AMD Playstation 5 Pro GPU vs AMD Steam Machine GPU Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data contains no direct benchmark scores for either GPU, so a conventional performance comparison is not possible. Instead, the measurable technical specifications provide the basis for comparing compute potential, memory throughput, and rendering rates.

The PlayStation 5 Pro GPU delivers 18.05 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, a figure that is 2.8% higher than the Steam Machine GPU's 17.56 TFLOPS. This margin is small, but it persists across the workload types that rely on raw shader throughput. In FP16 compute, the separation is larger: the PlayStation 5 Pro reaches 36.10 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), exactly double the Steam Machine GPU's 17.56 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio). For workloads that can exploit packed half-precision math, the PlayStation 5 Pro holds a 105.6% advantage. For workloads that require full FP16 throughput without packing, the Steam Machine GPU matches its FP32 rate, but the absolute number remains lower.

Texture processing favors the PlayStation 5 Pro decisively. It has 240 texture mapping units and a texture rate of 564.0 GTexel/s, compared to 112 TMUs and 274.4 GTexel/s on the Steam Machine GPU. That is a 105.5% higher texture rate, effectively double the fill rate for texture-bound scenes. Pixel throughput is nearly identical: the PlayStation 5 Pro outputs 150.4 GPixel/s while the Steam Machine GPU outputs 156.8 GPixel/s, making the Steam Machine GPU 4.3% faster in pure rasterization of pixels. Both GPUs share the same 64 ROPs, so the pixel rate difference comes entirely from clock speed.

Memory bandwidth is another area of substantial divergence. The PlayStation 5 Pro uses a 256 bit bus with 576.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Steam Machine GPU uses a 128 bit bus with 288.0 GB/s. The PlayStation 5 Pro therefore delivers exactly 100% more memory bandwidth, which directly supports higher resolution textures and heavier geometry streaming.

Clock behavior also differs. The Steam Machine GPU boosts to 2450 MHz, which is 4.3% higher than the PlayStation 5 Pro's 2350 MHz boost. The Steam Machine GPU also lists a game clock of 2250 MHz, while the PlayStation 5 Pro lists no game clock, only a base of 2170 MHz and a boost of 2350 MHz. The base clock comparison favors the PlayStation 5 Pro, which runs 26.2% higher at 2170 MHz versus 1720 MHz.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations. The PlayStation 5 Pro uses RDNA 2.0 on the Viola chip, while the Steam Machine GPU uses RDNA 3.0 on the Navi 33 chip, codenamed Hotpink Bonefish. This generation gap explains several feature and efficiency differences.

The process node differs as well. The PlayStation 5 Pro is fabricated on TSMC's 4 nm process, while the Steam Machine GPU uses TSMC's 6 nm process. Transistor counts reflect the node and chip size difference: the PlayStation 5 Pro packs 21,000 million transistors on a 279 mm² die, for a density of 75.3 million transistors per mm². The Steam Machine GPU has 13,300 million transistors on a 204 mm² die, for a density of 65.2 million per mm². The PlayStation 5 Pro die is 36.8% larger by area and holds 57.9% more transistors.

Shader resources differ by a large margin. The PlayStation 5 Pro has 3840 shading units, while the Steam Machine GPU has 1792. That is 114.3% more shading units. The Steam Machine GPU compensates with a higher boost clock, but not enough to close the compute gap.

The Steam Machine GPU includes 28 ray tracing cores. The PlayStation 5 Pro lists no ray tracing core count in the database. The architecture difference matters here: RDNA 3.0's ray tracing implementation is newer than RDNA 2.0's, and the Steam Machine GPU's API support includes DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which explicitly covers hardware ray tracing features. The PlayStation 5 Pro lists DirectX as N/A, though it supports Vulkan 1.2 and OpenGL 4.6. The Steam Machine GPU supports Vulkan 1.4 and OpenGL 4.6, plus the DirectX 12 Ultimate feature set.

Memory type is GDDR6 on both. The PlayStation 5 Pro has 16 GB, the Steam Machine GPU has 8 GB. The bus width is 256 bit versus 128 bit, and the resulting bandwidth is 576.0 GB/s versus 288.0 GB/s. Memory clock is identical at 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective.

