What GPU is equivalent to an XBOX Series S?

From a gamer’s perspective, the Xbox Series S isn’t as dazzling as its Xbox Series X Big Brother, but it can undoubtedly pump that adrenaline boost while playing. The million-dollar question is, what GPU would equal its graphic prowess?

Xbox Series S GPU equivalents include AMD’s RX 5500 XT and RX 6500 XT. From NVIDIA, equivalent GPUs include the GTX 1650 Super, GTX 1660, and GTX 1060 3/6GB, which offer similar performances to the Microsoft console.

But the devil is in the details. So, in this post, we’re giving you a rundown of all PC GPUs that offer the same performance as the Xbox Series S — plus, we’re showing you the top five picks if you’re serious about immersive gaming, so read up. 

What’s the GPU of the Xbox Series S?

The GPU of Microsoft’s Xbox Series S console is a custom chip based on AMD’s RDNA 2.0 architecture, also used on their Radeon 6000 series. Its pricier iteration, the Xbox Series X, has the same custom chip but packs more power.

Lockhart is the designated name of this custom GPU, developed to make the Xbox Series S a competitive entry-level console for playing modern games. It’s only a quarter as powerful as the Xbox Series X’s GPU, but its low price makes up for it.

While not as powerful, with only four teraflops of performance rating, its GPU can still run many games at 1080p resolution and a locked 30 to 60fps. With good software optimization, some games using the chip can run up to 120 fps.

The only downside to the Xbox Series S’ GPU is that it’s not powerful enough to run any games at 4K resolution and most games at 60fps without sacrificing visual quality. The specs of the Series S’ Lockhart GPU below should be telling. 

Xbox Series S GPU Specifications
GPU Name	Lockhart
Architecture	RDNA 2.0 (AMD)
Foundry	TSMC
Process Size	7nm
Graphics Cores	1,280, 20CU
Memory	8GB
Memory Type	GDDR6
Memory Clock	1750 MHz
GPU Clock	1565 MHz
Memory Bus	128 bit
Bandwidth	224 GB/s
TDP	100 W
Texture Rate	125.2 GTexel/s
Pixel Rate	50.08 GPixel/s
FP32 Performance	4 TFLOPS
Launch Date	November 10, 2020

You may be wondering why Microsoft decided to build something less powerful the Xbox Series X. Well, this can be classified as a very clever marketing decision for the tech giant as the Xbox Series S carries nearly half the price of the Series X. 

So even with its lower 1440p resolution, the Xbox S is giving buyers a more affordable alternative priced at $300. And the data shows that Xbos Series S is outselling its pricier Series X Big Brother in key markets. 

Design Architecture and Configuration

Built using the 7nm process at TSMC, the Xbox Series S’ Lockhart GPU features 1,280 shading units, 80 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and 20 compute units. It has an average chip size of 197 mm² of die area and 8,000 million transistors.

The Xbox Series S’ Lockhart GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, Mesh Shader, and Sampler Feedback. It also features accelerated ray tracing, a lower power draw of 100 W at most, and improved heat dissipation thanks to the iGP cooling solution.

Memory Specifications 

Regarding memory hardware, the Xbox Series S is behind the times with only 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM, which also comes with an entry-level 128-bit memory bus.

By today’s standards, you can no longer consider it desirable and future-proof.

During its release, it may have been able to compete with the memory hardware of other entry-level GPU offerings, but it doesn’t ring true nowadays. The 8GB memory is a big step down from even today’s 12GB graphics cards.

Theoretical Performance Rating

As mentioned earlier, the Lockhart GPU used by the Xbox Series S isn’t as powerful as the Scarlett GPU of the Xbox Series X. The former is only capable of 4 teraflops compared to the latter’s impressive 12 teraflops of FP32 computing performance.

Its theoretical performance rating of 125.2 texture rate and 4 FP32 TFLOPS is comparable to the graphics cards from the RX 580 lineup, which offers similar values.

The Geforce GTX 1060 6GB and Radeon RX 5500 XT are fine examples.

Actual Performance

In practice, the Xbox Series S performs well for its price point as it can lock 60fps in many games at 1080p resolution. It doesn’t leave the Xbox One X in the dust regarding raw power, but the overall experience you get is on another level.

Since the Xbox Series S is an entry-level machine, it’s understandable why it needs to sacrifice visuals for better performance, unlike the Series X model. Microsoft set the default graphics values to low on games when playing on this system.

Thus, 4K resolution is shaky on the Xbox Series S as its hardware isn’t built to run it natively, but it does shine on less demanding games. Microsoft’s first-party title, Ori and the Will of the Wisps showcases this allowing you to play at 40K 60fps.

