New Xbox consoles pack redesigned motherboards, 6 nm chips, and lower energy consumption

Microsoft launched three new Xbox consoles today: the special edition 2 TB Xbox Series X, the disk-less white 1 TB Xbox Series X, and the 1 TB Xbox Series S. However, some changes are lurking deep inside the consoles. They include a redesigned motherboard and cooling, new 6 nm chips, and lower energy consumption.

YouTuber Austin Evans showed the redesigned insides in a newly published video. The new 2 TB Xbox Series X models weigh slightly less than the original (4.14 kg vs 4.36 kg), and the all-digital Xbox Series X weighs only 3.65 kg since it has no optical drive. Digging inside the new all-digital Xbox Series X revealed that Microsoft simply removed a drive and covered the hole in the shell (there are no connectors on the motherboard for the optical drive, though).

Another important hardware change is a reworked cooling solution. The updated Series X consoles use radiators with traditional copper pipes instead of a vapor chamber, as in the original model. The new cooler weighs 100 grams less than the vapor chamber, which explains the difference in weight.

Microsoft also redesigned the motherboard, which no longer has a shield for the SSD, plus there is a new bracket and a lot of changes for the smaller components.

Finally, the latest consoles have smaller 6 nm chips (the original has a 7 nm APU), which require less power to produce the same level of performance. As a result, the new Xbox consoles draw less electricity (about 10%).

As for fan noise or heat levels, there are virtually no differences between the consoles, which means the more efficient chips make up for the slightly inferior cooling solution without sacrificing acoustic comfort or temperature levels.

The new Xbox Series X and S consoles are now available from the Microsoft Store. The 2 TB Special Edition Xbox Series X costs $599, the digital-only Xbox Series X costs $449, and the 1 TB Xbox Series S costs $349.