PS5 Pro Specs Analyzed by Digital Foundry - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 19 March 2024 / 38,858 Views
There have been recent reports that have leaked the specifications for the yet to be announced PlayStation 5 Pro. Digital Foundry in its own analysis said the PS5 Pro is real and dives into what the improved specs of the mid-generation console will mean for games.
The analysis says more and more games on the current-generation consoles, the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, are CPU limited and with the PS5 Pro having the same CPU with the ability to run at a 10 percent higher clock speed of 3.85GHz likely means CPU limited games that run at 30 fps will not be able to run at 60 fps.
"In real terms, those hoping that PS5 Pro will turn CPU-limited 30fps titles into super-smooth 60fps experiences will be disappointed," said Digital Foundry Richard Leadbetter. "With that said, the 3.85GHz mode will bring greater stability to 30fps games that may not be hitting their frame-rate target when CPU limited - and yes, we have started to see those titles. And if the one percent impact to GPU performance is verified, that's not really an issue in the age of dynamic resolution scaling. There'll be an imperceptible reduction in rendering resolution and that's it. If a game is CPU limited, the GPU will stall and will lose far more performance anyway."
The biggest difference between the standard PS5 and the PS5 Pro is with the GPU that sees rendering 45 percent faster than the standard PS5, two to three times the Ray-tracing, and more.
"The 36 RDNA 2 dual compute units in PlayStation 5 receive a considerable boost, increasing to 60 CUs in the Pro," said Leadbetter. "With 33.5 teraflops of compute performance vs the 10.23TF of the standard PS5, the boost here looks incredible. However, these numbers flatter to deceive. AMD's latest GPU architectures, starting with RDNA 3, feature 'dual-issue FP32', the ability to double operations at the same clock speeds. However, this does not mean we get double the gaming performance. Indeed, despite the 67 percent increase in CU count (even factoring out dual-issue FP32), Sony itself says in its developer disclosures that the actual throughput boost in gaming applications is around 45 percent.
"An increase in compute power alone is only one part of the equation, however. To keep the CUs 'fed', it's important to increase memory bandwidth. Sony moves from 16GB of 14Gbps GDDR6 in the standard PS5 to 18Gbps GDDR6 in the Pro - a 28 percent increase in bandwidth. So, the 448GB/s of peak theoretical bandwidth increases to 576GB/s. Actual throughput may also be enhanced still further with architectural improvements."
He added, "Sony says that depending on the workload, ray tracing performance in the new Pro will be twice as fast as the vanilla unit, but with 3x and 4x multipliers in some scenarios. It's important to point out that this concerns just RT processing - not the frame-rate of actual games. The platform holder says that in practical terms, this means that some games without RT on the basic PS5 can gain RT features on the Pro. Another cited example is that a standard PS5 game with RT reflections could benefit from RT shadows as well on PS5 Pro.
"There's been conjecture that the PS5 Pro GPU is benefitting from RT architectural improvements AMD is planning for its upcoming RDNA 4 graphics cards. These enhancements look promising but it's important to point out that a lot of the boost here will be coming from the fact that the PS5 Pro GPU is much larger than the standard model's GPU. So, the 2x to 4x boost is coming from both architectural improvements and the increase in compute units."
| PlayStation 5 Pro | PlayStation 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU Architecture/ Clock Speeds | Eight core/16 Thread Zen 2 at 3.5GHz/3.85GHz | Eight core/16 Thread Zen 2 at 3.5GHz |
| GPU Compute Units/ Architecture | 60 CUs, RNDA 3 (TBC) | 36 CUS, RDNA 2 |
| TFLOPs/GPU Clock Speed | 33.5TF/ 2.18GHz (TBC) | 10.23TF/ 2.23GHz |
| GDDR6 Memory | 16GB at 18Gbps | 16GB at 14Gbps |
| Memory Available For Games | 13.7GB | 12.5GB |
| Memory Interface/ Bandwidth | 256-bit/576GB/s | 256-bit/448GB/s |
The PS5 Pro will feature the PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution Upscaling (PSSR) solution, which "aims to deliver similar results and resolution multipliers as Nvidia DLSS. A game internally rendering at 1080p can be upscaled to a convincing-looking 4K image in two milliseconds, which is broadly equivalent to a similar task undertaken by AMD's non-ML FSR2 upscaler.
"The difference is that the quality level should be significantly higher - but as always, the proof of the pudding is in the tasting. There is some speculation concerning 8K upscaling and 4K at 120Hz - but it's worth noting that 2ms of processing time. A 120Hz frame has an 8.3ms budget, 60Hz has 16.7ms of processing time and that rises again to 33.3ms at 30fps. Depending on the performance target, that 2ms varies in significance."
The PS5 Pro will keep the same 16GB of GDDR6 memory as the standard PS5, however, Sony has been able to give an extra 1.2 GB of system memory to developers.
Bearing in mind that the standard PS5 already has enough memory to service a 4K display, you might wonder why this 1.2GB is necessary," said Leadbetter. "Sony cites the use of PSSR with its 250MB footprint as one use-case, while also pointing out that ray tracing features (particularly the BVH structures used to calculate ray bounces) are also memory-intensive. Developers can use the memory as they please, but if they max out the 12.5GB on the standard model without RT features, there's now memory available to tap into more of the Pro's capabilities."
Leadbetter estimates the PS5 Pro will cost $599 at a minimum and potentially "without the optional/detachable BD drive."
