Xbox 360 vs PS3

I'm going to start speaking geek here so try to keep up. 0o The battle over which console is the best depends on which one you like to use. We're not going to talk about which games they play, just a system breakdown of each console.

Both systems are unique in their designs but there are advantages to each. The question we want answered is, Which has the most Advantages?

Let's start with the CPU (Central Processing Unit)

<center><!-- start image div --> <!--- end image div --></center> <table border="1"> <tbody><tr> <th><center>Xbox 360</center></th> <th><center>PS3</center></th> </tr> <tr> <td width="50%">3.2 GHz Xenon processor</td> <td width="50%">3.2 GHz Cell processor</td> </tr> <tr> <td width="50%">3 dual-threaded cores</td> <td width="50%">7 single-threaded cores (plus 1 backup core)</td> </tr> <tr><td width="50%">Maximum 77 GFlops</td> <td width="50%">Maximum 230 GFlops</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <small>Note – Gigaflop performance numbers determined by Forbes</small>

The two CPU chips run at the same GHz speed, but the PS3's seven individual cores beat out the Xbox's three dual-threaded cores. And in terms of performance measured in gigaflops, the PS3 tops out at nearly three times that of the Xbox.
The Xbox slim has a new CPU/GPU chip and is faster but in order to function properly with the rest of the console it was slowed down with a "frontside bus replacement block" that introduces latency and forces the chip to run at the same speed as the older model. This new combined chip may edge out the PS3's CPU in terms of reliability and temperature control, but no long term tests have been performed yet.

Next up is GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)

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<table border="1"> <tbody><tr> <th><center>Xbox 360</center></th> <th><center>PS3</center></th> </tr> <tr> <td width="50%">ATI Xenos</td> <td width="50%">NVIDIA RSX "Reality Synthesizer"</td> </tr> <tr> <td width="50%">Up to 512 MB GDDR3 RAM (shared w/ system RAM)</td> <td width="50%">256 MB GDDR 3RAM (additional 224 MB can be shared w/ system RAM)</td> </tr> <tr><td width="50%">10 MB eDRAM</td> <td width="50%">
</td> </tr> <tr><td width="50%">21.6 GBps bandwidth (256 GBps via eDRAM)</td> <td width="50%">22.4 GBps bandwidth</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
22.4 GBps bandwidth In terms of bandwidth, the PS3 slightly edges out the Xbox. However, the Xbox has the advantage of 10 MB of eDRAM. When relying on the eDRAM, system bandwidth jumps up to 256 GBps.

RAM


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<table border="1"><tbody><tr> <th><center>Xbox 360</center></th> <th><center>PS3</center></th> </tr> <tr> <td width="50%">512 MB GDDR3 RAM (shared with GPU)</td> <td width="50%">256 MB XDR RAM</td> </tr> <tr> <td width="50%">700 MHz speed</td> <td width="50%">3.2 GHz speed</td> </tr> <tr><td width="50%">22.4 Gbps bandwidth</td> <td width="50%">25.6 Gbps bandwidth</td></tr></tbody></table>
Xbox's total amount of RAM is slightly misleading, as the system RAM and video RAM are shared. The PS3's XDR RAM is also far more fast and efficient than the Xbox's GDDR3 RAM, running at a speed of 3.2 GHz compared to 700 MHz. Final bandwidth numbers prove PS3 is the victor in this category.

HARD DRIVE Xbox 360


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<table border="1"> <tbody><tr> <th width="50%"><center>Xbox 360</center></th> <th width="50%"><center>PS3</center></th> </tr> <tr> <td width="50%">250 GB HDD or 4 GB SSD</td> <td width="50%">160 or 320 GB HDD</td> </tr> <tr> <td width="50%">5400 rpm</td> <td width="50%">5400 rpm</td> </tr> <tr><td width="50%">User replaceable w/ proprietary HDD </td> <td width="50%">User replaceable w/ standard HDD</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

One of the changes made to the Xbox 360 'Slim' is that arcade models now include a 4 GB SSD drive for data storage rather than requiring gamers to rely on memory units. With the PS3, a hard drive is included in both models. The HDD units in both consoles are largely similar, both running at 400 rpm and now offering several hundred GB of storage. The high-end PS3 models offers a 320 GB HDD compared to the Xbox's 250 GB version.
However, the PS3's true advantage is its support of standard 2.5" SATA notebook hard drives. Users can upgrade the PS3's hard drive with drives that have higher capacities and faster rpm speeds, while the Xbox only supports Microsoft's proprietary HDD model.

