PS4 Pro being more powerful than PS4 is a given at this point – not only does it have a faster processor, but it also comes with an additional 1GB of RAM. However, unlike the 8GB GDDR5 RAM that runs both machines, that additional memory is DDR3 which means, as you’d probably guess, slower RAM. Mark Cerny, PS4 System Architect:

 We felt games needed a little more memory – about 10 per cent more – so we added a gigabyte of slow, conventional DRAM to the console […] On a standard model, if you’re switching between an application, such as Netflix, and a game, Netflix is still in system memory even when you’re playing the game. We use that architecture because it allows for a very quick swap between applications. Nothing needs to be loaded, it’s already in memory. 

So why the slower RAM? Mark continues:

 On PS4 Pro, we do things differently, when you stop using Netflix, we move it to the slow, conventional gigabyte of DRAM. Using that strategy frees up almost one gigabyte of the eight gigabytes of GDDR5. We use 512MB of that freed up space for games, which is to say that games can use 5.5GB instead of the five and we use most of the rest to make the PS4 Pro interface – meaning what you see when you hit the PS button – at 4K rather than the 1080p it is today. 

Using the slower RAM is a smart move on Sony’s part. Since by design, they aren’t giving developers an entire extra 1GB of RAM to use for games, there is no need to use the more costly GDDR5 memory which in turn, helps keep the cost of the console down. At the same time, Sony is ensuring that the use of the RAM is also clever and not making the PS4 Pro overtly more powerful than PS4 which can cause some development headaches.

Discuss:

Do you think Sony is putting the extra RAM to good use?

[Via Eurogamer]