PlayStation 5 vs Xbox Series X specs: CPU, GPU, storage and more compared
These specs aren't the full story - but they're still an interesting point of comparison.
In the run-up to the reveal of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, there was intense speculation over the hardware that powers each machine. How many teraflops would each next-gen console possess? Which would have the higher CPU clocks? Would both make use of NVMe storage, and what would external storage look like? Now, both Microsoft and Sony have revealed their core specifications, and we finally have a good idea of what each machine looks like on the inside.
The table below collects the most important specifications for each machine, incorporating CPU and GPU architecture and performance, storage solutions, backwards compatibility and more. These specs aren't the full story by any means, but they're still a fascinating point of comparison - and an important backdrop to the larger discussions around the reveals of the Xbox Series X and the Sony PlayStation 5.
| PlayStation 5 | Xbox Series X | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.5GHz (variable frequency, with SMT) |
8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.8GHz (3.6GHz with SMT) |
| GPU | 10.28 TFLOPs, 36 CUs at 2.23GHz (variable frequency) |
12.16 TFLOPs, 52 CUs at 1.825GHz |
| GPU Architecture | Custom RDNA 2 w/ hardware RT support |
Custom RDNA 2 w/ hardware RT support |
| Memory | 16GB GDDR6 | 16GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 448GB/s | 10GB at 560GB/s, 6GB at 336GB/s |
| Internal Storage | Custom 825GB NVMe SSD | 1TB Custom NVMe SSD |
| IO Throughput | 5.5GB/s (Raw), 8-9GB/s (Compressed) |
2.4GB/s (Raw), 4.8GB/s (Compressed) |
| Expandable Storage | NVMe SSD Slot | 1TB Expansion Card |
| External Storage | USB HDD Support | USB HDD Support |
| Optical Drive | 4K UHD Blu-ray Drive | 4K UHD Blu-ray Drive |
| HDMI | 2.1 (4K/120Hz, 8K, VRR) | 2.1 (4K/120Hz, 8K, VRR) |
| Backwards compatibility | PlayStation 4(*) | Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One |
| Price | TBA | TBA |
If you're hungry to learn more, our full reveals are an essential read. There, you'll find the full story on each console, including its best features, the thinking behind its design and everything else you should know.
- Inside PlayStation 5: the specs and the tech that deliver Sony's next-gen vision
- Inside Xbox Series X: the full specs
Stay tuned to Digital Foundry for much more analysis of the next-gen consoles in the days, weeks and months to come!
Looking for a new headset? Our pick for the best Xbox gaming headset, the SteelSeries Arctis 9X, is currently on sale in the UK, US and Europe. It even works out of the box with the Xbox Series X.