Why Now is the Best Time to Build a PC

The gulf between PC gaming and console gaming used to be an imposing one. After all, there’s a reason those who have definitively chosen to side with PC gaming jokingly refer to themselves as the “PC Master Race”. But the increasing power of home console hardware, combined with the wealth of resources available for those looking to make the jump to PC, have continually shrunk the gap that exists between the two, to the point where there’s arguably never been a better time than now to build a PC. Better yet, there are so many reliable manufacturers and combinations of components that fit just about any budget that it’s possible to build an extremely powerful and reliable PC for roughly the same price as a new piece of high-end console hardware.

The somewhat shocking price point of Sony’s mid-gen hardware refresh with the PS5 Pro is, understandably, causing many to consider making the jump from console gaming to PC. Not to mention, Sony itself has committed to bringing its first-party exclusives to PC, including going through its impressive back catalog of classic exclusives and making them available via Steam for the first time. Sony’s exclusives were one of the primary reasons to still own a piece of PlayStation hardware, but with those titles arriving on PC, gamers have a new avenue to enjoy what are definitively some of the best titles in gaming. In Microsoft’s case, all of the greatest Xbox exclusives are available for PC via the Game Pass service, making console exclusives a non-issue when it comes to making the switch.

Making the Switch Between Consoles and PC

One of the primary barriers to entry for PC gaming is the upfront cost of buying or building a gaming desktop. But modern console generations continue to erode the cost difference between the two platforms, with the cost of new hardware gradually inching ever closer to matching that of a new gaming desktop. When the NES launched in 1985, the console was $199. Adjusted for inflation, that price point comes out to roughly $579. But when it comes to PCs, the cost was exorbitant in comparison. In the 1990s, when PC gaming first started to really come into its own, a PC focused on gaming could run consumers anywhere from $1000-$7700 depending on its specifications. Adjusting those prices for inflation leads to some eye-watering price differences. But time, and widespread adoption, have driven the price of PC gaming way below what it was during its infancy.

The most recent piece of high-end console hardware, the PS5 Pro, has an MSRP of $699.99. Not only is this a full $100 more than the previous most expensive piece of PlayStation hardware (the launch price of the PlayStation 3), but it’s also not a complete picture of what consumers can expect to spend. The PS5 Pro does not include a disk drive, which players will need to play any physical PS4 or PS5 games they already own. Purchasing the PS5 Pro’s Optical Drive will run another $100, while a second controller or storage expansion can run $70 and $100+, respectively. Altogether, a fully functional PS5 Pro with a disc drive, increased storage, and a second controller for multiplayer gaming or easy controller swapping will total $1000, easily.

How PC Cost Has Changed

In years past, comparing $1000 on the total cost of a PS5 Pro to the upfront cost of building a comparable gaming PC would be pointless thanks to the imposing cost of custom or prebuilt gaming PCs. But in 2024, it’s entirely possible to build a PC with similar or better performance as a PS5 Pro for a comparable price point (between $700-$1000). A quick YouTube search will reveal dozens of videos in which PC-centric content creators have successfully put together build guides for how gamers can purchase and build their own custom gaming PC for the same price as a PS5 Pro with performance benchmarks that far surpass Sony’s mid-gen hardware refresh. And while the final barrier to making the switch for many used to be the games, recent changes in Sony and Microsoft’s strategies have made that a non-issue.

PC Gaming’s Parity With Consoles

The last several generations of the “console war” (which, truthfully, isn’t anywhere near as cutthroat as it was in previous console generations) have been decided by the games. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo have each positioned their console business on the back of the games available for each platform, using exclusive IP and first-party titles to push consumers in one direction over another. High-profile series like Nintendo’s Mario and Zelda, Sony’s God of War and Horizon, and Microsoft’s Halo and Gears of War (not to mention dozens of other first-party titles under each studio) are traditionally trapped behind console exclusivity, but that’s not the case anymore.

Other than Nintendo (whose titles still remain exclusive to the company’s hardware), the major console manufacturers’ first-party titles are mostly available on PC. Microsoft has proven to be a pioneer in this regard, bringing most (if not all) of its first-party exclusives to its Game Pass service, which is readily available for PC players. Even outside of having a PC Game Pass subscription, many of Microsoft’s best first-party exclusives are available on Steam or other digital storefronts. Sony has followed suit, bringing many of its highest-profile, system-selling exclusives to PC. They’ve even doubled down on future support of PC, making a public commitment to bringing first-party Sony exclusives to PC either on day 1 or not long after.

