March 15, 2024, 5:03 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
It is now considered quite certain that Sony will release a Pro model of the PlayStation 5 in 2024. However, the console might mark a smaller performance leap than previously thought.
According to Sony, the PlayStation 5 has already reached its final phase. Sales figures indicate that the console has seen its best days. Nevertheless, the company apparently still plans a Pro version of the PS5 with more power. Industry insiders suggest the leap compared to the current model might be smaller.
Overview
PS5 Pro with More Power in CPU and GPU
The Pro model is expected to use the same AMD Zen 2 CPU architecture as the standard version–but with a significantly higher clock rate of 4.4 gigahertz. This is possible due to a more substantial cooling system–Sony has gained a lot of experience in PS5 revisions–and the 5-nanometer N4P manufacturing process from TSMC. The AMD chip, manufactured according to Sony’s specifications and codenamed “Viola,” is set to receive a solid upgrade, especially on the GPU side. Sony plans to use the RDNA-3 architecture instead of RDNA 2 in the current model.
As the usually well-informed leaker Kepler explained on X (formerly Twitter), Sony plans to activate 60 of 64 compute units (CUs; AMD’s term for processing units) on the graphics chip. This would provide the GPU with a total of 3,840 stream processors, equivalent to the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT–a graphics card that alone costs as much as a brand-new PlayStation 5.
Expectations are accordingly high. Not only would the PS5 Pro have almost 67 percent more processing units with 60 CUs than the PS5, but the RDNA-3 architecture itself offers about 50 percent more performance per watt than RDNA 2.
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Insiders from Digital Foundry have now tempered expectations in a video. While the GPU in the PS5 Pro could deliver more power, the leap might be less dramatic than many hope. This is partly because the memory size available to the entire system (CPU and GPU) is expected to remain at 16 gigabytes. The GDDR6 memory already has a very high bandwidth of 448 GB/s. The PS5 Pro could reach up to 576 GB/s bandwidth, which would only marginally improve performance.
According to Digital Foundry, Sony’s new upscaling technology plays a significant role in the PS5 Pro’s performance. The company has patented a method that allows the GPU to render images at a lower resolution and then upscale them to a higher resolution. However, it is unclear what type of upscaling will be used. A possible option is an AI-supported method, like Nvidia’s DLSS 3. Checkerboard rendering is also conceivable, which determines which image sections need upscaling and which do not.
No Revolution in the Console Market
The PS5 Pro is unlikely to mean a major step forward for game graphics. However, the higher performance and new rendering technology could enable advanced features like path tracing and improved ray tracing.
Developers will continue to create games for the standard version of the PS5, thus having limited options. However, the console already struggles to produce smooth frame rates (FPS) in 4K resolution in many games. More power in the PS5 Pro is therefore likely to mean primarily an FPS boost.
It was different with the PS4 Pro, which suddenly made gaming in 1440p possible for the masses with its significantly higher performance at the end of 2016. Since the PS5 already targets 4K resolution and no game supports 8K yet, a comparable effect for the Pro model is not expected. This is likely why Sony does not anticipate high sales figures to boost PS5 sales again.