He concluded, "Higher frame-rates, substantially enhanced image quality and improved RT features - that's what's going to separate PS5 Pro from the standard model. Assuming there are no further surprises lying in wait, I'd venture to suggest that this is going to be a more niche offering than PS4 Pro back in the day. Some might even say it's a 'Digital Foundry machine', as its forward-looking design delivers the kind of features we like and want to see in a games console. And for many, just having the most performant console will be enough. It's difficult to see anything else competing with this until the next generation of hardware arrives.
"With that said, PS5 Pro also emphasises the direction of travel for the future of gaming technology. Nvidia started it all back in 2018 with dedicated ray tracing and machine learning silicon. Intel followed suit. Microsoft's FTC leak last year also indicated that this is the future of console hardware - and yet Sony is delivering much the same package today in 2024. More developers embracing RT and machine learning hardware sooner can only be a good thing - and I do wonder to what extent game-makers will use the ML capabilities for things other than upscaling."
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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I read this as "Digital Foundry says don't waste your money"
If i were to buy a PS5 to replace my original, or if I needed to add one, I'd likely go for the Pro. But, I don't see a reason to upgrade to this just for the sake of upgrading.
I mean you can say that about anything. Smartphones, cars, and yes, PC parts which have a much higher cadence or release than console. I would like to upgrade to get better visuals on the 60 FPS modes in the games I already got, like Gran Blue Fantasy, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and even Helldivers. All three games have a very competent performance mode... I just would like to boost the res and these AI tools are getting really good. Games like Stellar Blade as well is coming with a 60 FPS mode but imagine that upscaled lol.
GPU upgrade and PSSR upscaler is nice, but CPU still being the weakest link is dissapointing but expected. Make it $599 and people will buy it for GTA 6.
PS4 Pro was $400. PS5 Pro at $600 is a substantial price increase. When you include that all currencies versus the USD have decline, we are talking about $700 equivalent for countries like Japan.
75 percent price increases for game consoles in 7 years for much of the world, that will affect sales a lot. I still think it won't sell well if it is more than $500 or $550.
People might have paid $600 for something twice as fast like the PS4 Pro versus the PS4. Only 45 percent faster though like the PS5 Pro? Nope.
For me cost is irrelevant, I will buy it anyway... And I am always pushing for bigger and better... The Playstation 5 Pro is targeting my audience specifically.
It's also the "Halo effect". - nVidia capitalizes on this fantastically, you have the best hardware in the high-end that can't be touched and it has a "word of mouth" effect in various circles that discuss the topic... And people associate that with being a more Premium product/experience, which also helps shift low-end hardware, even hardware that is technically inferior to the competition. (Poor AMD Radeon...)
The thing with the Playstation 5 Pro is... The base Playstation 5 is still an option and still the target platform for development as that is where the install base is, you aren't required to upgrade... And you will loose nothing by sticking to the current consoles.
I would have liked to have seen more Ram and a better CPU, even if it's an upgrade to Zen compact, but also not upset at keeping costs under control in the current climate.
Now all we need is for the base Playstation 5 do get some cost cuts done. - Shifting the SoC to TSMC N4 or N3 would be a big boon.
Plus an SSD that uses fewer chips but offers more performance wouldn't be the end of the world either... Good cost cut opportunity with rising NAND prices.
Why are people suprised? Its a mid gen upgrade, not a next gen system. Just like we saw with the PS4 Pro
it's not like the PS4 Pro, the PS4 Pro was a lot more powerful, this PS5 Pro is a tiny upgrade
Crazy thing is they haven't come close to maxing out the ps5. We've onlyjust started getting more games without last gen versions. Don't know why a pro is necessary at this stage. But there will always be people who would want one.
If it's comparable to DLSS2 or 3, PSSR could be the real difference maker for this system. Don't need twice the cpu or gpu power to double resolutions or frame rates if your upscaler can do it for you.
Honestly just came to say that PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution Upscaling (PSSR) solution really should have been built into the original system. Even as far back as the PS4 Pro they understood the need of bypassing the power requirements native 4k (checkerboarding), so it's a shame they didn't arrive at the PS5 with a more future proof approach to maintaining image quality.
That aside this device won't have much value for me out the gate. I dabble in both 30fps and 60, depending on the game experience and so far there hasn't been a game I've played where Ive been frustrated with the image quality in resolution mode. The games built around 60fps as a target have so far achieved this pretty well imo.
Games like FFXVI, Jedi Survivor etc were clearly built with the 30fps benchmark in mind for consoles, which is why the 60fps modes are uneven and blurry. In those experience where I've heard bad things I don't even test out the performance modes, cos otherwise your eyes just time to adjust back to 30fps.
Of course you have one or 2 games where the developers flat out don't believe in a stable framerate (Elden Ring & Dragons Dogma 2).
I dont think thats a reasonable expectation. PS5 was released in 2020, but its core components wouldve been finalised quite some time before then. DLSS 1 only released the year before and was a laughing stock. Sony couldnt have been expected to have had the foresight to go all in on upscaling when the two major GPU designers on the planet hadnt done so either. No one in 2018/2019 knew how vital temporal upscalers would become by 2024. The only reason they had checkerboarding in 2016 is because there were no affordable mid range GPU's in 2014 (the time they wouldve been designing PS4 PRO) that could power native 4K experiences at decent framerates, so software had to be leveraged otherwise it wouldnt have been a viable product.
Now theyve had time to see the development of temporal upscalers and the proliferation of raytraced software that necessitates them, seen the hard time their PS5 has with retaining high image quality on the latest engines and most importantly, seen their PS5 is a success therefore making investment in a mid gen upgrade worthwhile financially.
