130 PCWorld DECEMBER 2020HERE’S HOW
IMAGE: ADAM PATRICK MURRAYR
ay tracing. Zen 2. Variable refresh
rate. 4K/60fps gaming. RDNA 2.
120Hz refresh rate.
The tech specs for the
Microsoft Xbox Series X and Sony PlayStation
5, which hit shelves in November, contain a
familiar list of elements for PC gamers. In fact,
outside of RDNA 2, they’re all old news at this
point. Looking at the next-generation
consoles, you could easily think, “Why not just
build a PC? It’ll only be a little more expensive.”
Everyone’s favorite Greek chorus (aka
the internet) would agree. Vocal commentorslike to claim that a PC equivalent to a PS5 or
Xbox Series X costs as little as $800—or the
“true” price of those consoles after
factoring in the mandatory subscriptions
for online play.
But we here at PCWorld follow both
hardware launches and, more importantly,
pricing over time. And I can tell you that while
the console specs may be conventional, they
don’t come cheap.
So how much do you have to shell out?
That’s what this build project aims to
answer.Can you build a PS5 or
Xbox Series X PC for $800?
You can’t match a PS5 or Xbox Series X on price—not if you want similar performance.
So how much more does it cost to build a comparable PC? BY ALAINA YEE