Sony’s PlayStation is one of the most easily recognized gaming brands today

With the rise of PC gaming, however, you may be wondering how the hardware in your console stacks up with PC hardware.

Let’s take a peek under the hood and compare processing units with their CPU equivalents.

What Is the PS4 CPU Equivalent?

The PS4 CPU equivalent is the Intel Atom C2750 Processor, formerly called the Intel Avoton C2750 processor. And while it’s a bit challenging to find an equivalent processor for consoles, this Intel 8-core processor is pretty similar to the PlayStation 4 in terms of performance.

Since its release in 2013, Sony’s PlayStation 4 has been a fan favorite for many reasons.

And besides the DualShock 4, the PS4’s exciting design, and an extensive collection of games, the PS4’s performance is noteworthy.

The console uses an Accelerated Processing Unit (APU)–which consists of both a Central Processing Unit (CPU) and a Graphical Processing Unit (GPU)–to achieve performance that’s comparable to an AMD Radeon HD 7850 GPU paired with an Intel Atom C2750 CPU.

Despite the PS4’s high processing power, however, the CPU itself is pretty weak. The PS4’s AMD Jaguar-based CPU consists of two, 4-core elements that work just as well as most octa-core systems.

These cores have a base clock speed of around 1.6GHz, but you can overclock them to 2.75GHz.

The 28nm PS4 CPU also has a shared 2MB L2 cache for each of its four cores and a 32 kB L1 module for each core’s instruction and data caches.

The Intel Atom C2750 CPU is almost identical–equaling the PS4 CPU in core count, number of threads, and cache memory.

However, the 22nm C2750 chip has a base frequency of 2.4GHz that can reach up to 2.6GHz. Besides the difference in clock speed, it still achieves similar performance to the PS4’s 102.4 SP GFLOPS.

What Is the PS3 CPU Equivalent?

The PS3 CPU equivalent is the Intel Core 2 Duo E8400. It was released about a year after the PlayStation 3 and performs similarly to the PS3’s CPU. Other comparable processors include the Intel Celeron G1610 and Intel Pentium G4560 processors.

At the time of its release, the PlayStation 3 had one of the most impressive microprocessors of any device.

The processor, known as Cell, was an ambitious project on Sony’s part and led to the sale of more than 87 million PlayStation 3 consoles.

Even today, there’s no doubt that the Cell processor was instrumental in redefining gaming consoles and consumer technology.

PlayStation 3’s Cell processor looks good on paper, and its performance was almost unrivaled at its release.

The 3.2GHz-capable chipset consists of six cores for routine processes, an extra seventh core for security and critical operating system operations, and a final eighth core for performance acceleration. 

The CPU also has 64KB of L1 cache, 512KB of L2 cache, and local memory of 2MB. Ultimately, this setup results in a performance of up to 179.2 GFLOPS.

The 45nm Intel Core 2 Duo E8400, released in 2008, is capable of similar performance as the PS3 Cell processor. However, the more recent Intel core is slightly more powerful and customizable than the Cell CPU.

And while Intel Celeron G1610 and Intel Pentium G4560 processors are in themselves close parallels to the PlayStation 3 CPU, they too are capable of much more.

What Is the PS2 CPU Equivalent?

The equivalent CPU to the PS2 is the Intel Celeron processor. It’s a 250nm chip with a base speed of 300MHz. While the PlayStation 2’s CPU is slightly more capable than the Intel chip, they are still a close match in terms of performance.

I’ve always loved the PlayStation 2 for many reasons. For one, it was one of the first consoles I played.

In addition, PS2’s hardware specs were revolutionary for that time. The device’s 128-bit “Emotion Engine” is a 64-bit, MIPS R5900-compatible chip capable of speeds up to 300MHz.

The Emotion Engine also has a 3.2GBps memory BUS bandwidth that allows the entire chipset to perform at 6.2 GFLOPS.

While it’s a little challenging to pit a CPU against a dated console like the PlayStation 2, the Emotion Engine is similar to the Intel Celeron processor, a nifty microprocessor from late 1999.

Like the PlayStation 2’s Emotion Engine, the Intel Celeron has a base processor speed of 300 MHz but can reach up to 3.6GHz.

The Intel chip also has a 128 KB L2 Cache, a 66 MHz BUS speed, and a processor performance slightly higher than the PS2’s.

And while the Intel Pentium II processor is also comparable to the console, it’s a little too overpowered to call it a perfect match.

What Is the PlayStation CPU Equivalent?

The PlayStation CPU equivalent is the AMD K5. This processor was manufactured in 1996, two years after the PlayStation was introduced to the world, and has comparable specs to the industry-defining console. 

Still, comparing old gaming consoles with any other kind of hardware is pretty challenging.

Unlike today, processor architectures were vastly different across devices, and there was no way to accurately peg a console’s processing power with its corresponding CPU.

However, the PlayStation was–and still is–a work of art in its regard. The console runs a 32-bit MIPS R3000a CPU that peaks at around 34MHz; snail speeds by today’s standards.

At the time of its release, however, it was robust enough a chipset to sell over 100 million units.

The AMD K5’s architecture differs from the PlayStation, but the chip’s performance is comparable. Its clock rate maxes out around 133MHz, but it can reach speeds of 75MHz during regular operations.

Should You Upgrade Your PlayStation Or Your CPU?

You should upgrade your CPU if you have to choose between your PlayStation and your CPU. PCs are more customizable than consoles, so you can evaluate your needs and pick a CPU that works best for you. CPUs are also typically cheaper than PlayStations if you have an existing PC.

Of course, there are a few nuances and exceptions to the answer.

For example, upgrading your PlayStation might be better if Sony just released a new console or if your existing console is more than two generations old.

Therefore, I recommend a careful evaluation of your prospects and circumstances to ensure you’re pretty satisfied in the end.