Sony and Western Digital unveil first SSD certified for PlayStation 5

Sony and Western Digital have announced the first solid state drive (SSD) certified for use in PlayStation 5 gaming consoles.
Novelty under the name SN850 NVMe M.2 SSD for PS5 was released as part of a series of gaming products WD_Black.Image source: Western DigitalThe device is made in M.2 2280 format with dimensions of 22 × 80 mm.
For data exchange uses PCIe 4.0 x4 interface.
There is a cooling radiator, which helps to increase stability under high loads.Novelty presented in two capacity options - 1 and 2 TB.
The former has a sequential write speed of 5,300 Mbytes/s, the latter has a sequential read speed of 5,100 Mbytes/s.
The sequential read speed of the drives is the same - up to 7000 Mbytes/s.To use the products you need to update the firmware of your PlayStation 5 console to version 21.02-04.00.00 or later.
After installing the drive and powering up the console, you will need to format the SSD.WD_Black SN850 NVMe M.2 SSD for PS5 solutions are available for order now.
The 1TB version is priced at about $170 and the 2TB version is $280.
This is more expensive than the regular WD_Black SN850 drives, which are also supported by the PS5 console.

Systems on discarded "console" AMD 4700S processors may appear in Russia

AMD has registered several models of AMD 4700S platform in the base of Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC). This fact may mean that some desktop systems based on the lquo;console» chip, currently available only through Chinese OEMs, will appear in other markets, including Russia, in the near future.

To recap, the AMD 4700S processor comes as part of a Mini-ITX form factor motherboard and is based on the Zen 2 architecture. It has eight cores with a frequency up to 3.2 GHz, capable of handling up to 16 virtual threads. The chip has 8 MB of L3 cache memory and 4 MB of L2 cache memory. The graphics core integrated into the processor is disabled. 

There is one PCIe 2.0 x16 slot, but only with four dedicated lines. In other words, it is not possible to use high-performance graphics cards here. AMD itself recommends using with Radeon 550, Radeon RX 550, Radeon RX 560, Radeon RX 570, Radeon RX 580 and Radeon RX 590 graphics cards, as well as models of GeForce GT 710, GeForce GT 1030, GeForce GTX 1050, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and GeForce GTX 1060 from NVIDIA. 

The AMD 4700S platform is available in two configurations: with 8GB or 16GB of GDDR6 memory from SK Hynix. The AMD 4700S processor is mated to the AMD A77E Fusion Controller Hub (FCH) chipset. On the one hand, the registration of the AMD 4700S platform in the EEC database could mean that the company has accumulated enough defective PlayStation 5 processors to sell systems based on them outside of China. 

On the other hand, the mere registration in this database does not necessarily indicate that the registered product will be on sale at all, as has been proven many times in the past.

 Besides, one should take into account the fact that sales of various models of AMD 4700S-based desktop systems in China have only recently started. Totally, there are four AMD 4700S platform models registered in EEC database: 100-900000004, 100-190000004BOX, 100-900000005 and 100-190000005BOX. It is unknown at this time what the differences between them are. It is quite possible that versions 100-900000004 are equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, and variants 100-900000005 received 16 GB of memory of the same standard.

Arcadegeddon became the first game on PlayStation 5 with AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution support

Multiplayer third-person shooter Arcadegeddon for PlayStation 5 officially supports AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR), in fact, becoming the first game for this console to support this technology. It was announced by the game's developers, IllFonic, on their Twitter page.

The fact that Arcadegeddon supports FSR became known a few days ago when AMD itself announced it. However, at that time it was only for the PC version of the game. With the release of update 0.1.3 the game's developers have confirmed that FRS is now available in the console version as well. By default, the PS5 includes a hybrid anti-aliasing option & ; FSR 1.0 + TAAU. No one has conducted full-fledged tests yet, but the first users note the good quality of the picture with almost double the frame rate.

