News Sony Reportedly Prepping PS5 With 6nm AMD CPU

[Admin]

Sony is rumored to be working a version of the PS5 with semi-custom SoC from AMD using TSMC's 6nm process.

Sony Reportedly Prepping PS5 With 6nm AMD CPU : Read more

 

[thepersonwithaface45]

Epic, I was gonna wait for the next model, good to know there's talk about making one

 

[Heat_Fan89]

Epic, I was gonna wait for the next model, good to know there's talk about making one

Well seeing I still can't get one, this is welcomed news. Besides I am waiting for the PS5 Slim or PS5 Pro because I saw a PS5 display model at Best Buy and that sucker is humongous.

Come to think of this I would not be surprised if we see this in the mid-cycle PS5's.

 

[Eximo]

Not sure you would want a slim version if you expect the same level of performance, a roughly 10% efficiency improvement isn't going to give them a huge budget to play with. These things are getting into some serious performance capabilities and making it smaller is going to lead to an increase in fan noise or a loss in sustained performance.

Based on the article, they aren't even talking about changing the design, just the internals to reduce costs.

 

[linuxdude]

| TSMC's N6 process uses extreme ultraviolet lithography for up to five layers
| which allows the use of multipatterning, speeding up manufacturing and potentially increasing yields.

If you don't know what the sentence you are currently writing means - just omit it and no harm is done.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

Not sure you would want a slim version if you expect the same level of performance, a roughly 10% efficiency improvement isn't going to give them a huge budget to play with. These things are getting into some serious performance capabilities and making it smaller is going to lead to an increase in fan noise or a loss in sustained performance.

Based on the article, they aren't even talking about changing the design, just the internals to reduce costs.

I've been buying enough Playstation's since 2000 and Sony always makes them smaller mid-cycle. They introduced the PSOne, PS2 Slim, PS3 Slim and PS4 Slim. They were all much smaller than the launch consoles. The PS5 is a behemoth in size, too big for my taste. So I would rather wait for the mid-cycle release, either the PS5 Slim or PS5 Pro. If the PS5 Pro does come about i'll get that one.

 

[hannibal]

Not Big update, but allows Sony to save some money from cooling the chip.

 

[Eximo]

I don't dispute they have done that in the past, but in some cases the design changes were more drastic then just making it smaller, they took the PS2 chip out of the PS3 for example. Also a lot more to gain by process node shrinks back then, now, not so much. Consoles tended to launch a generation behind, this time they are on the cutting edge (excepting Apple using 5nm for the M1)

It would save them more money to not change the exterior design, just saying. This is a very minor improvement, just means they get more chips per wafer and it will be slightly more efficient. They could even use the same circuit board. If this were 3 or 4 years in I would maybe agree, but we are barely into this console cycle (and those have been shrinking as well) And the reverse has been true of late, they keep upgrading the console with new capabilities.

Might be too early for a Pro version of the console. All they really have left is 8K capability, and they should save that for a good while until GPU tech catches up to the idea. 4K 120hz HDR? 4K 3d? Another generation of VR support?

As hannibal says, they could save a little by reducing the cooler size, but again that means going to the supplier and re-tooling, but that could be as simple as switching materials or leaving out a few fins to save 12 cents per unit.

 

[helper800]

| TSMC's N6 process uses extreme ultraviolet lithography for up to five layers
| which allows the use of multipatterning, speeding up manufacturing and potentially increasing yields.

If you don't know what the sentence you are currently writing means - just omit it and no harm is done.

Well, if you know the underlying technologies better its more useful to actually say what you mean than to make a snide remark. What specifically did the author say that was incorrect? I am personally not informed on the micro architectures being discussed.

 

[VforV]

Hm, if this turns out to be true... I don't know what to do now.

I was considering buying a PS5 (if I can get one), because it seems it's "easier" to get one, that a new GPU at a reasonable price... but now this rumor...

Oh well, I think even if it's true, it will more likely be available for Holiday season 2022, so a long way to go still.

