At the tail end of last month, we saw reports of a third PS5 variant, featuring more weight reduction compared to earlier models. At the time, beyond the weight reduction, it was unclear what else was different with this console compared to the two other versions that came before it. Now, thanks to a report by Angstronomics, we know the answer – a new chipset.
The report noted that this third PS5 variant, the CFI-1200 series, comes with a smaller chipset, known with the codename Oberon Plus. Made with the TSMC 6nm process, it’s a slight improvement over the chipset found in the previous versions of the console, the 7nm Oberon. This generally translates to better power efficiency at similar performance levels. Beyond the smaller size, the underlying Zen 2 and RDNA 2 compute and graphics architectures are mostly unchanged.
According to the Angstronomics report, this is what allows for the weight loss in the third PS5 variant. The more efficient chipset means that the console can afford to have a smaller and lighter cooler. On a related note, the smaller chips also mean that more can be produced with one wafer, reducing production costs by up to 12%. Overall, all this means better cost-effectiveness for Sony Interactive Entertainment when producing the consoles. Despite this, we still probably won’t see a walk back on the console’s price hike.
Finally, the report notes that moving forward, SIE will only be producing the 6nm Oberon Plus chipset for future PS5 models. This means that, should the previous rumour about a fourth variant coming next year be true, that model will also sport this new, more efficient chipset. Naturally, by then the more efficient chipset would not be the main draw of the console. Instead, the standout change when that happens is the optional and detachable disk drive, possibly unifying the design of the console by consolidating both standard and Digital Editions into one.
(Source: Angstronomics via VideoCardz)
