# New gaming PC could outperform Xbox Series S, but cost much more

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/how-much-would-it-cost-to-build-a-pc-similar-to-the-xbox-series-s/
- Published: 2026-11-01T18:15:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-01T19:08:22+00:00
- Original publisher: Engadget
- Original article: https://www.engadget.com/2300614/xbox-series-s-pc-similar-how-much-to-build/
- Topics: Entertainment, Gaming, TV

## Key points

- A new PC can beat the Series S on paper.
- Its parts already cost at least $280 before a graphics card.
- Current hardware prices make the comparison time-sensitive.

## Summary

The article assesses whether a newly built PC can match the Xbox Series S as an affordable entry point to gaming. It concludes that a PC using current, readily available parts can outperform the console in theory, but the cost is likely to be substantially higher.

The comparison targets 1080p gaming, or 1440p with reduced settings and upscaling, and excludes refurbished parts. The Series S has an eight-core Zen 2 processor, an RDNA 2 graphics chip and 10GB of shared memory; the proposed PC uses an AM4 motherboard, a Ryzen 5 5600 or 5600X3D, and 8GB of DDR4 RAM. The article puts the processor at about $160, the motherboard at $80–$90 and memory at $40, while noting that GPU prices are volatile and that older cards or an RTX 3050 may be poor choices for newer games.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.