The PlayStation 5 is looking to set a new standard in gaming with its impressive specs list, featuring an ultra-high-speed SSD and custom AMD CPU/GPU combo. Sporting ray tracing, HDR technology, and support for high frame rates up to 120FPS, the PS5 is looking like a no-brainer for anyone wanting to experience the next generation of games.
Sony is launching the PS5 on November 12 in the US, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea. Every other region, including the UK, will have to wait until November 19. The console will be arriving with two variants: Standard and Digital. The only difference between the two consoles is the Standard edition features a 4K UHD Blu-ray drive, but other than that the consoles perform exactly the same.
The PlayStation 4 Pro was able to output 4K in most of Sony’s first party titles, and the PS5 is looking to take things further with higher frame rates. The PS5 is able to take advantage of HDMI 2.1 in the latest televisions, which supports 4K and 120Hz at the same time. Paired alongside an incredibly strong launch line-up, some of which are likely to end up on our best PS5 games list, Sony’s latest console is looking like a must-have for gamers.
Want to know just how much better the PS5 is compared to the PS4? Take a look at the PS5 specs to help paint a much clearer picture.
WHAT ARE THE PS5 SPECS?
Unlike the PS4’s traditional boxy design, Sony has decided to embrace a futuristic approach with the PS5. The white aesthetic of the console makes it look like something out of Detroit: Become Human, but if that isn’t to your liking, the white panels can be replaced with custom plates.
This is what’s inside the console:
- CPU: 8X Cores @ 3.5 GHz Custom Zen 2 (variable frequency)
- GPU: 10.28 TFLOPS, 36 CUs @ 2.23 GHz Custom RDNA 2 (variable frequency)
- Die Size: 308mm
- Process: 7nm
- Memory: 16GB GDDR6
- Memory bandwidth: 16GB @ 448 GB/s
- Internal Storage: Custom 825GB SSD
- I/O Throughput: 5.5GB/s (Raw), 8-9 GB/s (Compressed)
- Expandable storage: NVMe SSD slot
- External storage: USB HDD support (PS4 only)
- Optical drive: 4K UHD Blu-ray drive
- Performance target: 4K at 60fps, but will support up to 120fps
The PS5’s secret weapon comes in the form of the custom SSD. The lightning fast speeds provided by the custom SSD reduce loading times drastically compared to the last generation. An example of how this can change games is in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. On the PS4, going in and out of buildings forced the game to a halt in order to load assets, but the PS5 can bypass this process entirely, making it completely seamless.
With the size of games reaching close to 200GB these days, expandable storage will be an absolute necessity after amassing a strong library of games. Fortunately, Sony has included an extra NVMe SSD slot on the console, however, you won’t be able to use any SSD as the speeds need to maintain Sony’s high standards. There are a few PCIe 4.0 NVMe drives on the market that could be supported, but Sony has yet to approve any drives prior to the console’s launch.
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Expect to see a choice of rendering options being available on the PS5. Similarly to the PS4 Pro which regularly featured performance and quality modes in select games, the PS5’s raw power opens up these same options. A number of launch titles, including Demon’s Souls and Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition offer 4K with ray tracing enabled, and 1080p at double the regular frame rate.
It’s difficult to explain how much of a generational leap the PS5 is based on specs alone, but rest assured, this console can do it all. Whether you’re focused purely on visuals, or you need the best performance to get a competitive edge, the PS5 should satisfy every type of gamer.