Still, when it comes to price-to-performance values, the quality of games you can run on this system is impressive at a $299 price point. With good optimization, you can still expect to run many games at a steady 60fps on the standard 1080p resolution.

Cooling Solution

Performance aside, the most impressive thing about the Xbox Series S is its ability to dissipate heat well. Its built-in iGP cooling solution makes the console look like the epitome of heat dissipation efficiency, especially since it only has a 100 W draw power.

Plus, it does so with its much smaller build compared to the bigger Xbox Series X model and other competing home consoles.

What is the equivalent of the Xbox Series S’ GPU?

As mentioned, the Xbox Series S’ Lockhart GPU is comparable to the GPUs close to the RX 580 lineup, just with a larger VRAM. After all, the performance you get from them isn’t far from what you can expect from your Xbox Series S.

Aside from the bigger VRAM, there’s not much difference between the Lockhart GPU and these PC GPUs, performance-wise. 

Some example GPUs include the Radeon RX 5500 XT, Geforce GTX 1060 6GB, and even the GeForce GTX 1060 3GB from 2016.

The difference in VRAM isn’t as big of a deal since the Xbox Series S doesn’t perform well on games that require too much memory buffering. Plus, the extra VRAM doesn’t account for much in the games where it performs well.

Below is a quick rundown of all the Xbox Series S GPU equivalents that resemble the Series S in terms of performance. If we consider the recency of the architecture, the GTX 1650 Super and GTX 1660 should also fit this list.

• Radeon RX 6500 XT

• Radeon RX 5500 XT

• Geforce GTX 1660

• Geforce GTX 1650 Super

• Geforce GTX 1060 6GB

• GeForce GTX 1060 3GB

• Radeon RX 590

• Radeon RX 580

• Radeon RX480

Now, let’s get into a much meatier topic. We’re talking about PC GPUs. 

Xbox Series S GPU Compared to PC GPUs 

For a better idea of how the Xbox Series S GPU equivalents we named fare against Microsoft’s entry-level console, you can check our table below. These are telltale signs of why the GPUs’ performance ratings are close.

	Xbox Series S Lockhart	Radeon RX 6500 XT	Radeon RX 5500 XT	Geforce GTX 1660	Geforce GTX 1650 Super	Geforce GTX 1060 6GB
Architecture	RDNA 2.0	RDNA 2.0	RDNA 1.0	Turing	Turing	Pascal
Graphics Cores	1280, 20CU	1024, 16CU	1408, 22CU	1408, 22SMC	1280, 20SMC	1280, 10SMC
Memory	8GB	4GB	4GB and 8GB	6GB	4GB	6GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6	GDDR6	GDDR5	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Clock	1750 MHz	2248 MHz	1750 MHz	2001 MHz	1500 MHz	2002 MHz
GPU Clock (Boost)	1565 MHz	2815 MHz	1845 MHz	1785 MHz	1725 MHz	1709 MHz
Memory Bus	128 bit	64 bit	128 bit	192 bit	128 bit	192 bit
Bandwidth	224.0 GB/s	143.9 GB/s	224.0 GB/s	192.1 GB/s	192.0 GB/s	192.2 GB/s
TDP	100 W	107 W	130 W	120 W	100 W	120 W
Texture Rate	125.2 GTexel/s	180.2 GTexel/s	180.2 GTexel/s	180.2 GTexel/s	180.2 GTexel/s	136.7 GTexel/s
Pixel Rate	50.08 GPixel/s	90.08 GPixel/s	59.04 GPixel/s	85.68 GPixel/s	85.68 GPixel/s	82.03 GPixel/s
FP32 Performance	4 TFLOPS	5.8 TFLOPS	5.2 TFLOPS	5 TFLOPS	4.4 TFLOPS	4.4 TFLOPS

Please note that while these GPUs offer similar or close performance levels, the ones with lower VRAM are more prone to performance dips compared to the others. In particular, GPUs with 4GB VRAMs can easily reach their buffer limit and dip.

This fact is important to consider if you’re planning on getting a similar GPU and you want to use it to its limit. Below is another guide detailing how many frames per second you can expect to get from these GPUs when running some popular games.