Maybe nothing has changed for me actually and I should get the PS5 anyway. The other reason is that I don't really need an better PS5 (upgraded or Pro version) since I game on a 1080p TV and I don't want to get a 4k one soon.

 

[hotaru.hino]

Consoles tended to launch a generation behind, this time they are on the cutting edge (excepting Apple using 5nm for the M1)

I'd argue that this is a good thing, because being on bleeding edge comes with problems. Push the volume out now, work out the kinks, then later shrink it, because at the very least you know it was the manufacturing process that would cause problems and not stuck wondering if it's the hardware design or the manufacturing process

It would save them more money to not change the exterior design, just saying.

They'll probably change the exterior anyway because fashionable electronics are a thing unfortunately. And considering how many PS5s have already been sold, I think they've gotten their money's worth on the tool and die setup.

 

[donner]

Well, if you know the underlying technologies better its more useful to actually say what you mean than to make a snide remark. What specifically did the author say that was incorrect? I am personally not informed on the micro architectures being discussed.

Not the OP, but here is the helpful comment. It looks more like the author dropped a word. Multi-patterning, in very laymen's terms, is doing multiple mask steps to get smaller features. Longer wavelength light means more mask steps in the multi-patterning than shorter wavelength light like EUV. So, fewer steps means a wafer goes from blank to complete faster.

TSMC's N6 process uses extreme ultraviolet lithography for up to five layers
which allows the use of less multipatterning, speeding up manufacturing and potentially increasing yields.

 

[helper800]

Not the OP, but here is the helpful comment. It looks more like the author dropped a word. Multi-patterning, in very laymen's terms, is doing multiple mask steps to get smaller features. Longer wavelength light means more mask steps in the multi-patterning than shorter wavelength light like EUV. So, fewer steps means a wafer goes from blank to complete faster.

TSMC's N6 process uses extreme ultraviolet lithography for up to five layers
which allows the use of less multipatterning, speeding up manufacturing and potentially increasing yields.

I wonder when the marketing around the naming of the node process will start to be measured in picometers just to seem that much smaller or differentiated. Remember when the node was 22nm and it actually related to a physical dimension on the transistors architecture? Those were less confusing times...

 

[bdcrlsn]

I'm just wondering about that "7.8 million sold" number because I know several people that are still trying to get one with no luck.

 

[thGe17]

Well, if you know the underlying technologies better its more useful to actually say what you mean than to make a snide remark. What specifically did the author say that was incorrect? I am personally not informed on the micro architectures being discussed.

In the end, this simply means manufacturing the SoC could become slightly cheaper for Sony. Nothing more, nothing less. If this is the case, then Sony also would have also expanded their margin/headroom accoring to setting the price of the PS5 in 2022 to be more competetive or simly to reduce their loss, because right now they do not earn any money by selling the hardware.
Additionally maybe the cooling solution might become cheaper, because the SoC should have a slightly lower TDP.
On the other hand, it is quiet unlikely that specs will change, e.g. clock, because Sony will prevent the market from becoming divided at this early stage. (Something like a PS5 Pro will possibly emerge 2024/25?)

I'm just wondering about that "7.8 million sold" number because I know several people that are still trying to get one with no luck.

Lol ... if 100 people want your product, but you only have 10 pieces to sell, there's nothing to wonder about. ;-)
The last gen has been sold (over the years) over 100 Mio. times.

 

[linuxdude]

Well, if you know the underlying technologies better its more useful to actually say what you mean than to make a snide remark. What specifically did the author say that was incorrect?

EUV is used to reduce the amount of layers which require multi-patterning one if the reasons lead times will go down.
The author kind of suggested multi patterning is a feature enabled by the use of EUV: "... which allows the use of multipatterning,"

 

[helper800]

EUV is used to reduce the amount of layers which require multi-patterning one if the reasons lead times will go down.
The author kind of suggested multi patterning is a feature enabled by the use of EUV: "... which allows the use of multipatterning,"

So the main problem with the sentence is that EUV does not especially allow multipaterning, but reduces or negates the need for extensive paterning which in turn decreases complexity of the manufacturing process decreasing costs and lead time?