The parity between game libraries of consoles and PC has never been stronger. Combined with the fact that it’s easy to pair Sony and Microsoft’s first-party controllers and peripherals with most major motherboards (via Bluetooth), PC gamers can now have almost a 1:1 game library with console owners while also enjoying the benefits of superior performance and (often) cheaper game prices.

Building Your Own PC vs. Prebuilt

If you’ve decided to break away from consoles in favor of switching to PC gaming, there’s still one major hurdle left to cross. I’m speaking, of course, about the decision to buy a prebuilt PC versus building a custom desktop. There are benefits and drawbacks to either, and the choice ultimately depends on what you want out of a PC gaming experience. On the one hand, buying a prebuilt gaming PC takes the guesswork out of pricing and putting together components. On the other hand, prebuilt PCs often cut corners on certain components to keep the profit margins higher. And while buying a prebuilt PC means getting to game on a powerful machine right out of the box, you lose the knowledge of your system’s inner-workings that comes from doing a custom build.

There’s also the matter of price. Most prebuilt PCs are, on average, roughly 15-30% more expensive than custom-built PCs with comparable components. As an example, the total cost of components for my personal gaming desktop was about $1860. A comparable prebuilt PC with the same specs is, on average, $2499. That’s a 25% price increase over a custom-built gaming desktop, and you lose out on the experience and knowledge gained from building the computer yourself. Truthfully, researching and building a PC yourself is as much fun as playing games on it. Plus, you get the benefit of intimately knowing the inner-workings of your system and having a better chance at troubleshooting issues before needing to resort to refunds, RMAs, or costly replacement parts.

Budget Builds Far Outweigh Budget Prebuilts

While higher-end prebuilt PCs somewhat justify their cost thanks to the impressive specs on board, entry-level and budget prebuilt PCs are left in the dust by their custom-built counterparts. It’s much easier to squeeze every bit of power out of a smaller budget when opting to do a custom build, thanks to the fact that you can prioritize CPU and GPU while cutting costs in other areas. Better yet, new third-party marketplaces like Jawa make it easier and safer than ever to purchase used PC parts, meaning a $500-$700 budget can stretch a lot further. In the case of building an entry-level PC as a starting point, it’s more likely you’ll end up with a greater machine with better performance by sourcing parts and building it yourself than opting for a prebuilt one at a similar price.

How the Future Will Impact PC Component Prices

The next 6-12 months will be a very interesting time in the world of PC gaming thanks to some important upcoming events. Despite lacking Nvidia’s official confirmation, industry insiders point to January 2025 as the release month for Nvidia’s 5000 series GPUs. Technological advancements and new products tend to give way to a slew of people jumping on board with PC gaming, thanks to a two-pronged effect. First, new high-end GPUs will result in new top-tier performance benchmarks, with the 5000 series cards reportedly far outshining the already impressive 4090 cards. Second, the release of a newer, more high-end product will push the price of older series cards down, resulting in 3000 and 4000 series cards reaching their lowest-ever prices.

But Nvidia’s new GPUs are far from the only new product set to release in the coming months. In addition to AMD’s new 9800x3D CPU, the company has also revealed that its next line of GPUs is on the way. Further, Intel is releasing its next series of cards after jumping into the competition a few years back, with the new B580 and A750 GPUs set to significantly shake things up as far as budget graphics cards go. It’s been many years since a powerful GPU was released below the $300 price point, and Intel’s next line of graphics cards are positioned to fill that gap while also sporting some impressive specs (including a whopping 12GB of onboard VRAM).

The Question of Tariffs

Here in the US, promises of tariffs could potentially increase the cost of several consumer goods, including PC components. The direct impact of such tariffs remains to be seen, but chances are it will be some time before any proposed changes take effect. As such, there’s a window of time in which consumers can still buy PC components at their current pricing, making now an ideal window for buying parts and planning to build a PC. Between the decreasing cost of existing components (thanks to new products) and the potential for prices to increase due to tariffs in the next several months, the absolute best time to build or buy a PC is arguably right now. If you’ve been on the fence, it might be time to go ahead and take the plunge.

Even Budget PCs Can Meet or Surpass Power of Modern Consoles

So you think you want to make the switch from console to PC, or maybe add a gaming desktop to your gaming repertoire? Now comes the question of budget. Determining how much you want to spend buying or building a PC is an important part of the process that will determine what components you buy, as well as how “future-proof” your gaming rig is. One of the many joys of PC gaming is the ability to modularly upgrade your desktop rather than needing to buy a brand-new console every few years. But you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars upfront to get a rig that will A) be sufficient for current-gen gaming and B) last you for a reasonable amount of time.

