The date is drawing ever nearer for the release of both the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X consoles, and it’s sure to be a battle for the ages. The stakes are much higher this time ‘round, with both consoles entering a bold new technological era that is quite different from the one we’re currently exiting.

The Xbox Series X is one powerful game console designed to give us some truly monumental games, but it’s one thing to say it, and quite another to examine why.

10 The CPU

Much like the PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series X will be taking advantage of AMD’s Zen 2 CPU series, which is remarkable, to say the least. Once again, AMD will be at the forefront of the console wars, this time offering up architecture that currently powers their Threadripper CPU line.

This 8-Core/16 thread CPU runs at a 3.6GHz base clock speed, but the beauty is that it’s an unlocked system. Theoretically, the X should be able to ramp up CPU speed to 3.8GHz (or higher?) when so required. This boost is effectively comparable to traditional PC overclocking.

9 The GPU

Also like the PlayStation 5, the X will utilize a custom video card solution based on AMD’s RDNA 2 technology. It’s supposed to deliver 12 teraflops of performance with a bountiful 3328 shaders.

Unlike the CPU however, the GPU’s clock speed will remain fixed at 1825MHz, which doesn’t seem to be a major problem given its inherent power. Current estimates place the custom AMD GPU neck-and-neck with an Nvidia RTX 2080 card, but time will tell how that translates to real-world performance.

8 The RAM

Both consoles will be getting 16GB of GDDR6 RAM, which means more swapping power, and less load placed on the CPU. The nature of GDDR6 RAM means that the console should run quite fast.

Games running on the X will be able to harness approximately 13.5GB of total system RAM, with the rest powering the OS. Pound for pound, this is a beefy amount of RAM for a machine dedicated first and foremost to gaming.

7 Ray-Tracing

Nvidia was the first to break new graphical ground when it introduced ray-tracing on its rebranded RTX 2000-series video cards, but AMD won’t be left by the wayside. Ray-tracing will be an integral part of the next generation of gaming consoles, and that’s a good thing!

For those who aren’t aware, ray-tracing simulates ultra-realistic, dynamic lighting that is nearly photo-realistic. It requires specialized GPU architecture to run efficiently, and they’re currently moving to standardize it for all video games, moving forward.

6 4K Frame Rates

One of the largest hurdles for gamers has been the ability to run 4K visuals at 60fps. Only the most powerful (and expensive) of video cards could muster the energy necessary to achieve such a feat. With ray-tracing thrown into the mix, it became even more difficult.

Microsoft has claimed that the X will run 4K gaming at a solid 60fps, which doesn’t seem unrealistic, given current architecture. It will also use a feature called Variable Rate Shading, which intelligently examines a scene and applies visual effects in an optimal manner to boost frame rates.

5 The SSD

Sony’s PS5 has been getting a lot of attention for its revolutionary new SSD, which is said to eclipse current PC SSD technology and force it to play catch-up. Needless to say, Microsoft is trying something similar.

Their 1TB NVMe SSD solution has shown games loading up anywhere from 6-7 seconds, as opposed to 1 minute from a traditional HDD. It remains to be seen which SSD emerges as the speed king, but the X is definitely no slouch when it comes to storage.

4 Optical Drive

Neither Microsoft nor Sony is willing to skimp on the chance to entice buyers with the promise of a dual-purpose system, and that means a UHD 4K Blu-Ray drive. This stands to reason, as games require a much larger storage medium, but it goes far beyond that.

UHD Blu-Rays are the absolute best-of-the-best when it comes to image quality. If you have a 4K UHD TV in your home (or you’re planning to buy one), forget about buying a separate Blu-Ray player. Sony kicked this trend off by adding Blu-Ray support in the PS3, and it hasn’t stopped yet.

3 8K In The Works

Microsoft isn’t exactly hiding the ball when it comes to potential 8K functionality. In fact, they’re flaunting it outright with fancy code names like Project Scarlett etched onto the X’s processor.

What Microsoft plans to do with 8K, however, is anyone’s guess. It’s hard to imagine them pushing full 8K gaming with a stable 60fps framerate, and the technology itself has only now begun to attract interest from early adopters. It’s more likely Microsoft has some sort of an 8K streaming solution in the works.

2 Peripherals

There isn’t much intel from Microsoft regarding a controller revamp for the X, which is a bit odd given how much attention Sony has been getting from their DualSense PS5 controller. Expect to see something come down the pipe within the next few weeks.

To compensate, Microsoft has announced that the X will support all current Xbox One accessories, from headsets to the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2. Still, we’d rather hear more about the company’s answer to Sony’s push for a haptic feedback solution.

1 Backward Compatibility

Sony has been quick to shout out their backward compatibility on the PS5, but Microsoft is the one that perfected it, and it looks like they may hold an edge. The company recently announced that “thousands” of games will be ready to play on launch day, thanks to a heavy investment in backward compatibility technology.

While that might seem great by itself, that’s not actually the major story. Microsoft went above and beyond to boost existing games by allowing the X to drive higher resolutions at higher frame rates - even as high as 120fps! It’ll even add HDR to games on the hardware level, versus software. This isn’t just news - it’s a revelation for Xbox!

NEXT: 10 Xbox Games That Probably Aren’t As Good As You Remember