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Neither console is an across-the-board winner. Nintendo’s published figures give the GameCube higher CPU and graphics-chip clock rates and dedicated embedded graphics memory. Contemporary reporting lists more main memory bandwidth for the PS2, whose Emotion Engine and Graphics Synthesizer divide work differently. Those figures measure different parts of each design, so they do not establish which system performs better in every game.
How the hardware compares
The table separates clock rates, memory capacity, bandwidth and graphics claims rather than treating them as one score. Nintendo’s figures come from its official technical specification; the PS2 figures below are identified by source and date.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Gamecube Console Platinum (Renewed) | $155.17 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Nintendo Gamecube System Console - Jet Black (Renewed) | $140.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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GameCube (Jet Black) (Renewed) | $172.42 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Gamecube Console Platinum | $164.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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GameCube Console - Indigo (Renewed) | $187.69 | Buy on Amazon |
| Specification | Nintendo GameCube | PlayStation 2 |
|---|---|---|
| CPU and graphics clocks | Nintendo lists the Gekko CPU at 485 MHz and the Flipper graphics chip at 162 MHz. (Nintendo technical details) | GameSpot’s 2006 hardware report lists a 300 MHz system clock and a 150 MHz Graphics Synthesizer. Sony’s 2003 announcement for an integrated Emotion Engine/Graphics Synthesizer chip specifies 294.912 MHz. These are differently framed figures, not a direct clock-for-clock comparison. (GameSpot, 2006; Sony, 2003) |
| Memory capacity | Nintendo lists 24 MB of main memory and 16 MB of A-memory, plus about 2 MB of embedded frame-buffer memory and 1 MB of embedded texture-cache memory. These pools have distinct roles; adding them into one total would obscure how they are used. (Nintendo technical details) | GameSpot’s 2006 report lists 32 MB of RDRAM and 4 MB of embedded graphics memory. Capacity alone does not show how quickly each processor can access a particular pool. (GameSpot, 2006) |
| Bandwidth | Nintendo lists 2.6 GB/s peak main-memory bandwidth and 10.4 GB/s peak texture-read bandwidth. The latter is a specific texture-read path, not a second general memory-bandwidth figure. (Nintendo technical details) | GameSpot reports 3.2 GB/s memory bandwidth. The cited report does not establish that this measures the same path as either of Nintendo’s figures. (GameSpot, 2006) |
| Graphics hardware and features | Nintendo identifies Flipper as the graphics chip and documents features including multitexturing, bump and environment mapping, filtering, and S3TC texture decompression. (Nintendo technical details) | Sony identifies the Emotion Engine as the CPU and the Graphics Synthesizer as the graphics processor. GameSpot describes the Graphics Synthesizer as receiving computation from the Emotion Engine. (Sony, 2003; GameSpot, 2006) |
| Published polygon figure | Nintendo gives a peak of 6–12 million polygons per second under its stated assumption of complex, fully textured and fully lit models. This is a qualified theoretical figure, not a guaranteed game rate. (Nintendo technical details) | The sources cited here do not provide a directly comparable PS2 figure under the same assumptions. |
| Game media | Nintendo lists a proprietary disc with approximately 1.5 GB capacity. (Nintendo technical details) | GameSpot lists DVD and CD-ROM. Media capacity and format affect storage and convenience, not processing power by themselves. (GameSpot, 2006) |
Why the numbers do not produce a simple winner
Clock speed is not a cross-console performance score
The GameCube’s 485 MHz Gekko figure is higher than the PS2 clock figures listed above, but MHz records clock cycles, not the amount of useful work completed per cycle. The chips have different designs and responsibilities, so comparing their frequencies alone cannot tell you which CPU completes a particular game task faster.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsMemory figures describe different resources
Memory capacity answers how much data a system can hold in a given pool; bandwidth describes how quickly data can move along a path. The GameCube’s main memory, A-memory, embedded frame buffer and texture cache are not interchangeable. Nor does its 10.4 GB/s peak texture-read figure mean that all memory traffic runs at that rate. The PS2’s reported 3.2 GB/s figure should not be treated as directly equivalent to either of Nintendo’s bandwidth figures without evidence that the same path and measurement are being compared.
#1 Best Overall
- Includes Nintendo Platinum GameCube Console, Power Cable, AV Cable, and Nintendo Platinum Controller
- Supports instructions for incredible effects -- your games will be brighter, faster, and more dramatic
- External bandwidth of 3.2GB/sec, for really fast gameplay
- The processor creates 6 to 12 million ploygons per second -- no more slowdowns in the middle of the game
Peak polygon rates depend on the test definition
Nintendo’s 6–12 million polygons-per-second claim is explicitly a peak based on complex models that are fully textured and fully lit. A polygon count from another source may use different assumptions or omit processing that a finished scene requires. Without a shared definition and test, the figures cannot fairly rank the consoles.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What this means for games
Both systems were built around distinct architectures: the GameCube pairs Gekko with Flipper and specialized memory pools; the PS2 uses the Emotion Engine, vector units and Graphics Synthesizer. A game’s results depend on how its developers divided work, managed memory, and used the hardware. The specification sources cited here do not provide a controlled, matched-game benchmark suite, so they cannot establish a universal frame-rate, image-quality or performance winner.
Rank #2
- Includes Nintendo GameCube Jet Black Console, Power Cable, AV Cable, and Nintendo Jet Black Controller for Nintendo GameCube
- The 485MHz processor makes loading & starting the games faster than ever -- no more long load times
- The processor creates 6 to 12 million ploygons per second -- no more slowdowns in the middle of the game
- Supports instructions for incredible effects -- your games will be brighter, faster, and more dramatic
For a particular game, a fair comparison needs the same title and comparable versions, plus evidence that measures the actual releases rather than relying on peak chip specifications. Without that, claims that one console is simply “more powerful” go beyond what the figures show.
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Best Value
Rank #4
- Includes Nintendo Platinum GameCube Console, Power Cable, AV Cable, and Nintendo Platinum Controller
- Supports instructions for incredible effects -- your games will be brighter, faster, and more dramatic
- External bandwidth of 3.2GB/sec, for really fast gameplay
- The processor creates 6 to 12 million ploygons per second -- no more slowdowns in the middle of the game
- It also includes 64 sound channels -- you'll feel like you're in the game, with the top-quality audio
Rank #3
- Comes with console, 1 controller, power cord, video cord
- Controller is original OEM (not 3rd party)
- Tested and works well. Nice condition
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