How Hard Is It to Upgrade the Integrated Graphics Card in a PlayStation?
Posted by Born-Watercress-2487@reddit | hardware | View on Reddit | 9 comments
I was wondering if it’s possible or how difficult it would be to upgrade or replace the integrated graphics card in a PlayStation console. I sometimes watch videos where they turn PS5 into a like big PSP and some modifications on it, but I barely see someone try to upgrade the Graphics Card of a Playstation so it can run games better. I’m curious from a hardware perspective what makes this kind of upgrade impractical or impossible.
I’m not trying to modify my console, I just want to understand the technical reasons behind it.
Loose_Skill6641@reddit
pS5 doesn't have a discrete GPU, it's a unified APU that combines CPU, cache and GPU in one
Practical_Dig_8770@reddit
The PS5 has an APU which has the Central processor and Graphics processor all in one chip, and they share system RAM. Replacing GPU means replacing CPU as well. It's a customized AMD chip, and probably the most notable difference with PC hardware is how it interacts with the SSD, which will likely render any off-the-shelf PC APU incompatible.
Low_Excitement_1715@reddit
Well... I mean... You could get the AMD 4700S, which is a mini PC with the PS5 APU, with the GPU part disabled, and you could transplant *that*, since it's literally the same APU.
But that's stupid, because the 4700S has the entire GPU disabled.
So you're right.... But there *is* a way.
I would love to get a physically busted PS5 with a good APU, plus one of those AMD 4700S mini-ITX boards, do the transplant and try to get the GPU re-enabled. Low chance of success, wouldn't be worth it even if it worked, but it would be a fun project.
Acceptable_Potato949@reddit
The simple answer that it's a fixed system and was never designed to take upgrades.
The long answer is that without having the source code (at the very least) to the OS, you wouldn't be able to update the graphics driver to make use of upgraded hardware.
That also extends to the games that weren't designed to take into account anything beyond the original specs. Although some games may see a benefit, it'd be limited.
Finally, as the graphics chip is directly soldered to the motherboard, you'd have to design a pin-compatible drop-in replacement, which is a devastating limitation.
Low_Excitement_1715@reddit
No need to delete, that was a good comment!
Yes, in theory you could swap out the RSX in a PS3 for something else, problem was that there was no pin compatible "something else" made.
PS4/5 and XBone/Xbox Series are all monolithic APUs. CPU and GPU in one big slab of silicon. Cheaper to make and easier to cool that way.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Sony_PlayStation_5_motherboard.png
LiarInGlass@reddit
You don’t.
Low_Excitement_1715@reddit
To add to Acceptable_Potato949's answer, there is no "graphics card" in a PS5 or Xbox. It's all one big chip with the CPU and most of the chipset, all in one big slab. You can't upgrade much of anything in the current/modern consoles, aside from swapping out ram, assuming you can find some that's compatible.
Acceptable_Potato949@reddit
Isn't the RSX a separate chip, though?
There's a silver lining to all of this: given powerful enough hardware, emulation of PS3 games can result in performance and fidelity surpassing the original PS3.
An overclocked i9-12900K with AVX-512 support is pretty much a minimum requirement if you'd want to brute force your way through most, but not all games.
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