When Microsoft revealed the official price of Xbox Series S console of 299$, it turned out to be a very unique system. being capable of 1440p output at 120fps, we’re looking at a very interesting gaming device, and that got us wondering “can you build a gaming pc that can challenge it ?”. since a PC can be used for a lot more than just gaming we can comfortably spend a little more, with the Xbox Series S being the cheapest next-gen console we will be comparing our budget gaming PC build to it.
Xbox Series S Vs. Gaming PC
The Xbox Series S uses the same CPU as the Series X but with a slightly reduced clock speed. That’s a 3.6GHz 8-core CPU based on the Zen 2 architecture, with a custom graphics chip that pushes a 1440P resolution and up to 120FPS experience (advertised) . The graphics chip is massively underpowered in comparison to the Series X (4Teraflop vs. 12 teraflops) but still quite able to support variable refresh rate, variable rate shading and even Ray-Tracing, variable rate shading and even Ray-Tracing. Having all this for 299$ is a an amazing deal, so building a budget PC for the same price will be very hard,
If you were to get a PC with a similar core count, we’re looking at almost the cost of the Xbox series S itself. The AMD Ryzen 7 3700x with 8 cores, 16 threads costs 250$ as of the time writing this article. So we will rather than a spec-to-spec match, pick a part list that’s more budget-friendly.
Xbox Series S Specs :
CPU: 3.6 GHz Custom Zen 2
RAM: 10 GB GDDR6
GPU: 4TFLOPs RDNA 2
Storage: 480 GB Custom NVME SSD
Our PC Build :
Processor: AMD Ryzen 3 3100 – 100$
Motherboard: AM4 B450M – 70$
RAM: 8GB DDR4 (single Stick) – 30$
GPU: RX 5500XT – 160$
Storage: WD Blue 500GB SSD – 50$
Case: 40$
Power Supply – 80+ bronze 500W 50$
Grand Total – 500$
Even when considering very bare-bones specs, our gaming PC ends up going way past the 299$ budget, which we think is okay since there’s much more you can do with a PC.
Xbox Series S Performance Comparison
As we see in the spec-breakdown above, the components we can accommodate are fairly simple and entry-level within the allocated budget. At 1440p resolution, the RX 5500XT is certainly not capable of moving most games to 120fps. In truth, playing games on an AMD RX 5500XT at 1440p often brings the frame rates to the lower double digits, especially if it’s a AAA title. Not to mention, on Ray-Tracing capabilities you miss out. The 5500XT can definitely run games at 1080p, and some at 60fps or even 120fps but not AAA titles at 120fps, and definitely not with the graphics turned to ultra.
Then What Should I Buy
If you are looking for a new gaming PC, you should just get one but the Xbox Series S is a better value by a mile for gaming only. the Xbox Series S is a better value by a mile. Compared to a gaming PC with an even higher price tag, the Series S has a lot to give in terms of game experience, so getting it instead isnt that bad of an idea if you only want to game.