The development of the PS5 Pro remains a mystery in many ways, but despite the lack of information, we are clear on some important details. We know that it will be more powerful than the PS5, that it will receive a New designwhich will have a more efficient cooling system and that it will not introduce major changes at the level of CPU and GPU architecture to avoid possible compatibility issues with the original model and also not to make it difficult for developers.

The PS5 Pro will also retain the basic structure of the PS5, and that means it will eventually have to face three major limitations which will eventually affect its performance, which also happened at the time with the PS4 Pro and which has become a constant since consoles have moved from using specialized hardware and from the classic split of CPU and GPU into two independent chips to PC use. hardware with a semi-custom design and integrate both components into one package.

Given these limitations, the real potential of the PS5 Pro It won’t be able to reach the level of a top-end PC of the latest generation, although to be fair, we have to say that this is not ultimately the goal of the console. However, the problem arises when brands insist on promoting their consoles as if they were actually at that level, which in fact already happened with the PS5 at the time, leading some to believe that this is complete nonsense. One of the most famous was that the console will move games in 8K resolution.

1.-Silicon and available space: the problem of using APU in PS5 Pro

In red the space occupied by the Zen 2 CPU in the PS5 APU and in black the space occupied by the GPU.

The PS3 was the last Sony console to have the CPU and GPU in separate packages. This allows each to have its own space on one chip.and makes it easier to integrate more powerful solutions at the cost of, yes, higher manufacturing costs. This also means we have two components that need cooling and power.

With the PS4, the Japanese company simplified the design and opted for an APU, a chip that integrates CPU and GPU in one package. This has its advantages, as it makes design and manufacturing easier and cheaper, and allows two key components to be controlled under one chip and a single contact base, but it brings important limitations, mainly due to the available space. board level.silicon.

The PS5 followed that path, and Sony will do it again with the PS5 Pro console reintegrates the CPU and GPU onto a single chip, and in the same package. It’s true that the PS5 APU has a Zen 2 CPU and a Radeon GPU with 2,304 shaders, but these don’t have the same features or performance as their PC equivalents. They were cut down to fit on a single silicon chip.and the same will happen with the PS5 Pro APU.

They weren’t minor cuts. The PS5 CPU has major limitations on floating point units and It has only 8 MB of L3 cache.while the Ryzen 7 3700X comes with 32 MB of L3 cache. The GPU has 2,304 shaders, just like the Radeon RX 6700, but it doesn’t have an infinite 80MB cache what amount is this

Paste these caches and keep the floating point units intact would skyrocket the need for silicon-level space, as well as cost and package size. Note that the Radeon RX 6700 GPU uses a 335mm square package and the PS5 APU only goes to 308mm square and must also fit the Zen 2 CPU.

Well, like I said, all of that will happen again with AMD’s PS5 Pro you’ll have to juggle again to fit more powerful CPUs and GPUs into one package without skyrocketing costs. This time, the company may resort to a 3D stacked cache, but it seems unlikely to me due to its impact on the cost level.

2.-Cooling: heat removal in a very small space

There’s a reason why Sony used liquid metal on the PS5 to speed up heat transfer between the APU and the cooling system. This is key in concentrating a high-TDP CPU and GPU into one package, as it translates on a very small surface and it is easier for heat to accumulate in it.

Also note that the console it has less space than a PC to integrate components, and that it is therefore necessary to fine-tune consumption, generated heat and the cooling system much better. Otherwise, we risk reaching too high temperature values ​​that can cause thermal throttling, stability problems and ultimately hardware damage.

Using a good cooling system is important, but eventually there will be physical limitations and it is impossible to perform miracles. Since the CPU and GPU share a package, they also share a TDPand this cannot exceed a certain limit, because ultimately it would be impossible to transfer heat quickly enough from such a small area, and it would accumulate irretrievably.

All of this has a very important consequence, which is that there are certain performance levels that cannot be exceeded and work speed thresholds that are not viable. It’s no coincidence that the PS5 uses a GPU with dynamic frequency and peak at 2.23GHz while your CPU only reaches 3.5GHz, also dynamically. System adjust both frequencies and you can decrease one and increase the other if necessary.

That configuration of dynamic frequencies prevents stability problems and excessive heat generationand helped Sony fine-tune the PS5’s CPU and GPU performance. The same scenario will repeat itself with the PS5 Pro, and it will ultimately limit Sony’s options considerably.

3.-Production costs and selling price: a question of value

We’ve said before that the PS5 Pro will be a more powerful console than the PS5, that’s exactly its aim and raison d’être, but Sony can’t limit themselves to choosing the most powerful components available, and not just because of limitations on silicon space and cooling , which we have already indicated, but also because it would trigger the production cost of the console and ultimately affect the selling price.

The launch of the PS5 Pro with a price that exceeds 100 to 200 euros, the cost of the PS5 would be quite reasonable, but shooting above these values ​​would be counterproductive, although Sony makes up for it by offering better features. For this reason, the Japanese company will eventually have to balance the technical improvements of the said console and maintain a balanced level of costs, otherwise the price of the said console could reach a level that is not very attractive to users.

The PS4 Pro is a prime example of this. This console brought a much more powerful GPU, but did not have significant improvements in the rest of its specifications.because Sony simply upped the CPU frequency and introduced 1GB of DDR3 memory for system and applications, freeing up 512MB of unified GDDR5 memory for developers to use to work at resolutions higher than 1080p.

I’m inclined to think that eventually the PS5 Pro will end up taking the same approach as the PS4 Pro, so yeah Sony will prioritize integrating a more powerful GPUand that we will not see relevant improvements in its remaining components to mitigate costs. Since the GPU is ultimately the most important part of the console, this would be a completely understandable move.

Cover image: Mark Illing.