Patch 0.1.3 for is now live! This brings @AMDGaming's #FSR to both #PS5 and #PC, some balance changes, new max framerate options, stability improvements, and more! Click here to get all the details: https://t.co/m0wEpwhRnn#RiseUpAndPlay pic.twitter.com/8EtTgft3U2 & ; Arcadegeddon (@Arcadegeddon) July 16, 2021

The use of hybrid antialiasing with TAAU, according to the developers, allows, on the one hand, to improve the performance through FSR, and on the other & ;  increase the clarity of the image thanks to TAAU. Unlike Microsoft, Sony has not officially confirmed the fact that AMD FSR technology will be supported by its next-generation gaming console, which caused a lot of discussion among users. It looks like we can finally put the matter to rest. Supported.

Arcadegeddon was released in early access on PS5 and PC at the same time as the announcement on July 9. A full release for both platforms is expected in early 2022.

More than 80 models of desktop systems will be offered based on the AMD 4700S "console" chip

First mentions about AMD 4700S mystery processor appeared at the end of April, by the beginning of May it was shown in photos as a part of ready motherboard, and by the beginning of July the first test results appeared. The closest thing the mysterious processor was to the chip underlying Sony's PlayStation 5 game console. AMD now claims that partners will build more than 80 different PC models based on the 4700S.

Tom’s Hardware resource continues to move at the forefront of covering the lifecycle of this unusual platform, publishing rare comments from AMD representatives on the fate of the unique product going forward. First, they report that sales of the respective systems will begin on June 24 of this year. Secondly, the number of models of desktop systems, using AMD 4700S as the basis, should exceed 80 pieces. It should be recalled that AMD 4700S is a highly integrated processor, it combines eight Zen 2 generation computing cores with support for 16 threads, and as system memory uses from 8 to 16 GB of GDDR6 type memory, capable of running at speeds up to 14 GHz. AMD 4700S chip has no built-in graphics core, so it may rely solely on discrete graphics in ready-made systems, and using PCI Express x4 2.0 interface. Openly to answer the question about the kinship of the AMD 4700S and PS5 game console chip, the company's representatives refused, but called it a unique solution, trying to avoid any mention of the Ryzen trademark. Since the set of systems based on the AMD 4700S will be determined by the company's partners, then the pricing policy will be formed by them. In the Asian market these systems are already priced from $320 to $700. How soon they will reach other regions, the source is not ready to predict.

AMD 4700S platform tested: processor from PS5 and 14GHz GDDR6 with consumption higher than Core i7-11700

AMD recently unveiled the AMD 4700S desktop platform with an octa-core hybrid processor. Although the manufacturer did not specify it, the underlying APU is supposedly a stripped-down hybrid processor from the latest generation of gaming consoles. Korean portal Bodnara has found out that the APU in AMD 4700S platform is a chip from PlayStation 5 game console.

South Korean resource got access to one of the samples of AMD 4700S platform and conducted a number of tests with it. AMD itself did not name detailed characteristics of the processor in the discussed system. The manufacturer only indicated that it uses an 8-core and 16-threaded chip on the Zen 2 architecture. Bodnara notes that structurally the chip is close to the models Ryzen 7 4700G and Ryzen 7 Pro 4750G generation Renoir with a frequency range of 3.6 to 4.4 GHz. However, the AMD 4700S has a disabled integrated graphics core, which very likely turned out to be defective. At the same time, the processor is incorrectly detected by CPU-Z program - it is indicated that the maximum frequency of the chip is 3.2 GHz.

Bodnara's reviewed instance of the platform had 8 GB of GDDR6 memory with an effective frequency of 14 GHz. The memory chips are soldered directly into the Mini-ITX form factor motherboard from the back.

In the platform, AMD 4700S hybrid chip is paired with AMD A77E Fusion Controller Hub (FCH) chipset. Notably, this chipset was used with the AMD A9-9820 processor, which is codenamed Durango and is at the core of the Xbox One game console. That's why it was initially mistakenly assumed that the AMD 4700S platform was related to the Xbox Series X or Series S. Now it is clear that AMD 4700S is a chip from the PlayStation 5, this conclusion can be made simply by its appearance.

