by in
A few days ago, Microsoft has released the specifications for their new upcoming console, the Xbox series X. Now, Sony has done the same for their PlayStation 5. This has already started the debate on which of the two is the best console.
Right of the bat we see that the Xbox sires x has a slight edge over the new PlayStation 5 in the graphics department. But unlike last generation’s Xbox One and PS4, where PS4 was clearly the powerful console, both devices show very similar specifications.
Xbox series x VS PlayStation 5 Specs
Below is a table showing both consoles’ specs side by side.
| Xbox Series X | PlayStation 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.8GHz (3.6GHz with SMT) | 8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.5GHz (variable frequency) |
| GPU | 12 TFLOPs, 52 CUs at 1.825GHz, Custom RDNA 2 | 10.28 TFLOPs, 36 CUs at 2.23GHz (variable frequency) |
| Die Size | 360.45mm2 | N/A |
| Process | TSMC 7nm Enhanced | N/A |
| Memory | 16GB GDDR6 | 16GB GDDR6/256-bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | 10GB at 560GB/s, 6GB at 336GB/s | 448GB/s |
| Internal Storage | 1TB Custom NVMe SSD | Custom 825GB SSD |
| IO Throughput | 2.4GB/s (Raw), 4.8GB/s (Compressed) | 5.5GB/s (Raw), Typical 8-9GB/s (Compressed) |
| Expandable Storage | 1TB Expansion Card | NVMe SSD Slot |
| External Storage | USB 3.2 HDD Support | USB HDD Support |
| Optical Drive | 4K UHD Blu-ray Drive | 4K UHD Blu-ray Drive |
Now that all the tech details are laid out, lets break down the similarities and differences
On paper, its clear that both consoles are very similar in specs, from storage to memory and so on. Both devices also use AMD architecture for their graphics with ray tracing capabilities. But the Noticeable difference can be seen between the CPU and the GPU of each system. But even with their similarities and differences, one cannot say which is the faster machine, that will be decided by a side by side comparison between the two consoles once they are released.
The GPU
The Xbox clearly has a bigger muscle in the graphics department when comparing the two, but that doesn’t mean the PS5 will have bad graphics. Although the PS5 has a lower number of computing units, they run at a higher speed compared to the Xbox, which potentially be as powerful as the Xbox GPU. In fact, the PS5’s CUs have the highest clock speed available in the console market of 2.23GHz. Another difference between the GPUs is the clock speed, were the PS5 will have a variable frequency feature that is like that on traditional PC’s. On the other hand, the Xbox CUs will be running at a constant frequency of 1.825GHz. But due to the higher specs on the Xbox GPU, it could run higher resolution and higher framerate than the PS5 in theory.
The CPU
Both consoles have the same AMD Zen 2 processors, but with different clock speeds. The PS5 runs at a variable clock speed up to 3.5GHz, whereas the Xbox runs at a fixed 3.6GHz which can be boosted to up to 3.8GHz if you disable the multithreading feature. The difference here is not that huge, and this would show no difference in gaming performance since both consoles use the same processor architecture.
The Storage
The internal storage for both devices uses SSD technology which will show a drastic improvement in loading times for games in both consoles. But between the two, the PS5 a significantly higher I/O throughput speed which will have even faster loading times than the Xbox. The PS5 has an unusual storage space of 825GB, unlike the 1TB from the Xbox, and that is because sony has made a custom SSD built in their new console. This could explain the faster storage speed compared to the Xbox.
Both consoles will support expandable storage. The PS5 will have an NVMe SSD slot which allows users to even use PC SSD to expand their memory, but the Xbox has a different game going on. The Xbox series X will sell its own expansion cartridges of 1TB, and with all honesty, they look like the old memory cards found in the old GameCube and PS1 consoles.
Backward Compatibility
Both console support backward compatibility. The Xbox series X will be able to run games all the way back to the original Xbox, whereas the PS5 doesn’t have that much of a reach in the backward compatibility section. The PS5 will be able to run games up to the PS4, but that too doesn’t apply for all the PS4 games. Although this isn’t a huge game-changer, some gamers would have loved the ability to revisit their childhood games from the older PlayStation devices.
Which is better?
In the end, both consoles show quite similar specs, but performance cannot be determined by specifications only. All that we know is that both consoles are equipped with powerful hardware that will take console gaming a huge leap forward. With the availability of raytracing technology backed up by PC like components from AMD, the new Xbox Series X and PS5 will bring a lot of new features in the console world.
Game developers will see these devices as a huge opportunity to push console gaming to new limits, where they can try game concepts that were previously impossible.
