Mark Cerny’s deep-dive on the PS5 isn’t quite over yet, but Eurogamer has already published what everyone is waiting for: the complete specifications for Sony’s next-generation console. Unfortunately for PlayStation fans, it looks like the PS5 has weaker hardware than Microsoft’s Xbox Series X.
PlayStation 5 Specifications
CPU: 8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.5GHz (variable frequency)
GPU: 10.28 TFLOPs, 36 CUs at 2.23GHz (variable frequency)
GPU Architecture: Custom RDNA 2
Memory/Interface: 16GB GDDR6/256-bit
Memory Bandwidth: 448GB/s
Internal Storage Custom: 825GB
IO Throughput: 5.5GB/s (Raw), Typical 8-9GB/s (Compressed)
Expandable Storage: NVMe SSD Slot
External Storage: USB HDD Support
Optical Drive: 4K UHD Blu-ray Drive
Xbox Series X Specifications
CPU: 8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.8GHz (3.6GHz with SMT)
GPU: 12 TFLOPs, 52 CUs at 1.825GHz, Custom RDNA 2
Die Size : 360.45mm2
Process: TSMC 7nm Enhanced
Memory: 16GB GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth : 10GB at 560GB/s, 6GB at 336GB/s
Internal Storage: 1TB Custom NVMe SSD
IO Throughput: 2.4GB/s (Raw), 4.8GB/s (Compressed)
Expandable Storage: 1TB Expansion Card
External Storage: USB 3.2 HDD Support
Optical Drive: 4K UHD Blu-ray Drive
Performance Target: 4K at 60fps – up to 120fps
Microsoft appears to have beat Sony in terms of raw power. While both consoles feature 8-core, Zen 2-based chips, the Xbox Series X’s CPU is clocked higher. Its GPU also offers 1.72 higher TFLOPs, with 16 more Compute Units (the PS5’s GPU is clocked slightly higher, however). Microsoft’s console even has more internal storage: 1 TB versus Sony’s 825 GB.
This may be disappointing news for PlayStation fans, but we do have to consider pricing. The PS5 could potentially cost $100 less than the Xbox Series X. Additionally, a “Pro” version of the console hasn’t been ruled out yet.