The latest addition to Sony’s gaming console lineup, the PlayStation 5 Pro, has hit the shelves as of November 7 with a price tag of $699.99 in the US. With this substantial investment of $200 more than the original PS5, gamers can expect a host of powerful enhancements that elevate the gaming experience. The PS5 Pro is equipped with a notably beefier GPU, bolstered by Sony’s PSSR upsampling technology. Although it continues to utilize the Zen 2 CPU, it’s clocked 10% higher, alongside an addition of 2 GB of DDR5 RAM. These advancements are designed to provide a superior performance boost across both PS5 Pro-enhanced and standard PS5 titles.
However, this enhanced performance does come with a trade-off—higher power consumption. Digital Foundry’s analysis reveals a slight but noticeable increase in energy usage between the original PS5 and the more advanced PS5 Pro. Interestingly, the PS5 Slim, equipped with a 6 nm SoC, unexpectedly displays higher power consumption than the base PS5, which is contrary to expectations for a more compact model.
When delving into specifics, in the game Elden Ring with “Quality” mode enabled, the PS5 Pro consumes around 228 to 230 watts compared to the original PS5’s 215 to 218 watts. Despite its design, the PS5 Slim matches the PS5 Pro in power usage, using almost identical wattage.
Looking at Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, the PS5 Pro draws over 230 watts, whereas the standard PS5 varies between 200-216 watts. Again, the PS5 Slim deviates from expectations with a higher power draw than the base console.
The PS5 Pro consistently consumes over 230 watts, reaching up to 240 watts in F1 24’s “Quality” mode, presenting a recurring theme of increased energy demand across high-end gaming experiences.
Significantly, the PS5 Pro’s power usage is not in vain, as it dramatically improves image quality, enhances ray tracing (RT), and stabilizes frame rates. Users can enjoy a performance boost of 30-35% in Elden Ring’s “Quality” mode, maintaining frame rates above 50 FPS compared to the base PS5’s fluctuations between the low 30s and mid-40s. This is an impressive feat, considering only a 5.5% increase in energy—12 watts—to support this up to 35% performance jump.
For ray-tracing enthusiasts, Alan Wake 2 showcases the PlayStation 5 Pro’s abilities with its effective use of ray-traced reflections in a crisp 30 FPS RT mode, while F1 24 gains from RT reflections and Ambient Occlusion enhancements beyond the original PS5 capabilities.
The PS5 Pro undoubtedly delivers compelling improvements, promising a richer and smoother gaming experience, aligning greater power consumption with tangible performance enhancements that enthusiasts are sure to appreciate.
