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Hardware Differences Explain Xbox Series S Price Discrepancy Compared to Series X
Key points
- Xbox Series S is digital-only, lacking a disc drive.
- Series S has 4 teraflops processing power, Series X has 12 teraflops.
- Series S offers 512GB storage, Series X offers 1TB.
- Series S has 10GB RAM, Series X has 16GB RAM.
Console Price Increases
Both the Xbox Series X and S have experienced price increases since their launch, a trend also seen with the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2. These price adjustments are largely attributed to the ongoing 'RAMaggedon crisis' which has driven up component costs across the industry.
Digital-Only Design
A primary factor in the Series S's lower price is its design as a digital-only console, meaning it lacks a disc drive. While a disc-drive-less model of the Series X also exists, the Series S's exclusive reliance on digital content contributes to its reduced cost.
Processing Power and Resolution
The Series S features 4 teraflops of processing power and targets up to 1440p resolution for most games. In contrast, the Series X boasts 12 teraflops and aims for 4K resolution. Both consoles support 120 frames per second.
Both consoles utilize a custom AMD Zen 2 CPU, but the Series X's CPU is clocked higher. For graphics, both use an AMD RDNA 2 GPU, with the Series X version having 52 compute units (CUs) compared to the Series S's 20 CUs.
Storage and Memory Differences
The base Series S model includes 512GB of storage, with a 1TB option available for an additional cost. The Series X comes standard with 1TB of storage. Both consoles support storage expansion via external cards.
The Series X is equipped with 16GB of RAM, with 10GB operating at 560 GB per second and 6GB at 336 GB per second. The Series S has 10GB of RAM, with 8GB operating at 224 GB per second and 2GB at 56 GB per second.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Reporting from
The Xbox Series S is significantly cheaper than the Series X due to its digital-only nature and less powerful internal hardware. These differences include lower processing power, less RAM, and a smaller storage capacity, making the Series S a more affordable option despite recent console price increases.