PS1 GTE vs GTE-2

[Maka8295]

I've been in the market for a PS1 to do the digital mod to and was researching which model is the best. I see a lot of people recommending the 5500 for its better DAC over the 7000. On Japanese sites however I see a lot of people mentioning that the GTE processor was upgraded to the GTE-2 from the SCPH-7000 and onwards, and that it can supposedly draw polygons better. I can't seem to find anyone talking about it at all in english so I thought i would ask here.

Theres a diagram near the bottom of this page showing the differences between models: https://game.fandom.com/ja/wiki/プレイステーション

Here is what I often see written on Japanese sites, they all say pretty much the same thing. Some even seem to have copied and pasted which makes me a bit weary!

画像処理プロセッサ「GTE」が「GTE-2」にバージョンアップ。ポリゴン描画性能が向上する（ただし、ソニー・コンピュータエンタテインメントの公称では変わっていないとされる）。

"The GTE image processing processor is upgraded to the GTE-2. The polygon rendering performance is improved (although Sony Computer Entertainment says it is unchanged)"

[fernan1234]

In that quote, the term 描画性能 would be better translated as drawing capability rather than drawing performance.

I doubt this makes a difference at all. Even assuming that the GTE-2 has better specs, devs probably didn't know or couldn't take advantage of it since they'd have to write games such that all PS1 hardware (including those with the original GTE) could play it the same. I personally never noticed any visual difference between a 5500 and a later model.

Have you found anyone posting comparison pictures? If anyone actually noticed a difference, I'd suspect first that, at most, there may be a difference in the AV output looking a bit cleaner on a later model, particularly in the composite output that most people are likely to use, especially in Japan, and that would be the difference they're seeing, rather than polygons being rendered better in some way.

So yeah, this is most likely meaningless. There's more of an argument for better audio from a 550X or 500X (as well as from an earlier 100X, though those have rainbowing problems as well as CD-ROM FMV stuttering issues, so all in all 5000-550X is what you want) due to the supposedly better DAC, though that won't matter when using a PS1Digital's HDMI output.

[Maka8295]

Thanks for the reply! Unfortunately I couldn't find any comparisons. Theres very little information even on Japanese sites. I imagine if there was a significant difference someone would have noticed it anyway. I think the 7000 might have an easier time reading discs, but its nice to know that the only other thing to worry about will be audio quality, which is a null point over digital anyway!

[Listai]

Didn't the new revision of the GTE support 8 bit texture blending on textured gouraud shaded polygons?

[Maka8295]

Didn't the new revision of the GTE support 8 bit texture blending on textured gouraud shaded polygons?

I'm no expert, so please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think thats caused by something different and was changed much earlier in the PS1 line. Its the thing that causes colour banding in some games right?

[fernan1234]

I'm no expert, so please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think thats caused by something different and was changed much earlier in the PS1 line. Its the thing that causes colour banding in some games right?

Yes only the 100X models have that problem.