What is the price of the PS5 and the Xbox Series X? We compare the performance with a PC and explain what both new consoles would cost if you were to build them.
Neither Sony nor Microsoft has revealed much about the price of the PlayStation 5 or the Xbox Series X so far. We want to compare the performance of the next-gen console with similar computer hardware and present the information currently available:
- Price PS5 vs Xbox Series X – known info
- PlayStation 5: price comparison with PC
- Xbox Series X: price comparison with PC
- PS5 vs Xbox Series X price comparison
Price PS5 vs Xbox Series X – known info
What we know about the price of the PlayStation 5: Sony has revealed some new details in a stream but did not mention the price. Some suspect that Sony is waiting for the competition to announce the price.
What we know about the price of the Xbox Series X: Microsoft also has not stated a specific price for the Xbox Series X yet. Instead, there have been rumors that the S-version could be sold at a real competitive price.
How do we compare? We have looked at the known performance data for the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5 and identified equivalents in PC components:
- Before the comparison, it’s important to know that these are not 1:1 equivalents. The clock rates for graphics cards and processors are slightly different. For a more comprehensive explanation, see wired.co.uk.
- We focus on standalone processors and graphics cards in the comparison, not a processor-graphics combo solution (APU) like the consoles. The console manufacturers can save relatively much with a holistic, different cooling system compared to a gaming PC.
- As for graphics cards, one currently must (still) rely on Nvidia, since AMD graphics cards do not offer ray tracing. Thanks to the new RTX Super models in 2019, prices have dropped somewhat, but they still remain higher than cards from AMD without ray tracing.
- The price comparison uses prices from Geizhals.de.
PlayStation 5: price comparison with PC
Below we present the individual parts of the PS5 and explain why we chose this comparison.
Processor
| PS5 | PC Equivalent | Price |
| 8 cores/16 threads (AMD Zen 2) maximum 3.5 GHz | AMD Ryzen 7 3700X processor, 4GHz | 289 Euro |
The PlayStation 5 uses an AMD processor with Zen-2 architecture, which clocks up to 3.5 GHz. The best comparable one is the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X: it also uses the Zen-2 architecture and features 8 cores with 16 possible threads. Both the PS5 and PC utilize a 7-nm process technology.
Graphics card
| PS5 | PC Equivalent | Price |
| 10.28 TFLOPs (AMD RDNA 2) 2304 shader units max. 2230 MHz | RTX 2080 Super (11.15 TFLOPs), 3072 shader units, 1815 MHz | 725 Euro |
The RTX Super 2080 provides comparable raw performance to the RDNA-2 architecture, having slightly more shader units but a lower clock rate. As of this point (March 21, 2020), there is no equivalent from AMD since AMD graphics cards (still) do not offer ray tracing.
RAM
| PS5 | PC Equivalent | Price |
| 16GB GDDR6 | Corsair Vengeance 16 GB | 75.99 Euro |
Sony uses 16 GB GDDR6 memory in the PS5. The Vengeance memory from Corsair is known to be very fast RAM for gaming systems.
Internal storage
| PS5 | PC Equivalent | Price |
| 825 GB NVMe SSD, 5.5 GB/s (uncompressed), 8-9 GB/s (compressed) | Corsair MP600, NVMe SSD, 4.9GB/s read and 4.2 GB/s write | 219 Euro |
The Corsair MP600 NVMe SSD is expensive but one of the fastest internal drives out there. With 825 GB, there are no comparable options; the 1 TB version from Corsair is best suited for this comparison as it offers very fast write and read speeds.
Optical drive
| PS5 | PC Equivalent | Price |
| 4K UHD Blu-ray | Blu-ray drive | 80 Euro |
Standard Blu-ray drives are difficult to compare: If someone wants to play 4K Blu-rays on a PC, they need not only a drive but also software capable of playing them. Currently, only PowerDVD Ultra from version 17 can do this, and this software is paid.
What the PS5 costs as a PC
What is the total amount? The PlayStation 5 costs 1388.99 Euro in our comparison with similar PC hardware.
Xbox Series X: price comparison with PC
Below we present the individual parts of the Xbox Series X and explain why we chose this comparison.
Processor
| Xbox Series X | PC Equivalent | Price |
| 8 cores/16 threads (AMD Zen 2), 3.8 GHz (with 16 threads 3.6 GHz) | AMD Ryzen 7 3700X processor, 4GHz | 289 Euro |
The Xbox Series X, like the PS5, uses an AMD processor with Zen-2 architecture, which clocks up to 3.8 GHz. Its best comparable processor is the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X: it also uses the Zen-2 architecture and features 8 cores with 16 possible threads. Both the PS5 and PC utilize a 7-nm process technology. The clock rate of the Ryzen 7 is slightly above that of the Xbox Series X.