Power consumption differs sharply. The PlayStation 5 Pro has a TDP of 232 W. The Steam Machine GPU has a TDP of 110 W, which is 52.6% lower. The Steam Machine GPU uses no external power connectors, while the PlayStation 5 Pro lists no power connector information. Physical size also reflects the design intent: the PlayStation 5 Pro measures 386 mm by 216 mm by 89 mm, while the Steam Machine GPU measures 156 mm by 152 mm by 162 mm. The Steam Machine GPU is far more compact on two axes, though it is nearly as tall as the PlayStation 5 Pro is wide.

Display outputs differ. The PlayStation 5 Pro offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 1x USB Type-C. The Steam Machine GPU offers 1x HDMI 2.1a and 1x DisplayPort 2.1.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute throughput?

A: The PlayStation 5 Pro leads in FP32 with 18.05 TFLOPS versus 17.56 TFLOPS, a 2.8% margin. In FP16, the PlayStation 5 Pro doubles to 36.10 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, while the Steam Machine GPU stays at 17.56 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio.

Q: How much memory and bandwidth does each GPU provide?

A: The PlayStation 5 Pro has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256 bit bus, yielding 576.0 GB/s. The Steam Machine GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128 bit bus, yielding 288.0 GB/s. Bandwidth is exactly double on the PlayStation 5 Pro.

Q: Are these GPUs from the same architecture generation?

A: No. The PlayStation 5 Pro uses RDNA 2.0 on the Viola chip, while the Steam Machine GPU uses RDNA 3.0 on the Navi 33 chip. The processes differ as well: 4 nm for the PlayStation 5 Pro versus 6 nm for the Steam Machine GPU.

Q: Which GPU is more power efficient?

A: The Steam Machine GPU draws 110 W TDP versus 232 W for the PlayStation 5 Pro, a 52.6% reduction. It achieves 17.56 TFLOPS at that power level, while the PlayStation 5 Pro achieves 18.05 TFLOPS at more than double the power draw.

Q: What ray tracing capabilities are recorded?

A: The Steam Machine GPU has 28 ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). The PlayStation 5 Pro lists no ray tracing core count and no DirectX support, though it does support Vulkan 1.2 and OpenGL 4.6.

Q: What are the physical dimensions of each GPU?

A: The PlayStation 5 Pro measures 386 mm by 216 mm by 89 mm. The Steam Machine GPU measures 156 mm by 152 mm by 162 mm. The Steam Machine GPU is substantially shorter and narrower, while the PlayStation 5 Pro is much thinner in depth.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every major specification category.

Process node: 4 nm for the PlayStation 5 Pro, 6 nm for the Steam Machine GPU.

Transistors: 21,000 million versus 13,300 million. Die size: 279 mm² versus 204 mm². Transistor density: 75.3M per mm² versus 65.2M per mm².

Base clock: 2170 MHz versus 1720 MHz. Boost clock: 2350 MHz versus 2450 MHz. The Steam Machine GPU lists a game clock of 2250 MHz; the PlayStation 5 Pro has no game clock listed. Memory clock is the same at 2250 MHz, 18 Gbps effective.

Memory size: 16 GB versus 8 GB. Bus width: 256 bit versus 128 bit. Bandwidth: 576.0 GB/s versus 288.0 GB/s.

Shading units: 3840 versus 1792. TMUs: 240 versus 112. ROPs: 64 on both. Ray tracing cores: none listed versus 28.

Pixel rate: 150.4 GPixel/s versus 156.8 GPixel/s. Texture rate: 564.0 GTexel/s versus 274.4 GTexel/s. FP32: 18.05 TFLOPS versus 17.56 TFLOPS. FP16: 36.10 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 17.56 TFLOPS (1:1).

TDP: 232 W versus 110 W. Power connectors: not listed versus None.

Display outputs: 1x HDMI 2.1 plus 1x USB Type-C versus 1x HDMI 2.1a plus 1x DisplayPort 2.1.

DirectX support: N/A versus 12 Ultimate (12_2). Vulkan: 1.2 versus 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 on both.

