Sony PlayStation 3 vs Sony PlayStation 5

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

PlayStation 3 compared with PlayStation 5
SonyPlayStation 3SonyPlayStation 5
Overview
ReleasedMarch 2007November 2020
Performance
TypeHome consoleHome console
CPUCell Broadband Engine, 3.2 GHzAMD Zen 2, 8 cores
GPURSX Reality SynthesizerAMD RDNA 2
GPU compute–10.3 TFLOPS
Memory512 MB16 GB (better)
Storage60 GB825 GB (better)
Disc driveYesOptional
CPUCell Broadband Engine at 3.2 GHz, with one PowerPC-based core and seven active synergistic processing elements (Sony)x86-64 AMD Ryzen "Zen 2", 8 cores / 16 threads, variable frequency up to 3.5 GHz; single-chip custom processor
GPURSX graphics processor, codeveloped by NVIDIA and SonyAMD Radeon RDNA 2-based graphics engine with ray tracing acceleration, variable frequency up to 2.23 GHz
Memory detail256 MB XDR main RAM and 256 MB GDDR3 video RAM16 GB GDDR6, 448 GB/s bandwidth
Storage detail60 GB 2.5-inch Serial ATA hard drive, user-replaceable; Blu-ray, DVD and CD drive (read only)825 GB custom SSD with 5.5 GB/s raw read bandwidth; part is reserved for system software. The disc model plays Ultra HD Blu-ray (up to 100 GB per disc), Blu-ray and DVD
Storage expansionMemory Stick, SD and CompactFlash card slots; USB storage–
Display and video
Maximum output1080p4K up to 120 fps
Built-in screenNo built-in screen–
Video outputHDMI out; AV Multi Out (composite, S-Video, component); 576i, 576p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p on the UK modelHDMI out; supports 4K 120 Hz TVs, 8K TVs and VRR (as specified by HDMI 2.1)
Variable refresh rate–VRR (HDMI 2.1)
AudioDIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL); Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1 and up to 7.1-channel linear PCM over HDMI (Sony)Tempest 3D AudioTech
Design and power
Weight5,000 g3,900 g (better)
Power use–Maximum rated power 350 W with the disc drive, 340 W Digital Edition (220–240 V)
ColoursBlackWhite covers with a black centre
Connections
Ports4 × USB 2.0, HDMI out, AV Multi Out, DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL), Gigabit Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T), memory card slotsFront 1 × USB-A (Hi-Speed USB) and 1 × USB-C (SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps); back 2 × USB-A (SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps), HDMI out, Gigabit Ethernet
Wi-Fi and BluetoothWi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 b/g), Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR); up to 7 Bluetooth controllersWi-Fi 6 (IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax), Bluetooth 5.1
ControllerSIXAXIS wireless controller at launch; later bundles came with DUALSHOCK 3DualSense wireless controller with haptic feedback and adaptive triggers
Backward compatibilityPlayStation games; the UK and European model plays some PS2 games through partial software emulation (its PS2 Emotion Engine chip was removed)–

More comparisons