What Is the Processor Speed of the PlayStation 3?

All PlayStation 3 models use the Cell Broadband Engine clocked at 3.2 GHz.

Cell Architecture (Not a Standard CPU)

1 PPE (Power Processing Element): 64-bit PowerPC core, 3.2 GHz, 2-way SMT (2 threads). Runs OS, game logic, driver.
8 SPEs (Synergistic Processing Elements): 128-bit SIMD vector processors @ 3.2 GHz. 6 available to games (1 reserved for OS, 1 disabled for yield). Handle physics, audio, vertex processing, post-FX, AI.
EIB (Element Interconnect Bus): 204 GB/s ring bus connecting PPE, SPEs, Memory Controller, I/O.
Memory Controller: Dual-channel XDR RAM (256 MB @ 3.2 GHz, 25.6 GB/s).

Model Variations

Model	Process	Power	Notes
CECHA/B/C/E (Fat, 60/20/80GB)	90 nm	~200W	PS2 HW (A/B) / SW (C/E) BC. 4 USB, Card Readers.
CECHG/H/J/K/L/M/N/P/Q (Fat, 40/80/160GB)	65 nm	~140W	No PS2 BC. 2 USB.
CECH-20xx/21xx/25xx (Slim)	45 nm Cell / 40 nm RSX	~100W	Smaller, cooler, Bravia Sync, Bitstream Audio.
CECH-30xx/40xx/42xx/43xx (Super Slim)	28 nm Cell / 28 nm RSX	~70W	Manual disc slider, no PS2 BC.

All retain 3.2 GHz Cell. Performance differences come from thermal throttling, RAM latency, and RSX (GPU) clocks (550 MHz → 500 MHz on Slim+).

The Cell's peak FP32: ~218 GFLOPS (theoretical). Real-world game usage: 100–150 GFLOPS. Unique architecture made porting hard; first-party titles (Uncharted 2, TLOU, GoW3) showcased its potential.

PS3 Games