The recent PS5 Pro announcement has been met with mixed reactions. While it does boast improved specifications over the PS5, particularly in the GPU department with new features such as PSSR, its $700 price tag and lack of a vertical stand and disc drive have caught the attention of many, but not in a good way.
However, since the PS5 Pro features 60 Compute Units and is said to run on RDNA 3 (the latter is unconfirmed), many have been speculating that its GPU would deliver the performance of the RX 7800 XT, a card we’ve reviewed that has proven to be a popular choice from Team Red.
In fact, when finding a GPU equivalent to the Pro, we also gravitate towards the 7800 XT based on the specs. That said, there isn’t much concrete proof of performance just yet outside of Sony’s claims, and one drawback for the console is the lack of Infinity Cache. RDNA 3 is also still a slight question mark; without that, we’d place the performance closer to the RX 6800.
The PS5 Pro GPU will likely lack AMD’s Infinity Cache technology
Back to the main issue now: the lack of Infinity Cache. Sebastian Castellanos’s post on X put us on this train of thought, providing a solid reason why we shouldn’t expect the PS5 Pro to perform at that level. It’s also worth noting that the console will share VRAM between GPU and CPU as a compact system-on-a-chip compared to a discrete GPU like the 7800 XT.
The one sure thing is that the 7800 XT has AMD Infinite Cache Technology, which most likely isn’t in the PS5 Pro’s GPU according to Sebastian – the original PS5 also lacked it for reference. This technology introdduces a new cache level that is visible for the entire GPU, reducing the amount of requests from the VRAM as the high-priority data is stored on-board rather than in separate memory. It also greatly increases the bandwidth, resulting in high-level performance and effective memory bandwidth.
This doesn’t mean that the PS5 Pro is a dud; it still has impressive specifications, with 28% faster memory combined with the extra CUs, which gives it up to 45% faster rendering, according to Sony. It just means that it would be better to manage performance expectations for now. Regardless, a direct comparison from console to discrete GPU is never straightforward.
If you’re wondering how the PS5 Pro would fare against the RTX 3080, 4090, or even the 4060, we’ve got you covered.