	Xbox Series S Lockhart (Average FPS)	Radeon RX 6500 XT PCIe 4.0 (Average FPS)	Radeon RX 5500 XT 4GB (Average FPS)	Radeon RX 5500 XT 8GB (Average FPS)	Geforce GTX 1650 Super (Average FPS)
Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla (Medium)	60	67	68	73	65
Cyberpunk 2077 (Medium)	30	47	49	52	49
Doom Eternal (Ultra High)	120	98	95	134	112
Horizon Zero Dawn (Quality)	60	72	67	68	65
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege (Ultra)	120	117	147	184	160
Resident Evil Village(Balanced)	60	75	90	91	90
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (High)	60	65	64	66	67

Based on these numbers, it’s evident how controlled the fps you get when playing games on the Xbox Series S compared to playing on a PC. It shows how big the impact of game optimization and locked fps is on the overall game performance.

However, this doesn’t take away from the GPUs above that we think are Xbox Series S GPU equivalents. After all, the numbers also show how close they were to hitting the same frames per second count as Microsoft’s latest entry-level console.

Recommended Graphics Cards to Build a PC with an Equivalent GPU

Various graphics card options can be used to build a PC that rivals the Xbox Series S in power and performance. That much is clear, as shown by the numbers and data we’ve presented in the tables in the previous sections.

As such, if you plan on building a PC with an Xbox Series S GPU equivalent, there wouldn’t be a shortage of graphics cards you can choose from. Below are the graphics cards we recommend you check out.

1. Radeon RX 5500 XT, 8GB (AMD)

Among the Xbox Series S GPU equivalents we’ve looked into, this graphics card is the most similar to the Lockhart GPU. With this, you get a solid 60 to 120fps at 1080p resolution on most titles that the Xbox Series S can run without issues.

You can purchase the Radeon RX 5500 XT (8GB) graphics card from online stores on platforms such as Amazon or eBay. It can go from $100 to $300, depending on where you buy it from, including the shipping and delivery costs.

2. Geforce GTX 1650 Super (NVIDIA)

Even with its low VRAM, the Geforce GTX 1650 Super is a graphics card that can go toe to toe with the likes of the Xbox Series S. Both GPUs may not share the same architecture but the number you get from them speaks volumes on their value. .

Plus, the GTX 1650 Super and its 4.4 TFLOPS of computing speeds make it a tiny bit faster than the Xbox Series S, which is good since you want to match its performance.

You can also get the GTX 1650 Super from online platforms like Amazon, eBay, etc.

Like most graphics cards with only 4GB VRAM, its biggest drawback is that it will often reach its buffer limit. This isn’t good as it negatively impacts its overall performance, translating to a terrible gaming experience.

3. Radeon RX 6500 XT (AMD)

Another Xbox Series S GPU equivalent we think you should consider is AMD’s Radeon RX 6500 XT. The numbers showed it’s behind some other GPUs, but it can hit the same frames per second and performance as Xbox Series S’ Lockhart.

It’s based on the same RDNA 2.0 architecture as the Xbox Series S’ Lockhart GPU, which makes both more comparable. Although lacking in the memory department, it does have about 25% faster computing speed, at 5.8 Teraflops.

Plus, the average price of this graphics card is cheaper than the other GPUs if you browse the selections at Amazon and eBay. Not only can you hit your target performance level with this graphics card, but you also save some money doing so.

4. Geforce GTX 1060, 3GB (NVIDIA)

Believe it or not, the older Geforce GTX 1060 (3GB) from 2016 is also comparable to the Xbox Series S’ Lockhart GPU in terms of performance. The very low VRAM isn’t appealing based on today’s standards, but a 6GB version helps cover that.

What we find most impressive with this graphics card is that it can keep up with much pricier GPUs after being out for almost 7 years. However, while its performance is commendable, the lower VRAM greatly hurts its chances.

After all, you don’t want to stick to a 3GB graphics card, especially when faster and better options are available if you’re willing to spend a few extra bucks. With the 6GB variant, you also can’t expect longevity if even the Lockhart’s 8GB is lacking.

Price-wise, the 6GB variant is around the same level as the other graphics cards, with the 3GB variant being much cheaper on eBay. If you only care about playing games that are playable on the Xbox Series S, we think it’s a notable candidate.

5. Geforce GTX 1660 (NVIDIA)

The NVIDIA GTX 16603 is a good choice to build a PC that can output the same performance that the Xbox Series S can offer at its best. With this graphics card, you can comfortably run some notable titles at a solid 1080p at 120fps.

This includes games like Fortnite and Titanfall 2, allowing you to run other games with a steady 60fps at 1440p resolution. It’s safe to say that you won’t have any qualms with this graphics card on your side.

Plus, you can purchase it on Amazon or eBay at a comparable price as the other options we’ve given you. Ultimately, it all comes down to your preference and which of these graphics cards best fits your budget.

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