If you know a thing or two about gaming console components, you might wonder what the PS4 graphics card is equivalent to. This gaming console has the most unique graphics card, making it tough to pinpoint its equivalent right off the bat. You have to compare different graphics cards to find the one that closely emulates PS4’s GPU features.
In this article, we’ll compare PS4’s GPU different graphics cards to help you find the ones that come on par with it. We’ll also provide interesting information about the console’s GPU and how Sony modified it to provide users with smooth gameplay.
What Graphics Card Does PS4 Use?
PS4 uses a custom Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) developed by Sony and AMD. It combines PS4’s central processing unit (CPU) and graphics processing unit (GPU) in a single chip. The APU has an 8-core x86-64 AMD “Jaguar” CPU and an AMD Radeon GPU, boasting 18 computing units and a theoretical peak performance of 1.84 Teraflops.
Unlike gaming PCs, PS4 does not use a separate graphics card. Rather, the APU utilizes a unified memory architecture, allowing the CPU and GPU to share the same memory pool. This unification results in faster data transfer and improved performance.
In addition, the APU contains 8GB of GDDR5 memory connected through a 256-bit interface. For the record, GDDR5 is a high-speed memory that facilitates accelerated data transfer between the CPU and GPU.
Find out what graphics card does the PS5 have.
What Is PS4’s Graphics Card Equivalent?
The PS4 graphics card is roughly equivalent to the AMD Radeon 7850 and NVIDIA GTX 750 Ti. While the APU produces a throughput of 1.84 Teraflops, these GPUs have 1.7 and 1.4 Teraflops throughput, respectively.
Despite the similarity, PS4’s APU performs differently from these graphics cards, as it is tailored for optimized gaming
To find out see in more detail the main features of these 2 graphics cards and see what GPU is equivalent to PS4:
AMD Radeon 7850
The AMD Radeon 7850 is a mid-range GPU released in 2012. It is capable of handling most modern games at 1080p resolution.
This GPU is based on AMD’s Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture, with a 28nm manufacturing process. It also has 1024 stream processors, 64 texture units, and 32 ROP units.
In addition, the Radeon 7850 boasts 2GB of GDDR5 memory that connects to a 256-bit memory interface.
You might also want to check what is the Xbox One GPU equivalent to.
NVIDIA GTX 750 Ti
Price: from $125
Another PS4 graphics card equivalent is the NVIDIA GTX 750 Ti. It was developed based on NVIDIA’s Maxwell architecture. The Maxwell gives the GTX 75 Ti 640 CUDA cores, 50 texture units, and 16 ROP units.
The GTX 750 Ti is capable of handling video games at 1080p resolution. It even supports NVIDIA’s ShadowPlay technology, allowing gamers to capture and share their gameplay without slowing the system’s performance.
Comparing the PS4 GPU With Its Equivalents
We’ve seen what PS4 graphics card is the PC equivalent, but comparing PS4’s APU with standalone graphics cards will not render any exact equivalent, as the APU is custom-built for gaming consoles. Despite this fact, let’s see how the PS4 graphics card equivalents’ performance compares to the APU.
Real-World Performance
The APU, Radeon 7850, and GTX 750 Ti all boast a 1080p resolution. However, most PS4 games only run at 30FPS, so they will deliver more seamless gameplay if played at 720p resolution. On the other hand, the said PS4 graphics card equivalents can support games at 60FPS.
These GPUs may seem to perform better than PS4’s APU on paper. However, it is worth noting that Sony and AMD customized the APU with gaming in mind. Meanwhile, the Radeon 7850 and NVIDIA GTX 750 Ti are old standalone GPU models.
So, while they can run games at 60FPS, they may not be able to support the demands of today’s games the way PS4 does.
Teraflops
As mentioned, the APU consists of 1.84 Teraflops of throughput. In contrast, the Radeon 7850 has a throughput of 1.7 Teraflops, while the GTX 750 Ti has 1.4 Teraflops of throughput.
The higher a GPU’s Teraflop is, the better performance it delivers. Out of all the GPUs compared, the APU has the highest Teraflops, so it offers a better gaming experience than its equivalents.
Another thing that makes the APU better than the Radeon 7850 and GTX 750 Ti is the fact that it is specific hardware. Meaning game developers can optimize their games based on the APU’s features.
In the case of gaming PCs, you can pair their GPUs, such as the Radeon 7850 and GTX 750 Ti, with any CPU. As a result, game developers cannot optimize their games to match the hardware’s capabilities. Sometimes, games cannot even use the full power of the GPUs in gaming PCs, making them perform poorly.
Needless to say, the ability of GPUs to pair with any CPU can make their performance better or worse. As PS4’s APU is a CPU/GPU hybrid, games can take full advantage of its power.
What Do FLOPS & TFLOPS Mean?
