The gaming PC you can build for the price of a PlayStation 5

It is possible to build a decent mid-range PC gaming rig for the price of a PlayStation 5 in South Africa.

The standard edition of Sony’s next-gen console with a Blu-Ray drive is priced at R11,999, while the digital-only version comes priced at R9,999.

Sony has claimed that its console will be able to run games in 4K resolution at 60fps, and even some titles at 120fps. Hardware-based ray tracing will also be supported on the console.

This performance is due to the combination of an AMD processor and custom graphics, as well as ultra-fast SSD storage technology.

Sony provided the specifications for the PS5 as shown in the following table.

MyBroadband previously assembled a PC with hardware that would make its performance comparable to the PS5.

Unsurprisingly, our build was a lot more expensive than Sony’s console.

Game consoles generally offer excellent value for money to their buyers, and manufacturers often sell them at significant losses to establish a strong customer base.

They then recoup the cost through subsequent game sales and spending on downloadable content on the platform.

Construction at the same price

We set up a PC version for gaming that will cost you the same as the PS5.

Given that retailers have been getting very low allocations from the digital-only system, the most popular console will likely be the standard model at R11,999.

We assembled parts from two of South Africa’s best-known and most affordable PC hardware retailers, Evetech and Wootware, to build the most powerful configuration possible on a budget of R11,999.

The table below shows the settings we came up with. Please note that for the motherboard, CPU, and RAM, we use one of Evetech’s upgrade kits, which is offering a significant discount rather than buying the parts yourself.

Expected return

With the settings above, you should expect mid-range gaming performance.

The system will likely be able to run multiple AAA titles at 1080p resolution on high settings or at the maximum of around 50-60fps.

However, titles with more demanding graphics can range from 30 to 40 fps.

Two key changes could be made to the system, although this will push the price beyond that of the PS5.

Swapping your hard drive for a solid-state drive will make games and application content load significantly faster.

One of the cheapest options available for this is the Hikvision C100 1TB at R1,799 at Evetech.

Additionally, to improve graphics performance and add ray tracing capabilities, Wootware offers the Palit RTX 2060 graphics card around R1,000 more than the GTX 1660 Super.

4K gaming is likely not yet possible or will require you to lower the settings to achieve playable frame rates.

How it compares to the PS5

The PS5’s specs and Sony’s claims about its performance mean it will likely outperform our build.

Not only does the console’s custom AMD CPU offer twice the cores and threads of the Ryzen 5 3400G, but it uses a new and improved design architecture.