Tech-focussed publication Digital Foundry has published a full breakdown of confirmed Nintendo Switch 2 technical specifications and it is exciting stuff. This details confirms that the hardware leaks, which go all the way back to 2021, were pretty much on the money. While the system is not quite the powerhouse some had expected, it’s still a highly capable system. As Digital Foundry says in its closing statement, it is the games which will do all the talking.
| Switch 2: Nvidia T239 | Switch 1: Nvidia Tegra X1 | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU Architecture | 8x ARM Cortex A78C | 4x ARM Cortex A57 |
| CPU Clocks | 998MHz (docked), 1101MHz (mobile), Max 1.7GHz | 1020 MHz (docked/mobile), Max 1.785GHz |
| CPU System Reservation | 2 cores (6 available to developers) | 1 core (3 available to developers) |
| GPU Architecture | Ampere | Maxwell |
| CUDA Cores | 1536 | 256 |
| GPU Clocks | 1007MHz (docked), 561MHz (mobile), Max 1.4GHz | 768MHz (docked), up to 460MHz (mobile), Max 921MHz |
| Memory/Interface | 128-bit/LPDDR5 | 64-bit/LPDDR4 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 102GB/s (docked), 68GB/s (mobile) | 25.6GB/s (docked), 21.3GB/s (mobile) |
| Memory System Reservation | 3GB (9GB available for games) | 0.8GB (3.2GB available for games) |
Nothing new, they just resumed the board that I found last month… Once again, I prefer to wait for the release day because the GPU architecture would be more complex than that: we are talking about a mix of Ampere/Ada Lovelace, so who or what to believe?
I’ve never seen this before. And I don’t know… I’m not an IT expert, but I feel like the Switch 2 won’t that much stronger, like SNES was the base on NES.
You’re definitely not an expert if that’s somehow your conclusion, because the Switch 2 is very much a generational leap over the Switch 1.
It’s the same generational leap that the PS4 was over the PS3, except with 10x faster storage (something the PS4 and Xbox One did not have) and other modern technologies like DLSS and ray tracing.
The CPUs mentioned are newer and more powerful.The architecture of the GPU is 3 generations ahead of the old one (and Ampere is the best for energy efficiency).Its memory is faster and more powerful.As mentioned above, it has new technologies from Nvidia that are far better and more efficient than those from AMD.
Finally, some developers are full of praise regarding its power: Warner Bros stated that Hogwarts Legacy aimed for 1440p and HDR enabled in dock mode (just as much as the Series S, which confirms the videos..)CD Projekt claims that their portable version of Cyberpunk would be the best of all (so goodbye Steam Deck or ROG Ally…)So yes, in terms of power, it really makes quite a difference….
Even though the Switch 2 is underpowered compared to the PlayStation 5 (Pro or Base), Xbox Series S | X Consoles, and more contemporary gaming computers, like Josh said, this is actually quite a significant jump in hardware specifications. The Switch 2’s memory bandwidth alone is almost quadruple that of the base Nintendo Switch when docked (25.6GB/s vs. 102GB/s). This will allow for faster file transfers, which is especially important if Nintendo decides to stop supporting physical media (https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/gpu-memory-bandwidth).
Having three times more memory (RAM) and double the number of cores (1/3 vs. 2/6) will allow the Switch 2 to run more efficiently than the base Nintendo Switch. The base Nintendo Switch has only 4GB of RAM while the Switch 2 has 12GB of RAM. For reference, my previous computer had 12GB of RAM and my current computer has 32GB of RAM. The base Nintendo Switch’s GPU (graphics processing unit) architecture, Maxwell (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell_(microarchitecture), powers the GeForce 700 Series (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce_700_series), which debuted in 2013.
The Ampere (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ampere_(microarchitecture) GPU architecture inside the Nintendo Switch 2 powers the GeForce RTX 30 Series (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce_RTX_30_series) which debuted in 2019. For reference, my gaming computer has an RTX 3050. Speaking of, I wonder if my computer will be able to run Doom: The Dark Ages…
In layman’s terms, the base Nintendo Switch is equivalent to gaming computers from over a decade ago while the Nintendo Switch 2 is equivalent to gaming computers from around 2020-2022 (not saying high end computers in either case).
Thank you for your comment! :) Now I understand it better!
NOTHING is final or official, until someone opened up a retail Switch 2 or Nintendo (Nvidia) gives us the specs. 🤷♂️
I couldn’t give a toss, it’s the games I’m interested in.
This is the real specs inside the system itself. This really can make a difference for the gaming history.
Fake, switch 1 uses almost 3,7 gb ram in many games, in jailbreak the specs are visualy.
O.S 256mb switch 1
Switch 1 doesn’t exist, so that solves that entire issue. Just because a sequel exists doesn’t mean we now have to put a 1 before the prequel; it’s still a Switch, and Switch 2 has its own name.
Im not an I.T. so where does this place the Switch 2 raw power at against PS4, PS4 Pro and Series S?
In raw Power, somewhere between the PS4 and PS4 Pro, it’s even better than a ps4 when undocked. The thing is that with the DLSS and the more optimized and newer RAM, CPU and GPU it will deliver better performance than a PS4 Pro… and even the Xbox series S (In some instances, not always). For a Mobile chip, is efficient, escalable and strong, that’s why Cyberpunk, Hogwarts Legacy, Prime 4 and the upgraded versions of Zelda are looking that good. y fear for the battery life though, it could have been a little bit thicker and having a bigger battery.
With some numbers on raw power
PS4 Pro (2016) : 4.2 TFLOPS – 217.6 GB/s
Xbox Serie S (2020) : 4 TFLOPS – 224 GB/s
Switch 2 (docked) : 3.1 TFLOPS – 102 GB/s
PS4 (2013) : 1.84 TFLOPS – 176 GB/s
Switch 2 (portale) : 1.7 TFLOPS – 102 GB/s
Steam Deck (2021) : 1.6 TFLOPS – 88 GB/s
DLSS makes a real difference, internal memory quantity too … It may be better or worse than Xbox Serie S/PS4 Pro because of memory bandwidth and games that rely on it, I guess.
Who can explain what is the meaning of the 128 bit transition from 64 bit. This is the first device i see with the 128 bit infrastructur.
I recall that its something with memory allocation but would really like someone to explain.