The PS5 Pro has officially been priced and dated for South Africa. The console will launch here a month later compared to the rest of the world and retail for R19,499. South Africans can pre-order the PS5 Pro starting on 1 November ahead of its release on 13 December. It is expected to be released in other territories on 7 November.
Since its pricing was confirmed, there have been mixed feelings about it. Some local gamers say it is more reasonable than they expected while others have said the R19,499 asking price without a disc drive and verticle stand is absurd. But there’s a common theme throughout this all – “Just build a gaming PC for R20,000”.
But can you really build a gaming PC for the price of a PS5 Pro in South Africa? Well, yes. It is completely doable. There are good and bads about this and I wanted to share it all in this handy guide. First, let’s get to the components.
CPU – AMD Ryzen 7 5700X (R3,999)
The closest CPU you can get to the PS5’s SoC is the AMD Ryzen 7 5600X. The PS5 uses almost a direct equivalent of this chip. Of course, it is custom-made with the GPU built-in too but in terms of performance, this is it.
GPU – AMD Gigabyte Radeon RX 7700 XT 12GB (R8,999)
The direct GPU to match the PS5 Pro is also the AMD Gigabyte Radeon RX 7700 XT 12GB Gaming OC. This GPU comes with all the FSR features found on the PS5 (perhaps even better). It does take up the majority of the cost but it is also the most important. It is difficult to directly compare a PC GPU with the PS5 because the console is power-limited.
RAM – GeIL Orion 16GB DDR4 3600 (R1,021)
RAM here isn’t a big deal. There is better RAM out there for sure. But the PS5 includes 16GB DDR4 RAM so we want to match it with the same thing.
Motherboard – Gigabyte A520 Micro-ATX Desktop Motherboard (R1,328)
The motherboard is a finicky subject because this is where you’ll want to spend more. With AMD AM5 chips and DDR5 RAM being more modern, you would want to get a board that supports those components. But we’ll discuss that in the perks section below. For now, this board is the cheapest and the closest spec to the PS5 Pro.
SSD – Western Digital SN580 M.2 PCIe 4.0 2TB (R2,499 / R1,199 1TB)
You can likely save some money on this SSD. 2TB is more than the PS5’s internal storage so shave off R1000 here and you can get a 1TB SSD instead. Like the PS5’s 1TB SSD, you will struggle with storage space but hey, we’re on a budget here!
PC Case – Antec NX500M Micro-ATX Mid-Tower Case (R749)
The PC case is a cheapie. You can likely find a cheaper one on a marketplace but this one does the job. It also allows for some upgrades later down the line with RGB fans and whatnot.
Cooler – ID-Cooling ARGB 120mm CPU Cooler (R329)
This is a basic CPU cooler. It isn’t water cooled but that isn’t always necessary. With the AMD Ryzen 7 5600X, you likely don’t need water cooling so this should do just fine.
PSU – Antec 450W Desktop PSU (R749)
To power all this tech you’ll need a 450W PSU. It does limit you to upgrading to better, more demanding components but right now we’re trying to build the PS5 Pro.
Extras? (R400)
Of course, PC gaming comes with its extra expenses. You’ll need a keyboard a mouse and a monitor. However, nothing is stopping you from using your TV as a monitor and plugging in a controller. Most games these days are best played with a controller. You can also pick up a real cheapie keyboard and mouse combo at a spaza shop for R200. Just to get around Windows and navigate the PC.
Then we will need Windows. This is a whole other debate because Windows is more accessible than you think. Nowadays, you can easily migrate a Windows 11 license from an old notebook you’re not using anymore. You can also purchase Windows 11 keys from grey stores for a fraction of the price. I won’t list them here but they can cost as low as R200 for a Windows 11 Pro key.
Total – R18,373
So we are under budget here. The extra cash could come in handy if you have a preferred retailer that is a little more expensive for these parts. I used Wootware who is quite reliable and often sells these products below the listed prices. You could also pick up a better keyboard and mouse with the extra cash.
Just like buying any console hardware, you could easily pick up these PC components second-hand too. Much cheaper in most cases. The world of used PC parts is just as lucrative as consoles. Usually, PC owners look after their tech. The case might have the odd dusty fan but a can of compressed air will fix that.
The Perks of PC Gaming – The Visuals
Even if we went over budget on this build, the perks of PC gaming greatly outweigh the life on PS5. I say this as I sit playing PS5 every night instead of playing PC games on my RTX 4080 SUPER build. But I often look at my PC for visually demanding games now. I have stopped requesting PS5 review codes in favour of PC codes because the current state of the PS5 isn’t great.
Recent games have looked rough on the console. Silent Hill 2 Remake, for example, relies heavily on intense FSR implementation and it results in a blurry game. Black Myth: Wukong, I don’t even want to mention how heavily downgraded it was on PS5.
On PC, things are a little different. Sure, with this build you’re not going to be able to run games at 4K maxed out. However, the freedom to tweak settings and lower the resolution to suit your display and performance goes a long way. On PS5, if the console can’t run the game at 4K, which is most of the time, major compromises are made to force that.
On PC, you just lower the resolution and tweak some performance settings. You’re not forced into a box deciding between “Quality Mode” and “Performance Mode”. Often, the most visually demanding features in a game can be turned off on a PC. Like raytracing, for example. On the console, the dev decides how you play the game and often, it isn’t the best way.
The Perks of PC Gaming – The Upgrades
Remember I mentioned we were building a PS5-power-equivalent PC? It doesn’t have to be. The freedom to replace components on a PC makes a big deal. In this build, we did use an AM4 board with DDR4 RAM. This is a bit old but will still last you a few years. There are better AM4 CPUs out there you could also pick up more RAM.
The GPU on its own offers the best upgrade potential. This component can be replaced with a better one but you’ll need to make sure you’re not bottlenecking performance due to the chip and board.
It is important to note that is an issue but not “a now issue”. A build like this will last you three years or more before you’ll want to move to a new board. The GPU will likely live even longer. It all depends on your expectations and how high you like to crank those graphics settings.
The Perks of PC Gaming – The Games and The Prices
PC gaming is a much cheaper hobby than PS5. Marketplaces sell cheap keys for Steam and Steam sales will have you buying things you’ll never play. Sure, major triple-A releases are often in line with PS5 game prices now but they drop fairly quickly.
Sony also might make it look like they have the best platform with the best exclusives but PC has been getting all those games “cough-cough GoW, Spider-Man, Helldivers, Uncharted, Horizon”. Not to mention the giant library of PC-only titles that will absolutely blow your mind. That is before you even start looking at early access stuff.
The Perks of PS5 Gaming – The Ease of Use
I won’t lie, the PS5 is the most comfortable way to play games for me. Probably why I prefer it most of the time. The idea you can sit on your couch and play games without those PC bugs and performance issues makes the console highly accessible. This doesn’t mean PC gaming is a constant troubleshooting experience but there are times when games hate you. They are far fewer now compared to say ten years ago though.
I hope this helps those out there looking for a PC equivalent of a PS5 Pro. I am not saying don’t buy a PS5 Pro (I will get mine day one), but I wanted to show you that PC gaming isn’t as bankrupting as it seems.