The Xbox Series X has its CPU and GPU on a single chip, but the CPU runs at 3.8 GHz and the GPU runs at only 1.8 GHz. Why can’t the GPU run at 3.8 GHz too?

Question

This also applies to the PS5, why can’t the GPU run as fast as the CPU?

In: Technology

Answer 1

Ultimately it doesn’t matter if the CPU and GPU are on the same chip or completely separate hardware components. Heat is the enemy. A typical consumer CPU only has 4-8 cores, but they can do complicated tasks so their circuitry is far more complicated. A GPU can have hundreds or thousands, but they are doing precisely the kind of maths that is relatively simple (for a processor) and can be done in parallel.

More things doing work means more electricity means more heat. Push the clock frequency too high and you will end up with more heat than you can get rid of with current cooling solutions. That’s why the GPU isn’t running at the same clock speed as the CPU.