The PS5 release is due at the end of 2020. The new console promises a lot of power, but can it compete with a PC? At what PS5 price does a purchase make sense?
By now we know, thanks to a stream from Sony, how much power the PS5 will have. And the performance is impressive. But how does the PS5 actually compare to a gaming PC? Does it stand a chance?
First, we want to compare the technology of the PS5 and the PC. Finally, we’ll look at what both the PC and the console have to offer apart from pure technology and where both can leverage their advantages. In the end, there will be a brief look back at the PS4.
PS5: Specs and Performance
What technology does the PS5 offer? Sony promises that the PS5 will use modern technology at launch in winter 2020:
- It features an 8-core/16-thread processor (AMD Zen 2) with a maximum of 3.5 GHz.
- A GPU with 10.28 TFLOPs (AMD RDNA 2) and 2,304 shader units, clocked at a maximum of 2,230 MHz. The best comparison here is the RTX 2080 Super with 11.15 TFLOPs from 2019.
- 16.0 GB GDDR6 RAM and an NVMe SSD with 825 GB, offering 5.5 GB/s (read/write) complete the package.
What about 4K on the PS5? The PS5 supports a resolution of up to 8K. Additionally, up to 120Hz are possible on a 4K screen. Unlike the PS4, the PS5 is said to offer native 4K and not rely on “checkerboard rendering”.
What kind of drive does the PS4 have? The PS5, like the Xbox Series X, features a UHD Blu-ray drive, utilizing the latest technology.
How does it compare to the PC? To play in 4K on PC, you need at least a GeForce GTX 1070 Ti (around 500 Euros, Nvidia) or a Radeon RX Vega 64 (around 650 Euros, AMD). The RX 5700 XT (around 400, also AMD) would also work, but is better suited for WQHD. AMD cards currently (still) lack ray tracing support. However, these are not equivalent to the PS5, as the PS5 uses a completely different cooling technology.
Mathematically, the PS5 offers an advantage over the gaming PC at 4K:
- 4K graphics cards are expensive for the PC, and few gamers own one. The PS5 could offer 4K performance at a more affordable price, given the right TV.
- 3D audio and ray tracing audio is something the gaming PC can’t offer yet. The PS5 presents completely new possibilities that might also become available for PCS in the future.
With 5.5 GB/s, the PS5 also offers a high read and write speed. With a modern PCIe 4.0 interface and an SSD, you achieve about 5.0 GB/s when reading and less when writing:
- Here, the console and the PC are closely matched in their capabilities.
If you’re interested in how much the PS5 or Xbox Series X would cost as a PC, we have calculated the possible prices based on comparable components:
PS5 vs Gaming-PC: What reasons speak for the console?
Price of the console: The price of the console will play an important role at launch in winter 2020, as our survey has shown.
And generally, the buyer group for the console is different from that of a gaming PC, which is why manufacturers will probably not set the price too high:
- Those who primarily play sports or casual games are not concerned about how old the hardware is, as long as it works.
- People who cannot or do not want to afford an expensive gaming PC are more likely to reach for the console.
- A PC offers many options, whether it’s for self-building or the many possible configurations. Consoles always offer the same hardware and don’t overwhelm when it comes to component choice.
Price of games: Games for consoles are usually more expensive than for the PC (around 10 Euros):
- Retail games can always be resold. Used games are therefore often available at very low prices.
- Games for PC are usually cheaper, but many are tied permanently to Steam, Battle.net, and Co and cannot be resold.
Compatibility of games: If you buy a game for the PS4, you can be sure that it will run on the console.
On PC, it’s not that easy. Here, minimum requirements must be checked. And drivers can spoil the gaming experience.
Exclusives for consoles: Exclusive titles are always important reasons for choosing a specific console. Sony has previously offered a wide portfolio of different titles to attract buyers. However, no purely exclusive titles for the PS5 have been announced yet.
Games like Dreams, Ghost of Tsushima, or The Last of Us – Part II are either also available for the PS4 or for PC.
PS5 vs Gaming-PC: What reasons speak against the console?
Buyers as “Early adopters”? Adam Ismail, tech expert from Tomsguide.com, explains in a conversation about the consoles:
Consoles are necessary because they are a testing ground for new technology and make said new technology more affordable in the long run.
Adam Ismail, Tech Expert. Source: Tomsguide.com.
What he means by that: In the new consoles, the manufacturer AMD is using ray tracing for the first time. Until now, only Nvidia offers ray tracing in its graphics cards. This step is crucial for AMD, as the manufacturer can now showcase how well ray tracing works with Radeon graphics cards. Developers are quite taken with the possibilities of the PS5.