As standard, AMD 4700S based system is equipped with a discrete graphics gas pedal AMD Radeon RX 550. Other video card models are also supported. Their list is available below. However, note that the PCIe x16 slot in the platform has only four PCIe 2.0 lines, so it is impossible to use high-performance GPU here.

Image source: VideoCardz

The Koreans compared the AMD 4700S platform with an Intel Core i7-11700-based PC with integrated graphics. The AMD system performed quite well against the competitor, but its power consumption level was higher. For AMD platform it is recommended to use power supply with 250W or more.

Memory throughput test

Overwatch test results

Obviously, the AMD 4700S advantage in memory handling is due to GDDR6, and in graphics tests - to a discrete graphics card. But in general the AMD platform is designed for home or office use as part of a media center with Internet connection capabilities and is not designed for gamers.

AMD: chip shortages for Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5 and PC will continue through the second half of 2021

AMD CEO Lisa Su said in a recent financial report that component supply will remain limited until the second half of 2021. In particular, production of the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PlayStation 5 will be affected. The PC market will be affected to a lesser extent.

A shortage of next-generation consoles emerged almost immediately after they went on sale in mid-November 2020. Although AMD, Microsoft and Sony are all trying to throw everything they can at boosting production of the devices, the companies' forecasts are disappointing.

According to AMD, the company is working on getting more capacity in the second half of the year. Then the manufacturer will be able to produce more chips and shipments will increase significantly. However, they will still be limited, but the consoles will at least become freely available in retail shops.

Microsoft previously commented on the Xbox's recent financial successes and said that shortages of Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are expected at least until the end of March 2021.

PlayStation 5 games perform better than the more powerful Xbox Series X, the paradox that AMD is responsible for.

A series of videos comparing the image quality and performance of Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 has appeared on the Internet. There are no clear winners, but Microsoft console has quite serious optimization problems.

Since the announcement of the new generation console, Microsoft has declared that the Xbox Series X is the most powerful console. And really & ; with PlayStation 5 in the background, the performance of the video chip  it really wins a lot. Microsoft's console has a capacity of 12 teraflops, while PlayStation 5 has a capacity of 10.28 teraflops. Specialists from the YouTube channel Digital Foundry made a detailed comparison of both consoles in new games.

In Devil May Cry 5 shows a good picture on Xbox Seris X in 4K resolution with ray tracing. However, in the frame rate indicator wins PlayStation 5. The gap here between Xbox and PlayStation is about 40 frames per second. The console from Microsoft gives only about 24–30 frames per second.

Dirt 5 on Xbox Series X also does not perform well. In complex scenes, FPS drops to 52 frames per second. At the same time, the image quality is much lower compared to the competitor.

Image source: Digital Foundry

Sony's console is better at texture filtering and less likely to reduce image quality. Plus, the image detail in the mode aimed at the maximum frame rate is clearly higher on PlayStation 5. This can be seen in the screenshot above.

Microsoft has also acquired the rights to have their console displayed on the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla promotional materials. This may give the impression that Xbox is better at this game, but here too PlayStation has shown itself better. Microsoft prefixes have frame rate slump and picture jerking. However, as found out the edition of The Verge from one of the developers who preferred to remain anonymous, the reason why Xbox Series X is inferior to PlayStation 5, lies in the optimization. The studios too late received development kits from Microsoft, plus the tight deadlines did not allow for proper testing and debugging of game projects. Sony sent their kits much earlier and the developers had more time for the optimization process. In addition, the problem arose due to AMD, which uses GPUs in both consoles. But the manufacturer of hardware components with a long delay gave access to the RDNA 2 micro-instructions set for Xbox Series X. Because of this, even Microsoft had to start manufacturing consoles only in late summer. «Our competitors were really ahead of us. The fact is, we've been waiting for AMD to give us full access to the microinstructions of its chips», & ; Phil Spencer (Xbox Division Head) said in an interview with The Verge. Otherwise, the Xbox Series X console does have more hardware than the PlayStation, but at this point, the games for it need to be improved.