PlayStation 5 Pro to get faster Zen2 CPU mode and ‘about 45% faster GPU rendering’

PlayStation 5 Pro still on Zen2, but has much faster GPU

The Verge is confirming the specs of the ‘high-end PS5’ version.

Nearly a month after Insider Gaming revealed that Sony has started reaching out to game developers about the PS5 Pro, The Verge has confirmed that most of the shared information is indeed correct. The PS5 Pro will once again rely on AMD’s Zen2 architecture for the CPU but will see a major update in the GPU specs.

As a reminder, “ Project Trinity ” is the codename for the upcoming PlayStation 5 Pro. The company is using “Matrix” codenames for some of its new products, and the PS5 Pro will follow the footsteps of “Neo,” also known as the PS4 Pro, and “Morpheus,” the codename for PlayStation VR. Trinity has been mentioned by many sources for around a year, with PS5 Pro development reportedly starting in early 2022. Some game studios were said to have received dev kits as early as 2023, but it wasn’t until early 2024 that confidential documents for these developers reached the press.

While none of these documents specifically refer to the PS5 Pro, the codename Trinity is used extensively. The new console is marketed as an enhanced version of the PS5 , not its replacement. Sony has no intention of replacing the existing console, but rather intends to add a new option with improved visuals and performance.

Developers are now being asked to focus on making their games PS5 Pro compatible over the summer. Compatibility in this case means support for higher resolution , Sony’s temporal upscaling called PSSR , and improved quality through added ray tracing. Games designed for the PS5 will carry a special label of “PS5 Pro Enhanced.”

The Verge has confirmed that the PS5 Pro will feature a new performance mode called “high CPU frequency mode” that will boost the CPU clock to 3.85 GHz . This optional 10% increase will be offered alongside the “standard mode,” which sets the CPU clock to 3.5 GHz, the same as the current PS5. Should the game not require additional CPU power, the console will be able to use the unused power for the GPU, which, in the case of the PS5 Pro, sees a major upgrade.

“Trinity has a mode that targets 3.85GHz CPU frequency,” says Sony in a document to developers. That’s around 10 percent more than the regular PS5. Sony will offer developers the ability to pick between a “standard mode” at 3.5GHz or the “high CPU frequency mode” at 3.85GHz.

— Tom Warren, The Verge

Documents accessed by the media do not mention the specs; however, Sony is confirming a 45% faster GPU rendering than on the standard PS5. It will be able to utilize system memory better and will feature improved ray tracing support. What’s described as a “more powerful ray tracing architecture” has been rumored to be RDNA4-based RT acceleration, while the GPU cores will rely on RDNA3.

Speaking of memory, the Pro version is said to feature the same memory capacity, but games will have access to an additional 1.2 GB of system memory , which in the case of the PS5 Pro’s 16GB capacity means 13.7 GB for games alone. The memory speed has also been increased and will go up to 576 GB/s of maximum bandwidth, compared to 448 GB/s on the standard console.

The PS5 Pro is said to feature a “custom architecture for machine learning,” enabling up to 300 TOPS (Trillion Operations Per Second) for 8-bit computations. This would be useful for the PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution), which is Sony’s temporal upscaling technology similar to NVIDIA DLSS (which uses ML to remove artifacts).

The new console is said to be launching in the holiday period this year. The release date has not been confirmed.

RUMORED PS5 Pro Console Specifications
VideoCardz.comPlayStation 5 ProPlayStation 5Xbox Series XXbox Series S 2023
Picture
SoC Viola 7nm/6nm Oberon (Plus)7nm Scarlett/Arden7nm Lockhart/Arden
CPU AMD Zen2 AMD Zen2AMD Zen2AMD Zen2
CPU Config
8C/16T
8C/16T
8C/16T
8C/16T
CPU Clock
up to 3.85 GHz
up to 3.5 GHz
up to 3.8GHz
up to 3.6GHz
GPU AMD RDNA3 (RDNA4 RT) AMD RDNA2AMD RDNA2AMD RDNA2
GPU
30 WGP/60 CU
18 WGP/36 CU
26 WGP/52 CU
10 WGP/20 CU
GPU Clock
~2.18 GHz
2.23 GHz
1.83 GHz
1.57 GHz
GPU Power (FP32)
33.5 TFLOPS
10 TFLOPS
12 TFLOPS
4 TFLOPS
Memory Config
16GB G6 256b
16GB G6 256b
16GB G6 320b
10GB G6 128b
Memory Speed/Band.
18 Gbps
14 Gbps
14 Gbps
14 Gbps
Storage 825 GB 825 GB1TB512GB, 1TB*
MSRP TBC
$399**-$499
$499
$299-$349*
Release Date November 2024 November 2020November 2020September 2023
Notes* 2022 (Oberon Plus)
** Digital Edition
* 2023 Black Edition

Source: The Verge