NES, SNES and Nintendo 64 specifications compared
The NES, SNES and Nintendo 64 show how quickly Nintendo’s home-console hardware moved on: from an 8-bit CPU and 2 KB of RAM to a 64-bit MIPS processor with 36 Mbit of Rambus memory and resolutions up to 640 × 480. Here is how their core specifications compare.
 NES |  SNES |  N64 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | 8-bit, 1.66 MHz (as listed by Nintendo UK)[1] | 16-bit 65816, 2.68 MHz (as listed by Nintendo UK)[2] | MIPS 64-bit RISC (custom R4000 series), 93.75 MHz[3] |
| Memory | 2 KB RAM, 2 KB video RAM[1] | 1 Mbit RAM, 0.5 Mbit video RAM; cartridges 2–48 Mbit[2] | 36 Mbit Rambus DRAM, up to 4,500 Mbit/s[3] |
| Display | Up to 256 × 240; 52 colours; 64 sprites on screen, max 8 × 16 sprite[1] | Up to 512 × 448; 32,768 colours (256 on screen); 128 sprites[2] | 256 × 224 to 640 × 480; flicker-free interlace[3] |
| Dimensions | 255 × 85 × 202 mm[1] | 200 × 72 × 242 mm[2] | 260 × 190 × 73 mm (W × D × H)[3] |
Highlighted rows differ between models.
Photos: NES: Evan-Amos, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; SNES: Evan-Amos, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; N64: Evan-Amos, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
NES
| History | |
|---|---|
| Release | Japan 15 Jul 1983; NA 18 Oct 1985; EU 1 Sep 1986[4] |
| Processor | |
| CPU | 8-bit, 1.66 MHz (as listed by Nintendo UK)[1] |
| Memory | 2 KB RAM, 2 KB video RAM[1] |
| Display | |
| Display | Up to 256 × 240; 52 colours; 64 sprites on screen, max 8 × 16 sprite[1] |
| Physical | |
| Dimensions | 255 × 85 × 202 mm[1] |
Super Nintendo
| History | |
|---|---|
| Release | Japan 21 Nov 1990; NA 23 Aug 1991; FR/GB/IE 11 Apr 1992[5] |
| Processor | |
| CPU | 16-bit 65816, 2.68 MHz (as listed by Nintendo UK)[2] |
| Memory | 1 Mbit RAM, 0.5 Mbit video RAM; cartridges 2–48 Mbit[2] |
| Display | |
| Display | Up to 512 × 448; 32,768 colours (256 on screen); 128 sprites[2] |
| Audio | |
| Sound | Sony SPC700 (8-bit), 8 channels[2] |
| Connectivity | |
| Video output | RF, RGB, S-Video[2] |
| Physical | |
| Dimensions | 200 × 72 × 242 mm[2] |
The SNES adds a dedicated sound chip, the Sony SPC700 with 8 channels, and Mode 7. It outputs RF, RGB and S-Video, and cartridges range from 2 to 48 Mbit.
Nintendo 64
| History | |
|---|---|
| Release | Japan 23 Jun 1996; NA 29 Sep 1996; EU/AU 1 Mar 1997[6] |
| Processor | |
| CPU | MIPS 64-bit RISC (custom R4000 series), 93.75 MHz[3] |
| Co-processor | RCP (sound/graphics SP + pixel DP), 62.5 MHz[3] |
| Memory | 36 Mbit Rambus DRAM, up to 4,500 Mbit/s[3] |
| Display | |
| Display | 256 × 224 to 640 × 480; flicker-free interlace[3] |
| Colour output | 21-bit colour video output[3] |
| Physical | |
| Dimensions | 260 × 190 × 73 mm (W × D × H)[3] |
| Weight | 1.1 kg[3] |
The N64 pairs its 93.75 MHz MIPS CPU with the Reality Co-Processor (RCP), which handles sound and graphics plus pixel drawing at 62.5 MHz. Nintendo lists hardware Z-buffering, anti-aliasing, tri-linear MIP-map filtering, perspective correction and environment mapping.
Next generation: Nintendo GameCube specifications. Handhelds of the same era: Game Boy family compared.
Sources
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