Lazr
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- Joined
- Oct 3, 2023
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Why Revisions Matter
Not unlike the Wii, Nintendo had made several changes to the Wii U throughout its short life. The biggest change was the usage of the B1X SoC, which draws less power and generates less heat than the A5X. Here's a general overview of the advantages and disadvantages:
A5X SoC:
Cons:
- Consume a lot of power (13A@1V idle, 14-15A@1V while in-game)
- Generates more heat
- Found on WUP-01 / WUP-30 / WUP-40, which are the most common motherboards.
B1X SoC:
Pros:
- Consume a lot less power (9A@1V)
- Generate less heat
Cons:
- Only found on WUP-50 motherboards, which are very rare compared to WUP-01 and WUP-30 motherboards.
The WUP-50 will be the best choice for portables, as it will consume less power and keep the batteries running for much longer while also staying much cooler. The downsides to the WUP-50 are the plugged vias and just how rare they are.
How to Identify the Revision of a Wii U:
It should be noted first that 8GB (WUP-001) systems will never have a WUP-50 motherboard. They are always WUP-01 or WUP-30.
1: Power Supply plug
Nintendo switched over to black power supply plugs sometime within the WUP-30 motherboard production. While this does not mean that the power supply plug will guarantee a WUP-50, this does mean that you can disregard every Wii U with a yellow power supply plug, as they were only used on the WUP-01 and some WUP-30s. The other methods should be used to check specifically what board it is.
2. Label on the bottom of the console
The last two digits of the QR code sticker is the board revision. This will almost always guarantee what motherboard revision you have. The sticker can be found under the serial sticker and the Wii U information sticker.
3. Battery Tray or SD Card slot
The motherboard revision is part of the solder mask and is left out of the silkscreen in these areas. The battery tray requires a single phillips screw to be unscrewed and can be seen on the board. The board revision can also be seen in the SD card slot by pushing open the door at the front.
Battery Tray:
SD Card slot:
4. Complete Disassembly
The revision is labelled on the board, and is clearly seen in the circled area below.
Changelog:
9/28/24: Initial post
9/28/24: I forgot about 8GB systems
Not unlike the Wii, Nintendo had made several changes to the Wii U throughout its short life. The biggest change was the usage of the B1X SoC, which draws less power and generates less heat than the A5X. Here's a general overview of the advantages and disadvantages:
A5X SoC:
Cons:
- Consume a lot of power (13A@1V idle, 14-15A@1V while in-game)
- Generates more heat
- Found on WUP-01 / WUP-30 / WUP-40, which are the most common motherboards.
B1X SoC:
Pros:
- Consume a lot less power (9A@1V)
- Generate less heat
Cons:
- Only found on WUP-50 motherboards, which are very rare compared to WUP-01 and WUP-30 motherboards.
The WUP-50 will be the best choice for portables, as it will consume less power and keep the batteries running for much longer while also staying much cooler. The downsides to the WUP-50 are the plugged vias and just how rare they are.
How to Identify the Revision of a Wii U:
It should be noted first that 8GB (WUP-001) systems will never have a WUP-50 motherboard. They are always WUP-01 or WUP-30.
1: Power Supply plug
Nintendo switched over to black power supply plugs sometime within the WUP-30 motherboard production. While this does not mean that the power supply plug will guarantee a WUP-50, this does mean that you can disregard every Wii U with a yellow power supply plug, as they were only used on the WUP-01 and some WUP-30s. The other methods should be used to check specifically what board it is.
2. Label on the bottom of the console
The last two digits of the QR code sticker is the board revision. This will almost always guarantee what motherboard revision you have. The sticker can be found under the serial sticker and the Wii U information sticker.
3. Battery Tray or SD Card slot
The motherboard revision is part of the solder mask and is left out of the silkscreen in these areas. The battery tray requires a single phillips screw to be unscrewed and can be seen on the board. The board revision can also be seen in the SD card slot by pushing open the door at the front.
Battery Tray:
SD Card slot:
4. Complete Disassembly
The revision is labelled on the board, and is clearly seen in the circled area below.
Changelog:
9/28/24: Initial post
9/28/24: I forgot about 8GB systems
Last edited:
