundry asked whether the CPU speed given was an idle clock speed. Marcan replied "...I'm sure it's not an "idle" clock speed. 1.24 G is exactly in line with what we expected for a 750-based design." He then added, "So yes, the Wii U CPU is nothing to write home about, but don't compare it clock per clock with a 360 and claim it's much worse. It isn't."

We have heard from a number of developers that the CPU speed is less than ideal, but there have been suggestions that the GPU may be able to compensate for any weaknesses of the CPU. Marcan was asked about this, and he says he believes it's entirely possible.

It should be noted that these figures are not verified and Marcan himself admits that he obtained them from Wii U hacks. It's doubtful that Nintendo will confirm or deny these details, but as many have pointed out, comparing direct clock speeds between consoles doesn't really give the full picture, due to the fact that they all have such different types of architecture. Digital Foundry has written an article of their own about these rumored tech specs. You can check out what they have to say here.

If you would like to read more of Marcan's tweets, you can do so via the source link below.

Source: Hector "Marcan" Martin via Twitter