The PlayStation 3 Slim, announced on Tuesday, is not only smaller and cheaper, but adds hardware enhancements that make it speedier, including a new Cell microprocessor. Sony has made some enhancements under the hood to boost its processing speed and power efficiency. The slim PS3 carries an upgraded version of the Cell microprocessor, which was jointly developed by IBM, Sony and Toshiba.
According to Yahoo Tech:
The new chip has been manufactured using an advanced 45-nanometer manufacturing process, an IBM spokesman said. Based on IBM’s Power architecture, the chip delivers many performance improvements while drawing less power than earlier chips, IBM has said. The earlier console carried a Cell processor manufactured using the 65-nm process. IBM declined to provide the clock speed of the new Cell processor.
A Sony executive said the advanced manufacturing process was a factor in driving the console’s price down. “We’re extremely pleased that we’ve been able to meet production efficiencies that have allowed us pass those savings on to customers,” said President and CEO Jack Tretton, CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America.