Graphics card
| Xbox Series X | PC Equivalent | Price |
| 12.14 TFLOPs (AMD RDNA 2), 3328 shader units, 1845 MHz | RTX 2080 Ti (13.45 TFLOPs), 4352 shader units, 2000 MHz | 1089 Euro |
The Xbox Series X leverages AMD’s RDNA-2 architecture for graphics, which offers ray tracing for the first time with AMD. The performance of the Xbox Series X GPU is most comparable to the RTX 2080 Ti, which provides slightly more performance than the RDNA-2 architecture at 13.45 TFLOPs and clocking slightly higher at 2000 MHz.
RAM
| Xbox Series X | PC Equivalent | Price |
| 10 GB GDDR6 (560 GB/s) + 6 GB GDDR6 (336 GB/s) | Corsair Vengeance 16 GB | 75.99 Euro |
Microsoft uses a combination of 10GB of fast GDDR6 memory and 6GB of slightly slower memory for system memory. The Vengeance memory from Corsair is known to be very fast RAM for gaming systems.
Internal storage
| Xbox Series X | PC Equivalent | Price |
| 1,000 GB NVMe SSD, 2.4 GB/s (uncompressed), 4.8 GB/s (compressed) | Samsung 970 EVO, internal SSD, 1TB 3.3 GB/s read and 2.2Gb/s write | 165 Euro |
The Samsung NVMe SSD is one of the fastest and most reliable internal SSDs currently available. There are no hard drives with 825 GB; the 1 TB version from Samsung is the most suitable for this comparison.
Optical drive
| Xbox Series X | PC Equivalent | Price |
| 4K UHD Blu-ray | Blu-ray drive | 80 Euro |
Standard Blu-ray drives are challenging to compare: If someone wants to play 4K Blu-rays on a PC, they need both a drive and software capable of playing them. Currently, only PowerDVD Ultra from version 17 can accomplish this, and this software incurs charges.
What the Xbox Series X costs as a PC
What is the total amount? The Xbox Series X costs 1698.99 Euro in our comparison with similar PC hardware.
Xbox Series X vs PS5 price comparison
| PlayStation 5 | Xbox Series X |
| 1388.99 Euro | 1698.99 Euro |
What do the two consoles cost in comparison? In our comparison, the price of the Xbox Series X is higher than that of the PlayStation 5, with a difference of around 350 Euro.
Why is the price different? The significant price difference is primarily due to the differing performance of the graphics unit (GPU), where the Xbox Series X offers more than the competition.
Both consoles rely on AMD’s Zen-2 architecture for the processor and Navi technology for the graphics card. Nevertheless, the two consoles differ. The Xbox Series X features 52 compute units and 12.15 TFLOPs, while the PS5 only provides 36 compute units and 10.28 TFLOPs.
In our PC comparison, the RTX 2080 Super and RTX 2080 Ti are compared.
What does this mean for the actual purchase price? In this article, we can only outline trends regarding which console might be more expensive at release, as the actual prices are still unknown. And the final price is likely to be crucial for success:
- For example, we asked our readers on Mein-MMO how much they would be willing to pay for the PS5 and the price range was between 400 and 500 Euro.
- An additional Twitter survey showed that the price will be crucial for the success of PS5 and Xbox Series X.
PS5 and Xbox Series X likely to be sold under cost
It would not be unusual for the industry if the new consoles are sold under cost.
Andrew House, CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment (via Forbes.com), stated that with the PlayStation 3 in 2007 and 2008, they incurred losses of 3.5 billion dollars. Nevertheless, in the end, the console became profitable due to strong games and online services.
Why are they willing to take losses? Sony and Microsoft are willing to do this because they want to create a broad user base by selling their consoles. This user base is then also willing to pay for games or online services. Especially for good and exclusive games, players are happy to spend money.
How is money made? Microsoft earns about $7 in platform fees from a game priced at $60 and makes about $27 from contracts for first-party games (via fool.com). In addition, there are online services:
- Microsoft offers Xbox Live Gold, which costs 60 Euro per year for online play.
- Additionally, Microsoft offers a Game Pass that allows for unlimited gameplay for 10 Euro per month.
- Sony offers PlayStation Plus, which also costs 60 Euro per year.
- With PS Now, Sony offers a similar gaming subscription for 100 Euro per year.
How much performance do the new consoles offer? Many are eagerly waiting to see how powerful the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X will be in practice. Many see TFLOPs as an indicator of performance:
- But a developer recently mentioned that TFLOPS for the new consoles are misunderstood by fans.