The Disc Drive

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<table border="1"> <tbody><tr> <th><center>Xbox 360</center></th> <th><center>PS3</center></th> </tr> <tr> <td width="50%">12x read speed (DVD)</td> <td width="50%">8x read speed (DVD), 2x read speed (Blu-ray)</td> </tr> <tr> <td width="50%">7 GB disc space</td> <td width="50%">25 GB disc space</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
he Xbox and PS3 have their own advantages when it comes to disc drives. The Xbox has a significantly higher DVD read speed than the PS3. Comparing the Xbox's DVD read speed to the PS3's Blu-ray read speed, the Xbox maxes out at 15.85 MBps on a single-layer disc while the PS3's maximum is 9 MBps. However, the difference in speed is reduced when the Xbox reads dual-layer discs.
Bottom line Blu-ray wins at this point in technology, also Current PS3 discs have 25 GB to offer, and a new dual layer format is in the works that may increase this number to 33.4 GB. For most gamers, this storage boost will be far more important than read speed.


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<table border="1"> <tbody><tr> <th><center>Xbox 360</center></th> <th><center>PS3</center></th> </tr> <tr> <td width="50%">3 USB ports, memory unit</td> <td width="50%">2 USB ports, Bluetooth 2.0</td> </tr> <tr> <td width="50%">7 max controllers (3 wired and 4 wireless)</td> <td width="50%">7 max controllers</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
The current PS3 Slim has two USB ports compared to the Xbox's three. Additionally, Sony has removed the Compact Flash and SD card support seen in older models while the Xbox offers support for memory units that can transfer game data and saves.

Despite these advantages on the Xbox, the PS3 still emerges victorious in this category thanks to its support for Bluetooth 2.0.


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<table border="1"> <tbody><tr> <th><center>Xbox 360</center></th> <th><center>PS3</center></th> </tr> <tr> <td width="50%">100 MBps ethernet</td> <td width="50%">1 GBps ethernet</td> </tr> <tr> <td width="50%">Built-in wifi connector – up to 802.11n</td> <td width="50%">Built-in wifi connector – up to 802.11g</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
The PS3's ethernet port is significantly faster at a capacity of 1 Gbps. Both consoles now include built-in wifi support. However, the Xbox 360 'Slim' supports 802.11n technology, while the PS3's adapter only supports up to 802.11g.

Given the increasing prevalence of wireless Internet, the Xbox has the larger advantage here.


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<table border="1"> <tbody><tr> <th><center>Xbox 360</center></th> <th><center>PS3</center></th> </tr> <tr> <td width="50%">Analog – Dolby Pro-Logic II</td> <td width="50%">Analog – Stereo</td> </tr> <tr> <td width="50%">Digital – 5.1 Dolby Digital</td> <td width="50%">Digital – 5.1 Dolby Digital & 7.1 LPCM</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
For gamers relaying on analog sound connections, the Xbox has the advantage of offering Dolby Pro-Logic II in addition to standard stereo. But for those with digital connections, the PS3 wins the day by offering both 5.1 Dolby Digital surround and 7.1 LPCM surround.

Video Support

With both the current models of both consoles now including standard HDMI ports, the Xbox and PS3 are largely comparable when it comes to video connections. The PS3 outclasses the Xbox in terms of maximum resolution.

While the Xbox's menu screens support 1080p display, Microsoft only requires its games to support 720p. The PS3 features a significant number of games that support 1080p. That's to say nothing of the PS3's support for Blu-ray movies and the growing focus on 3D gaming.

The PS3 wins most of the categories listed. The PS3 being one year older and having the Xbox as a starting point has it's advantages. Both consoles are awesome and the advantages in some cases is not that big. The PS3 with Blu-Ray and Blue Tooth pushes it over the edge.