Analyst Suggests PS5 Has The Better Overall System Despite Weaker GPU

Thus far, we’re aware that the Xbox Series X has the more powerful CPU and GPU compared to the PlayStation 5. However, there may be more than meets the eyes here as some people are suggesting that the PS5 has the better overall system.

According to analyst James Prendergast, he took a look at how the RAM, I/O, and SSD speed as well as function will make a big difference, especially considering the CPU difference between the two next-gen consoles is minimal.

Analyst James Prendergast on the PS5 and Xbox Series X Performance

Incontrovertibly, Microsoft has the more performant graphics capabilites with 1.4x the physical makeup of the Playstation 5’s GPU core. That’s only part of the story though, with the PS5 running a minimum 1.2x faster than the Series X across the majority of workload scenarios. That narrows the advantage of the SX (in terms of pure, averaged, GPU compute power) to around 1.18x-1.2x that of the PS5.

But what about the CPU? Performing the same, simple ratio calculation, you can work out that the SX is 1.02x – 1.10x more powerful than the PS5’s, depending on the scenario. Not that big a difference, really… and the CPU/GPU should sport pretty much the same feature set on both consoles.

As for the RAM configuration, it was highlighted that the Xbox Series X configuration is sub-optimal due to the asymmetric configuration which can lead to reduced bandwidth once the symmetrical portion is full. The PS5 configuration allows for a static bandwidth for the whole 16GB GDDR6.

The SX has 2.5 GB reserved for system functions and we don’t know how much the PS5 reserves for that similar functionality but it doesn’t matter – the Xbox SX either has only 7.5 GB of interleaved memory operating at 560 GB/s for game utilization before it has to start “lowering” the effective bandwidth of the memory below that of the PS5… or the SX has an averaged mixed memory bandwidth that is always below that of the baseline PS4.

Either option puts the SX at a disadvantage to the PS5 for more memory intensive games and the latter puts it at a disadvantage all of the time.

As for the I/O and SSD, it was highlighted that the Xbox Series X has a slower interface compared to the PS5. It is said that the PS5 allows for better data management within the RAM which allows for less frequent reloading of data into the RAM, resulting in improved system efficiency.

Adding to the fact that the audio hardware in the console will use less CPU power compared to the Xbox Series X, the console is said to have the “bandwidth and I/O silicon in place to optimize the data transfer between all the various computing and storage elements”. As such, the Xbox Series X and its sub-optimal implementations will see it perform below the specs of Sony’s console despite the inclusion of smart prediction engines.

Of course, it’s hard to say whether this will hold true when both consoles are finally out. However, it’s still very interesting to see analysts breaking down the machines to see how well they can perform.

Source

Pokdepinion: Can’t wait for the next-gen platforms to finally be launched. I’m genuinely curious to see how big of a performance difference there will be.