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Xbox Series X specs in full and how it really compares to Xbox One X

Microsoft has lifted the lid on the internal architecture and sheer power of the Xbox Series X, its new Xbox console due for launch later this year.

In a detailed breakdown with the tech blacksmiths at Digital Foundry, we get a full look at the Xbox Series X specs and are able to directly compare them to the Xbox One X and Xbox One S.

We've split this out into system, video, audio, interfaces and ports for easy reading. Without further ado, here they are, nerds:

Xbox Series X system specs

SPECXBOX SERIES XXBOX ONE XXBOX ONE S
Dimensions15.1cm x 15.1cm x 30.1cm 30cm x 24cm x 6cm29.5cm x 23cm x 6.5cm
CPU8x Cores @ 3.8GHz Custom Zen 2 CPU*8x Cores @ 2.3 GHz Custom Jaguar CPU8x Cores @ 1.75 GHz Custom Jaguar CPU
GPU12 TFLOPS 52 CUs @ 1.825 GHz Custom RDNA 2 GPU6 TFLOPS 40 CUs @ 1.172 GHz Custom GCN GPU + Polaris1.4 TFLOPS 12 CUs @ 914 MHz Custom GCN GPU
SOC Die Size360.45 mm**366.94 mm**227.1 mm**
Memory16 GB GDDR612 GB GDDR58 GB DDR3
Memory Bandwidth10GB @ 560 GB/s 6GB @ 336 GB/s326 GB/s 68 GB/s 32 MB ESRAM @ 218 GB/s
Internal Storage 1TB Custom NVME SSD1TB HDD500GB, 1TB, 2TB HDD
I/O Throughput2.4 GB/s (Raw) 4.8 GB/s (Compressed)120 MB/s**120 MB/s
Expandable Storage1 TB Expansion Card***N/AN/A
External StorageUSB 3.2 External HDDUSB 3.2 External HDDUSB 3.2 External HDD
Optical Disc Drive4K UHD Blu-ray4K UHD Blu-ray4K UHD Blu-ray
Performance Target4K @ 60 FPS, Up to 120 FPS4K @ 30 FPS, Up to 60 FPS1080P @ 30 FPS, Up to 60 FPS

* 3.6 GHz w/ SMT Enabled
** Raw throughput, discounts seek overhead and system usage
*** Expandable Storage matches internal storage performance

Xbox Series X video

SPECXBOX SERIES XXBOX ONE XXBOX ONE S
HDMI Resolution & Framerate2160p (4K) @ 120Hz 4320p (8K) @ 60Hz HDMI VRR & AMD FreeSync2160p @ 60Hz HDMI VRR & AMD FreeSync2160p @ 60Hz HDMI VRR & AMD FreeSync
HDRHDR10 Dolby Vision Low LatencyHDR10 Dolby Vision Low LatencyHDR10 Dolby Vision Low Latency
HDMI 2.1 FeaturesAuto Low Latency Mode Variable Refresh Rate Fixed Rate LinkAuto Low Latency Mode Variable Refresh RateAuto Low Latency Mode Variable Refresh Rate
Content ProtectionHDCP 2.2 HDCP 2.2 HDCP 2.2
Video CODECs VP9, H.265 HEVC/MSP, H.264 AVC/MVC/SVC, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 Part 2, VC1/WMV9VP9, H.265 HEVC, H.264 AVC, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 Part 2, VC1/WMV9 H.265 HEVC, H.264 AVC, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 Part 2, VC1/WMV9

Xbox Series X audio

SPECSXBOX SERIES XXBOX ONE XXBOX ONE S
HDMI Audio, EncodedDolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, PCM 2.0, 5.1, & 7.1; Dolby TrueHD w/Atmos (from games)Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, PCM 2.0, 5.1, & 7.1; Dolby TrueHD w/Atmos (from games)Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, PCM 2.0, 5.1, & 7.1; Dolby TrueHD w/Atmos (from games)
HDMI Audio, Pass-throughDolby TrueHD (opt. Atmos), DD+ (opt. Atmos), DTSHR/MA (opt. DTS:X)Dolby TrueHD (opt. Atmos), DD+ (opt. Atmos), DTSHR/MA (opt. DTS:X)Dolby TrueHD (opt. Atmos), DD+ (opt. Atmos), DTS-HR/MA (opt. DTS:X)
CODECs DecodedAAC, MP3, MPEG1, WMV AAC, MP3, MPEG1, WMV AAC, MP3, MPEG1, WMV

