This is how much it’ll cost to build a gaming PC with the PS5 and Xbox Series X’s specs

We finally know the specs of both the Xbox Series X and PS5 (even if we still don’t know what the latter looks like). We’ve taken a shot at seeing how close you can get to these specs with currently available PC hardware, while also factoring in the cost. 

After not knowing much about the PlayStation 5, Mark Cerny finally revealed the next-gen console’s specifications early this week and it’s provided us with a strange Xbox Series X matchup.

The consoles have many similarities but differ more than many had thought they would. PS5 is set to lean heavily on its superfast SSD and new 3D audio, while the raw GPU horsepower and ‘memory card’-esque storage on the Xbox Series X is particularly notable. Even these factors don’t tell the full story, as we’ve learned with misnomers revolving around teraflops.

Related: PS5 vs Xbox Series X

What we’ve seen so far has involved some beefy specs, but just how much would it cost to build a comparable PC? Bear in mind, this isn’t an in-depth spec-for-spec since both consoles are using next-gen hardware that isn’t available to buy yet. Instead, this is a basic guide to see how close you can get with PC components right now.

Without further ado, these are the comparable(-ish) components we’ve come up with, as well as a table to contrast the performance with the PS5 and Xbox Series X:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X (£299.99)
• GPU: MSI GeForce RTX 2080 Super 8GB Ventus XS OC (£679.99)
• Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 AORUS ELITE ATX AM4 (£182.99)
• RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 (£98.99)
• SSD: Corsair MP600 Force Series Gen4 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME (£259.99)
• Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550W 80 Plus (£67.99)
• Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case (£54.99)

	Trusted Reviews‘ Custom PC	Xbox Series X	PS5
CPU	8x Zen 2 Cores @ 3.6GHz	8x Zen 2 Cores @ 3.8GHz (3.66GHz w/ SMT)	8x Zen 2 cores @ 3.5GHz (variable frequency, w/ SMT)
GPU	11.1 TFLOPs, xx CUs @ 1.815GHz	12 TFLOPS, 52 CUs @ 1.825GHz	10.28 TFLOPs, 36 CUs @ 2.23GHz
Memory	16GB (2x 8GB) DDR4	16GB GDDR6	16GB GDDR6
Internal Storage	1TB NVMe SSD	Custom 1TB NVMe SSD	Custom 825GB NVMe SSD
SSD read speed	Up to 4.950GB/s,	Up to 4.8GB/s (Compressed)	Up to 8-9GB/s (compressed)
Price	£1644.93	tba	tba

Everything you need to know: PS5

Let us explain our decisions first off, as exact matching of parts and specs is quite difficult for several reasons. Firstly, both the PS5 and Xbox Series X feature AMD GPUs using RDNA 2 architecture. AMD’s consumer-ready Radeon graphics cards (Navi 2x) with the equivalent technology – ray tracing support and variable rate shading – won’t be available to buy until later this year.

Only Nvidia GPUs currently support such features, so we went with the RTX 2080 Super. Why not the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti? That comes in at a whopping 14.1 teraflops, so we decided it was too powerful. Don’t worry, we know teraflops are far from the be-all and end-all, but we had to utilise the comparison metrics available to us at the current time.

For the SSD conundrum, we basically went with one of the fastest m.2 drives available for consumers right now, but as Mark Cerny said, there aren’t any PS5-equivalent SSDs on the market right now. Lastly, for now, this is all from a purely theoretical standpoint – we do not have this build in front of us – so we’d need exact benchmarks for more clarity.

Related: Xbox Series X

We listed the individual pricing above with each part and looked to stick to reliable UK suppliers – obviously prices may vary if you look at getting the best deal for yourself. Our total comes to an eye-watering £1644.93.

With pricing of the PS5 and Xbox Series X speculated to be anything in between £400 and £700, that’s a mighty difference. Obviously this PC would give you functionality beyond gaming, but the difference really highlights the razor-thin margins and optimisation tinkering that is likely going on with the next-gen consoles.

Of course, this will all be different in a year’s time once AMD Navi 2X and Nvidia Ampere GPUs launch, while new desktop CPU and SSDs will no doubt flood the market soon enough. But if you’re looking to have the most powerful system possible in 2020 without spending too much money, then one of the next-gen consoles look like your best bet.