FLOPS stands for “Floating Point Operations per Second”. It is the measurement of how many floating-point numbers a processor can calculate per second. Meanwhile, TFLOPs or Teraflops is the measure of how many trillions of floating-point operations it takes for a processor to compute per second.
The PS4 APU has 1.84 Teraflops, which means it can calculate 1 trillion and 840 billion floating-point calculations each second.
While Teraflops are not the only defining factor of a GPU’s performance, a higher Teraflop usually means improved speeds and graphics.
Still, it is crucial to note that a GPU’s final performance will depend on several factors, such as clock speeds, FPS, and memory bandwidth.
Is the GPU Equivalent to the PS4 Slim the Same as the PS4?
Yes, because PS4 Slim carries the same APU PS4 has. This fact means that the PS4 Slim graphics card equivalents are also the AMD Radeon 7850 and NVIDIA GTC 750 Ti. The Slim also has a throughput of 1.84 Teraflops. Therefore, PS4 Slim will provide you with the same gaming experience offered by PS4.
Despite having the same APU, PS4 Slim, and PS4 also have a few differences. For one, PS4 Slim is about 40% smaller than the latter, hence, the name. The Slim can also access the 5.0GHz Wi-Fi band, thus allowing it to run faster on wireless internet than PS4.
PS4 and PS4 Slim do not have major differences. Sony only improved PS4 significantly when it released PS4 Pro in 2016. This gaming console has a custom AMD Radeon GPU with a throughput of 4.2 Teraflops. It is also capable of running games at 4k resolution.
If you’re looking for the PS4 Pro graphics card equivalents, the closest GPUs are the NVIDIA RTX 3050 and Radeon RX 6500 XT..
These GPUs have 9.11 Teraflops and 5.77 Teraflops of throughput, respectively. They may even outperform PS4 Pro’s GPU if paired with the right CPU.
Can You Replace PS4’s Graphics Card With Its Equivalents?
Yes, you can replace PS4’s APU with a standalone GPU, but it requires major modifications to PS4’s hardware and software. The reason is that the APU is designed to work specifically with PS4’s software and system architecture. If you were to replace it with a GPU, you’d have to replace other components to support your new processor.
You may think you can improve your PS4 by replacing its APU with a higher GPU, like the aforementioned PS4 Pro graphics card equivalent. However, such is not the case. If you want to improve your console, your best option is to upgrade to a newer PS4 model.
You may also optimize your PS4’s graphics performance by ensuring you have enough free disk space. Installing the latest versions of your games will also help your console perform better.
What Frame Rate Does the PS4 GPU Run At?
PS4’s APU runs at a target frame rate of 30 FPS. It is designed to deliver seamless performance and graphics at that rate. However, some games may require a higher or lower frame rate. The total frame rate a game may run on a PS4 depends on its graphics settings and how complex its graphics are.
Frame rate is vital to gaming consoles like PS4, as it can significantly impact your overall gaming experience. The higher the frame rate a gaming console has, the smoother and more responsive it is when you are making actions in a game.
This gaming aspect can also affect the visual quality of a game. A game running at a low frame rate becomes difficult to control due to an increased input lag.
Is GTX 1650 Better Than PS4 GPU?
Yes, the NVIDIA GTX 1650 is more powerful than PS4’s APU in terms of raw performance. It has a clock speed of 1710MHz, much higher than the APU’s 1600MHz clock speed. The GTX1650 also has 3 Teraflops of throughput. These features make the GTX 2650 perform better than the APU.
But as with any PS4 graphics card equivalent, you must consider the specific use case when comparing the GTX 1650 with the APU.
Since the GTX 1650 is a dedicated graphics card for PCs, it may require additional software and hardware to achieve its full power.
Is GTX 1050 Better Than PS4?
On paper, the NVIDIA GTX 1050 is better than PS4’s APU, as it can compute more floating-point calculations per second. The GTX 1050 has a throughput of 2.1 Teraflops, while the APU is a little lower, with 1.84 Teraflops. In terms of memory bandwidth and clock speed, the GTX 1650 and APU have similar data.
PS4’s APU is designed to deliver a smooth gaming experience at 30FPs, while the GTX 1050 runs at a higher frame rate. But while this GPU is better than PS4’s APU in terms of raw component performance, making a direct comparison based on gaming performance is difficult.
As mentioned, you must pair a GPU, the GTX 1050 in this case, with a CPU to determine its optimal performance.
The PS4 Graphics Card Has No Exact Equivalent
Comparing PS4’s APU with a GPU to find a PS4 graphics card equivalent is unfair. The APU is designed to work specifically for the gaming console, while GPUs are standalone processors.
Meaning the latter relies on other components of a gaming PC, such as the CPU, RAM, and storage.
Nevertheless, if we are to find the GPUs that have the closest performance to the APU, the top processors would be the Radeon 7850 and GTX 750 Ti. However, these processors are not on par with PS4’s APU. They are older mid-range GPU models, so they may not perform well on demanding games.