For between the price of a base PS5 Pro or a PS5 Pro with all the peripherals ($700-$1000), you can build a gaming PC that is significantly more powerful than Sony’s pro-model console. While the specs of the PS5 Pro are impressive, the onboard components can be purchased for much cheaper in their PC counterparts, leading to you being able to spend the spare money elsewhere to end up with a much more powerful machine. Let’s take a look at the console’s internals:

Building a PC More Powerful Than a PS5 Pro

Opting for a less expensive case, cooler, and power supply options that can still sufficiently house, cool, and power a PC with comparable components will allow you to build something that definitively outperforms the PS5 Pro at a similar price. The closest equivalent to the PS5 Pro’s GPU would be an Nvidia 3070, which can be purchased for around $250-$300. The other main component to focus on would then be the CPU. The PC equivalent to the PS5 Pro’s proprietary AMD CPU would be AMD’s own Ryzen 7 3700x, which is readily available for around $130. The rest of the components (including RAM and 2TB of SSD NVMe storage) should total enough to where you could even go one level up on the GPU, CPU, or both to build a more powerful machine for the same price.

Everything You’ll Need

In general, building a PC will allow you to enjoy all the latest games (plus potentially thousands of older games) at higher framerates and with greater visual fidelity. With console exclusives now readily making their way to PC, along with the leveling of the playing field as far as cost and the knowledge of how to build, the switch to PC gaming is almost a no-brainer. If you find yourself feeling like now is the time to make the transition into PC gaming, there’s still the matter of choosing the right components. Not only will you need to find compatible parts that fit within your budget, but you’ll also want to make sure you check all the boxes for the basic building blocks of a gaming PC. Here’s a quick checklist of everything you’ll need:

• Motherboard
• CPU
• GPU
• RAM
• Storage (NVMe or SATA SSD Drive(s))
• Power Supply
• Cooling
• Case
• Keyboard
• Mouse
• Display
• Operating System

At a glance, it might look like a lot of boxes to check. But there again, the benefit of building a PC is that you can purchase each of these components separately. Some retailers like Micro Center even have bundles that allow you to save potentially hundreds of dollars by purchasing paired components. Recall that the bulk of the cost from your build will likely go to the GPU and CPU, while the rest of these components can be sourced competitively. In other words, you can cut down on the total cost of a build by being more selective in choosing the other components while putting a priority on a quality CPU and GPU.

Helpful Cost-Cutting Tips

Whether you’re looking to build a PC under $1000 or have a higher budget for a new gaming rig, it’s still a good idea to find ways to cut costs where possible. While you might have had your eye on a fancy dual-chamber case with all sorts of room for expansion and built-in fans, you might not need that much cooling. Alternatively, your CPU and GPU combo might make a 4K display overkill, meaning you can opt for a 1440p display with a high refresh rate to save a huge chunk of change. Here are a few things to keep in mind that might help you save some money when building a PC, allowing you to divert those funds to purchasing what matters most in the first place — the games.

• Visit more than one retailer, compare pricing, shop around before making a purchase
• Sign up for alerts on deals or promotions at your favorite retailers
• Opt for a traditional air cooler instead of an AIO liquid cooler. They cost significantly less and last much longer
• Determine your system’s total wattage before buying a power supply. It’s nice to have room to expand, but you can save money by not going overkill on how many watts you need
• Shop around for a motherboard that can handle your CPU and GPU but don’t assume you need the most expensive one. A B-series mobo will work just fine and will be hundreds of dollars less than some X or Z-series (depending on whether you’re opting for AMD or Intel CPUs)
• Get sufficient cooling for your case but don’t go overboard on fans

Invaluable Resources For Building Your First PC or Upgrading

After deciding to buy or build a PC and determining your budget, you still need to do your due diligence and research everything before pulling the trigger. Especially in the case of building your own PC (which we highly recommend, even if just for the experience), you will need to make sure that all the components you’ve selected are compatible with one another. Thankfully, there are two different resources you can use to help with that exact process.

The first, and perhaps most valuable, resource for building a PC is PCPartPicker.com

This helpful website allows you to piece together not just one, but multiple different builds, selecting each component as part of a checklist and using the site’s helpful compatibility checker to make sure everything will work together as intended. Better yet, PCPartPicker aggregates the current costs of each component across multiple retailers, with links directing you to view and purchase each part.

Another helpful resource is Micro Center. In addition to their retail locations with plenty of helpful associates, Micro Center’s website has a helpful “Custom PC Builder” feature that’s similar to PCPartPicker’s, only with a direct line to Micro Center’s inventory. As a plus, purchasing components from Micro Center means being able to go to their onsite repair centers to get helpful diagnostics if a part isn’t working as intended.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©ASUS ROG gaming desktop.