Much of the conversation surrounding the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X has focused on the two upcoming consoles' GPUs. GPU comparisons are a simple and understandable way of comparing two platforms. For example, the PS4 puts out about 4.2 teraflops while the Xbox One X puts out 6. However, according to a new lead, what may make the difference for the PS5 isn't its GPU, but rather its RAM and SSD.
According to PlayStation rumormonger Tidux, he's "gathered" insider information about both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X over the past few weeks. His new information has led him to believe that the PS5's performance is stronger than the Xbox Series X, though it's unclear whether this assumption comes from a developer or is made by Tidux himself. Tidux notably doesn't provide any specific information and doesn't provide any reference for his sources.
What's especially interesting about Tidux' leak is how the performance difference is explained. The post on Twitter splits the comparison into four additional categories: CPU, GPU, RAM, and SSD. The CPU is said to be equal between the two platforms. The PS5's GPU is said to be less powerful than the Xbox Series X. The PS5's RAM, however, is said to be more powerful than the Xbox Series X in both bandwidth and size. Finally, the PS5's SSD is also said to be better in both speed and size.
One detail worth drawing attention to is that Tidux claims the Xbox Series X GPU will have less than 1 teraflop advantage over the PS5. This counters recent speculation that the PS5 will have somewhere between 9 teraflops, while the Xbox Series X will be over 12. Alternatively, it could also indicate both consoles are using a new architecture that is accurately 9 teraflops, but would be 12 teraflops compared to previous architecture.
There's no real way of confirming Tidux's leak right now. Both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X have yet to announce final hardware details for their consoles. There have been some leaks that say the PS5 is more powerful and others that say the Xbox Series X is more powerful. It's perhaps worth noting that Tidux's leaks tend to source PlayStation insiders, which may or may not be biased toward the platform. As such, the details about the PS5 may be more accurate than those about the Xbox Series X, if they're accurate in the first place.
The PS5 releases in late 2020.