Xbox Series X interfaces & ports

SPECSXBOX SERIES XXBOX ONE X XBOX ONE S
WirelessIEEE 802.11ac dual band (5GHz & 2.4GHz), 2x2 wireless Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi Direct for home networksIEEE 802.11ac dual band (5GHz & 2.4GHz), 2x2 wireless Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi Direct for home networksIEEE 802.11ac dual band (5GHz & 2.4GHz), 2x2 wireless Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi Direct for home networks
EthernetIEEE 802.3 10/100/1000IEEE 802.3 10/100/1000IEEE 802.3 10/100/1000
Accessories RadioDedicated dual band Xbox Wireless radioDedicated dual band Xbox Wireless radioDedicated dual band Xbox Wireless radio
USB Port3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps)3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) 3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps)
HDMI Out2.12.0b 2.0a
HDMI InN/A 1.4b1.4b
S/PDIFN/A YesYes
IRReceiver OnlyReceiver + BlasterReceiver + Blaster
CECYes No No
Kinect PortNoExternal USB AdapterExternal USB Adapter

All this talk of hardware specs for the Xbox Series X comes just a week after E3 2020 was cancelled, spoiling Microsoft's chance to show off its new console to fans in Los Angeles. It has since decided that it will host an online event to discuss Series X and Project xCloud this week.

While we haven't had confirmation of a lot of titles for the Xbox Series X, the Digital Foundry report highlights Forza 7, Gears 5 and Minecraft running on the new Xbox, as part of its extensive commitment to backwards compatibility. Players who buy certain titles on the Xbox One X this year will also be able to upgrade to the Xbox Series X for free, with CD Projekt confirming recently that the highly-anticipated Cyberpunk 2077 will take advantage of the feature.

Cover image for YouTube video

Microsoft's online events this week are also expected to talk about the Series X's "audio ray-tracing" that director of Xbox program management Jason Ronald discussed in a recent podcast.

While we're crunching numbers and stats, here's Microsoft's bullet-point list of the features it claims highlight the innovation of the Xbox Series X:

  • HDMI 2.1 Support
  • 120Hz Support
  • Variable Refresh Rate (VRR)
  • Dynamic Latency Input (DLI)
  • DirectStorage
  • NVMe SSD Rate Decompression
  • Opus and Vorbis Audio Decode
  • Convolution / FFT Hardware Offload
  • Sampler Feedback Streaming (SFS)
  • Hardware Accelerated DirectX Raytracing (DXR)
  • Variable Rate Shading (VRS)
  • Mesh Shaders
  • GPU Work Creation
  • 8K Capable
  • Machine Learning Acceleration

Xbox Series X specs vs PS5

Sony hasn't yet revealed the PS5 specs in as much detail as Microsoft and the Xbox Series X, but lead architect Mark Cerny has spoken about the next PlayStation confirming it will use a third-generation Ryzen CPU with eight cores, based on the 7nm Zen 2 architecture. The SSD inside the console is fast enough that according to a report by Wired it took around 0.8 seconds to fast travel in Spider-Man compared to 15 seconds on PlayStation 4 Pro.

PS5 Specs
CPU:AMD chip based on Ryzen. 8x cores of 7nm Zen 2.
GPU:9.2 teraflop GPU codename "Oberon". It'll use 36 compute units and runs at 2.0 GHz.
Audio:3D audio.
Storage:SSD using PCle 4.0 connection. Possible GDDR86 at 448GB or 512GB per second.
Resolution:Up to 8k support, full 4k; capable of ray tracing.
4k Blu-ray:Will read 100GB optical discs.

You can find a whole lot more about the PS5 right here, including the PS5 controller and leaked photos of the devkit.

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