The one detail to me that I honestly think people still haven't fully grasped is the form factor of Xbox Series X and the implications of what that truly means compared to what Xbox Series X would have otherwise been as a console had Microsoft not gone with that design, but instead a more traditional console design.
Why would they do such a thing?
It isn't for show. It's strictly due to power draw reasons and heat reasons. If there won't be a meaningful difference in power or heat required for the type of hardware they intend to put in the box, then there would be no reason at all to even bother with the form factor they did for the Series X.
Translation: the GPU would be weaker, more power limited. The GPU would simply not be allowed to draw the kind of power that it would need to draw to achieve the type of performance it is capable of reaching in games.
I have no idea what the hell the form factor for PS5 will be, nor the type of cooling they'll be using. However, unless they have decided to make similar types of decisions on their console's form factor and cooling design as Microsoft has, or are somehow achieving similar or better results in power consumption and cooling with their own unique solution, the likelihood they will possess a GPU as powerful, or as close as some would prefer them to be, as what's inside Xbox Series X, is really not good.
Microsoft has unveiled the next-gen Xbox formerly known as Project Scarlett, and it's unlike any console we've seen before.
www.gamespot.com
Now I (and you) know: the next-gen Xbox previously known as Project Scarlett is officially called
Xbox Series X, and it is, in no uncertain terms, a monolith. "We wanted to design a console where the form was driven by the function," said Spencer. "
And the function--as I said--was to really play the highest power, most immersive games possible."
Maximum power draw on an xbox one x enhanced title such as Gears of War 4 is 172W compared to 107W on the original Xbox One. In the Digital Foundry article that Phil Spencer himself promoted, as if they hit the nail on the head, suggests Xbox Series X could nearly double the Xbox One X's 172W, if not outright go beyond 300W of power draw while gaming. Again, I go back to Phil's statement about "highest power."
The rules are changing, the nature of console design is radically evolving, the presumptions we have about the core des…
www.eurogamer.net
And that's almost certainly why the Xbox Series X is so large. I'm not expecting a huge amount of difference in the size of the mainboard or the components attached to it when stacked up against Xbox One X. What I am expecting is a very significant increase in power consumption, plus a big upgrade in the cooling solution in order to manage some pretty challenging thermals. Based on the kind of power consumption seen on AMD's latest PC GPUs based on the same technologies, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Xbox Series X pulling twice the power of the Xbox One X.
2 times 172W puts us squarely in the power draw territory of the most powerful PC GPUs available on the market. Even at a less aggressive 74% increase in power draw over xbox one X, that still puts us at exactly 300W of power draw. Below Digital Foundry suggests Microsoft is likely achieving this more so with clock speeds that are notably higher than their PC counterparts, but this was before we knew just how much larger the chip was, meaning Microsoft could likely go with roughly the same clock speed as what the equivalent card would have on PC.
It would also suggest frequencies that are appreciably higher than those seen in AMD's Navi-based GPUs - which reverses the situation with the current-gen machines, which are typically underclocked compared to equivalent PC parts. Increasing both area and frequency inevitably pushes up power consumption way beyond anything we've seen in a home console. Our measurements for the first-gen PlayStation 3 currently top the power consumption charts at 209W during gameplay. Based on what we know of Navi GPUs from the existing, seemingly less capable Radeon RX 5700-series, not to mention the size of the Series X casing, I wouldn't be surprised to see the new console move beyond 300W. With that in mind, assurances from Microsoft that the machine has a similar acoustic profile to Xbox One X is very, very welcome.
GitHub leaks suggests Microsoft's chip is just plain larger than even what DF believed. They were thinking something like 48 at a higher clock speed, but it seems Xbox Series X may be 56CUs at a lower clock.
And on the github leak, if you go back to stories like this from November 1st of last year and you do a little digging into their links to see just who that reddit leaker is tomshardware is suggesting previously found AMD's upcoming Renoir APU, and who again appears to have found new AMD Navi GPUs, you will see that it's rogame, the same exact individual who found and posted the PS5 and Xbox Series X driver leaks.
The Radeon RX 5500 and RX 5500M may be getting some siblings.
www.tomshardware.com
AMD's upcoming Renoir APU may have been benchmarked with 3DMark 11.
www.tomshardware.com
This is why I think conspiracy theories that what was listed in those official AMD driver leaks and tests, is some plot or conspiracy by a bunch of zealous xbox fans to make PS5 look weak (it isn't by a longshot even at 9.2TF) is tinfoil hat territory and just plain batshit insane. I don't think believing that github leak, which was clearly real and without full context, makes you a fanboy or someone who hopes for the worst with ps5. PS5 wouldn't be a weak console if those numbers were true and the rumored specs for Xbox Series X are true. Microsoft just had different performance goals. That doesn't make PS5's performance goal insufficient for unbelievable looking next gen titles.
When information looks that solid and everything, including the history and reputation of the person who unearthed it for all to see, is as good as it is, I would instead argue you're simply being a realist if you choose to buy that over what forum insiders have said. And if we're being honest, their track record has been atrocious from the very
instant Microsoft revealed Xbox Series X. At the same time, nothing is wrong with hoping it's wrong either. It's just when we get into the conspiracy theories and personal attacks over people who believe it to be real that we basically go off the rails. Every piece of information from the github leak can be all true even while as a gamer your natural instincts are to still wish for even more power to be packed into each console since, the more we get, the better it is for us all whether you prefer xbox or playstation.