As a hardware geek and tech enthusiast, few things get me more excited than analyzing the technical specifications and performance details of gaming components. The PlayStation 4, released in 2013, was a landmark console that set new standards for affordability and graphical horsepower. Its GPU in particular was ahead of its time, delivering smooth frame rates and rich visuals at a budget price point.
In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into the PS4’s graphics chipset and explore current GPU offerings that match or exceed it for a modern Windows PC build. You may be surprised to find the PS4 GPU is equivalent to some rather modest and outdated options by 2023 standards. But first, let‘s start with some history on Sony’s revolutionary console.
A Brief PlayStation History
Sony’s original PlayStation released in 1994 and pioneered widespread 3D gaming and CD-ROMs for storage. In February 2013, about 20 years later, Sony announced the PlayStation 4 (model CUH-2000 series). It released in November 2013 with much anticipation from gamers.
The PS4 was Sony’s first console to use the x86 CPU architecture, moving from the exotic Cell processor used in PS3. This shift made game development easier and more akin to PC games. The PS4 also sported 8GB of GDDR5 memory, a massive leap from 512MB on PS3. It came equipped with an AMD Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) with eight Jaguar CPU cores and a custom Radeon GPU.
Inside the PlayStation 4 Graphics Chip
The PS4’s semi-custom GPU codenamed “Liverpool” was based on AMD‘s GCN GPu architecture (Graphics Core Next). AMD utilized 28nm process technology from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).
Here are the key technical specifications that give the PS4 GPU its graphical computing power:
- 1152 shader processing units – Shader units handle tasks like texture mapping and vertex transformations
- 72 texture mapping units – Texture units apply bitmap textures to 3D surfaces
- 32 raster operation pipelines – ROPs handle final pixel output and anti-aliasing
- 8GB GDDR5 memory – High-speed memory stores texture maps and frame buffers
- 256-bit memory bus – Wider bus allows more memory bandwidth
- Memory bandwidth 176 GB/s – Speed that textures can stream from memory
- GPU core clock speed – 800 MHz
- Memory clock speed – 1375 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective speed)
- Peak single-precision floating point performance – 1.84 TFLOPS
That may sound like Greek if you’re not a hardware geek, but suffice to say, the PS4 GPU was a very capable and balanced chipset for its time. It could handle detailed textures and complex geometries in 1080p games thanks to ample shaders, bandwidth and memory.
What Makes a Strong GPU?
When analyzing graphics cards, there are a few key factors that determine performance for gaming and 3D workloads:
- Shader Units – More shaders enable processing complex textures, lighting, post-effects
- Texture Units – Allow applying more high-res texture maps to objects
- ROPs – Needed for final pixel output, anti-aliasing and resolution
- Memory – Capacity for texture maps, frame buffer. Bandwidth impacts streaming.
- Clock Speeds – Boosts computational power. Measured in megahertz (MHz).
- Teraflops – Peak floating point operations per second. High means faster math.
Balancing these factors is crucial for real-world game performance. Think of shaders as the factories, ROPs as final assembly, and memory as the warehouses. More pipelines keep the factories and warehouses flowing efficiently.
PlayStation 4 GPU Equivalents
At launch, the PS4 GPU compared closely with mid-range gaming graphics cards of the era. Two near equivalents that matched it for shader count, cores and memory size were the Nvidia GTX 750 Ti and the AMD Radeon HD 6950. Let’s examine them in more detail:
Nvidia GTX 750 Ti
This Maxwell card from 2014 contains:
- 640 CUDA shader cores
- 40 texture units
- 16 ROPs
- 2GB GDDR5 memory
- 128-bit memory bus
- Base core clock 1020 MHz
- Boost clock 1085 MHz
- Memory clock 5.4 Gbps
- 1.3 TFLOPS single-precision
The 750 Ti matched the PS4 in memory, shader cores and memory bandwidth. It falls behind in ROPs, texture units and clock speeds. But very comparable for the era!
AMD Radeon HD 6950
The 6950 released originally in 2010 but paired well too:
- 1408 streaming processors (shaders)
- 88 texture units
- 32 ROPs
- 2GB GDDR5 memory
- 256-bit bus
- 800 MHz GPU clock
- 1250 MHz memory clock (5.0 Gbps)
- 2.25 TFLOPS single precision
The 6950 exceeds the PS4 in shaders, texture units and potential teraflops. But it matches in ROP count and memory size. Another very close match for PS4 graphics power circa 2013.
Why PS4 GPU Equivalents Are Now Outdated
While the GTX 750 Ti and HD 6950 were approximate equals to the PS4 GPU back in 2013, both these graphics cards are now sorely outdated a decade later.
Modern games have evolved to demand much more GPU horsepower. Plus, current generation budget cards like the Nvidia GTX 1650 and Radeon RX 6500 XT now easily outperform these old equivalents while costing about the same.
For example, here’s how a GTX 1650 compares:
- 896 CUDA cores – 40% more shaders
- 64 texture units – 60% more
- 32 ROPs
- 4GB GDDR5 memory – Double!
- 128-bit bus
- 1485 MHz boost clock – ~40% faster
- 8 GB/s memory – 50% more bandwidth
- 3 TFLOPS vs 1.3 TFLOPS – 2X teraflops!
So for roughly the same price as a 750 Ti today, the GTX 1650 is leaps and bounds faster thanks to 4 years of GPU advancements. Check out my Best Graphics Cards guide here for current recommendations.
Closing Thoughts
I hope you enjoyed this geeky deep dive into PlayStation 4 graphics power. It was a revolutionary console for its time, delivering high fidelity gaming and visuals at an affordable price. The custom AMD GPU inside was well-designed and stood up well against mid-range gaming PCs of 2013.
Yet as with all technology, that once mighty GPU is now outdated and fairly modest by 2023 standards. While the direct equivalents in old cards like the GTX 750 Ti and Radeon HD 6950 matched it well when new, they too are now left in the dust for all but retro gaming rigs.
So if you’re looking to build a new budget gaming PC that meets or beats PS4 performance levels, I strongly recommend opting for a modern entry-level card instead. You’ll get way better value for money and won’t be left wanting an upgrade in a year or two. Check out my guide to Best Budget Graphics Cards for the latest recommendations!
Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions about PS4 performance or finding the best graphics card for your needs and budget!
