Can you build a PS5 or Xbox Series X PC for $800?

Ray 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 commentors like 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.

PS5 + XBOX SERIES X = ?

Actually, this project aims to answer a second question as well: What exactly goes into a PC build designed to mimic the next-gen consoles? After all, we as PC gamers, at the time of this writing, can’t even buy an RDNA 2 GPU yet. (The Radeon RX 6800 and 6800XT became available on November 18, with the 6900XT following on December 8.) Console gamers get to play on one first.

So before we dive into the PC build lists, let’s recap the PS5 and Xbox Series X specs we’re working off of:

Most of the hardware and features