CPU

From NESdev Wiki
Revision as of 07:38, 2 July 2022 by Egor (talk | contribs) (express NTSC subcarrier fraction in MHz)
Jump to navigationJump to search

The NES CPU core is based on the 6502 processor and runs at approximately 1.79 MHz (1.66 MHz in a PAL NES). It is made by Ricoh and lacks the MOS6502's decimal mode. In the NTSC NES, the RP2A03 chip contains the CPU and APU; in the PAL NES, the CPU and APU are contained within the RP2A07 chip.

Sections

CPU signals and frequencies

The CPU generates its clock signal by dividing the master clock signal.

Rate NTSC NES/Famicom PAL NES Dendy
Color subcarrier frequency fsc (exact) 3579545.45 Hz (315/88 MHz) 4433618.75 Hz 4433618.75 Hz
Color subcarrier frequency fsc (approx.) 3.579545 MHz 4.433619 MHz 4.433619 MHz
Master clock frequency 6fsc 21.477272 MHz 26.601712 MHz 26.601712 MHz
Clock divisor d 12 16 15
CPU clock frequency 6fsc/d 1.789773 MHz (~559 ns per cycle) 1.662607 MHz (~601 ns per cycle) 1.773448 MHz (~564 ns per cycle)

* The vast majority of PAL famiclones use a chipset or NOAC with this timing. A small number use UMC UA6540+6541, which also PAL NES timing.[1]

Notes

  • All illegal 6502 opcodes execute identically on the 2A03/2A07.
  • Every cycle on 6502 is either a read or a write cycle.
  • A printer friendly version covering all section is available here.
  • Emulator authors may wish to emulate the NTSC NES/Famicom CPU at 21441960 Hz ((341×262-0.5)×4×60) to ensure a synchronised/stable 60 frames per second.[2]

See also

References