Dimensions: 386 mm by 216 mm by 89 mm versus 156 mm by 152 mm by 162 mm.

Release date: 2024-11-06 for the PlayStation 5 Pro, 2026-06-28 for the Steam Machine GPU. Production status is Active for both.

Launch MSRP: the PlayStation 5 Pro is recorded at 699 USD. The Steam Machine GPU has no launch MSRP recorded.

Where Each One Wins

The PlayStation 5 Pro wins in compute-heavy and bandwidth-heavy scenarios. Its FP32 output is slightly higher, and its FP16 output is exactly double when using packed math. Its texture rate of 564.0 GTexel/s is more than double the Steam Machine GPU's 274.4 GTexel/s, which matters for scenes with heavy texture detail, anisotropic filtering, or terrain blending. The 576.0 GB/s memory bandwidth supports higher resolution render targets, larger texture streaming pools, and more aggressive geometry culling data loads. The 16 GB frame buffer allows larger working sets for open-world assets and high-resolution shadow maps. The 4 nm process and 75.3M per mm² density indicate a more transistor-dense design, which aligns with the higher shading unit count.

The Steam Machine GPU wins in efficiency and compactness. Its 110 W TDP is less than half the PlayStation 5 Pro's 232 W, making it suitable for smaller enclosures and lower thermal envelopes. The absence of power connectors reinforces its compact design intent. Its physical footprint, 156 mm by 152 mm by 162 mm, is drastically shorter and narrower than the PlayStation 5 Pro's 386 mm by 216 mm by 89 mm, allowing installation in small form factor systems. Its boost clock of 2450 MHz is the highest clock recorded between the two, and its pixel rate of 156.8 GPixel/s is slightly higher despite having the same 64 ROPs. The Steam Machine GPU also supports a newer API set, including DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, plus a DisplayPort 2.1 output and HDMI 2.1a. Its 28 ray tracing cores provide hardware ray tracing support that is not quantified for the PlayStation 5 Pro.

The Steam Machine GPU's RDNA 3.0 architecture is a generation newer than RDNA 2.0, which may influence feature support in software titles even though raw compute numbers favor the PlayStation 5 Pro. The 6 nm process draws less power, and the 13,300 million transistor count is lower, but the chip achieves near-parity in FP32 output through higher clocks and architectural efficiency.

The Verdict

The data presents a split decision based on priorities.

For maximum compute throughput and memory capacity, the PlayStation 5 Pro is the stronger part. It has 3840 shading units, 240 TMUs, 16 GB of memory, and 576.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its FP32 output is 2.8% higher, its FP16 output is 105.6% higher in packed mode, and its texture rate is 105.5% higher. These figures position it as the better fit for high-resolution rendering, texture-rich scenes, and workloads that scale with memory bandwidth and shader count. Its 232 W TDP and 386 mm length indicate a design that assumes a larger chassis and a dedicated power budget.

For efficiency, compactness, and newer API support, the Steam Machine GPU is the stronger part. Its 110 W TDP is 52.6% lower, it requires no external power connectors, and its dimensions are far shorter and narrower. Its 2450 MHz boost clock is 4.3% higher than the PlayStation 5 Pro's, and its pixel rate is 4.3% higher. It includes 28 ray tracing cores, DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), Vulkan 1.4, and DisplayPort 2.1. These features make it suitable for small form factor systems and modern PC-style workloads that rely on DirectX feature levels.

The 8 GB memory capacity and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth on the Steam Machine GPU are the limiting factors for high-resolution gaming and large asset streaming. The PlayStation 5 Pro's 16 GB and 576.0 GB/s remove those constraints at the cost of much higher power draw and a much larger physical footprint.

The choice depends on the intended environment. A fixed console-style system with ample space and power can exploit the PlayStation 5 Pro's compute and bandwidth advantages. A compact, low-power system with modern API requirements fits the Steam Machine GPU's profile. Neither part dominates the other across all metrics. The PlayStation 5 Pro wins on shader count, memory, texture rate, and FP16 throughput. The Steam Machine GPU wins on power, size, clock speed, pixel rate, and API modernity.