The gaming PC you can build for the price of a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X

Consoles provide an affordable means for gamers to access the latest gaming titles. However, for a similar price to that of the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, gamers can opt to build a relatively powerful gaming PC.

MyBroadband conducted an analysis using the pricing of the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 to determine the potential specifications of a gaming PC within the same budget.

At the time of assessment, the PlayStation 5 digital edition was priced at R11,999, while the Xbox Series X was priced at R13,999 through various retailers.

It is important to note that shoppers may find these consoles at lower prices through promotional deals or discounts.

The total cost of our gaming PC build amounted to R12,546. This figure excludes expenses for Windows activation, a monitor, and other peripheral devices.

The most significant contribution to the total cost was from the graphics card. We selected the Palit GeForce RTX 3050 StormX with 6GB video memory, obtainable for R3,799 from Wootware.

For the CPU and motherboard components, which also impacted the total cost significantly, we chose the Intel Core i3-12100F processor priced at R2,452 and the MSI Pro B760M-E DDR4 microATX motherboard priced at R2,199.

Regarding memory and storage, we decided on a 16GB kit of Klevv Bolt XR 4,000MHz DDR4 RAM, priced at R1,299, and a Western Digital Blue SN550 500GB NVMe solid-state drive at R1,099.

As this build is aimed at a lower specification gaming PC, we did not include a CPU cooler, and its power consumption is estimated at around 280W.

To allow for potential future upgrades, we selected a 550W Gamdias Helios M1-550B power supply priced at R999. Additionally, the DeepCool Matrexx Si micro-ATX case from Evetech was chosen at R699.

Overall, the total cost of this PC build exceeded that of the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition by R547 but was R1,453 less expensive than the Xbox Series X.

It is essential to recognize that while this gaming PC build may not match the console performance for newer, resource-intensive games, PC gamers can adjust graphics settings to achieve smooth frame rates and an enjoyable gaming experience.

The following table presents a list of components used in the gaming PC build and compares the total cost to that of the PlayStation 5 digital edition and Xbox Series X:

Source: MyBroadband