In extreme terms, this means that the first buyers will use the latest technology but will also face potential problems. And not everyone is pleased to be such an “early adopter”. How well the PS5 or Xbox Series X is at release can only be speculated at the moment.
Also new is the use of ray tracing audio. Both Microsoft and Sony rely on this technology in their new generation. How exactly this works, we explain in our follow-up article:
The PC offers more possibilities than the console: It is worth noting that computers offer much more possibilities than consoles: work and productivity or multimedia and, in some regard, flexibility as laptops.
On the other hand, every console buyer is aware that they want to game on a console and not necessarily write a book.
PC offers a better price-performance ratio: There are still no announcements regarding the price of the new consoles. Nevertheless, as Marshall Honorof, like Ismail from Tomsguide.com, indicates, the PC might be the better choice in the long run. He writes:
Whether cloud gaming or the slow upgrading of the PC over time, both have the potential to be more cost-effective than the PS5 or Xbox Series X. Buyers are also willing to spend $1000 on a smartphone; they can certainly be convinced that spending $1000 on a PC is also a good investment.
Marshall Honorof, Tech Expert from Tomsguide.com.
$500 is not necessarily the better investment for a console than, say, $1000 or $1500 for a good PC.
Furthermore, according to Honorof, a good PC could already be had for $600 or less, and with this, you could easily game and work for ten years, while consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X are likely designed for about seven years before the technology is outdated.
And even then, the PC has an advantage: components can be replaced.
The PC can be upgraded: The major advantage over the console is certainly the fact that you can enhance your PC at any time or, for instance, upgrade it with a new graphics card. This is not so easily possible with a console.
How was it with the PS4?
What technology does the PS4 offer? Even the PS4 was no longer cutting-edge technology at its release in November 2013. In numbers, this can be made a little clearer:
- The GPU (graphics unit) of the PS4 Pro achieves 4.20 TFLOPs.
- 5.1 TFLOPs is already achieved by the base model of the AMD RX 570 from 2017. The GeForce GTX 980 from 2014 also achieves around 5.0 TFLOPs.
What about 4K on the PS4? The PS4 did not offer 4K at launch; the PS4 Pro at least offers it to some extent: In some cases, the console does not deliver “true” 4K, but instead, a lower resolution is used. This is then upscaled by the console. This is called “checkerboard rendering.”
What kind of drive does the PS4 have? Both the PS4 and PS4 Pro only have a standard Blu-ray drive – the Xbox One S and X use a UHD Blu-ray drive, which is significantly more modern.
What bothers many users about the PS4 in particular? Many users complain about the very high noise level of the PS4. Some of our readers also complained in our article “Your PS4 could soon be worth more than you think”:
- For example, MeinMMO reader Saibot77 wrote under the article “Not at the end of the lifecycle – your PS4 could soon be worth more than you think”: “My PS4 is louder than my Dyson vacuum cleaner. The mere hope that the PS5 will be quieter is enough for me.”
- Papa Smurf feels similarly: “I really hope that the PS5 will be significantly quieter than the PS4 Pro. That alone would be the biggest reason for me to buy it. Better graphics, faster loading times, and all that stuff is great, but if the thing is as noisy as the PS4, I’ll say no thank you.”
How does it compare to the PC? The PS4 struggles with two major problems compared to the PC:
- From the very beginning, the PS4 had relatively outdated hardware compared to the PC. The gaming PC clearly leads in terms of performance and hardware.
- The high noise level of the PS4 disturbs many users significantly. The noise level of a PC can be adjusted, and rarely poses a real problem.
PS5 vs Gaming-PC: Conclusion
For whom is a console suitable? Ultimately, it depends on what you like to play:
- Sports games and casual games are significantly more successful on the console than on the PC.
- Furthermore, the console is generally aimed at casual players and not at those who prefer to optimize hardware themselves and want absolute high-end.
- The (at least for the PS4) direct price advantage is also worth mentioning.
Who should opt for the PC instead?
- Anyone who not only games but also works or edits pictures will be better off on a PC.
- PC gamers miss out on a manageable number of exclusive titles on average.
- Those who enjoy “tinkering,” like to swap parts, and enjoy investing money to improve “their” PC are likely to find that the PC offers more in the long run.
What do you think? Do you have similar ideas about the PS5 and gaming PC or do you have a completely different opinion? Write it in the comments!
We have summarized all important information regarding Sony’s new console for you in our overview of the PS5.
