Sony has some very powerful consoles. That is for sure. The most notable of the last few years are the PS5 and the PS4 Pro. But from one generation to another, how big is the difference between the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 Pro? And which is the better option?
And if by the end of this guide you have a good idea of what console you want to get your hands on, our console collection may be of use to you.
Size and Design
We are going to start off with exactly what these consoles have to offer when it comes to their size and design. And the first thing to note is that neither of these consoles is particularly compact. Both are quite bulky and are going to take up quite a bit of space. With the PlayStation 5 measuring 39 x 26 x 10.4 cm, and the PlayStation 4 Pro at 5.5 x 32.7 x 29.5cm, you are going to need to make some room in your setup.
Both consoles also are loaded with a ton of ports that you may want to use also. The PS4 Pro features 3x Super-Speed USB 3.1 Gen 1 Ports, 1 AUX port, 1x HDMI 2.0 port, 1x optical port and a port for an ethernet cable. And the PS5 has one Hi-Speed USB Type-A Port, 2x Super Speed USBGbps Type-A ports, 1x Super Speed USB 10Gbps Type-C port, and 1x HDMI 2.1, along with a port for your power cable and an ethernet cable.
There is quite a lot to unpack with the ports that you will get with both consoles. Both feature super-speed USB ports that will allow for rapid data transfer and device connectivity. When comparing these though, the PS5 has quite a bit more to offer. Using very recent types of USB that have faster transfer speeds. It’s also worth mentioning that both HDMI ports on these consoles both have strong 4K support and higher frame rate potential, but this will be discussed further down.
Verdict: Both consoles are bulky and have some very quick and useful connections to use. But PS5 gets the edge thanks to its recent and faster ports.
Storage
All gamers know how important storage is to a console. We all want to make sure that we have plenty of space on our console to save our favourite games and apps and get instant access to them. And with games getting bigger and bigger in terms of what they have to offer, the necessary storage requirements are only going up.
So, it’s good to know that both the PS4 Pro and PS5 have quite a bit of space to install your favourite games. The PS5 is made with an 825GB SSD, and the PS4 Pro with 1TB HDD. You can get 2TB versions of the PS4 Pro, but these are exclusive to special editions that are hard to come across. So, from base storage options, the PS4 Pro has a bit more to offer.
Though the PS5 storage is a bit lower, the fact it is a custom SSD gives it a big advantage when it comes to boot times, read/write speeds, and load times. This SSD makes the PS5 a lot faster than the PS4 Pro when it comes to your gameplay and systems.
That’s not all though. The PS5 also has the advantage of optimising games. Many games when made for PS5, are very highly optimised. Especially when compared to other consoles. The best example of this is Dying Light 2. On the PS5, this game only takes up 25GB. Whereas on PS4, it takes up 50GBs. Meaning that in many situations, you may be using up less storage on the PS5 than you would on the PS4 Pro.
Both consoles also have storage expansion options but in different ways. With the PS4 Pro, you will be able to expand your storage by just plugging in an external hard drive. With the PS5, however, the only way you will be able to expand your storage is with an NVMe M. 2 SSD. These SSDs can be quite costly and need to be installed internally into the PS5 (which isn’t as difficult as it sounds). External hard drives or USB SSDs can be used, but they are very limited compared to an NVMe SSD.
Verdict: Though the PS4 Pro has the higher base storage option, this one is going to the PS5. The PS5 jumps far ahead of the PS4 Pro, thanks to game optimisation and its custom SSD. These two parts alone make up and surpass the 175GB storage differential.
Graphics
When it comes to graphical power, it may not surprise that the PS5 is a few leaps ahead of the PS4 Pro. The PS5 is made with a 10.3 teraflop RDNA 2 GPU and the PS4 Pro with a 4.20 teraflop AMD Radeon GPU. So, instantly, you know the PS5 has a lot more power when it comes to graphical performance.
The PS5 fully supports up to 8K graphics at 60fps. And of course, is capable of 4K at 120fps. Which is extremely impressive. But you can also count on features like the viable refresh rate, which makes visuals even smoother and crisper. The PS4 Pro does support 4K, which many of you may be glad to know. But the main issue you may find is that many PS4 games do not have 4K support.
Verdict: The PS5 once again has a major advantage over the PS4 Pro, with very strong graphic specifications that make every game look amazing.
Performance
Once again when it comes to performance, the PS5 absolutely blows the PS4 Pro out of the water. As already mentioned, the PS5 can run games up to 120fps. Though 120fps is the max, you will find yourself playing most games at a crisp 60fps. This is still especially strong considering that on the PS4 Pro, you will be playing most games at 30fps. The PS4 Pro can reach 60fps, but this is dependent on game support and may often affect your graphical experience.
The power of the PS5 is possible thanks to its 3.5GHz 8-Core AMD Zen 2 and 16GB GDDR6 RAM. Helping boost the performance to a high and consistent level. Its power is almost twice as strong compared to the PS4 Pro’s 8-core x86-64 AMD “Jaguar” processor and 8GB GDDR5 RAM.
Verdict: PS5 easily.
Price
When it comes to price, you already know that the PS5 has a hefty price tag. A disc version of the PS5 at retail price is £450, and a digital version £360. Is a PS5 worth the price? Yes. Considering the specifications that the PS5 boasts, the price is well worth it.
Though the PS5 is significantly more powerful than the PS4 Pro, it is still looking at a PS4 Pro if you do not want to go all out on a PS5. A PS4 Pro is worth around £230 new and has some very good specifications that still hold up now.
Verdict: If you are looking for a cheaper option, then the PS4 Pro is the better option. But both consoles are certainly good for the price.
Conclusion
The PS5 certainly proves that the next generation is leaps ahead of what is now becoming legacy consoles. The PS5 smashes the PS4 Pro in every area (except price, but that is expected), and is a console you should certainly try to get your hands on.
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