Rumors of a Pro version of the PlayStation 5 have been circulating online for a long time. Sony recently announced a slimmer and smaller PlayStation 5 to replace the existing model so the Pro model is probably some time away, but there have been enough rumors for people to not doubt its existence.
This week, a new rumor is making the rounds, revealing details about the possible specs of the PlayStation 5 Pro (tentative name). This isn't the first time we are hearing about them, but according to the latest report, the specs aren't going to be as impressive as some might be expecting.
Namely, it seems the PlayStation 5 CPU will not be getting a major upgrade and the Pro model will be powered by the same octa-core Zen 2 processor but with increased clock speeds somewhere in the low 4GHz range. The base PS5's CPU can hit a maximum clock speed of 3.5GHz, in comparison.
GPU could be almost solely responsible for PS5 Pro's increased performance
Even an upgrade to 4GHz CPU clocks should offer some benefit, especially in first-party games that are designed for the PlayStation from the ground up and take maximum advantage of its hardware. But the big performance gains could come from the PS5 Pro's GPU. The PS5 Pro 5's GPU is reportedly based on AMD's RDNA 3 architecture instead of the RDNA 2 architecture used in the base PS5.
The new GPU is said to feature 60 Compute Units (CUs), up from 36 CUs, at clock speeds between 2.5GHz to 2.8GHz (the base PS5 GPU is clocked at 2.23GHz). As for system memory, the PS5 Pro could have 16GB of GDDR6 memory same as the base PS5, but with a data rate of 18000 MT/s instead of 14000 MT/s. Last but not least, the PS5 Pro could bring a 2x increase in the performance of the Tempest Engine, which powers 3D Audio on Sony's ninth-generation console.
There is no way to confirm if any of the reported specs are accurate, and we probably won't know for sure until Sony announces the PlayStation 5 Pro. As mentioned earlier, though, Sony is currently focused on the redesigned PlayStation 5 that's set to go on sale next month, so gamers could be in for a long wait for the PS5 upgrade that really matters.
