Sony PlayStation 5 SoC die pictured up close

Published: Feb 15th 2021, 09:01 GMT   Comments

PlayStation 5 die shot pictured

Fritzens Fritz delivers the first photos of the Sony PS5 System on a Chip.

Unlike Microsoft who was quick to showcase its Xbox Series S and X die shots, Sony has never shown what is under the hood of the PS5 System on a Chip. It has been months since PS5 was introduced, but only now we get to see a chip codenamed AMD Flute up close.

Play Station 5 SoC, Source: Fritzchens Fritz

The Sony PS5 SoC codenamed known as Oberon or Ariel is based on AMD technology (Flute is AMD codename). It features both AMD Zen2 core architecture as well as RDNA2 GPU. The 8-cores Zen2 cores are clocked up to 3.5 GHz, while 36 RDNA2 Compute Units can reach a clock speed up to 2.23 GHz.

Sony announced that its PS5 chip will feature liquid metal instead of traditional thermal paste. This would ensure a longer lifespan and increase heat exchange between the chip and the cooler. However, at the same time, it increases the production complexity and forces Sony to use custom packing solutions to ensure no liquid metal spill would occur.

Play Station 5 SoC, Source: Fritzchens Fritz

The die was pictured using a special microscope using short wave infrared light (SWIR). This technology allows the photographer to look under the hood and see the internals of the SoC without typical detaching and grinding techniques, which would also destroy the chip in the process.

Sony PS5 chip has 8 cores located on the left side, while 36 Compute Units are packed together in a middle. The die picture confirms that the chip features eight 32-bit memory interfaces for GDDR6 memory. It also confirms that the chip has some changes to the layout compared to Zen2 based APUs. It would appear that the chip has some Fixed Function Units (FFU) missing as well as Fused Multiply-Add (FMA/FMADD) are not be seen on the chip. Those units were likely removed as they are not required for a gaming console.

Play Station 5 SoC, Source: Fritzchens Fritz

Play Station 5 SoC layout, Source: Locuza

Official die shot of the Xbox Seriex X has been shown by Microsoft even before the console was released:

Xbox Series X SoC, Source: Microsoft

Next-Generation Gaming Consoles
VideoCardz.comSony PlayStation 5Sony Play Station 5 DigitalXbox Series XXbox Series S
Picture
CPU
 
3.5 GHz
 
3.5 GHz
 
3.8GHz (3.6GHz SMT)
 
3.6GHz (3.4GHz SMT)
GPU
 
AMD RDNA2 36 CUs
 
AMD RDNA2 36 CUs
 
AMD RDNA2 52 CUs
 
AMD RDNA2 20 CUs
GPU Clock
 
2.23 GHz
 
2.23 GHz
 
1.83 GHz
 
1.57 GHz
GPU Power
 
10.28 TFLOPS
 
10.28 TFLOPS
 
12.15 TFLOPS
 
4 TFLOPS
Memory
 
16GB GDDR6
 
16GB GDDR6
 
16GB GDDR6
 
10GB GDDR6
Max. Bandwidth
 
448 GB/s
 
448 GB/s
 
560 GB/s
 
224 GB/s
Built-in Storage
 
825GB Custom SSD
 
825GB Custom SSD
 
1TB PCie Gen 4 NVME SSD
 
512GB PCie Gen 4 NVME SSD
Storage Speed (Raw)
 
5.5 GB/s
 
5.5 GB/s
 
2.4 GB/s
 
2.4 GB/s
Expansion CardNVMe SSD SlotNVMe SSD Slot1TB card1TB card
Media Support4K UHD Blu-rayDigital only4K UHD Blu-rayDigital only
Performance Target4K @ 60fps, up to 120fps4K @ 60fps, up to 120fps4K @ 60fps, up to 120fps1440p @ 60fps, up to 120fps
Display ConnectorsHDMI 2.1HDMI 2.1HDMI 2.1HDMI 2.1
MSRP
 
$499
 
$399
 
$499
 
$299
Release DateNovember 12/19November 12/19November 10November 10

Source: @FritzchensFritz, @Locuza_




Comment Policy
  1. Comments must be written in English and should not exceed 1000 characters.
  2. Comments deemed to be spam or solely promotional in nature will be deleted. Including a link to relevant content is permitted, but comments should be relevant to the post topic. Discussions about politics are not allowed on this website.
  3. Comments and usernames containing language or concepts that could be deemed offensive will be deleted.
  4. Comments complaining about the post subject or its source will be removed.
  5. A failure to comply with these rules will result in a warning and, in extreme cases, a ban. In addition, please note that comments that attack or harass an individual directly will result in a ban without warning.
  6. VideoCardz has never been sponsored by AMD, Intel, or NVIDIA. Users claiming otherwise will be banned.
  7. VideoCardz Moderating Team reserves the right to edit or delete any comments submitted to the site without notice.
  8. If you have any questions about the commenting policy, please let us know through the Contact Page.
Hide Comment Policy
Comments