Nintendo Switch 2 uses new GPU but performance is only equal to RTX 2050

The new generation Nintendo Switch 2 game console is equipped with an Nvidia Ampere processor, but its graphics power is only equivalent to GPUs released from 2021.

According to Tom'sHardware , the official specifications of the Nintendo Switch 2 have just been revealed by the YouTube channel Digital Foundry, confirming that the device will use a custom system-on-chip (SoC) developed by Nvidia. The GPU inside is built on the Ampere architecture, similar to the mobile GeForce RTX 2050 series that Nvidia introduced in late 2021.

Specifically, the Switch 2's processor includes an eight-core ARM Cortex A78C CPU, supporting 64-bit instructions and hardware encryption features. Cache memory is allocated with 64 KB L1 instruction cache and data cache per core, 256 KB L2 cache per core, and 4 MB shared L3 cache. Six of the eight CPU cores are dedicated to gaming, while the remaining two handle the operating system. The CPU's maximum clock speed is 1.7 GHz, but is limited to 1.1 GHz in handheld mode and 0.998 GHz in docked mode.

New generation game console Nintendo Switch 2 equipped with Nvidia Ampere processor

PHOTO: TOMSHARDWARE SCREENSHOT

The Switch 2's Ampere GPU has 1,536 CUDA cores, down from the RTX 2050's 2,048. The GPU's clock speed has also been significantly reduced: 561 MHz in handheld mode and 1,007 MHz in docked mode, lower than the chip's maximum of 1,400 MHz. This means that despite the new graphics technology, the Switch 2's actual performance is on par with the RTX 2050, a mid-range GPU that launched four years ago for budget laptops.

However, the use of Ampere architecture still gives the Switch 2 some technological advantages, such as real-time ray-tracing support and DLSS image upscaling technology. Nintendo has not announced which games will take advantage of ray-tracing, but has confirmed that several games will support DLSS, including Cyberpunk 2077.

Switch 2 has 12 GB LPDDR5X RAM, with a bandwidth of 68 GB/s for handheld mode and 102 GB/s for docked mode. Of this total, 9 GB is for games and 3 GB is for the operating system. Internal memory is 256 GB UFS standard, supporting expansion via microSD Express card up to 2 TB. Nintendo also equipped a dedicated data decompression processor to speed up data retrieval from memory. Nintendo Switch 2 is considered an upgrade to the Switch line launched in 2017. This device is expected to be released on June 5, 2025 for $ 449.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nintendo-switch-2-dung-gpu-moi-nhung-hieu-nang-chi-ngang-rtx-2050-185250511141438401.htm